Best in its class
Pros: Tons of customization, very ergonomic
Cons: Yet another scroll wheel, plastic dome keys, no LED customization, learning curve
I really enjoy my Razer Nostromo and the associated configuration utility. As a gamer who primarily plays MMOs, MOBAs, RTSs and only occasionally FPSs, I really appreciate being able to bind 17x8 keys to one hand (not including the D-pad). The Razer-branded Nostromo is a small modification to the Belkin n52TE, which I owned previously to this one. I purchased the Razer to replace my Belkin, which started having issues registering keypresses for certain keys, and I'm glad I did. Razer has done a splendid job upgrading the configuration utility to be more straightforward and far more flexible. In addition, macro recording is much simpler, profiles are much easier to assign, and the options for key assignments are expanded.
There is a learning curve to this product, the severity of which depends highly on how many keys you have mapped and how many macros/shortcuts/keymaps you have in use. By default, the device is configured to emulate the area of the keyboard that most people use with their left hand while gaming, the WSAD cluster, and so the learning curve mostly comes from having to space out your fingers in a slightly different way to reach the space bar, and from the d-pad which now sits right near your thumb. Once you start to customize the device to your liking though, it an take some time to get used to where everything is, but once you do, you'll never want to game without it again.
I only have two major complaints for this device. My first would be the scroll wheel. There's no reason for it to be there, and most of the time I disable the up/down scroll and just use it as a single button press anyway. I feel that the scroll wheel is extraneous and would have been better as another button. The second is that the keys are plastic domes instead of mechanical keys. I feel that a mechanical switch would serve much better as most gamers mash on their keys very heavily. My other complaints are very minor (no way to change the LED colours other than hardware mod, finish is shiny and not matte).
Overall, I find this device to be a solid buy, especially for gamers who need a lot of action bars or shortcut keys right at their fingertips.
There is a learning curve to this product, the severity of which depends highly on how many keys you have mapped and how many macros/shortcuts/keymaps you have in use. By default, the device is configured to emulate the area of the keyboard that most people use with their left hand while gaming, the WSAD cluster, and so the learning curve mostly comes from having to space out your fingers in a slightly different way to reach the space bar, and from the d-pad which now sits right near your thumb. Once you start to customize the device to your liking though, it an take some time to get used to where everything is, but once you do, you'll never want to game without it again.
I only have two major complaints for this device. My first would be the scroll wheel. There's no reason for it to be there, and most of the time I disable the up/down scroll and just use it as a single button press anyway. I feel that the scroll wheel is extraneous and would have been better as another button. The second is that the keys are plastic domes instead of mechanical keys. I feel that a mechanical switch would serve much better as most gamers mash on their keys very heavily. My other complaints are very minor (no way to change the LED colours other than hardware mod, finish is shiny and not matte).
Overall, I find this device to be a solid buy, especially for gamers who need a lot of action bars or shortcut keys right at their fingertips.
