[Droid803]

The joystick that I bought new for $4 and I used for 5 years broke a few days ago. He will be missed.
I need a new one.

Preferably that will cost about the same and last about as long. To get the same one would cost me 20 bucks now which I just am not willing to fork over.

Suggestions?

btw, I don't care for force-feedback or a second controller or anything.
as long as it has a hat for directional views and the standard pew pew and missile buttons i'm ok.

any ideas for joysticks less than $10 CAD?

I just want to be able to play freespace again without fighting with the mouse while turning, or mashing a keyboard.

[Nohiki]

I saw once an image of a plastic cross with a match-long stick that you put on arrow keys, that is the only in that price range i can think of

[Droid803]

Damn.

Then uh...anything good in general and not too expensive? XD

[rscaper1070]

I got my 3d Pro from E-Bay for $10 but after S&H it was about $18. Your could start cruising flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores. Maybe you'll luck out and find something good. I think Trivial Psychic found a joystick that way.

[Bob-san]

Logitech Attack 3? I don't know really. Last joystick I bought was on Newegg and before that was a Wingman Force 3D in CompUSSR's hay day.

[Dragon]

Wingman Force 3D is a very good Force Feedback joystick which can sometimes be found on services such as E-Bay at very good prices.
I've also seen old QuickShot joysticks at affordable prices, keep in mind these are gameport devices, so they won't work with Vista and Win 7 (and anything newer, for that matter).

[Mongoose]

I'd personally recommend against the Wingman Force 3D myself.  I had one for a while, but after a year or two of relatively-light use, the thing's input started to completely spaz out, resulting in uncontrollable movement whenever I plugged it in.  From what I heard, I was far from the only one, since that was a widespread issue with Logitech's sticks at the time.

[Droid803]

I could find the Attack 3, but it doesn't appear to have a "hat" for directional viewing...
I think I'd rate having that over anything else.

Even if it only has two buttons on the handle and a hat I'm good.
But I don't care if it has fifty billion buttons on the base and has force feedback and is the best thing ever if it doesn't have a hat.

EDIT:

currently looking at Logitech Extreme 3D pro...maybe Saitek ST90 (donno if that has what I want), and a Cyborg V1...

I guess i could cough up 20-30 bucks >.>

[Dragon]

Force 3D is fine, I've used it for long, and my father before me, and we didn't had any problems. After a long, long time, a little thing burned out in it and we had to replace it, but it happened after a long period of use. It has a HAT switch, 5 buttons on the handle and 2 on the base, plus a slider and, of course, force feedback. And excellent stick if you're not willing to spend a lot on it.

[Volyren Nightsong]

http://www.buy.com/prod/mad-catz-st290-pro-joystick-gaming-pad-cable-usb-saitek-st290-pc/q/sellerid/23737093/loc/108/203071633.html
this is the stick for you then.
it works great, its cheap, uber compatible, and totally programmable. you can even program the hat switch. i have right set to cycle enemy targets, left cycle subsystems, up targets whats in the reticule, and down drops countermeasures. the middle button is afterburner, the right button is target nearest enemy and the left is missiles. of the top two buttons, one cycles guns, the other cycles missiles.

you can set it up any way you like. and the hat switch has 8 programmable directions.

the saitek ST290Pro is very durable. ive had mine for about 3 years. its survived 2 moves, and even was left in the bottom of a box with a full 20 pound container of kitty litter on top of it, bending the stick at a hard angle. and after pulling it out, (keep in mind, this was in the garage, in greenwood SC, which is super humid, and in the summer, its over 100 and the winters get below freezing. after 2 years of being practically exposed to the elements, and with all that weight on top of it, everything still works like a charm.
so i doubt you will need another stick for quite some time. oh, its also survived a lot of drops onto a hardwood floor, and even a soda or two spilled on it, and the worst was the cat marking his territory on it. (he frikken peed on my joystick!!!!!! arrrrgggggg.) and it also survived the cleaner i sprayed all over it.
so there. hope it helps. the site i found for you above has a 29.99 price for the stick and shipping. so its 30 bucks flat. you might be able to find a cheaper one somewhere, or maybe even free shipping. but if you want an excellent stick, this one is for you.
until i get a working x52, i use this stick with pride. i supplement it with a logitech dual action game pad (like a ps2/3 controller) which i use like a control panel, for shield systems, targetting, wingmen commands and power distribution. you can get one of those 2 stick game pads for like 10 bucks, and they are programmable as well. you can even use one stick as a mouse.

anyway, i hope that gives you some ideas. i doubt you would get a joystick cheaper than 20 bucks, and the shipping is gonna be another 15, so the link above is probably your best bet, unless you are willing to chance getting a used stick. and on that note, i just spend 65 dollars, plus 20 in shipping for a broken x52, so you might want to get a new one.
hope this helps. take care, and HAVE FUN