Your joystick and how well they work with YSflight

[vandal]

Tell us about your joystick, write a little review. Post a picture of your joystick (doesn't have to be your exact one, but an image of the same model) Tell us the pro's and con's of your stick, and tell us how well it works with YSFlight, how much does it cost? and give it a mark out of 10.

I'll write one about mine to give you an idea:

speedlink black widow

The Black widow is a great first joystick. It has a nice stick that's easy to hold thanks to the hand rest on the bottom of the stick. The stick has 4 buttons, a trigger at the back and 2 on top and the 4th on the side. These work great for weapon selection and firing, the trigger obviously is set to fire guns only, this way I can shoot my guns even when other weapons are selected. I use the small round one on top (F4) to toggle through my weapons and the one above (F3) to fire selected weapon. The button to the side (F2) I have set as flare's so that I can shoot flares even if I don't have them selected, always useful in a dog fight or ground attack mission. To round all the buttons off it has a little hat switch for changing your view in the cockpit, again great for dog fighting and seeing where you enemy are with out taking your hand off the stick or throttle. The only problem with the stick is that it has a small dead zone, that makes it hard when you want to make small adjustments while flying or landing, but you do get used to it after a while.
The throttle is a great little addition to any stick, and with the Black widow you get a nice little throttle that fits nicely in your hand. you will also find the rudder control here on the back so that you can use your rudder while keeping your hand on the throttle.
In addition to the programmable buttons on top of the stick, there are 4 programmable buttons on the base, they are big so you can press them with out looking down. You can programme them to do anything you want in YSFlight I have them set to Gears (F5), Radar (F6), Reverse thrust (F7) and bomb doors (F8).
the Black widow come with suction cups that clip in the bottom, but to be honest they are not needed as the stick is stable and even the roughest movement of the stick fail to move it.
The only thing that lets the joystick down is the dead zone on the stick. And the only feature that doesn't work with YSFlight is the vibration but it's not missed. A great starter stick, that has lasted a good 3 years now.
8/10

[waspe414]

I'm using two currently, one as a stick, one as a throttle. I've also hacked a few buttons onto them (basically moved the base buttons onto the stick).

Genuis Metalstrike 3D and the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro


I got the Metalstrike two years ago. It was a pretty good stick for a few months, then the rudder axis started to go. Now the pitch and throttle axes are the only reliable ones. Rudder and roll spike a heck of a lot, but it serves my purpose perfectly. It also has a turbo function (basically tells the computer that the button you're pressing is turning on and off very quickly), which is extremely useful for dropping a full bomb load or emptying rockets quickly (awesome function if you have a use for it).

I've had the Logitech for about a year. Compared to the Metalstrike it was very solid and sturdy (until you start to take it apart...). To start, it was a much better stick, but within a few months the axes started spiking and going out of line. It's not very precise anymore, but it's still flyable and stopped getting worse. The thing that absolutely pisses me off is the fact that the Logitech software doesn't have a calibration function for this stick.

On the upside, Logitech software allows you to use buttons as keyboard keys, so I can have turret controls on one hat switch, view on the other, I can have two Fire Weapon buttons, and I can set one button to turn on autopilot (normally two keystrokes). This system, out of the box, lets me, in theory, have 15 different controls on the two sticks (without base buttons), but I've stuck a few other buttons, wired to the base buttons, to make it even more diverse.

With this setup I have actually run out of useful commands to put to these buttons (I have every function I need, and some I don't, at my fingertips). I also now have 4 extra axes to play with (two of which are broken), but I've only set one (Logitech's throttle as Nozzle).


The quick and dirty is they both have issues with their axis sensors, the Metalstrike being worse than the Logitech, and Logitech's software, while being extremely useful, is a little dumb, but both are pretty good sticks.

Metalstrike:7/10, Logitech:8/10

[Ace Lord]

Logitech Extreme 3D Pro


Probably the best game controller I own, this joystick was designed for use in simulation combat and is a right-hand joystick. Aircraft maneuvering is accomplished by moving the joystick, with rudder control used by rotating the stick around the Y axis. The throttle axis is a bit sensitive, but can be precisely adjusted once one gets oriented to the controls. There are 4 rubber pads on the bottom to prevent sliding.

The following button setup is from my control configuration on YS

1. Gear
2. Flares
3. Flaps
4. Cycle Weapon
5. Gun
6. Fire Selected Weapon
7. Velocity Indicator
8. NONE
9. Bomb Door
10. Afterburner (when applicable)
11. Autopilot
12. NONE

The only button you can't customize is the POV Hat Switch, which is used strictly for rotating your view inside the cockpit or in 3rd person and can be disabled in YS using the joystick/key assignment menu.

