Joysticks

I'm currently looking for the joystick system I want for Xmas, and I've kind of settled on Saitek X45:



The set runs around $80 in the stores. Anybody have anything to say about this one, good or bad, or recommend something else?

Please don't bring up the Cougar! I ain't paying $300 for a joystick! ;)

Originally posted by Bucky@Dec 11 2003, 05:48 PM
I'm currently looking for the joystick system I want for Xmas, and I've kind of settled on Saitek X45:



The set runs around $80 in the stores. Anybody have anything to say about this one, good or bad, or recommend something else?

Please don't bring up the Cougar! I ain't paying $300 for a joystick! ;)

Looks pretty neat. I guess you're into your flight sims?

I should get myself one of those, at the moment I only have my old Sidewinder forcefeedback. While being pretty good, it's not cut out for flying planes.

A nice bit of lens flare on that picture too.

Originally posted by Doug@Dec 11 2003, 12:57 PM
Looks pretty neat. I guess you're into your flight sims?

I should get myself one of those, at the moment I only have my old Sidewinder forcefeedback. While being pretty good, it's not cut out for flying planes.

I recently picked up IL2:FB and I'm falling back into my original love of PC gaming; flight sims.

I just hate jet sims, so there hasn't been much around for several years.

I've been using a Sidewinder for several years, and like you said, it's a good stick. But when I started looking over the 4 pages of keyboard controls for IL2 I realized that it was time to look for a serious flight sim set.

A nice bit of lens flare on that picture too.

Heh, just noticed that. Believe it or not, that pic came off of Amazon.com!

oo... they look cool.

my joystick lifts off the desk when you pull back on it, so it isn't particularly good for flight sims... or anything for that matter :Oo:

Hey Bucky, ya man that is a good joystick. I have the same one. Actually, I own the previous model - the X36 - but it is almost the same except for the blue plating. The only problem is the rudder controls took a shit in less than a year. My question is do you really need the extra hardware for the throttle and rudder controls? Could you use the keyboard instead? I don't want you to experience the same problem.

I threw away the X36 and I bought a $20 Saitek Cyborg Graphite from Wal-Mart. I was surprised when I discovered that my new joystick actually performs better than the X36. I only use it for Battlefield 1942 and Desert Combat so I really do not know how well it would work with a flight sim.

I am not recommending the Cyborg Graphite, I am simply trying to make you aware of what I have experienced. If at all possible, purchase some sort of extended warranty or call Saitek and ask if they have had any issues with the rudder on the X45.

Originally posted by Orion@Dec 12 2003, 04:08 PM
Actually, I own the previous model - the X36 - but it is almost the same except for the blue plating. The only problem is the rudder controls took a shit in less than a year.

The rudder control on this one is a rocker switch on the bottom of the throttle control. Is that the same way on the model you had?

I can't do keyboard rudder, I'll find a twist stick if that fails. Actually, I've been looking into rudder pedals, just to complete the setup and annoy my wife ;)

I have an old Logitech Wingman Extreme: Digital 3D, got it about 3-4 years ago, its pretty good... has got 4 buttons on the top of the stick (Exc. the trigger) and a 8-way view clicky thing ... 2 buttons on the base and a slider for the trottler, and also the stick twists for rudder control, tis also very smooth too ... Im no Joystick expert, but the one i got is pretty good

To answer your question Bucky, yes the rudder control is the same hence why I wrote the X45 is the exact same joystick as the X36 save for the blue plating. There may be other extra options which I am unaware of but the rudder control is definately the same.

Anways Syanide's joystick seems interesting and Logitech makes excellent peripherals. Check them out. I am sure they have a newer version of the joystick he owns.

Bucky, this is really your decision and always has been. If you feel comfortable with the X45 then buy it. Don't listen to us LoL.

Originally posted by Orion@Dec 13 2003, 01:38 AM
Bucky, this is really your decision and always has been. If you feel comfortable with the X45 then buy it. Don't listen to us LoL.

99% of my reasoning for wanting this set is because of the complexity of IL2. It's a fantastic flight sim, but there are (by necessity) a ton of controls for it.

My old MS sidewinder, or any nice twist stick (like Syanide's) are good for most games, but I'm looking for a HOTAS set, and the only other ones I've seen are $200-$300!

IL2's reference card covers 4 pages! To really set that up without constantly screwing with the keyboard, you really gotta have a huge number of control options.

I do appreciate the input, Orion. From what I have read about Saitek, a lot of people have been happy with their gear, so I'm gonna go ahead with this one.

If it breaks, I'll at least be warned!

Question: Do you think you were hard on it, or was it just normal wear that broke it? Oh, and did you contact Saitek about it at all?

You made the right decision.

To answer your question, Bucky, I really do not think I was hard on the rudder.

I started to use my joystick for Battlefield 1942. It took me quite some time to configure the joystick in the Controls menu because the game would not fully recognize the joystick. Once I had everything configured to my liking I could fly around without any problems. I played BF1942 with the joystick for a few months then I noticed the plane would start pulling to the left. At first I could not figure out what was the problem so I just ignored it. It started to get worse so I decided to see what could be wrong. I tried to calibrate the joystick but everytime I tried, the rudder section would react sporadically. After a while it became too inconvienient to fly with the plane pulling constantly to the left so I just boxed the X36 and put it away. It has been in exile ever since.

I should have called Saitek but since I knew the joystick was out of warranty, I thought why bother. So I found a Saitek joystick for $20 and it has been nothing but good to me. Best of luck...