19 replies to this topic

[Faolan65]

Does anyone use a G13?

I have an N52te right now and although I like it, I am wondering if maybe I should have gone with the G13 instead. One of my primary disappointments with the N52te is that the thumb dpad is exactly that, a 8 position dpad and not an analog joystick.

So I guess my question comes down to is if the G13's thumb stick a dpad or an analog joystick.

[Lumunix]

I have used both the N52 TE and the G13 and the G13 is definitively the superior unit with more buttons and better macro software and customization, only downside I see is that its a bit hard to get the hang of it.

To answer your question yes the G13 thumbstick is a full analog joystick like you would find on an Xbox controller, you could use it as a movement joystick or as a stick for 5 macros (4 movements direction and depress). I use the joystick for World of Warcraft and its very precise for movements.

[Neuromancerx]

YellowDragon, on 01 November 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

I have used both the N52 TE and the G13 and the G13 is definitively the superior unit with more buttons and better macro software and customization, only downside I see is that its a bit hard to get the hang of it.

To answer your question yes the G13 thumbstick is a full analog joystick like you would find on an Xbox controller, you could use it as a movement joystick or as a stick for 5 macros (4 movements direction and depress). I use the joystick for World of Warcraft and its very precise for movements.

The original Nostromo was the best of the bunch, before Razer screwed it up.

Having used both, I'll tell you that the thumb stick sucks on both the n52te and the g13.

A LOT.

Disregard what he said about it. If you don't like the thumbstick on the N52te, you won't like the G13's any better. It doesn't mean you can't use them for awsd, it's just that they're crap compared to how they should be.

HOWEVER, there is a solution. You can custom mod the G13, and replace the thumb stick with another logitech joystick. It works well, but you'll have to take the G13 apart, disect a used logitech controller, and try to get the best of both worlds.

Anyways, don't take our words for it. Hit up Amazon, and read the reviews on the G13. Read the 5 stars, and the 1 stars. Almost every single one will mention the thumb stick being the crappiest part of unit.

Hope that helps.

[Lumunix]

Neuromancerx, on 01 November 2012 - 12:36 PM, said:

The original Nostromo was the best of the bunch, before Razer screwed it up.

Having used both, I'll tell you that the thumb stick sucks on both the n52te and the g13.

A LOT.

Disregard what he said about it. If you don't like the thumbstick on the N52te, you won't like the G13's any better. It doesn't mean you can't use them for awsd, it's just that they're crap compared to how they should be.

HOWEVER, there is a solution. You can custom mod the G13, and replace the thumb stick with another logitech joystick. It works well, but you'll have to take the G13 apart, disect a used logitech controller, and try to get the best of both worlds.

Anyways, don't take our words for it. Hit up Amazon, and read the reviews on the G13. Read the 5 stars, and the 1 stars. Almost every single one will mention the thumb stick being the crappiest part of unit.

Hope that helps.

In what way does it actually suck then? You really cant discredit me when you have not provided any reasons why it would be inferior to the N52TE or why it would be inaccurate in general?

I would say its night and day with a direct comparison to the Nostrom the g13 does has better overall sensitivity and accuracy without too much "stick slop" Its perfectly fine for basic movement directions in MWO. Lets be honest It not as good as a console controller joystick ill give you that, however its still a decent stick for movement in a comparison to the N52.

Overall I still say the range of stick motion is good, and has good accuracy for movement but not for aiming a weapon.

[Neuromancerx]

YellowDragon, on 01 November 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:

In what way does it actually suck then? You really cant discredit me when you have not provided any reasons why it would be inferior to the N52TE or why it would be inaccurate in general?

I would say its night and day with a direct comparison to the Nostrom the g13 does has better overall sensitivity and accuracy without too much "stick slop" Its perfectly fine for basic movement directions in MWO. Lets be honest It not as good as a console controller joystick ill give you that, however its still a decent stick for movement in a comparison to the N52.

Overall I still say the range of stick motion is good, and has good accuracy for movement but not for aiming a weapon.

I'm not trying to "discredit" you, without real world testimony.

HIt up the reviews of the G13 on Amazon, or Newegg, and compare them to the original Nostromo reviews. Almost every review will say the same thing about the stick: NOT GOOD.

Granted, I still use my G13, and I took the time to mod it fully and replace the joystick. Now it's fantastic. Before that, it was not acceptable.

I love the G13, I do. I hated the thumb stick before replacing it. Now it's great. But by no means is the thumb stick precise or even good, from the way it comes packaged. Unless something changed since I purchased mine, I would consider it the worst part of the device.

The thumb pad is sloppy, it's sticky too, and it should have been designed like an Xbox 360 stick, but was not. As I said, replacing it will fix that, and I would be glad to prove my point with plenty of pics and discussions on how to do so.

