So, I have a Razer Nostromo (actually a Belkin n52te but same thing) and the only thing that bugs me about it is that the top row of keys is the "QWER" row, not "1234". This makes for some annoying working-out-how-to-switch-weapon moments. In most cases, I end up switching using the mousewheel, which is ridiculous and shit for a FPS gamer.
The alternatives are:
Logitech G13
I like Logitech products but the G13 has the same layout of buttons as the Nostromo: QWERT is at the top. Logitech has good macros but I don't use them much.
Orbweaver
Razer's update to the Nostromo. £100 of Cherry Blux MX switches and the same high level of design as before. It's expensive tho, if it were £70, I'd probably go for it.
Get a mechanical gaming keyboard
I am still running the Saitek Eclipse keyboard I've had for a million years (above) and it's comfortable enough but I do fancy a Cheery MX (Blue) keyboard instead (no idea what sort). I could just dump the pad idea and go back to using a keyboard for a while.
What do you think? Wait until the Orbweaver drops in price or do you have a magical solution?
Comments
I've actually gone a bit off Razer...had a couple of their mice, and they felt a bit...loose in the build quality (one developed a recurring issue where it would read a double-click on a single-click after about a year). I got myself a SteelSeries Sensei instead, and it feels bullet-proof. Less gimmicky, and more useful features. it's the first mouse where I've felt a genuine change in performance when I do the dynamic setting changes.
It's certainly a brand I'd look into if I was after a keyboard (obviously, being a laptop user, that's not the case, though SteelSeries have done the MSI keyboards for other laptops). My current headset is Razer, but in comparison to the SteelSeries mouse they really do feel badly made, so as and when they die, I'll certainly look at the Siberias from SteelSeries instead.
I put Steelseries on my head and I was looking at their keyboards but their microswitches are Cherry Black, which needs a hammer to depress. I need a lighter touch of the Cherry Blue for gaming and coding alike.
I've had no problem with the Nostromo (apart from lack of keys) or my Razer mouse, thanks for the feedback - I might have got lucky there.
I'm afraid I can offer no opinion for the hand-keypaddy things, as I'm clearly not within the target demographic.
The lack of ambidex game pads is shit. It would add a little expense but not as much as you might think.
I don't know why the cack-handed fools can't be retrained?
surely some sort of shock aversion therapy could be employed
Run high voltage electricity through everything they might conceivably want to reach for and let them wear a single glove on their right hand (possibly jewel encrusted for aesthetic reasons). They'd soon learn.
I think I'm good just not having a mini-keyboard for gaming. Never had a problem with a normal keyboard to be honest. I'm used to the rebinding sub-game now, and for a typical FPS I can do it in about 5 minutes. The number-pad and arrow keys actually fit a left-hander remarkably well (the numberpad for movement and abilities, while the thumb uses the arrow keys for jump/crouch/run type actions)... index finger uses the Insert/Home/Delete block for interactions. Simples...
Definitely preferable to electrocution.
I can lend you my G13 if you want to try it out for a few weeks.
I am not sure I would give it my recommendation but that is mostly because I either can't be bothered to set it up or bothered to learn the new set of controls ... but it has been handy for some macros (and it did work out really well in TL2 which had a small number of mappings).
Thanks chap! I'll pass because the G13 suffers from my main gripe about the Nostromo - not having number-buttons. They both really need that extra row.
The conundrum might have got easier, I can find them on eBay for 85 quid, which is better than the 100.