Looking for help on a basic joystick

[groomsie]

Looking for a "basic" (let's say under $50) joystick, as I mainly play SH4 and will not be a "serious" flight sim player (I don't think...). I picked up IL-2 1946 at a Circuit City close-out for a cheap price and wanted to try it out. My joysticks however are all old pin designs, so I need to get a USB 'stick. While I don't plan to get fully immersed in flight sims, I do like them fine so you never know, but for now just looking for a relatively inexpensive entry level joystick. I also don't have a lot of desk space, and it is probable that my 7 year old son will want to try it out as well...

I am considering 3 right now; the Saitek AV8R, the Saitek Cyborg EVO, and the Logitech Extreme 3D. Not looking for force feedback. I'm also aware of a reasonably priced entry recently, the T-Flight HOTAS which is intriguing but very little for reviews or feedback on it.

Any experience / thoughts / feedback? Saitek seems to have a good reputation, and logitech maybe not so much (at least for longevity). I am running XP and no intent to upgrade to Vista for the forseeable future.

Thanks in advance for any advice or any input / others to look at.

[Schroeder]

I've got the Cyborg Evo and are fully satisfied with it. It has survived two years of excessive playing and is still as good as on day one.:yeah:

[Dowly]

Cyborg EVO here too. Excellent joystick! Should be around your pricerange and has force feedback and the ability to switch between right-handed & left-handed grip.

[FIREWALL]

Saitek X52 are going for $50.00 on ebay.

Why not fly a Lear at Piper price.:hmmm:

A 7yo huh ? I've seen 17yo ,27yo,37yo, and47yo ham handed joystick users. :nope: :haha:

At least you can train him. :DL

[HunterICX]

Saitek Cyborg EVO (With Force feedback in my case)

great stick, worth the money :yeah:

HunterICX

[groomsie]

A 7yo huh ? I've seen 17yo ,27yo,37yo, and47yo ham handed joystick users. :nope: :haha:

At least you can train him. :DL

I fully expect to fall into that category (just older...)

[FIREWALL]

I fully expect to fall into that category (just older...)



:har: :up:

[Task Force]

I use this one. http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/pc_gaming/joysticks/devices/291&cl=us,en

[groomsie]

I use this one. http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/pc_gaming/joysticks/devices/291&cl=us,en
How do you like it? I guess I've heard that Logitech may not hold up like some others under use, but I have no first hand experience.

How long have you had it? Do you play a lot and do you feel it has held up pretty well?

[HunterICX]

How do you like it? I guess I've heard that Logitech may not hold up like some others under use, but I have no first hand experience.

How long have you had it? Do you play a lot and do you feel it has held up pretty well?

I've had the Logitech 3D Pro (the Extreme with Force Feedback) before I purchased the Saitek Cyborg Force EVO.

My vote goes for the Saitek Cyborg Force EVO, between the 2 sticks.

HunterICX

[Fincuan]

Hehe, I still swear for an MS Sidewinder Forcefeedback 2. Bought in 2001 and still going strong :yeah:

Excellent stick for IL2, but might be pretty hard to find these days, especially at that price range.

[groomsie]

I take it no experience from anyone with the Saitek AV8R joystick? It appears to be an update to the Cyborg EVO, but sometimes it is tough to improve on a solid product. Certainly the feedback here seems to confirm the Cyborg EVO is an excellent budget selection (and w/o force feedback it looks like you can nab one for under $20).

[Dowly]

You definitely should invest and get the force feedback version. It's not just about the rumble when you shoot, but you can feel when your plane is closing it's stall point, you can adjust how stiff the joystick is which is great if you want to fly steady and tons of more things where having a FF stick helps alot.

As for the AV8R, there's one thing that keeps me from ever touching it; the throttle is on the frontside of the joystick instead of the traditional backside. :doh:

[groomsie]

OK Dowly you sold me. Handed off to the wife as a birthday idea and hopefully very soon will be trying it out...

Thanks all for the input / help.

[Dowly]

Good choice. :yeah:

And dont be a stranger if you ever want to join our little flying circus. :salute:

[Task Force]

Didnt knotice this thread, so I didnt reply.

I have had this joystick for about 1 year. (and I use it just about every day.) It has taken a a** kicking. (lots of slaming the stick around.) and still runs fine. only downpoint. It has no FF. But ive gotten use to it.:up:

and yep. like dowly said. dont be afraid to join us...(but hunters upload might not be happy)lol

[NeonSamurai]

I would stay the heck away from the from the AV8R, it's crap and cheaply made from what I've read and seen (I looked at it about a year ago for purchase and quickly changed my mind). It is also not an improvement over the EVO.

Cyborg EVO also gets my vote out of what you listed. I try stay away from Logitech joysticks myself after more then one bad experience with them and bad pots. Never heard of the T Flight HOTAS (use an X52 myself)

[groomsie]

Well, I finally got to actually use this (it was a birthday gift so I needed to wait for my birthday...), and I now fully understand what Dowly and others were driving at.

For anyone else looking at this thread and asking the question I did, the force feedback is really nice. I was reluctant since it seemed to me to be a "gimick" and I didn't feel I needed to "feel the guns" to enjoy the sim. Plus, it seemed to me as just something else to potentially fail...

After just a short time on the Saitek Cyborg EVO Force Feedback, it is a real aid to your flying--you can feel a stall condition developing which is huge in combat where you might have your attention elsewhere and that tactile feedback really alerts you to the need to pay attention or else the enemy will not need to expend any ammo on you...

Bottom line, a super buy at under $50 (easy to find on e-bay for under $50 with shipping...).

Thanks for the offers to fly guys, but I'm still working on gaining basic proficiency...someday soon though I will take you up on your offer!

[XabbaRus]

You don' need to be a good flyer to join the lolwaffles.

Our motto is Takeoff is mandatory but landing, that's entirely up to you.

[Castout]

How do you like it? I guess I've heard that Logitech may not hold up like some others under use, but I have no first hand experience.

How long have you had it? Do you play a lot and do you feel it has held up pretty well?


My logitech extreme 3D pro only lasted like 4 months and I was always gentle with it. Sending it back for repair only fixed it for 1 week, everytime(That's equivalent with 2-3 play times each an hour or two).

[FIREWALL]

Happy B-Day groomsie and happy flying with your new stick. :up:

In the future if you get addicied to flying Saitek also has Rudder Pedals.