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Saitek Cyborg EVO <|> Logitech Extreme 3D Pro
Which would you recommend for VO?
Saitek Cyborg EVO
* The fully adjustable stick for increased precision, improved performance and enhanced gameplay
* Customizable head and stick enables left- and right-handers to find their optimum gaming position.
* Advanced programming provided by Saitek Smart Technology (SST) software.
* Rapid-fire trigger
* 5 fire buttons
* 8-way ‘point-of-view’ hat switch
* 3D twist for rudder control
* Lever throttle
* 2 shift buttons
* 4 base buttons
* Single spring gimbal mechanism
* 3 position handle adjustment to suit all hand sizes
Price: $29.95
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro
The Extreme 3D Pro twist handle joystick will never let you down.
The 12 programmable buttons and 8-way rubber hat switch give you optimum control, personalized to your taste. Whether you're dropping bombs at a distance or firing guns in a dog fight, the stable and precise Extreme 3D Pro will have you dominating the enemy in no time.
* Dominate the skies or the ground with the control of 12 well-placed, fully programmable buttons and a rapid-fire trigger
* Home in on your target with the deadly accurate direction control of the twist handle
* Smooth and accurate throttle settings are a major bonus whether you're entering the fray or bugging out
Price: $29.99
Saitek Cyborg EVO
* The fully adjustable stick for increased precision, improved performance and enhanced gameplay
* Customizable head and stick enables left- and right-handers to find their optimum gaming position.
* Advanced programming provided by Saitek Smart Technology (SST) software.
* Rapid-fire trigger
* 5 fire buttons
* 8-way ‘point-of-view’ hat switch
* 3D twist for rudder control
* Lever throttle
* 2 shift buttons
* 4 base buttons
* Single spring gimbal mechanism
* 3 position handle adjustment to suit all hand sizes
Price: $29.95
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro
The Extreme 3D Pro twist handle joystick will never let you down.
The 12 programmable buttons and 8-way rubber hat switch give you optimum control, personalized to your taste. Whether you're dropping bombs at a distance or firing guns in a dog fight, the stable and precise Extreme 3D Pro will have you dominating the enemy in no time.
* Dominate the skies or the ground with the control of 12 well-placed, fully programmable buttons and a rapid-fire trigger
* Home in on your target with the deadly accurate direction control of the twist handle
* Smooth and accurate throttle settings are a major bonus whether you're entering the fray or bugging out
Price: $29.99
I'm a Logitech man, myself, although I detest the new throttle style. The original Extreme 3D (I think there was a Digital somewhere in there too) was awesome.
I've got the Saitek Evo. Pretty well built (though it doesn't measure up to Thrustmaster or CH stuff from days of yore). The trigger, hat and top 5 buttons are all very well placed for easy access, and the adjustments for hand and thumb position are a nice touch.
The movement on the X/Y axes takes a bit of getting used to because of their single spring design, but I find it tends to be a bit more precise, and doesn't get sloppy over time. One thing to keep in mind is that the ball-joint at the base tends to collect dust, which can make it feel a bit gummed up, so it pays to clean it up every now and then.
The throttle and buttons on the base are a bit useless if you fly joystick+keyboard, though the buttons at least can be set up for infrequently used binds ("peacetime" hails and such come to mind, you don't want to take your hands off of your flight controls in the middle of a hostile situation). I find that strafing with a hat switch doesn't offer anything better than using the keyboard for that function, so the hat on either stick should be treated as additional buttons. You can easily hit any direction on the hat with a quick thumb movement, so it works well for targetting and other functions that you need to perform quickly and repeatedly while in combat.
Big advantage for the Evo: It can be set up for right or left handed use by flipping the wrist/palm rest around to the other side. A nice feature for those who want to try things John Woo-style as well.
However, if I had money to burn (and assuming it actually worked in-game), I'd love to try VO with one of these.
The movement on the X/Y axes takes a bit of getting used to because of their single spring design, but I find it tends to be a bit more precise, and doesn't get sloppy over time. One thing to keep in mind is that the ball-joint at the base tends to collect dust, which can make it feel a bit gummed up, so it pays to clean it up every now and then.
