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Belkin F8GBPC001 Nostromo  N45 Dual Analog USB Gamepad

Belkin F8GBPC001 Nostromo N45 Dual Analog USB Gamepad

List Price: $24.99
Your Price: $20.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: What a piece of garbage
Review: I owned this thing for about 2 hours before getting so disgusted with it that I threw it out. Analog buttons are wildly sensitive...you can't possibly play a third person game without get irritated. The buttons are not too big for the triggers that you have to stretch out of your way to reach them - and I have very big hands.

The software is useless unless you're completely outdated still using Windows 95 or 98. The drivers messed with my mouse on Windows XP. The plug n play drivers coming from Windows XP are much much better but they can't save this rediculously worthless game pad.

If you want something in analog that is close to a PS2, think about getting an AXIS pad....granted it has its share of problems too but its a much better less sensitive game controller.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love this thing...
Review: I picked one of these up so I could play Madden 2004, NHL 2004 and NBA Live 2004 online with a friend of mine. I gotta say, this controller just owns. It feels very sturdy and well constructed. It feels so tough that I can't help but imagine the quality control guys at Belkin saying, "These things get stepped on. Can this thing survive being stepped on? Hang on, let's see." Even the analog sticks - usually the weakest link in a pad like this - feel very, very tough.

Sensitivity is high and, used as a default pad, it works awesome for so far for EA Sports games. I had to make a custom "axis" for the right analog "Playmaker" feature in Madden 2004 to work right. I dunno why. But with it up and running, my game has been great.

The pad is customizable to do all kinds of nutty stuff. You can map out keyboard keys onto the D pad or the analog sticks, creating a controller for games otherwise not designed for gamepads. You can even do "zones" on the analog sticks. For example you could have a slight press on the stick activate one key (walk forward), and a hard press activate another key (run forward). Or you could even have a slight press hit the "W" key, and a hard press activate "SHIFT + W."

The n45 has 13 buttons, not counting the D pad. 13 basic buttons is still more than most gamepads - I think more typical is 10. Having 13 buttons is a *very* nice feature. In addition you can set a button to be a "shift" key - so all your buttons have a second function when you press shift.

This means that in Madden 2004, I can have every single button in the game mapped, including a timeout button and a button for the pause menu. (If you play Madden, having a timeout button is very sweet.) Even with everything mapped I had 3 buttons left. I used one as a "shift" key - so now I have to press my shift key and a second button to call a timeout. (This is nice because you can't hit the button on accident and waste a timeout.)

With my other two buttons I made two macros. The macroing feature is the other miracle of the n45. You can use it to program sequences of button presses. My two macros were simple - one hits button 1, then button 8 to reverse my play. The other hits 1 then 7 to revert my play to it's original form. Of course I can activate these with single button presses.

Macros are not limited to button presses - they can include analog stick motions, D pad motions, mouse buttons, the "throttle" function from a joystick, and keystrokes. (Basically, you can put anything in a macro except mouse movements.) Another Madden example: another macro that I could easily make would be one that hits button 4, then hits the left stick down for "Bump and Run" coverage. All these examples have been short sequences - however there's seemingly no limit on the number of actions a macro can execute.

If I gave a warning, I'd say the contoller seemed big as hell at first - and I have big hands. After a lot of use, it seems fine - I think it's not really that big, but it's shaped in a way that I was really not ready for. Still, if you have little hands this may not be the controller for you - you might want to look at something petite, like the Logitech Wingman.

I'd also point out that when setting this game up to play Madden 2004, I found that the right analog stick had it's "X" and "Y" functions reversed. Meaning hitting "right" made the game think I was hitting "down." None of the default stick setups worked and I had to program my own custom set of X-Y axes to make it work right. This has not been a problem with NHL 2004 or NBA Live 2004 - only Madden.

Finally, if you get one of these and you have a Belkin n52 or n50, make sure you totally forget about the enclosed n45 install disk, and just download the latest drivers / profile software from the Belkin site. I re-installed from the enclosed CD, and suddenly my n52 just disappeared from the profiler. (Because the enclosed CD was made before the n52 was released. :) Doh.)

Regardless I'm happy to give this thing 5 stars. Between the avalanche of buttons and it's programmability, I'm sure I'll never wish for another gamepad.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: decent controller
Review: i was pleased with it, although its not as mappable as i would like - in that if the game simply doesnt recognize the analog functions (for instance) then i can't remap them to another button instead... but for MOST games this works well, and while it feels slightly akward at first - you get used to it right away.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Ctrl, Promising Software (doesn't work always)
Review: Nice controller, comfortable, Plug n play. No problems, if the game detects the buttons, but had problem with quake 3, with the controller activated, the whole screen started going round and round (spinning). MDK 2 worked great though with analog controls. The analog controls work fine in Unreal tournament as well.

