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Introduction

Belkin is a company that manufactures a lot of products that can be found in many a computer stores' accessories section. They make everything from wrist pads, mouse pads, armrests…. almost every accessory out there. Until recently, Belkin had not been active in the gaming industry and its many related products. But now, Belkin steps into the gaming grounds with its new line of Nostromo line of products, not one but five – everything from "game pads" to "Speedpads". Two products I have for review today are just two of the complete gaming line of Nostromo products, the n50 Speedpad and the n30 GameMouse.

About mice and technology

Belkin is not new to mice, it had actually made quite a number of mice previously. None of these attracted any special attention, unlike its other products. The n30 GameMouse uses a TouchSense technology that is not unique to Belkin. Its most notable competition would be Logitech's iFeel Mouseman (which also ships with the same software from Immersion Labs). Both the Mouseman and the n30 GameMouse comes with the Immersion Desktop software (for without which they are completely useless).

The mice use Immersion's high-fidelity Inertial Harmonic Drive (IHD) engine and the TouchSense API to produce vibrations in the Z-axis. Compared to Sony's Dual Shock technology, the IHD offers greater precision and detail but provides less force. Dual Shock controllers have one motor attached to a light mass and another motor attached to a heavier mass. By spinning the masses in different sequences, a limited number of "on/off" effects can be created – thus the name Dual Shock. Also instead of Dual Shock's simple "on/off" feedback, the IHD mouse can crescendo, fade, and combine multiple effects to simulate a variety of responses including quick pops and different textures – in other words, you don't get the same vibrations for say… different types of weapons in First person shooters, you get precise textures and effects.

First Impressions on both the n50 and the n30

When I first received the mouse and the Speedpad, I was completely intrigued. These devices could really change the way I play games. The design of both is like something out of a "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" movie and furthermore, the list of features was impressive:

Features of the n30 GameMouse

• Touchsense technology from immersion
• A "Battle wing" button that is convinently mounted on the side
• Scroll wheel
• Adjustable force feedback
• USB Design
• Provides texture even to your desktop
• Bumper design adds stability to your mouse

Features of the n50 Speedpad

• Stable base
• 10 programmable action buttons
• 3 shift modes making the total useable buttons multiply by 3
• Adjustable hand rest
• Programmable 8-way Directional Pad
• Throttle wheel

All these features are impressive and further more, both products didn't come with huge user manuals (then again, which mouse does?), only small leaflets of instruction paper, which I promptly read. It seemed pretty easy to setup and install with minimum hassle and with 6 feet of cable given, plugging in was going to be a snap compared to most other products with only 4 feet of cable (tends to give you the "short cable blues").

Installation

So here I am with the packaging unwrapped, excited to be finally able to "feel" my computer. The installation, as I predicted earlier, was a snap. The USB devices plugged in, the computer auto detects the devices and installs them. Only thing you have to do is to install the given software (which was also a snap with its auto run feature). One thing to note during installation is that you should have the Windows CD ready, as although it is mentioned in the manual that you "may" need it – you DO need it.