Which Joystick Do You Use For X³?

[Phony]

Saitek Cyborg 3D USB - Best Looking Stick i ever bought...

[em3e3]

over $20/£10

Sorry, I didn't completely finish my thought. $20 is the minimum I would expect to pay for a good joystick/joypad, and now that I have one, I wish I had a better one, and would be willing to pay for it. It makes the game so much more enjoyable, anywhere precise flying is important. A better video card may give prettier graphics, but the joystick improves the gameplay.

*Unless of course you have such a poor VC that it can't keep up at the lowest resolution and quality settings!

[RPatrick]

I know the CH Products Joysticks are very precise and probably the most durable sticks money can buy. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, none of their sticks have a twisting handle (for ship rotation).

Has anyone that uses these sticks found that to be a big issue ? How do you deal with that ?

[xeon_1]

I know the CH Products Joysticks are very precise and probably the most durable sticks money can buy. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, none of their sticks have a twisting handle (for ship rotation).

Has anyone that uses these sticks found that to be a big issue ? How do you deal with that ?

That is why there are pedals.
No modern fighter or airliner has a twisty stick and CH stick go for full realism.

[RPatrick]

Are the pedals comfortable to use in a game like X3 where your feet will be on them a lot of the time when in combat ? Do you just rest your feet on them when not in use ? I've been thinking about getting those but have to wonder about how they feel in a game like X3.

Do any other methods work well for ship rotation without a twisty handle ?

[shireknight]

Hey this thread is scaring me, I was planning on getting my old joystick out and dusting it off for TC but I'm sure it's a Microsoft Sidewinder precision pro which this thread is suggesting is incompatible with the new PC's.

The thing is I'm sure mine has a USB connector but looking at pictures of it on Ebay they all have the old game port connector -very odd.

The UK version wasn't USB and the US version non-USB was it?

[shireknight]

Phew that was lucky it appears that just before the Sidewinders were discontinued Microsoft made a few with USB connectors and I have one of these so I can still use my Sidewinder with Terran Conflict *breaths huge sigh of relief*

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/game-controller ... d-pro-2-0/

[elayeth]

Now i will finally have a stick that centres itself again since my sidewinder used the force feedback motors for that but they don't work in X3 only when you hit something
And in FSX the force feedback is crap anyway (not strong enough) so it won't be missed
Now if only some more flight sims would come out

I use a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2. They don't make them any more sadly but I have a spare one in case my current one breaks

I can highly recommend the forcefeedback sticks because although the feedback in X3 is virtually non existant using one with feedback turned off results in a completely neutral spring free stick (assuming others behave the same way as the microsoft stick). This makes for extreme precision flying once you get used to it.

My stick performs exactly the same way with the force feedback disabled, however I dislike doing it that way. First off, the joystick itself is not properly balanced - it will tip forward with no hands on it which translates into downward loops when using keyboard menus. Secondly - flying straight and level is next to impossible without autopilot. This might not seem too bad, but I fly manually when off exploring and that little drift to the right or left that needs constant correction is annoying.

Phew that was lucky it appears that just before the Sidewinders were discontinued Microsoft made a few with USB connectors and I have one of these so I can still use my Sidewinder with Terran Conflict *breaths huge sigh of relief*

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/game-controller ... d-pro-2-0/

So… these are all treads I found regarding Microsoft Stick.
I use Microsoft Force Feedback 2 and I am annoyed with lack of any support from not only MS but www at all, regarding current drivers. There is no force feedback in X3 and the stick goes completely lose… Playing with such a stick is rather pointless. Its hard to track your target with lack of any resistance. Therefore, I presume that you get better feeling of your stick that has no FF (but has some built-in resistance – i.e. spring?) then of broken MS FF 2, don’t you?
Or perhaps, there is some way to fix the problem?

[Quizmaster025]

Didn't know you could use a XBOX360 controller on a PC - Anyone know if you can do the same with a PS3 controller ? As I went the Playstation way rather than XBOX but thats for another forum.

[irR4tiOn4L]

I bought Saitek joystick specifically for X3, used it once or twice and then switched back to mouse. It is a bit tough to control a fighter with it with enough precision and for cap ships keyboard is enough.

Practise makes perfect. When youve played many flight sims before, youll find it easier than the mouse

[Starcub]

I used a Saitek Cyborg keypad with an integrated analog thumbhat combined with a regular Microsoft corded mouse to good effect in X3R. The only better setup I could imagine is the same thing but with a mouse that included an integrated thumbhat. Too bad they don't make them

[Sam L.R. Griffiths]

I don't use a joystick... I use a joypad

Used to use a Logitech Cordless Rumble Pad but am now using a Saitek P380 Dual Analog Pad.

IMHO In X3:R/X3:TC pads work better than the joysticks, in X2 I always used a Logitech Wingman Extreme 3D (excellent stick with lots of buttons and a reliable Z axis)

[aceattacker]

Got myself a Saitek X52 Pro, which I use for a lot of spacesims. Thanks to the programmability, it has enough buttons for everything you ever need in X3.

[twinview]

Saitek Aviator Dual Throttle Joystick

It's a sweet stick plus I'm Left handed and lefties are screwd over in the Joystick Department....

but the stick can be used for left or right....


and it goes for 25 used on amazon.com

[PegasusJF]

I still use my ancient Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro. A litty wonky with the roll axis (twist), but still quite usable.

[Carlo the Curious]

There are far more recent threads about joysticks than this old thing...