Flegmatica Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) Hi mates! I've been into flying simulation over 1 year and i still dont own a joystick! I know its pathetic but i spend much and always when im ready to buy one something comes up and i need to start collecting all over again. I've used gamepad's analogs to fly planes and it wasn't much of a experience. Now i've collected some money and im ready to buy joystick with it! The question is: what joystick to buy? I know there aren't much joysticks to choose from out there but i still need some advice. First my eyes saw Logitech Wingman 3D Pro, it looked very good and it was very comfortable in hand when i went to store to see it but i changed my mind after reading some bad reviews about it. I saw Saitek X52 Pro sitting in storage in online shop, it looks very nice and they say it kicks ass but it's goddamn expensive! So my question is, what joystick to buy? What is very responsive ingame? What joystick has good lifespand? Thanks in advance! -Fleg Edited February 17, 2009 by Flegmatica Quote
Madprof Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Well my advice would be buy the best you can afford,you get what you pay for here with joysticks and you don't want to be upgrading within months of buying a cheaper one,thats when it gets expensive.Saitek are nice,CH products are a well known and trusted buy and the Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar is superb.It really boils down to how much you play,do you see yourself still interested with this in months to come.I don't have any Saitek kit so I can't comment,but both CH Products and the Cougar offer excellent support should you need it,this is especially helpfull when setting up.This kit isn't cheap, but it will last,both offer spare parts should you require them too. Quote
scouserlad13 Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/p...91&cl=US,EN That was my first joystick, and it had served me well, it lasted about 5 years until the wire became a little loose. I can say that this one is good if your just looking for a simple joystick to mess around with. Quote
mppd Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 I'm using the Saitek as a temporary fix until I get all new-CH products setup. My old CH products devices did not work with Windows 2000/XP (all analog) so they all went into a garbage bag. I would recommend the CH stuff with no hesitation. Mike D. Quote
Viper6 Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 I'm using the Logitech Attack 3, two years and not a single problem and i paid $10. Quote
Flegmatica Posted February 17, 2009 Author Posted February 17, 2009 I've decided. Since in our country we dont have very much to choose from i decided to X52 Pro. But its twice as expensive as normal X52. What makes X52 PRO so much better than ordinary X52? Quote
Roopod Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 The only reason why I got the X52 Pro was because it uses magnetic hall sensors which it refers to as non-contact technology. The X52 Pro uses twice the number of these hall sensors that the regular X52 uses. The only minus is the lack of tension provided by the week spring on the joystick. There are easy remedies to fix that though. Quote
rovert97 Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 again, i have never had anything wrong with the 2 Logitech Wingman Extremes ive owned in the past 8 years. only reason i got a second one, was cuz i got it at a yard sale new in the box for $10. so i upgraded to force feedback. Quote
Flegmatica Posted February 17, 2009 Author Posted February 17, 2009 The only reason why I got the X52 Pro was because it uses magnetic hall sensors which it refers to as non-contact technology. The X52 Pro uses twice the number of these hall sensors that the regular X52 uses. Can you explain me what these magnetic hall sensors stand for? What difference it makes etc. again, i have never had anything wrong with the 2 Logitech Wingman Extremes ive owned in the past 8 years. only reason i got a second one, was cuz i got it at a yard sale new in the box for $10. so i upgraded to force feedback. Friend of mine bought one. Right out from box it was broken, he returned it and got replacement. That one broke down in 2 months, then he wanted the money back. Quote
Roopod Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 All of my previous HOTAS joysticks had the same problem of malfunctioning potentiometers on the X and Y axis. Potentiometers are the mechanical devices that send the electrical signal of where your joystick is on its X and Y axis. Eventually they'll get dirty and you'll start getting the herky jerky signal until it's unusable. The hall sensor does away with that by sensing a small magnets position without making contact with it. Therefore no interupted signals due to small specks of dust on a mechanical contact like on a potentiometer. Smoother movements are the result for a longer period of usage. I'm hoping this will last a bit longer with the hall sensors then with the old pots. Quote
Flegmatica Posted February 17, 2009 Author Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) All of my previous HOTAS joysticks had the same problem of malfunctioning potentiometers on the X and Y axis. Potentiometers are the mechanical devices that send the electrical signal of where your joystick is on its X and Y axis. Eventually they'll get dirty and you'll start getting the herky jerky signal until it's unusable. The hall sensor does away with that by sensing a small magnets position without making contact with it. Therefore no interupted signals due to small specks of dust on a mechanical contact like on a potentiometer. Smoother movements are the result for a longer period of usage. I'm hoping this will last a bit longer with the hall sensors then with the old pots. So the X52 Pro has lesser life but it provides better/smoother control? Is that the only difference between these 2 joysticks? Edited February 17, 2009 by Flegmatica Quote
Doghouse Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Legitech Extreme 3D Pro. It's served me well for 5 years now with absolutely no problems. Costs about 45 bucks but can be had for around 30 if you shop around for sales. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if it was necessary. Whichever stick you get, don't be a gurilla. Go easy on them and they'll last a long time. Don't get a stick that doesn't have a twist grip for rudder controls unless you decide to go whole hog and get the flight yokes peddles and everything. Quote
Roopod Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 So the X52 Pro has lesser life but it provides better/smoother control? Is that the only difference between these 2 joysticks? Longer life due to the hall sensors for both while the X52 Pro has extra hall sensor for smoother X+Y contol. Quote
Flegmatica Posted February 17, 2009 Author Posted February 17, 2009 Don't get a stick that doesn't have a twist grip for rudder controls X52 has rudder twist. Quote
Roopod Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 X52 has rudder twist. X52 Pro has rudder twist. Didn't like it at first but it's second nature now. I still would've prefered the rocker paddles under the throttle like on the X45 and X36 but then again you can't have it all, can you? Quote
ClutchCargo22 Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) Don't do it................. Yea first it seem innocent..............joystick Soon you'll be making models and painting skins................. Eventually you're strung out on discount sim's and posting pics in the gallery...... Hee Hee........ If you got the bucks .........Thrustmaster Hotas..........but I had to replace potentia.....what cha ma call its too ....twice......... My CH Pro products still are working fine............ but I dont fly with joysticks anymore.....just because I have to share the computer .......and wires everywhere was a mess for the other users...I use mouse and key board..........and I can trap just fine.........but then I have been doing this for sometime. Helicopters ..........need a joystick, throttle or collective, and rudder Edited February 17, 2009 by ClutchCargo22 Quote
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