In order to bring you honest reviews of the latest and greatest gaming
hardware and peripherals, Ten Ton Hammer took two of the hottest
gamepads on the market through their paces to see which one is worth
your hard earned cash. To that end, we’ll examine both
gamepads in a variety of aspects, and see how each one stacks up.


Contenders





Logitech

Our first contender is the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard. This is
Logitech's first attempt at a PC gamepad. They are best known for their
gaming keyboards and mouses. Will they be able to take that experience
and successfully transfer it to a gamepad?



Belkin

Our second contender is the Belkin n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad.
Belkin has long been known for their gamepads, having released earlier
versions of the N52. Belkin hopes that by teaming up with Razer (known
for top of the line gaming
mouses
),
which has provided the performance
tools for the n52te, they can take their gamepads to the next level.





First Look
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Logitech

When you take the G13 out of the box, the first thing you notice is its
size and weight. Coming in at a hefty 23 ounces and measuring 9.56" x
6.73" x 1.63", this bad boy feels like a serious piece of gaming
hardware. You don't have to worry about the G13 sliding around during
marathon gaming sessions. Between the weight and the rubber pads
underneath the gamepad, you can rest assured it will stay in position.
When you hold the G13, you can feel the craftsmanship, a solid
combination of steel and hard plastic. You can definitely tell that
this gamepad was designed to last.



Belkin

In contrast, when you first take the n52te out of the box, you notice
how lightweight and small it is. Coming in at only 16 ounces and
measuring 7.1" x 5.4" x 2.5", this tight little package will not take
up much room on your desk. While very lightweight, the rubber pads
underneath the gamepad hold the n52te in place. Overall, the quality of
the craftsmanship of the n52te leaves much to be desired. This gamepad
looks and feels as though it’s made of cheap plastic.



Result

Logitech wins this category hands down. First looks aren't everything,
but after opening the boxes, it is obvious that the G13 is clearly more
impressive looking than the n52te.



Keys





Logitech

The G13 comes with 25 programmable buttons plus a joystick. The keys
press easily, with just the right amount of resistance so you don't
activate the key by accident. The 4 keys that would replace WASD are
indented so you can easily feel if your fingers are in the right
position. The key spacing is well designed, and I had no trouble
reaching any of the keys. As an extra bonus, the G13’s
backlit keys can be changed to any color you want.



Belkin

The n52te comes with 19 programmable keys including a scroll wheel. The
joystick that comes with the n52te looks and feels more like a D pad
from a console controller. The keys press easily, and, like the G13,
there is no worry about activating a key by accident. The key that
would normally replace the S key on the keyboard has a small raised
bump to help you feel if your fingers are in the right position. Key
spacing is well designed, with one exception--I did find it difficult
to reach the scroll wheel and button right above the joystick. In order
to reach these, I had to really bend my finger and thumb to an
uncomfortable position. The n52te has blue backlit keys that help in
trying to see the keys at night.



Result

Logitech comes out ahead here as well. While the key spacing is similar
on both, the extra indented WASD keys and the 6 additional keys, all
within easy reach, tip the scale to the G13. The fact that you can
change the color of the backlit keys is the icing on the cake! I am one
of those crazy gamers that has a color scheme going on with my computer
(Superman: blue and red), and the ability to change the color to
whatever I want is a nice bonus.


Ergonomics




Logitech

The G13 is well designed and supports your hand in a very natural
position. The device is laid out so well that I can rest my hand
comfortably on the G13 for hours with little to no hand fatigue at all.
My hand is actually more relaxed on the G13 than on my keyboard.



Belkin

The n52te is very uncomfortable. I can't think of any other way to say
it. The gamepad, I believe, actually promotes hand fatigue. The large
hump in the center of the n52te tilts your wrist back at such a steep
angle that you can start cramping up after just a few minutes of play.



Results

Again, Logitech wins easily. I was so surprised by the contrast here
that I actually had to ask my wife to confirm my results. I thought
that perhaps the Belkin's small size might have had something to do
with the discomfort. My wife has very small hands, and she was
surprised that the G13 felt so much better to her than the n52te. The
G13 relaxes your hand, while the n52te seems to put stress on it.


LCD Display





Logitech

The G13 has a 160 x 43 pixel LCD display that shows character stats,
equipment durability, and other useful in-game information for those
games that are supported. For those that are not, you can still use it
to display CPU usage, time, date, and instant messages sent to you.
This is a very similar display to the LCD that comes with the G15
keyboard.



Belkin

The n52te does not have any form of an LCD display.



Result

I think this one is obvious... Logitech wins by a mile. They have the
LCD display, and it’s useful and adds to many games.


Functionality &
Performance




Logitech

The software included with the G13 allows for easy key binding and
macro set up. You should have no trouble setting up your game profiles
in just a few minutes, and Logitech has made it easy to jump right into
many popular MMOGs with preloaded profiles. If you are not a fan of the
layout, you have the option to change any key binding or macro quickly
and easily. The learning curve was small, and with such a natural
keyboard feel to the G13, I was completely comfortable and not worrying
about hitting the wrong key during game play.



Belkin

The software included with the n52te is powered by Razer. In this
facet, Razer has done a fantastic job, allowing for easy key bindings
and macro set up. The software is easy to understand and intuitive for
a new user. Razer gives gamers all the options to set up their profiles
quickly and easily. The learning curve was small here, as well; the key
layout was fine, and, again, I was not worried about pressing the wrong
key during gameplay.



Results

Both gamepads have great software which allows you to customize them
any way you want. In this aspect, they are tied in functionality.
However, performance has to go to Logitech. It all goes back to key
layout and ergonomics; I can play with the G13 for hours and feel fine.
I have a hard time lasting 2 hours with the poor layout of the n52te.


Value





Logitech

The G13 comes in at a hefty $79.99. This is a lot of money for half a
keyboard, even with a cool LCD display. However, it does provide
options your regular keyboard doesn't have. With the key binding and
macro capabilities, it's hard to find a keyboard that can compete. The
G13, while on the high end of gamepads prices, also offers more
quality, keys, and features than any other gamepad out there.



Belkin

The n52te comes in at $69.99. Again, this is a lot of money for half a
keyboard, and it is missing a cool LCD display. You get all the
customization of any gamepad out there, such as keybinding and macros,
but you are going to pay a premium for it.



Results

Gamepads are not for everyone. You have to be serious about your game
to justify spending anywhere near this kind of money on a gamepad. With
that said, if you decide to get one, the value is clearly with the
Logitech G13. If you are already spending $70 on a gamepad, step up and
spend the extra $10 to get a clearly superior product.



Conclusion



I was planning on ending this comparison with a pros and cons summary
of each gamepad. However, I think it's very obvious which gamepad wins
this comparison. There was really no category where the competition was
even close; the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard wins hands down. With
that said, I would like to say that the Razer software was very well
done, and I would love to see Razer come out with their own gamepad.
The quality I expect from Razer did not transfer to Belkin on the n52te.



The price of gamepads is steep, but for those of you who want to take
your gaming to the next level, this will give you the edge over those
playing with just a keyboard and mouse. Once you master the layout of
the G13 you will wonder how you ever survived without one.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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