Product Review of the Nostromo n52te – OR – Strangest Mother’s Day Ever

Now don’t expect us to do this very often.  It’s not every week we run across a killer product.  As a matter of fact it normally comes as a result of something strange happening.

Recently, as I stated in our last product review I was searching for a peripheral to allay some deficiencies I have in mousing.  PvP deficiencies for the most part since I had gotten quite used to using a pad on my right hand.  But it just wasn’t cutting it for PvP.

So I went searching for something that would replicate the ease and convenience of my Fang without replacing it completely.  Enter the Logitech G13 and Nostromo n52te game pads.  While the G13 is by far my favorite of the three, the n52te is not far behind and might actually be preferred by some.  You can read the entire review for the G13 HERE.  And here is the skinny on the n52.

Click the picture for pricing and more information

I was loving my G13, and it was causing some degree of jealousy around the house.  PetitePowerhouse was struggling along on her little Mac laptop, and it made it difficult as her toons got more and more skills.  You see, for the person who is NOT used to toggling abilities without modifiers, it’s a real reach to teach them to do so WITH modifiers.

I can set up all the action bars in the world for a beginner, but with no clean way to toggle all those abilities they can now see very clearly, it’s not much help.  So Petite looked longingly at the shiny new G13 and gave me the “if you loved me you would take care of your poor old mother” look.

Well, mothers day was coming up and I wanted to see whether the n52 was as good as the G13.  She was thrilled with it and it has really helped her – a LOT.  It certainly doesn’t play the game for her, but the difference in her speed and reaction to situations has increased dramatically.

Now she has a row of buttons for attack, a row for heals and another row for the “oh crap” stuff.  “OH CRAP” has now become “HAHA!”  It’s hilarious to hear her woot instead of growl now.  And the n52 is the biggest reason for this.  I’m not sure the G13 would have been quite the same solution either, and here’s why:

The n52 is smaller than the G13.  For people with little hands it is far easier to reach everything.  Personally I find it a little confining.  The difference is only 7 buttons, but that can be a lot at level 80.  That being said, you could easily combine a few keys by using macros if you like and the n52 software certainly makes building macros fairly easy.

The software for the Nostromo unit is not quite as user friendly as the Logitech offering but it is easy enough to figure out and provides the same level of power programming – perhaps more.  It is not as visually intuitive, and you have to actually create a ‘macro’ for anything more than a single keystroke, but in the long run that is actually an advantage instead of a drawback.  Since you are forced to program macros from the start it’s a breeze to program them for everything else.

The n52 is a bit smaller and very comfortable in the hand.  The keys have a nice feel and it’s simple to get your fingers in the right spot on the rows.  It also has three profiles, although switching isn’t quite as simple.  I like the thumb buttons a little better on the n52 as compared to the G13.

Now when it comes to overall build quality I still say nothing comes close to the G13.  That sucker feels like it’s made of steel.  It’s heavy and solid and just a little sexy.  The n52 is lighter and a touch more “plastic” overall, but quite a bit better than the Fang.

Think of it this way: the G13 is the Rolls Royce of pads, the n52te is a Cadillac, the Fang – a Chevy.  They are all three very functional and fine products.  I can see there being a few long term survivability issues with the n52 (and most certainly the Fang) with rough use, but outside of a hammer attack I don’t think you can hurt the G13.

The G13 has that sleek “expensive” look and feel, with all the bells and whistles.  If game pads could be a chick magnet it would be one.  The n52 is also pretty slick, but with a more “American” or less refined quality.  It’s leather but it’s not Corinthian hand sewn leather.  The Fang is cloth seats and rubber floor mats.

They all drive extremely well, they all get you where you want to go.  It just depends on how much style you want to travel in.  So for picky players with hands large enough to handle it, there is no beating the G13.  For those with smaller hands who use a lot of macros as well as beginners and non power players, it’s the n52te by far.  For the price conscious and left hand keystroke movers, the Fang will serve you very well.

PetitePower certainly looks like she knows what she’s doing now.  Her setup with the sleek little black Mac laptop combined with a sleek little black n52 game pad and sleek little laser mouse is kinda cool.  Not that it impresses anyone but us, but she certainly doesn’t set up like a nub.  And after a few days with the Nostromo she’s playing less like one.

The price for the n52te is about the same as the G13, so you’ll have to decide on ascetics, functionality, or quality.  Remember, small hands will like the n52, and fewer buttons may be better for the newer player.  Whereas the power gamer with larger hands will more than likely prefer the G13.  Again you can check out our review of the G13 here.

Weird mothers day?  You bet it was, but anything she wants that gets me some good son points is pretty Dominating in my book, especially if I don’t have to go jewelry shopping.  WoW peripherals for mothers day – priceless.