Joystick recomendations
 

So I have been using this Microsoft Sidewinder Precision 2 Joystick for the last couple of years and I think its on its last legs. The joystick itself is loose and 2 of the buttons on the base don't work anymore. Wing Commander (read Wife) has authorized the purchase of a new one. I went to Best Buy, but they only had 2 instock, and I just couldnt decide. So, I figured I would ask here. What kinds of Joysticks are people using out there?

I have the Saitek X52. I like it because you have the throttle separate to the stick. I've had it for years and it's still going strong. Have the pedals as well and they're awesome too.

OT: Bro, would you mind changing the font in your sig - a bit smaller would be nice. :)

BTT: What's the budget? Around 100-150 there's only the x52 which isn't bad at all.
You could also use the x52 throttle in combo with a FFB2 which I love too.

How's that? Sorry it annoyed you..... Bro.

No reason to delete it completely, just a tad smaller. ;)

(It was just too big and too bright, almost made my eyes bleed, lol)

I had to retire my old M$ FF1 stick as part of the latest PC upgrade, and just took delivery of a Logitech G940 FF system - not a cheap piece of kit, but I'm impressed so far - really good force feedback, and good solid bases. The rudder pedals are a new feature for me, and work well, especially the toe brakes, which don't work on the Spitfire (well they wouldn't would they, as it didn't have them :!: They do work fine on the 109 though ;) ).
I was using an X45 until this arrived, and it's in a different league altogether.

Adds enormously to the game immersion, and is absolutely, definitely, positively worth the investment :cool:

Another week and I'll have all the features understood and programmed;)

A couple of game-related FF comments:
The stall warning is excellent (my main reason for having it!) and the FF effects generally very good.
The machine gun effect is rather good, but the shake continues after the ammo runs out.
The shake when the engine cooks is quite frankly just unnecessary and shatters the immersive quality of the game IMHO - it reminds me of the old CFS stick shake when taxying - did those ailerons really drag along the ground :confused:

I waited ages for a decent FF stick to come on the market, and although I haven't tried anything else, I'm glad this came along when it did - it's nigh on perfect.

Regarding the wheel brakes, the sim models the controls the way they were on the real aircraft (as you have obviously found out). Your toe brakes will work fine on aircraft that have separate toe brakes (like the luftwaffe ones).

For differential braking in the RAF birds you need to map a separate brake key/button , then push the rudder pedals (the entire pedals, not just the toe brakes) just like you would if you used the rudder while flying.

The RAF aircraft have pneumatic operated brakes and a single brake "trigger" that opens the valves feeding air to the brakes. There's also a secondary valve of some kind further down the main pneumatic line that's connected to the rudders, so if you don't press the pedals the air pressure is equally distributed to both wheel brakes. However if you press one of the pedals, for example the left one, the valve sends more (or all, in case of full deflection) the air to the left wheel brake. This activates only that brake, giving you differential braking control.




I've had the exact same stick for about a decade. Apart from a tiny bit of looseness in the center it's still going strong. That being said, at some point it stopped working so i gave it to a friend of mine who's a bit knowledgeable in electronics to see what could be done.

After opening it up he found out that the circuit board was touching the metal base and that created some kind of short circuit, so he added a layer of insulation tape on the inside of the stick base and it started working again. He also replaced the internal switches for a couple of buttons that were not working well (you can take it apart, take one of the switches out and go shop for a similar one in any electronics store) and they too were repaired.

That was quite a few months ago and i've had no further problems with it since.

Just ordered Logitech G940 system, should arrive tomorrow, but managed for a good few years with a logitech 3D pro. Good budget stick in my view. :)

For the Brit birds I've mapped the joystick pinkie switch to brake - first time I've actually found a proper use for it, and it 'sort-of' fits in with the operation of the spade-grip mounted original.

A bit :rolleyes:

I have the Thrustmaster hotas Warthog and all i can say is WOOOOW! This is the absolute best joystick i ever had. Absolute precision and really well build and high quality. Worth every penny.
I also have it centermounted with a 22cm extension and i tell you. This is pure precision flying and aiming. There is nothing better!

Winger

I have a floor mounted joystick which emulates a real warbird stick.
All you need is an old sidewinder, some tube, wood and RJ45 cable.
I'll post a how to if anyone is interested (also one up at flightsim.com which uses metal in stead of pipe).

Got some pics of this setup?

Here you go:
btw. This tube there is some simple rainpipe screwed together with some brackets. All the stuff needed can be cought in a simple building centre. The extension is bought from "Metalnwood" over at simhq forums. But i read that there are cheapo solutions to that as well (som kind of gardenhose - go read on simhq if you wanna know more details).

That's dedication, I say!

Why RJ-45? Not USB?

RJ45? What ya mean?

Winger

Got pics too?

Also, why do we need a RJ45(Phonejack) cable?

How is the feel of the center with this stick? I mean is there any deadzone? I have an MS Force Feedback 2, but i want to buy a complete system with pedals and throttle also. With thisstick i got very good immersion at what speeds does the plane feel itself good. I'm wondering whether is it possible to use the pedals and throttle of the G940 with the MSFFB 2?

It's still early days here (only got the game running yesterday), and I'm still tuning the controls to suit the stick, but control finesse around neutral seems just fine; reducing the deadzone in the control panel certainly gets translated into a more sensitive stick around neutral - most time I feel like I'm just breathing on it to keep the sight on the target, so I'd say its as tuneable as you need from pretty much zero deadzone upwards.

<edit> watching the joystick in the cockpit there's no deadzone at all, so the stick is very tight when new, at least ;)

When carrying speed out of a dive the stick firms up to the point where real strength is required to overcome the FF. I was doing some vertical stuff earlier, and I stayed nose high for too long; the stick went very baggy just before the plane started tumbling, so the force range is very large.

I don't see why you couldn't run the old M$ stick with the new pedals and throttle, although you'll still need the new stick connected as it's the main interface - I can't try this with my old gameport FF1, so it's pure specualtion!

That said, I'd say this stick is a worthy successor to the old M$ stick, and I don't think you'd be missing it once the G940 is up and running.

i've got the x52 SAITEK for some years-good stick
i've got the COUGAR for some years--excellent tool to work with and good feeling
now i've got TM WARTHOG--THE MOST REALISTIC

EXCELLENT:-P
i had to put my warthog too to this..

That's pretty hardcore, and it looks good too. I really like DIY setups like this.

Thanks. And i love it when a plan works out and expecially when my gameplay is improoved like it is from this thingie!

Winger