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The thumbwheel can be split into two axis's of movement using a lever on the base of the pad, and it will auto center with this feature engaged. This can be very useful for programming commands such as "peek left/right" in Rouge Spear. The button on the far left of the device is the "shift" button, and if desired it can be given a macro and configured as a normal button instead. The hat on the mouse is also a fully programmable 4/8-switch, and unlike some other mice available, virtually any keys in any combination can be assigned to all 8 of the hat directions.
Using SGE, the GM2 will auto-configure to whatever template/profile is assigned to each game's .exe once it is launched. This is very handy if you use a different configuration for say, Rainbow 6 and Delta Force 2. The controller will automatically detect the game being loaded and will select the correct profile and load it into the controller.
Ergonomics
Fig. . Saitek Gaming Extensions in action
The GM2 Action Pad makes a long day of gaming a very comfortable experience. If the GM2 pad had a head and four legs, it would closely resemble a turtle: The palm of the hand rests over what would be the shell. The hat, thumbwheel, and buttons are all in natural positions, and even those with small hands will have no trouble at all reaching anything. Once the keyboard is moved aside, the pad can be placed on the desktop surface in accordance to each person's preference. What makes the GM2 so comfortable is the angle that the wrist rests at. When the heel of the hand is placed on the desktop when using a keyboard, the fingers must reach up at an angle in order to hit the keys. When using the GM2, the fingers reach out horizontally, and in some cases down to the buttons while the heel of the hand rests on the base of the device. The "turtle shell" then supports the palm of the hand, and this results in a very natural and rock-steady position.
The GM2 mouse is very similar in shape to some of Microsoft's most popular mice. Two buttons as well as a click-able wheel in addition to the pre-mentioned hat make this mouse one of the most programmable in history. The internals of this mouse closely resemble those of the Razer Boomslang, with one spring-loaded roller providing the pressure against a heavy ball that rides two thin metal rods. The pots read the movement of these rods and interpret this data into the actual mouse movement. The point of course is that these rods are a snap to clean, in addition to being very accurate. Since we figured that the mouse would be a bit of an afterthought with the GM2 Pad/Mouse, we were pleasantly surprised at how nicely it turned out, and while it may not track quite as well as a Boomslang, it is probably the next best thing.
This mouse is available separately as the GM1, and it alone is worth the $49.95 price of the GM2. The buttons and hat on the mouse are quite robust, and give excellent sensory feedback when pressed. The hat gives an especially positive response. The quality, shape, price, and programmability of the mouse are second to none, and it is an excellent match to the Action Pad.
The power of SGE combined with the number of hats and switches allows the GM2 to do for first person shooter gamers what a high end HOTAS does for flight simulation fanatics. We've been able to toss our keyboards for all of the tactical FPS games we've been playing, and with the coming of Rogue Spear: Urban Operations, Saitek has timed the release of the GM2 perfectly. We've been waiting a long time for somebody to come up with a decent first person tactical game controller, and Saitek has come through big-time.
While there are several excellent HOTAS systems for flight simmers to choose from, the GM2 Action Pad stands alone as the only decent gaming solution for first person tactical shooters. The GM2 receives our Top Pick award since it does what no other FPS controller has done to date: Replace the keyboard with a comfortable, programmable, and configurable device that not only works, but works so well that we prefer using it over our standard keyboard/mouse setup.
Saitek GM2 Action Pad and Mouse
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