//Overall, I would rather buy another Belkin Nostromo, but sadly Razer bought out the line and produced a sub-par product. My Nostromo crapped out, and there were two options. G13 and mod it, or Razer n52te. The G13 was the better option, but only because it can be modded easily.

[Swiss Beats]

I have used the Nostromo pre-Razer and loved it. I moved up into a G13 because I liked the display and the macro functionality. The joystick though is not my favorite and it has been relegated to other functions. For example I programmed the up to be full throttle on/off. Down I have a different macro and the buttons on the pad as different macros so I keep the traditional WASD on the pad in use. I do find the G13 more comfortable but the macro system in general more bulky and confusing to use vs the Nostromo which was pretty ***** proof. I still have my Nostromo in a box ready to go though.

[Grendalsh]

I waned to like the g13. I hoped it would be a good replacement for my aging 52te. I bought one and gave it a break-in period, but there were just too many times I wished I was back on the Nostromo. Some of that was personal preference, but some was was just.. The Nostromo handled those issues better.
The analog stick on the G13 is nice and all, but it's ergonomics & placement are poor, and considering most pc games are built with WASD movement, it's a bit overkill. The dpad on the new Razer Nostromo is a significant improvement over the previous Nostromo versions, and fixes the complaints with the n52te dpad.
Overall, the G13 is bells and whistles and moar buttonz, while the Nostromo is business.

Let's compare
G13 - 22+ buttons, but almost half have poor ergonomic placement, requiring moving the hand to reach them. This defeats the point of a dedicated gaming peripheral.
Nostromo - 16 buttons, plus scroll wheel, all firmly under your fingers with no hand movement.
G13 - 3 keymap modes
Nostromo - 8 kymap modes
G13 - colored lights and an lCD screen.. by your hand. Why are you looking at your hand during a game? ooh, pretty colors you won't see once your hand is on the unit.
Nostromo - soft blue glow to help you find it in lowlight gaming, then not be a distraction once you're playing.
G13 - analog stick, with a pointy bit on the end to poke into your thumb. Most pc games use WASD 8way movement, and a joystick would better handle analog movements.
Nostromo - flat Nintendo style dpad (remove the thumb stick on it, it's rubbish). solid 8way movement, smooth surface and ergo placement means comfortable use for hours.
G13 - design is flattened, doesn't support the natural cup of the hand at rest
Nostromo - curved profile supports the cup of the hand, allowing the fingers to float over the keys without having to hold your arm uo or bend the wrist.

Edited by Grendalsh, 02 November 2012 - 10:38 AM.

[Grendalsh]

Just to clarify, there were 3 versions of the Nostromo, Belkin n52, Belkin n52te 'powered by Razer', and the Razer Nostromo.

The original 52 had awesome macro support, but the hardware had some issues. The n52te suffered from having two masters - Belkin upgrade the hardware, and Razer attempted to put all the programming on chip inside the n52te so it could be used as a tournament peripheral (Te = tournament edition). The two seriously underestimated how people would be using the device, and underpowered the chips. It's unclear which company was directly responsible for this.
Razer then bought the license from Belkin, and completely overhauled the unit. Programming was moved back to the PC, the dpad was fixed, keymap were increased from 4 to 8, and macros restored to, and in some ways improved over, the original n52.

Tl;Dr The current Razer Nostromo is a worthy successor and upgrade.

Edited by Grendalsh, 02 November 2012 - 10:14 AM.

[Col Forbin]

The reason the thumbstick sucks? Take a close look at a good pic of the G13, and explain to me how you would put the tip of your thumb on it....

It's useless.

*COMING FROM THE PROUD OWNER OF A G13

[Neuromancerx]

Grendalsh, on 02 November 2012 - 10:13 AM, said:

Just to clarify, there were 3 versions of the Nostromo, Belkin n52, Belkin n52te 'powered by Razer', and the Razer Nostromo.

The original 52 had awesome macro support, but the hardware had some issues. The n52te suffered from having two masters - Belkin upgrade the hardware, and Razer attempted to put all the programming on chip inside the n52te so it could be used as a tournament peripheral (Te = tournament edition). The two seriously underestimated how people would be using the device, and underpowered the chips. It's unclear which company was directly responsible for this.
Razer then bought the license from Belkin, and completely overhauled the unit. Programming was moved back to the PC, the dpad was fixed, keymap were increased from 4 to 8, and macros restored to, and in some ways improved over, the original n52.

Tl;Dr The current Razer Nostromo is a worthy successor and upgrade.

I didn't notice that they revamped it....

I think you just talked me into picking up a new Nostromo.

[Swiss Beats]

if the PM function is ever restored send me a message and I may part with my OG Nostromo. I am too used to the G13 to change back.

[Neuromancerx]

demonr6, on 02 November 2012 - 12:03 PM, said:

if the PM function is ever restored send me a message and I may part with my OG Nostromo. I am too used to the G13 to change back.

