Belkin and Razer n52te SpeedPad
 

Updating the award-winning Nostromo SpeedPad n52, Belkin International announced its new n52te, a hybrid gaming keyboard built to dominate in FPS (first-person shooter), MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing games), and RTS (real-time strategy) computer games. An improvement over its predecessor, the critically acclaimed n52, the n52te is enhanced by Razer’s killer performance software, which boasts a competitive advantage with portable player profiles, robust customization tools, and cool blue backlighting. The device is scheduled to be available:

• November 2007 in the US ($69.99), Europe (£49.99 or €69.99), Australia ($99.99), and Korea (KRW 69,000)
  February 2008 in Asia, Canada, and Latin America

http://www.techpowerup.com/img/07-10-05/n52te2_thm.jpg http://www.techpowerup.com/img/07-10-05/n52te_thm.jpg http://www.techpowerup.com/img/07-10-05/n52te3_thm.jpg

Source: Belkin

not nearly enough keys for an MMORPG.

Meh...it depends on the player.....I only use the wasd keys mostly and the mouse for the rest in GW. Maybe a good Christmas present for me. :D

:pimp: I'll smoke you with a decent keyboard and optical mouse anyday. I have been playing FPS games long enough to have developed a nearly pre-cogniscent flow state. Little contraptions don't help..its called talent :)

well that depends, macros and what not.

I liked the original speed pad something Belkin finally did some good on. This one looks bad ass and it has a RAzer with it. nice.

I guess the biggest advantage over using a keyboard is comfort, it looks like it would be more comfortable to use for a few hours than a keyboard.

Depends on how you have your keyboard and mouse setup. I set my controls up for comfort and speed and can sit at a keyboard all day (even though i don't) without getting cramped up. And Macros...well i don't play MMORPG's so i really never use macros. Depends on the gamer.

If it was half the price, I'd buy it. Like how it's tilted, as my fingers go in an angle to WASD and couple hours of BF has gives "nice" holes to them.. :) One thing that SpeedPad would prevent me from doing is tu use my thump in S, while other fingers are in AWD. That is the reason for the bad finger angle, but I've used that for years in racing games with arrows too. It's great with vehicle, as you don't have to move middle finger to break or hover back.

Oh man, I think I just passed out. I cannot play games without this, it just kills my arm to use a regular keyboard. I have gone thru 1 n50 and 2 n52 in the last 7 years. I have been sending emails to Belkin for months begging for an updated n52 driver for Vista, and they give me this. Sweet Jebuz be praised!:rockout::respect:

looks exactly like my n52, but with backlight. Will Razor drivers really make a diff.?
Love the ergonomic setup, though, had a wrist injury, this is the only way for me to play FPS for more than 30 min. :)

Just two days ago I was thinking of buying a Belkin n52 pad or a Genius ErgoMedia 500. Both can be found for about $25. But it seems n52te is a better pad, and might be worth the wait. We'll see what the reviewers have to say.