[vyper]

Suggestions?

[Grey Wolf]

I rather like my Logitech Cordless Freedom, but most of the people here seem to swear by the HOTAS setups.

If you're cheaper, the Logitech Wingman series is always good.

[Odyssey]

[color=cc9900]Or, if you're cheap and like a HOTAS setup, get a Saitek X45.[/color]

[mikhael]

Get a HOTAS setup. X45 if you're cheap, CH Products if you want decent hardware, Thrustmaster HOTAS/Cougar if you've got money to burn.

Whatever you do, don't by a garbage game stick like a logitech or gravis or microsoft.

[Liberator]

As a control freak, your biased, mik.

Logitech makes good hardware, just not as complex as mik likes.  He forget's that the keyboard is there for a reason.

Get something you are comfortable with, you won't use it if you are uncomfortable using it.  I bought one one time to see if I could use it and I could get out of the third training mission in the original FS, and I've used a mouse ever since, and the stick sits in my bedroom at my parents gathering dust.

[Sandwich]

I like my old Microsoft Precision Pro - 'tis an optical mechanisim, and the advantage over the second version of the Precision Pro is that it has a "shift" button that doubles the amount of functions the buttons can perform.

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Liberator
As a control freak, your biased, mik.

Logitech makes good hardware, just not as complex as mik likes.  He forget's that the keyboard is there for a reason.

Get something you are comfortable with, you won't use it if you are uncomfortable using it.  I bought one one time to see if I could use it and I could get out of the third training mission in the original FS, and I've used a mouse ever since, and the stick sits in my bedroom at my parents gathering dust.

Remember, boys and girls: HOTAS != Quality

As a control freak, I'm biased toward HOTAS. This includes the three HOTAS setups I mentioned. Saitek makes a low quality HOTAS, CH Products makes a decent quality HOTAS, and Thrustmaster makes a high quality HOTAS.

As a person who likes to get value for his money, I'm biased against badly made gear. Logitech, Microsoft, Saitek, Gravis, etc make horrible plastic pieces of trash. Not only are they made of--essentially--the same thing the plastic cups in my cupboard are made of, but the gimbals and the potentiometers are absolute bottom of the bucket.

Microsoft's Sidewinder series of sticks are somewhat of an exception. They're still made of the crappy plastic, but they used that nifty optical mechanism, thus avoiding the curse of the bad pots used in most sticks.

Just thought that should be cleared up.

[Unknown Target]

Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek Saitek !

Logitech sucks, because their sticks are famous for breaking within a month. I had my Wingman for about 2 months, 4th button broke, and I had my next Logitech stick (forget the name), and the throttle stopped working after about the same amount of time, and then the whole stick broke about a month later, when the thing that kep the whole thing centered broke. When I looked it up for help, I found out that the sticks breaking was a common thing.

Anyway, I have/had my Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold for about four months now, and no problems (until it got thrown against the floor by an angry family member, now the throttle and one of the buttons is busted But that's still better than Logitech! )

[Gortef]

One vote more to Saitek x45

[TopAce]

Originally posted by Liberator
As a control freak, your biased, mik.

Logitech makes good hardware, just not as complex as mik likes.  He forget's that the keyboard is there for a reason.

Get something you are comfortable with, you won't use it if you are uncomfortable using it.  I bought one one time to see if I could use it and I could get out of the third training mission in the original FS, and I've used a mouse ever since, and the stick sits in my bedroom at my parents gathering dust.

It is always good to see that not only I don't like FreeSpace with Joystick.
I am also about to buy a new one(since the older one is at least 6 years old!). I deeply doubt I would play FreeSpace with that, only X-wing Alliance(this game is a reason why I want to buy one).

[Grey Wolf]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
Logitech sucks, because their sticks are famous for breaking within a month. I had my Wingman for about 2 months, 4th button broke, and I had my next Logitech stick (forget the name), and the throttle stopped working after about the same amount of time, and then the whole stick broke about a month later, when the thing that kep the whole thing centered broke. When I looked it up for help, I found out that the sticks breaking was a common thing.

You must be far more abusive than I am. My first Logitech (Logitech Wingman Extreme 3D) lasted me about 2.5 years before the rX axis started going, and my second (the Freedom 2.4) has functioned quite well for the year since I replaced the Wingman. Really wish it used Lithium Ion batteries or something though.

[Xelion]

By the sounds of it most of us seem to have aggressive tendencies towards Joysticks. I would think that precision and accuracy don't involve ripping the joystick out of its socket to the left or right when your trying to avoid a missile hitting your fighter.

Although mik's opinion might be biased it might have some truth in it, but don't certainly trust ones words entirely. I have a Logitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless joystick, I have had it for several months now and it works fine but I don't treat it like s*** especially when it cost $150 bucks (AU). Some people think when you buy products you can treat it like crap and thats when they end up breaking, the same goes for all computer parts.

As I've only ever had Logitech Joysticks, I think there adequate enough, there really isn't a decent Joystick out there for a space simulation like Freespace unless you rip the ones out of a NASA Space Shuttle. Anyway my suggestion would be to shop around and see what is best for yourself .

[Deepblue]

Um... yeah, there are... Its an arcade ss. Precision Pro 2 works fine.

[TopAce]

If you 'show mercy' to your joystick, it will live far longer. Even cheaper ones! And if you want to evade a missile: COUNTERMEASURES, sir! If you are at good angle, you only have to push a single button. In FS, countermeasures have better use than doing sudden maneuvers. Especially in snail-slow fighters like the Hercules, or the Ares.

[Xelion]

Originally posted by TopAce
And if you want to evade a missile: COUNTERMEASURES, sir! If you are at good angle, you only have to push a single button. In FS, countermeasures have better use than doing sudden maneuvers. Especially in snail-slow fighters like the Hercules, or the Ares.

After launching a countermeasure u still want to manoeuvre out of the way using afterburners or you might be caught in the blast effect of the missile

[Fineus]

I echo the recommendation of Saitek - of all the Joysticks I've ever owned my Cyborg 3D lasted the longest and was also ideal for my left handed-ness. However I've now upgraded to the Cyborg Evo which is just as good in terms of response and feel... I've not had any problems with control with it.

Of course, I'm not a die-hard sim fan or control freak...

[01010]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
left handed-ness

BURN THE INFIDEL!

[Fineus]

Naff off

[Nico]

I've had my SW precision 2 for quite a few years, still works great. Pb is, I found myself a real killer using mouse+keyboard in FS2, rather than with the stick, so she went under the table to collect dust .

[aldo_14]

I had a Logitech wingman extreme for about 7/8 years *probably longer, I'm not sure) - never had any complaints.  'twas well built, comfy and the one time I did have a problem (about 5/6 months after bringing it home from the US), the customer support was excellent - all I had to do was snip the cable off, send it to them, and I got a brand new one (joystick) in the post.  That joystick is the one which has listed for the last 7/8 years - the only reason I don;t still use it is because my new Pc doesn;t have an old style gameport to plug it into.

EDIT - , I'm surprised to hear Logitech getting slagged for lifetime of their sticks, because the one I have has served me so well.

(I'm using a Saitek cyborg one - the older model - which is nowhere near as good - a lot lighter, a lot less tension, and just not as good all round)