Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit reviewed
By Marc Perton 
posted Dec 9th 2005 12:00PM
posted Dec 9th 2005 12:00PM
If you're looking for a one-handed gaming keyboard module, you'd be better off skipping
the Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit, according to Trusted Reviews. The site checked out the $70 peripheral, and found
that it's about as much fun to use as its name is to say. The reviewer dinged the PGCU for being uncomfortable and
overpriced, and concluded that it offers few advantages over a standard keyboard — though it does project the Saitek
logo onto your desk in brilliant red and has a nice long cable for playing sprawled out on the couch.
Belkin's Nostromo N52, on the other hand, has been out for more than a year, is very comefortable, and only costs 30 bucks. I bought one to use on a gaming laptop, and it works so well, I use it on my desktop now.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10356583&SearchEngine=Froogle&SearchTerm=10356583&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=17379
Reminds me a lot of my Belkin Speedpad, which works quite nicely and is half the price.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DC643
Those Belkin Pads are nice and reliable. It would be nice for FPS's and some RTS as well.
I have a saitek gaming
keyboard and I don't like it
because it's difficult to read the
keys. the light color is too similar
to the key color, and the light is behind
the keys, so the whole thing lights up
and i can't distinguish the keys very
well due to lack of contrast. they should
have used a white or green led instead.
I use the Saitek Eclipse keyboard, and love that. I was hoping they'd make a visually similar left-hand 'commander' unit, but after the review I'll stick with my Belkin N52. The keys are all easy to reach, it has a D-pad instead of that funky hatswitch, as well as a scroll wheel. From the pix I can see the top rows of keys on the PGCU would be a pain to reach for anyone without monkey fingers, but I can reach all the keys perfectly on the N52.
As far as the light up keys go.. the point of a Commander is that your hand is on it most of the time, so you really don't need to see the keys, and the N52 does have a tactile 'centering' dot.
The N52 has 4 'modes', essentially shifted states for the keys, so every key can have 4 commands depending on the mode. The author talks about the PGCU's 'mode' toggle, but defines it for switching between FPS & RTS modes. Would be nice to know how this compares to the N52's mode toggling.
The author does knock it for MMORPG's, for switching to typing. My main use for the N52 is in WoW, and the ONLY time I have to switch to the keyboard is to type to folks. If you're doing any amount of typing, you don't really need the immediacy of the commander. I suppose in the heat of combat, having to switch back and forth would be a pain, but that's why I use TeamSpeak for raids :)
Also having luck using the N52 for StarCraft and HalfLife2.
My only complaint is I miss on-the-fly programming ala the MicroSoft Strategic Commander..(sigh, so close to being useful..)
Well, yes, it's a competitor to the nostromo... but the review doesn't address that, and doesn't set about comparing it with competing products. It's just not that useful for someone predisposed to using a keyboard instead of a dedicated left hand device to review it against a keyboard. That's a simple matter of preference, and just not the best way to review it.
Differences that I see:
The saitek has 4 additional keys, and a dedicated mode switch key. It has a hatstick and two thumb buttons in addition to a "palm key"
the nostromo has a d-pad, joystick trigger button and duplicates the mouse wheel (this is the n52)
I'm curious to know whether the hatstick makes up for the lack of a d-pad, and whether the additional thumb button and shift key are more useful than the mousewheel. The lack of customizability of the mousewheel is my one gripe with the nostromo, as my right hand will always be near my mousewheel so duplicating that function will never be relavent, but if one could cycle weapons while the zoomed, that would be hot.
just my thoughts.
I have the Saitek Eclipse, and I've always been a big fan of their Cyborg joysticks (even though I still use a MS Sidewinder Force Feedback). On the PGCU, I love the _styling_, but the _design_ is horrible. It just looks extremely uncomfortable no matter how you adjust it, and the key layout is extremely cramped width wise. I'm still using a Nostromo N50 at the moment, but when I upgrade, I think I'll go for the N52 instead of the PGCU, unless they make another that scraps this layout but keeps the styling.
I got two words for this PGCU. Stu-pid. Why would you spend $70 for this junk... with $70 i can buy a new game and have enough left for a 32 pack of corona....
The n52's mousewheel is programmable - Up and down can be set to generate keystrokes/macros/whateever.
If they would only add mouse functionality to the N52 and products of that sort, they would be a definite buy but as it stands, they provide very little in terms of advantage over a regular keyboard. Definatly not worth the price.
Actually, this thing is $40 not $70 as reported. Its selling here:http://store.yahoo.com/saitekusa/progacoun.html
The N52 is also extremely useful for programs like AutoCAD, and whatever other programs require lots of different commands. Two of us at my job use the N52, and the other guy is watching for a mouse with N52 capabilities, so that he can make his right hand (with the mouse) as effective as the left hand with the N52.
I have the Saitek gamers keyboard and I've grown acustomed to the left hand control pad, but I've been looking for something more out of it, so I'm looking forward to getting this command unit. Also, reading some complaints about the gamers keyboard, I thought i'd share what I did. I bought the eclipse keyboard as well and yanked the keys from it and put them into the gamers keyboard. Now I've got the laft hand game pad as well as illuminated keys. Helps tons with ther contrast. There's no difference between then so they fit right in like they were meant to be there...