Razer Nostromo review

Jason Tsay Oct 24, 2011 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Accessories, Exclusive, Gaming, Geek Culture, Hardware, Okay Geek Review, Reviews

The keyboard isn’t exactly an ideal controller for gaming. It’s a long rectangular thing and you really only use the left half of it for executing gaming commands, with your right hand manuvering the mouse. That’s why dedicated gamepads such as the Razer Nostromo exist. Featuring 16 customizable keys and an 8 way directional thumb pad, the Nostromo offers a much more ergonomic way to game. But is it worth the $70 entry price?

Features

• Ergonomic form factor and tournament-grade layout
• 16 fully programmable Hyperesponse keys
• Programmable 8-way directional thumb pad and scroll wheel
• Instantaneous switching between 8 key maps
• Unlimited macro lengths
• Stores up to 20 different game profiles
• Adjustable soft-touch wrist pad for exceptional comfort
• Backlit keypad and scroll wheel for total control even in dark conditions

Our Impressions

The Razer Nostromo comes in a large flashy cardboard box. Inside are the standard quick start guide, letter from Razerguy, product catalog, and stickers.

Design and Build Quality

The Nostromo is somewhat larger than we expected, as hinted at by its packaging. There’s no doubt this is a product out of Razer’s design labs. The large palm/wrist rest area is covered in a smooth matte finish with the Razer logo etched on top while the rest of the product features glossy black plastic. The matte keys are labeled 01 through 14 (01 - 05 on the first row, 06 - 10 on the second, and 11 - 14 on the last. 03, 07, 08, and 09 are also labeled with arrows for the standard WASD layout) . The Nostromo consists of four main areas - the 14 key pad and scroll wheel, the wrist rest under it, the thumb stick, and the space button/indicator lights. The braided cloth cable seemed to be thicker than that of a Razer mouse, which is perfectly fine considering that the gamepad will be stationary at all times (it also makes the cable more durable); as usual, the USB connector is gold plated. The second we plugged in the Nostromo, blue LEDs lit up all over.

The main issue we had using the Nostromo was the placement of the space key. The way the hand is naturally positioned on the Nostromo, the thumb rests above or on the thumb stick. The space bar is not directly under the stick so you have to awkwardly shift your thumb back to hit it. As simple as that sounds, you’re actually twisting your entire hand to accomodate this new position. Otherwise, you’re hitting the button with your thumb joint, which simply doesn’t work.

Ergonomics

The Nostromo is very comfortable to use and much more ergonomic than your standard keyboard. The keys are slightly angled and have a good amount of travel although I wouldn’t exactly describe them as tactile. The scroll wheel looks and feels exactly like the one on the Razer DeathAdder although its click is much more tactile. The thumb stick is adequately sized and easy to move around; the circular button right above (default alt) it feels wimpier. Below the space bar are three lights that shine blue, green, and/or red depending on which profile you’re on.

Software

Razer’s software makes it simple to reassign all 16 keys (and all other buttons, for that matter) to any function you’d like and in up to 8 profiles. It also allows you to adjust the intensity of the backlighting. 

Overall

While the Razer Nostromo won’t instantly make you a better gamer, it sure as hell makes it much more comfortable to play the way you want. Literally every aspect of the gamepad can be tweaked via software to suit your preferences; the Nostromo is also significantly more ergonomic to use than a standard keyboard. That said, it’s also even more expensive than many keyboards out there. Is the extra functionality worth $70 for a separate keypad? That’s a decision you’re going to have to make for yourself. 

Pro’s

• ergonomic
• highly customizable
• looks cool

Con’s

• awkward space bar placement

Where to buy

Think Geek — MSRP: $69.99

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This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the Razer Nostromo by Think Geek.