Razer Nostromo vs Logitech G13

[EigerX]

Im too old school to spend money on a fancy keyboard but i just wanted to know why you guys take a challanging advanced class and try to dumb it down with lazy keybinds?

 

Im not trying to bash anyone and i could see it being useful if you have arthritius or something like that but other than that...Why?

 

you cant say it makes you a better player because with my funky $15 keyboard i was virtually unbeatable in pvp in both UO and SWG once i learned my class and its abilities.

 

Despite the fact that you are backhandedly bashing people and bragging at the same time, I'll give you a straight answer.

 

First off, it sounds like most people posting here just bind 1 key on their keyboard to 1 triggered key, and do not use the macro-ing ability of the keyboards. So that doesn't change anything that you couldn't change with a normal keyboard except size and arrangement of the keys.

 

If you DO use the macro-ing ability of these programmable keyboards, then you're exchanging the finger/coordination challenge of watching which abilities are cooled down and which button combination to press for the strategy/programming challenge of complex keys. You need to know exactly how your abilities work in order to macro them, and during combat you need to know what's going to happen when you press each key.

 

If you just dump a bunch of abilities on a single key, you could REALLY be gimping yourself.

 

Do I use less keys by macro-ing? Yes. But I have to think more when pressing those keys. I started a whole thread about it here if you're really interested:

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=286704

 

But to address one last point, I'd have to say that I know my classes BETTER for having used a macro-ing keypad.

 

Eiger

[PantsOn]

I gave the G13 a good 3 weeks of usage and then decided to try the Nostromo and return the loser back to Newegg. I settled on Nostromo in the end simply due to the fact that I had to contort my hand and thumb in very uncomfortable ways to be able to move how I wanted with the G13. The placement of the G13 joystick and the way they shaped it was too much for me to overcome. I wish I had tried that Xbox joystick mod, but alas, I only saw people discussing it after I had already returned it.

 

To make up for the loss of the 7 keys (or whatever) due to the switch to Nostromo, I decided to order the Naga as well. I feel like Nostromo's layout is ergonomically head and shoulders above the G13. The way everything is curved (including the lower row of keys) is just perfect. I still have to use one modifier button to have access to everything I want, but it's all right there at my fingertips just like I want it. The G13 had way more buttons but it was also much easier to get lost on it (I'm sure the issue would have resolved itself had I kept playing with it).

 

As far as macros go, I felt like the Logitech Software was a million times better than the Razer counterpart, but I do not use macros so it wasn't a deciding factor for me. With Logitech I could easily set W+A = NW joystick position and it would work perfectly. With Razer, this caused some kind of an abortion of input, which would result crazy stuff in game like my character unable to stop running. Fortunately there are ways around this.

 

(Pro-Tip for mouse turners: The defaults for the Nostromo D-Pad are set to the arrow keys... make sure you do not change those to WASD because you won't be able to strafe diagonally due to the not so awesome Razer software. Instead, go to your in game preferences and simply bind your arrow keys to be your Forward, Back, Strafe Left, Strafe Right. This will enable you to be able to go in every possible direction using your D-Pad Joystick.)

 

So to summarize: I tested both and decided to go with the Nostromo + Naga combination. I feel like the Nostromo gives me the ability to react much faster than the G13 did, but most importantly, I have complete control of my movement with the Joystick. With Logitech, I would sometimes have to move my hand to go certain ways or face having my thumb slipping off the joystick (this is unacceptable in PvP). I do feel like the G13 has the better software and the better build quality, but it just isn't designed smartly at all. The Nostromo has a superior design (both ergonomically and functionally) and is the clear winner for me. YMMV.

Edited February 10, 2012 by PantsOn

[rakuenCallisto]

I just picked up a G510 and plan on getting the TOR mouse since Razer has them back in stock.

 

Still messing with the 510 for the extra binds and trying to find info about it.

 

Let me know how you like the TOR mouse.

[Gformutorila]

I was thinking abouy buying the G13 and a Rat 7 mouse. I know that mouse isn't really meant for MMO's but I have tried a MMO mouse and I find the buttons to small. I have BIG hand so I am hoping the RAT 7 mouse will fit my hands.

[Fluxliner]

Ive been having issues with my set up. I use the g13 and naga. works well but if i end up mashing some buttons such as space and w, it exits from the game screen and my profile doesnt work properly anymore. to fix the issue i have to unplug the g13 from my computer and plug it in again. in pvp this is so annoying. Im going to switch to something else over this. Is anyone else having this issue? anyone have an idea y this is happeneing?

[spellegren]

(Pro-Tip for mouse turners: The defaults for the Nostromo D-Pad are set to the arrow keys... make sure you do not change those to WASD because you won't be able to strafe diagonally due to the not so awesome Razer software. Instead, go to your in game preferences and simply bind your arrow keys to be your Forward, Back, Strafe Left, Strafe Right. This will enable you to be able to go in every possible direction using your D-Pad Joystick.)

 

I use the Nostromo and have my d-pad set to the WASD keys without issue. The key is to disable the diagonal directional buttons of the d-pad in the editing software. I also keep S & D as turn rather than strafe, I hold down the right mouse button when I want to strafe.