I've had this joystick for about two years, and for something that was $30.00 it still has some years ahead of it. Can be calibrated and tested before opening YS. On the bad side, the rudder can be too sensitive in other flight sim games such as IL-2 (confirmed first hand). If you have a desktop, chances are there is enough room on the CPU tower for you to set this joystick, thus freeing up some desk space for something else.

9/10

[USCG Helo 1]

Saitek X-52



The X-52 has 6 buttons (one is a clutch used for when you forget what the button does), 1 covered button (for ejection or firing), 3 bi-directional toggle switches, 1 2 stage trigger, 1 pinkie switch (used separate or like a shift/ctrl/alt key), 2 rotary dials, 1 precision slider, 3 8-way hat switches, a mod switch (has 3 settings), and mouse controls (mini stick to control mouse + wheel, LMB, and wheel button. It comes in 2 separate quadrants, throttle and joystick. The throttle quadrant has a built in Multi-Function Display (MFD) that can be programmed to display various amounts of data. The MFD has the ability to cycle through 3 different time settings (programmable) and there is also a stop watch function. At all times, the MFD displays the current mode (1, 2, or 3), the user profile currently running, and the name of a button when it is pressed. The clutch button temporarily deactivates all input from buttons, triggers, and toggles so that you can safely press the desired button to see it's name on the MFD without any affect in the game. The mode switch allows the user to program 3 different configurations for each button/switch/dial/etc. The joystick does have the ability to rotate on the z-axis for rudder control, however, the stick does have the ability to lock the rotation (for when you have pedals). The stick does come with removable suction cups for both quadrants. All the buttons, the MFD, and 2 of the hat switches have LED lights and glow blue. The brightness of them can be adjusted with the supplied software (MFD can be adjusted separately).

The throttle quadrant adjusts very smoothly, and the force required to move it can be adjusted with a tension dial on the side of the quadrant. The joystick quadrant is VERY smooth, but it is also pretty loose. Unfortunately, the tension cannot be adjusted. There is also a small dead zone, but after awhile you get used to it and don't notice it. Another downside is the price tag. I got mine for around $120 and I've had it for a few years and the price has gone down a bit since then.

All in all, it's a very good setup. It's extremely well suited for sims such as FSX, Lock On, and DCS: Black Shark, but I think it's a little overkill for YS.

For YS, I give it a 10/10

[Honey Badger]

Logitech Attack 3



Very nice joystick for a tight budget of 15 US dollars on www.tigerdirect.com. YS has no trouble reading it or finding it. It 11 buttons I haven't touched. It had some already programmed and I'm pretty happy with that for now. Throttle is very easy to control and stick in general is very comfortable. I haven't had any trouble with yet and all those buttons open up some keyboard buttons for more precise control of flaps, brakes (mine are 8), and radar. The cool part is flying an Mi-24. My friend can control the turret with the mouse while I fire missiles and rockets.

[Welshy]

Microsoft Sidewinder 2 Precision Pro



The best joystick for its price ever...was £40 brand new and has lasted me 6 years until my little bro broke the usb cable and its very hard to rewire. Very good field of motion with no dead zones... The Precision Pro's are the joysticks which have duff motors from the Sidewinder force feedback range. Very good and I highly recommend, its on the second hand market for £5......

My New Stick =



Here is a link to the review as mine is still awaiting delivery....http://www.trustedreviews.com/Saitek-Cy ... ral_review

[Eric]

Works great. I connected it to my PC with this. It works with Windows and Linux. This is a good controller for people who are used to playing Ace Combat or other console flight sims.

[Shiny Rice]

I have a PS3 one. How do I make it work?

[Flake]

Self 3d 4 axis, 12 button Joystick.

4 Axes, 12 buttons, 8 Way Digital POV.

Uhh... the center axis is sticky, it's on a tripod like thing so is easy to pull off the desk when pitching back, finer controls are near impossible, but it works, and it responds quickly enough.

Fine control, like aerobatics: 1/10.

Rapid movements and unfine control: 3/10

overall: 2/10. (AKA: Pileofcrap/10)

[Shiny Rice]

I got my PS3 pad working.

It hasn't got many buttons, and the left joy is a bit sensitive, same as the right one.

I would give it a 7/10

[Honey Badger]

Sorry for revival, guys, but this needs to be added.



My current setup. Need I say more?