Damn forums dropped out, so I pulled the trigger via Amazon, or else I would have made you an offer on that.

[Bishop Steiner]

All I know is even the newer Nostromo has WAY better ergonomics than my G13. Both are good, both have j-sticks that are just WASD, and the G13 has WAY more options and clicky buttons, but the Nostromo fits like a glove.

[Grendalsh]

When you get your Nostormo.. I have a couple vids on suggestions for setting it up with MWO.
http://youtu.be/iLExcO-tfLs

For the G13 users.. So I kinda dumped on it.. which is poor form.. I prefer the Nostro for all the reasons listed, but the G13 is still a way better PC gaming peripheral than any overhyped "Formula 1 Family Wagon" gaming keyboard. If I hadn't known of the Nostro before the G13 came out, I'd probably be using it now instead.

That being said.. Our games are 21st century, why are our controllers 20th c? The keyboard and mouse combo dates back to the 1960s. I really wish either Razer or Logitech would get their act together and revisit the PC gaming peripheral scene, and stop trotting out tired rebadges of keyboards and mice..Those are for GUI computing, not PC gaming. I want a true revolution in PC gaming peripherals.. An overhaul of the Nostro/G13, and take that and apply it to a right handed controller that ISN'T pushing a puck all over the desk. Make the two work in tandem, with controls that flip modes on both devices together or separately, and allow flipping modes in macros (to follow changing interfaces ingame).

Edited by Grendalsh, 05 November 2012 - 02:25 AM.

[Sir Roland MXIII]

Grendalsh, on 05 November 2012 - 02:13 AM, said:

When you get your Nostormo.. I have a couple vids on suggestions for setting it up with MWO.
http://youtu.be/iLExcO-tfLs

For the G13 users.. So I kinda dumped on it.. which is poor form.. I prefer the Nostro for all the reasons listed, but the G13 is still a way better PC gaming peripheral than any overhyped "Formula 1 Family Wagon" gaming keyboard. If I hadn't known of the Nostro before the G13 came out, I'd probably be using it now instead.

That being said.. Our games are 21st century, why are our controllers 20th c? The keyboard and mouse combo dates back to the 1960s. I really wish either Razer or Logitech would get their act together and revisit the PC gaming peripheral scene, and stop trotting out tired rebadges of keyboards and mice..Those are for GUI computing, not PC gaming. I want a true revolution in PC gaming peripherals.. An overhaul of the Nostro/G13, and take that and apply it to a right handed controller that ISN'T pushing a puck all over the desk. Make the two work in tandem, with controls that flip modes on both devices together or separately, and allow flipping modes in macros (to follow changing interfaces ingame).

Lack of form does not mean lack of point. I'm picking up a used G13 tomorrow, and if I find I agree with you, I can always try the Nostromo.

As far as gaming peripheral revolution, I think the Razer Artemis is - if nothing else - at the very least a step in the right direction. The last decade of gaming input devices has had a few stand outs but has been, I feel, largely lacking in anything truly revolutionary. All it's been is at best, evolutionary.

And we, my friends, could use a little revolution...

[PrisonerOfWar]

YellowDragon, on 01 November 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

I have used both the N52 TE and the G13 and the G13 is definitively the superior unit with more buttons and better macro software and customization, only downside I see is that its a bit hard to get the hang of it.

To answer your question yes the G13 thumbstick is a full analog joystick like you would find on an Xbox controller, you could use it as a movement joystick or as a stick for 5 macros (4 movements direction and depress). I use the joystick for World of Warcraft and its very precise for movements.

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get my G13 to work with the game....

[FERAL TIGER]

I really enjoy my G13, though I don't use the joystick for throttle. I have tat set as score, map, and TS3 communication. I still have the WASD setup to move, but with Q as 100% throttle, so I can get up to speed with one button, then control it manually from there.

[Zurakci]

I bought a G13 for most Mechwarrior gaming. The only thing it, only the analog stick works. Does anyone know why this happens? I really wanna play with the G13, but how can I do it if it doesnt work?

[kuangmk11]

I did this to my nostromo: http://www.xim3.com/...hp?topic=7745.0 but instead of the button pedals I turned the trigger axis and second stick of the xbox controller into a rudder pedal set. Its pretty easy if you can solder (and de-solder) but not something I would attempt without a little experience.

[Sneevus]

Zurakci, on 10 June 2013 - 11:06 AM, said:

I bought a G13 for most Mechwarrior gaming. The only thing it, only the analog stick works. Does anyone know why this happens? I really wanna play with the G13, but how can I do it if it doesnt work?

Hey Zurakci, I've never had an issue with the G13, are you trying to bind the G13 keys inside of MWO or are you assigning MWO keys in the Logitech software?