Gaming Keypads

D

D3v1an7

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 22, 2003
Messages
1,256
Hey all,

I used to be more of a hardcore gamer but now life and career have relegated me to the ranks of casual. Lately, I've been looking for a new gadget to waste some money on and was wondering if anyone uses or has used a gaming keypad. If so, what were your experiences with them? Do they provide any real advantage or are they just a gimmick?


For Example
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I currently use the Razer Orbweaver gaming keypad and I find it highly useful. I have small hands so it works well for me having all my hot keys bound to my Orbweaver and it being there easily within reach. I also like having W,A,S,D bound to the directional thumbstick. The only thing I don't like in the design is the button just below the thumbstick because it just feels flimsy and could've been designed a bit better like the Nostromo. I used a Belkin N52TE (Razer Nostromo predecessor) prior to buying the Orbweaver. I think using a gaming keypad vs a "MMO mouse" (i.e. Razer Naga, Logitech G600, etc) is better because the thumb just isn't as dexterous as the rest of your fingers. I'd consider myself a semi-hardcore gamer and I mostly play MMORPGs, single player RPGs, and FPS type RPGs (like Borderlands 2). I've used my Belkin N52TE and Orbweaver for games like Wildstar, ArcheAge Online, Diablo 3, and Borderlands 2 and gameplay has been great.
 
I've been using gaming pads for nearly 8 years now. I started with the Belkin N52, N52te, and razer nostromo and have now migrated to the razer tartarus. Which I'm still getting used to, but isn't too bad so far. For me its not a gimmick it all, I feel naked without it. I think they provide an advantage but more so in comfort for me. I started using one because I had bought a gaming laptop and using the keyboard for gaming. I didn't like the feel of the keyboard and also the gpu would get hot after a few minutes. Then I got a belkin N52 it took some time to get used. But initially it was better then using the laptop keyboard. After about a week or two I was adjusted and now I can't game without it.

In MMOs and FPSs I found it to be advantageous for me. The biggest thing is the amount of buttons available for the thumb. The D-Pad, alt, and spacebar is easily accessible with the thumb. I found really nice when playing WoW, I had my 4 main abilities mapped to the d-pad, and I also had the thumb button on my mouse mapped as CTRL, so I used that modifier to have 4 additional abilities or macros if needed. Right now I'm using a Razer naga currently, but the past few years I've been using the cataclysm world of warcraft mouse, that combined with a razer nostromo. I pretty much only use my keyboard for typing.

Here is a video about the Razer nostromo, granted its about the razer nostromo but I think it you can take alot of the info would apply to the orbweaver and tartarus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvBrYgSn9iA
 
That's very useful! So, when the chips are down, which one should I get?
 
blackrino9 said:
That's very useful! So, when the chips are down, which one should I get?
Click to expand...

If its between the Tartarus or the Orbweaver its hard to say for me to say. The orbweaver is more expensive but it has mechanical switches and an additional row of keys. The tartarus uses membrane keys and is less expensive. I think it would come down to mechanical switches vs membrane. I have a mechanical keyboard and using the membrane keys on the tartarus doesn't bother me.
 
It's important to determine if your hand fits the shape and you're able to use the buttons as intended. I found the orbweaver to be a great device that didn't quite fit my hand very well. So make sure it fits!!! Thankfully, Amazon has an excellent return policy.
 
One thing you can try, is go to best buy. My local best buy had a few razer products out on display so you can get a feel for them. Mine displayed the tartarus but not the Orbweaver but YMMV.
 
Hmm, try before I buy. Might be difficult but I'll see if any of the local stores have some in stock.
 
blackrino9 said:
Hmm, try before I buy. Might be difficult but I'll see if any of the local stores have some in stock.
Click to expand...

If you have a Best Buy nearby, but it doesn't have the keypads in stock, you could always get it shipped to the store. If it doesn't work out, returning is easy.
 
Over the years I've found them to be useful companions (and possibly replacements) to keyboard use. Besides the Orbweaver (which may be a better option of the two than the Tartarus given mechanical keys and perhaps even more importantly the extra key row. Strange that neither of them include the thumb-button or the scrollwheel that used to be present on older devices of this sort.) which has already been discussed, I would urge you to take a look at the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard

http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g13-advanced-gameboard
www.amazon.com/Logitech-G13-Programmable-Gameboard-Display/dp/B001NEK2GE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404922849&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+g13

The Logitech G13 has a different layout than the "nostromo" style Razer devices, but I've found it to be well made and provide many, many options. L You also get the benefit of the Logitech G-series display built in, user-definable backlighting, the pretty excellent Logitech G series software (I'm not at all a fan of Razer software and drivers, especially as they've seemingly become more proprietary with Synapse 2.0). The software comes with a bunch of profiles built in and can be told to scan for new games, bind profiles to program execution or switch manually etc... and if you want to configure, edit your own, or import a layout or macro system that others have devised, it uses standard formats. It may not be any interest to you, but works on Linux with the proper driver and utility packages thanks to its g-series pedigree.

I'd definitely weigh it against the Orbweaver if you are considering a gamepad and see what you like better. For me, the G13 comes out as the best option by a considerable margin

Edit: Woah, comparing prices I didn't expect the Razer items to be so expensive! The Tartarus is $75 and Orbweaver $110 via Amazon Prime, but the G13 is only $50!
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Casting my vote for the G13 also. I have two rigs...one with the G13/G600 mouse, the other has a Nostromo/Naga. I prefer the Logitech for several reasons... the Logitech software seems more robust, I can monitor my cpu/gpu temps etc in the lcd panel, the products fit my hand better and I have had much more positive RMA experiences with Logitech than with Razer. The Razer stuff isn't bad by any means though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top