When I first started playing FS, it was FS2:Colossus, basically the first chapter of FS2 (just before the first SOC loop), which came with my Logitech Force 3D Extreme (at least, I think that's what the stick was called). It was a good stick, but the Force Feedback produced quite a lot of heat which, after less than a month of use, would cause it to fail after about 10 minutes of use. I used to take my time during briefing and mission loading so the stick could cool off. I even would hold it in the wash of a nearby fan to try to cool it faster. It would fail by first over-correcting the centering force, then it would start cutting out the FF for a couple of seconds at a time, before finally the FF would cut out altogether... which also meant that there was no centering force. Also, the deadzone was quite difficult to set properly. I recall that Logitech replaced my stick 3 times. The only reason that they didn't replace it a 4th time was because my last stick I managed to nurse-maid for quite a while, beyond the manufacturer's replacement period. One of the failures was so bad that when the FF died, it took the directional control with it, causing it to jam the detection sensor into a corner.
I had a couple of cheaper sticks for a while... one of which ended its life while I was playing Rogue Squadron 3D. I was making tight turns with a snow-speeder when the entire stick broke off from the base... though the cord remained attached. I managed to finish the mission by moving the stub of plastic where it had connected with my left thumb, while I controlled the buttons on the stick in my right. I had another stick for a while that had a throttle slider on the base, but then I saw an add for a X52 for $99.99, and managed to get a Future Shop to price match it.
There are a few things I don't like about the X52, the biggest of which is its "floaty" nature. There's very little resistance to stick movement, so its hard to find center and stick movements are quite loose. I've heard of people who have managed to graft bits of cardboard into the main spring, which had some dampening effect. The X52 Pro was supposed to have overcome that problem. The new
X-65F is supposed to have pressure-sensitivity ONLY for stick control, and some people aren't exactly sold on THAT idea.
Another thing that I wasn't thrilled about was the lack of any kind of slide inhibitors. Some of my previous sticks had suction cups on the bottom, and since my Logitech was a single piece, I had been able to hold it in place my other hand, but with the X52, I had more than once shoved one of the two pieces off my lap pad during violent maneuvers. Also, the data cable between the stick and throttle was proprietary, resembling a PS/2 plug, and was both loose and was positioned in a way that it could get bumped easily and possibly be damaged. I would have preferred for them to simply have a daisy-chain USB cable going between the stick and throttle. Not only would it then be more secure, but it would mean that if the cable became damaged, you only had to replace the cable with any old double-ended USB cable, rather than have to send your entire stick back for servicing or replacement. Thankfully that hasn't happened to me... yet. Finally, despite its flaky nature, I do miss the Force Feedback of my Logitech... when it worked, so I would have liked to have FF in the X52. Being experienced with the heat problems, an active cooling system would have been the way to go, and of course a secondary power supply (other than the USB) would have been in order.
Despite all this, as I have said in another thread, I haven't played FS or indeed any stick-requiring game in well over 2 years, and my X52 is still in its box from when I moved apartments about 2 years ago, so its not like I'm running it into the ground, but if I ever do get back into FS, I'll see what kind of durability this thing's got.
Later!