[Crazypilot]

pretty good stick but I don't use a lot of the buttons the flip cover on mine just flew off when I opened it because it was earlier used by my cousion(I spelled that word wrong even in my english exams)The only con I see is that when it's in nuetral you see the plane to start going down The pro's are that's it got a big red button I can press.

8/10
good but I have to trim the plane otherwise my plane enters a steep dive.

[Flake]

When the stick is neutral... plane goes down?

I'm not sure if you are aware, but without adjusting trim, that is SUPPOSED to happen.

Have a look at your axis co-ordinator. If it shows a negative pitch at neutral, THEN you have an issue. Your planes nose dropping is just an effect of lift vs airspeed. Accelerate a lot more and the nose drop will be less/none/climb.

[iqmal_97]

Same as Ace Lord. My dad bought me as a present before the holidays. It costs nearly RM100. I first tested it on FlightGear in a B-1B, with my whole family watching Soo, i think i'll give it an 8/10. I would give it a higher score if it doesn't cost much....

[Crazypilot]

When the stick is neutral... plane goes down?

I'm not sure if you are aware, but without adjusting trim, that is SUPPOSED to happen.

Have a look at your axis co-ordinator. If it shows a negative pitch at neutral, THEN you have an issue. Your planes nose dropping is just an effect of lift vs airspeed. Accelerate a lot more and the nose drop will be less/none/climb.

Oh right thanks

[Raven]

It works good with any flight simulator, this is my third stick of exact kind, Life of these sticks is about 2-3 years, I personally use the hell out of them.

10/10

[Shutter]

Things I've used, in chronological order.

Mouse: Sucks for any sort of real precision. Used this for a while.
5/10

Xbox360 controller: Amazing for precision movements. There is no better way to aim since your thumb is better suited for tiny adjustments to the stick than your entire arm/wrist with a larger stick. The second analog also lets you look around on axes, which is like turning your head around which is always fun. It has some setbacks though: The triggers are the worst throttle control you could possibly have, your d-pad is useless, and you have to install software to get it to work with your pc. It is also a HUGE setback in dogfighting: the circular base of the control stick doesn't allow you to pull all the way back if you're rolling even a little bit, which means you lose your rate of turn and turn radius, and can never achieve any real cornering except at the merge. Outside of dogfighting, this thing is probably one of the best pieces of hardware for ys ground attack. Use time: dec 2009 - spring 2010 or so. I still sometimes use it just for fun, it's more enjoyable to fly with than a stick.

Final score: 7/10


Saitek aviator: Has absolutely everything you could possibly want in a stick. I fucking love this thing, but since I like to buy my sticks physically and the best buy-like store here doesn't carry them anymore, I no longer use one. Could maybe have done with some more buttons but I always have a keyboard anyways. Use: spring 2010 - summer 2011

Final score: 8/10

Logitech extreme 3d pro: Honestly this thing is real nice except sometimes it sort of has a weird kind of wobble on the axes. Other than that, lots of buttons, fine control, I like the shape. Really good overall, but mine had a defect in it where the sick was hard to move. I returned it recently and they just gave me a new one straight up, so that's fixed.
Use: summer 2011-current

Final score: 9/10

Logitech attack 3: I borrow an attack 3 from a friend of mine sometimes, and between sticks. Doesn't have a rudder axis, the throttle is a teeny bit awkward in my opinion and the stick head doesn't have a pov hat, it has buttons. Overall it's pretty ok, but not the best. If I break my 3d pro, I'm getting one of these since they're cheap as fuck and I'm still disappointed about my saitek dying on me. Use: on and off.

Final score: 6.5/10

[Animal]

Joystick: x52
Pedals: Saitek Proflight
Aux Panels: 2x Thrustmaster Cougar MDF

I have more controller inputs than YS supports, but i can't really hold that against my controllers.

Rating: 11/10 (couldn't resist a little spinal tap)

[Honey Badger]

I've read that people have trouble with those pedals. The toe brakes stick apparently.

[Strik3agle98]

logitech attack 3

It's my very first joystick and I think it good first time I used it with YS I config all the bottom and a week after I go to travel, I also bring a laptop but my parent don't allow me to bring joystick too so I need to come back to mouse(very bad) that time I fly an f-35b and try to land and usually failed when I'm back homem all the joystick config is lost and I use default bottom but it didn't got a lot of weight, I planned to collect money(or make my parent be happy or proud of me so they will buy it for me) for new joystick the Logitech extreme 3d pro

FINAL SCORE 7/10
thanks for reading