The software is promising but could not get much out of it. The best use is to use it as plug and play and enjoy the games it supports.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: GOOD CONTROLLER L@@K!!
Review: so i get home from the "store" with my perchus and i take it out of the box but there is not a conroller in ther i just see plastic but then i turn it over and i found my new PC Pad. to my happiness i descover that my Purchase has a "Action Staybilizer Bar" i did not no this was included when i paid the cashieress my money at the counter but i am glad it is included in the package because it is Futuristic Ergonomic and unique. after i returned with the Pad i went Online to look up some features and the websight listen a lot of neat things that i am exited to try out in my games (i ply madden and sims and ea gmes if u want to look me up sometime (Fr4gSnipurrD34th -thx RedCaptain12 for the sig!! =OB))). one of this things liek i said was an "Action Stabiliser Bar" this is porbably the most obvious thing. it is this like rainbow-shaped handle thing and it helps to stabilise the controller because u might be moving it too much during intense game play to do ur best but now that is taken care of thanks to bElkin. also another thing about this Partilar Controller is that it has about six Showlder buttons for u to use in ur gaems . i havent used it yet but i am exciter and wuld definitely reccomend this 2 anyone looking for a good pad to use on Their PC ofr games like Roms and Madden (dunt email me i dont know where u get Roms ;-) ull just have to look on your e own one place i can say is try searching on www.google.com for Roms or yahoo.com which is better but sometimes wont load on my PC im not sure why).

FiVE STARS!1!!!!
PS the websight says the ation Staybilizer Bar" will help u with "more Balanced Play" so hoepfully i wil be able to beat my brother now at Sims becuz he is better then me but he doesnt no i have this new controller :-)!!)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This controller is the best controller out there! Hands down
Review: The coolest thing about this controller is every single button is programable you could program the entire keyboard into it if you wanted to. If you have ever used a playstation controller then there is no learning curve its just a tiny bit bigger and has a bar on the bottom of it so as not to infringe on the copyright of the playstation controller( don't worry it's more comfortable and doesn't interfere with gameplay ). So far the games I've played with it are all of the CARMAGEDDON SEIRIES, GRAND THEFT AUTO 3, and other racing, flying, and shooting games. Buy it and you will not be sorry (unless you have small enough hands to hold that .. nintendo game cube controller)
Oh, and shame on the quitters who write bad reviews and blame this most excelent controller because they can't beat the first level of a game! OH DID I MENTION IT HAS A LIFETIME WARANTEE. Buy it now it works with about every operating system, AND HAPPY GAMING (or is happy shooting?)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Same problem as others with gamepad
Review: The D-PAD (the directional pad) needs to be calibrated constantly just to keep working. I was using it for about an hour for a game after I bought it, then the next day I went to use it and when playing a game it was pulling to the right constantly, so I had to recalibrate it. On the calibration screen in windows, you can see the little calibration cursor vibrating almost and on another calibration screen it literally jumps around. It never returns to 'center' when you move it, it's always off-center, even after calibration.
There is definately something wrong with the analog DPAD they use in this Gravis Eliminator gamepad - go buy something else instead and STAY AWAY from this gamepad. This is the same problem a lot of other people are complaining about it, and they haven't fixed it (and probably wont). I bought this gamepad around April 15, 2004 brand new.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The coolest button-mapping software ever!
Review: The gamepad is average, I suppose. I've never used the PSX controller style, and I've always found that I could press forward more easily with a setup like the n64. This however, is irrelevant to this review.

The gamepad is awesome. It has all the features of the dual shock controllers, except for rumble, which I don't usually prefer. The analog sticks aren't cheapie, like I've found elsewhere... and they even have rubber coating so your thumbs don't slip. The D-pad and the triggers are the weak point, because of too much "play" (i.e. too much distance between "on" and "off," if that makes sense... not because I played on the pad too much), but once they are broken in a little, they feel more friendly.

The gamepad is sturdy. The "action stabilizer bar" which really doesn't stabilize a thing, keeps the controller more sturdy by adding an extra reinforcement. It also makes a nice handle when picking it up. And no, it doesn't get in the way at all.

The software is the best part. Don't think that just because this is the cheapest dual shock clone available that it is automatically a second rate product. You can have it controll the mouse and the keyboard for full controll of ALL games... even ones that don't support joysticks! The installation was a bit sketchy, but that's probably my fault for unplugging it and replugging it in.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not perfect, but the best I've found
Review: The most comfortable controller I've tried. Many are too wide, but this is modeled very closely to sony's psx controllers with some ergonomic additions, like the rounded handles that fit right into your palms.
I haven't tried the analog sticks yet, so I can't vouch for them, but the D pad is a little hard to get used to. It feels a little large and not sensitive enough for a few minutes every time I play. No start or select buttons either, which is a pain in some games (Although, there are two buttons on each shoulder, so if you can spare two of them you can bind them as start and select).
Buy this controller if you're emulating ps1 games and you want a fairly authentic controller, or if you just want a pad that won't cramp up your hands.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Worst gamepad controller I ever bought
Review: The position of the analog controls are awkward and the buttons are all different than any other controller of it's type. I tried reprogramming and that didn't help. Could not use it.


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