I’m sick of Logitech joysticks that feel like mush after a week and would like to buy a reasonable joystick for fun in the sun without breaking the bank.
Has anyone had any luck with Saitek’s Cyborg X? Or how about the Saitek Aviator ? Or should I be looking at the Thrustmaster range of midrange sticks?
I’ve considered fratricide to procure my brother’s old MS Sidewinder but on second thought you can’t play an outdated semi-dead genre in prison.
So let’s talk options.
Sorry, I can’t help, since I still have my Sidewinder Precision Pro. I now regret giving away my Sidewinder ForceFeedback Pro and Sidewinder 3D Pro though, when I moved from Seattle to Kansas City in my car. I guess I decided there wasn’t enough space for a lot of things. But damn, I should have made the space. The 3D Pro is still better for Descent games, and the Forcefeedback Pro is still the best joystick for Mechwarrior 3 and Independence War.
Why must you taunt me so? A man with so many of the best joysticks ever made he can just give them away while I stand here empty handed.
Oh, the humanity.
Since this is kind of a PC peripheral thread, I’d like to sidetrack it while still talking about joysticks. I have a Cyborg Evo that I’m going to hook up to play ArmA … but I also want to buy a microphone/headset.
Any recommendations for a cheap one? I tried hooking up my 360 controller (wireless, with the plug and play cord attached) with the mic plugged in and it didn’t work. If possible I’d like one where it works like it does on the 360 … talk into the mic, hear voices through the headset.
I had a Saitek Aviator before returning to upgrade to an x52 which I returned to upgrade to a CH HOTAS.
I thought the Aviator was a really decent stick for the money.
One joystick I would NOT recommend to those who don’t have large hands is the stick that comes with Ace Combat 6 for the 360. Apparently, since it’s a USB stick, it can be made to work on the PC, but even though it’s my first and only HOTAS (Hands on throttle and stick) setup, my hands start hurting really fast because it’s designed for people with huge hands.
I’ve got some pills you can take for that.
If anyone wants to give away their force feedback joysticks before they move to Kansas City, let me know.
I still have an original CH products Flightstick… want it? :)
Worth mentioning:
The HOTAS Cougar is a terrific option, but only if you’re willing to spend stupid money on it. Out of the box, it’s an incredibly expensive piece of crap, sad to say. Sixteen pounds of metal controller… except the throttle has a switch which will break if you use it and the flight stick is impossible to use. The resistance is totally different on the orthogonals than anywhere else, meaning it is pretty much a disaster to actually fly with.
If you’re willing to pay the $200 for the stick and then pay someone $300-$500 to mod it (Don’t forget shipping. Did I mention this rig weighs 16 lbs?), I hear all of these problems go away and you have the best flight controller ever made. I’d also suspect you of catassing and never showering, though.
Is it just me, but coming from other platforms first before getting into PC gaming ALL PC joysticks feel like crap…even the fancy MS force-feedback ones.
I currently have an ancient Trust Predator Lite for my old games PC(it has a large 12/13 pin connector), and a Logic3 Star Fighter for my main gaming rig. I have used others, but i’ve never found a PC stick that didn’t feel loose and spongy compared to the ‘real’ joysticks from the 8bit/16bit home computer/console era:
Competition Pro on the Amiga playing Speedball II for the win!?
Never ever buy Logitech.
I have had SO many problems with Logitech joysticks, mice and steering wheels, it’s not funny anymore. The problem is, Logitech is/was more or less the only “brand” line of gaming devices on Tenerife, where I lived, so it was either Logitech or other shit like Genius. But seriously, Logitech sucks. Mousewheels scroll the wrong way, or jump between right/wrong way, mouse button clicks feel strange, or buttons get stuck, joysticks begin to drift after only a few hours of use, wheel motors/cables break, speakers begin to sound bad after a few months because the membranes break, keyboard keys get stuck…
My last Logitech mouse, as in last I ever bought, cost €70, is only a year old, yet does all the button shenanigans I mentioned, and on top of that, lately it has begun to register single clicks as double clicks, which is hella annoying and results in closing browser tabs, opening files I don’t want to open and maximizing windows or programs while I move them around.Also, the rubber coat that covers the mouse has started to peel off in several places.
Did I mention never buy Logitech?
I saw a Microsoft Force Feedback Pro at the local used electronics store today. Didn’t see the power brick but I’m assuming it’s there. I’d imagine I could pick it up for 5 bucks. I’m wondering if it’s worth trying to build one of those gameport to USB adapters though. I know how to work on electronics but I’m also lazy. Any thoughts? Other adapter options?
I have a second-hand Saitek x-45 HOTAS, and the thing is rugged, heavy, and works perfectly fine, retaining small adjustment accuracy even after a lot of combat maneuvering abuse. Some games have trouble understanding the different control set modes, but I’m assuming the x-52 fixes those problems, and the downloadable software is an effective and one-stop workaround for assigning keys.
Previous to that I had the Saitek Evo cyborg, and I understand they may have a new model out, but after having a hotas setup ther’s no going back to single sticks. having the rudder and throttle on the same stick as pitch and yaw is sloppy, more buttons=mo bettah, and it;'s nice when the stick has enough weight to not slide around. That said, the cyborg was an awesome stick I’d buy again in a second if I was strapped for cash… lots of buttons, good precision, seemingly long enough lifespan.
Way back for xwing, tie fighter and WC I used a CH flightstick, and it was solid. Not enough buttons though, but it felt really good. Dunno how there stuff is these days.
I like the Aviator. Cheap and cheerful. It looks funny too.
This is a thread resurrection, people. Don’t answer the original question, look at mine instead!!
haha … ok. Well, I actually had a friend give me one of those and I’m pretty sure I used an USB adapter , like you say. I wound up not using the FF at all, since the damn thing hummed when drawing power, so I just left it unplugged and the inputs worked fine. Not the greatest stick I’ve used, but then for $5 why not give it a shot.
Some web research says that most of the adapters don’t work with force feedback, just basic functionality. Don’t know about that custom one. I just had a thought that I could pick up a $5 soundcard from the same place and hopefully just disable the sound part of it.
Might be worth trying just to see if I like FFB by playing Freespace or something, then shell out for a used Pro 2 if I really like it.
I have an MS Pro 2 and a Force Feedback. Of the two I prefer the Pro 2 more. It’s USB, recognized by nearly every game I use it in, and, at least to me, seems more precise than the force feedback model. Plus no power brick to worry about.
Yeah, that’s pretty much why I chose to keep the Precision Pro 2, and give away the FF Pro and the 3D Pro when I moved from Seattle. The Sidewinder Precision Pro 2 lets me play any joystick game and still have a great experience, even if it doesn’t allow feedback, and as a bonus, it doesn’t take nearly as much desk space.
Circumcised or non?