The throttle and buttons on the base are a bit useless if you fly joystick+keyboard, though the buttons at least can be set up for infrequently used binds ("peacetime" hails and such come to mind, you don't want to take your hands off of your flight controls in the middle of a hostile situation). I find that strafing with a hat switch doesn't offer anything better than using the keyboard for that function, so the hat on either stick should be treated as additional buttons. You can easily hit any direction on the hat with a quick thumb movement, so it works well for targetting and other functions that you need to perform quickly and repeatedly while in combat.
Big advantage for the Evo: It can be set up for right or left handed use by flipping the wrist/palm rest around to the other side. A nice feature for those who want to try things John Woo-style as well.
However, if I had money to burn (and assuming it actually worked in-game), I'd love to try VO with one of these.
I don't have that much experience with joysticks, but I own the Freedom 2.4, which has an almost identical layout (3 feet instead of 4)
Rogue is right, the throttle could be better, and I have problems with the dead zone, i.e. the stick 'remembers' one direction and keeps activating it. Maybe they ironed that out.
Other than that, it's a very reliable stick.
Rogue is right, the throttle could be better, and I have problems with the dead zone, i.e. the stick 'remembers' one direction and keeps activating it. Maybe they ironed that out.
Other than that, it's a very reliable stick.
The price range is about right on those joys, so I'm not about to blow $300-400 on a neat interfacing gizmo designed for 3D modeling applications... lol. Cute thought, though.
As I've probably already pointed out, I currently have the Saitek X52, so I'm more than familiar with the single-spring gimbal, and I like it in spite of some of the issues it's caused (most notably calibration issues, since there is no software calibration, and the hardware precision deteriorates over time).
I've been looking for a new primary stick to use in a dual-joy setup now, since the X52 isn't really meeting all of my VO needs. I'm not sure I want to blow $60 on TWO good sticks though, when a $15 one will do for my left... then again, two EVos would look and feel DAMN cool....
Anyway, so you think the EVO would be better overall? How about quality and precision-wise? is there a notable difference? I wasn't too impressed with the dreliability and (lack of) calibration of Saitek's $140 stick and Throttle, so I'm a bit wary of buying a $30 one from them... then again, I don't think I've ever been particularily impressed with ANYTHING I bought from Logitech.
As I've probably already pointed out, I currently have the Saitek X52, so I'm more than familiar with the single-spring gimbal, and I like it in spite of some of the issues it's caused (most notably calibration issues, since there is no software calibration, and the hardware precision deteriorates over time).
I've been looking for a new primary stick to use in a dual-joy setup now, since the X52 isn't really meeting all of my VO needs. I'm not sure I want to blow $60 on TWO good sticks though, when a $15 one will do for my left... then again, two EVos would look and feel DAMN cool....
Anyway, so you think the EVO would be better overall? How about quality and precision-wise? is there a notable difference? I wasn't too impressed with the dreliability and (lack of) calibration of Saitek's $140 stick and Throttle, so I'm a bit wary of buying a $30 one from them... then again, I don't think I've ever been particularily impressed with ANYTHING I bought from Logitech.
Most current sticks that I've seen don't have (or require) much in the way of calibration. I don't know about the Logitech where it comes to calibration or build quality, but with the Saitek in VO, I found that once you have things centered and the dead zone set as you like, it generally stays that way fairly well. One thing that does help though is moving the stick through it's full range of motion after the game starts up, as this seems to help the game recall the upper and lower X/Y values.
As with most things involving human/computer interaction, nearly every aspect of the decision is subjective (other than obvious things like build quality). It comes down deciding what it is that will help you have more fun playing VO, be it comfort, button count or how many blue LEDs light up when you plug the stick in.
As with most things involving human/computer interaction, nearly every aspect of the decision is subjective (other than obvious things like build quality). It comes down deciding what it is that will help you have more fun playing VO, be it comfort, button count or how many blue LEDs light up when you plug the stick in.
I have two of the Cyborg EVO's used them singly or dual sticks, they're pretty decent. If you buy the refurbished ones you can get 'em for like $15.
I'll agree with most of what Nerde said re: saitek evo's. I can do without the stupid blue LED's. Oh and the buttons on the base of the Evo are, like, useless.
AND, 'sticks are nowhere near as accurate as a mouse.
I find myself coming back to the Logitech RumblePad or some kind of Saitek stick & mouse combo, though.
I'll agree with most of what Nerde said re: saitek evo's. I can do without the stupid blue LED's. Oh and the buttons on the base of the Evo are, like, useless.
AND, 'sticks are nowhere near as accurate as a mouse.
I find myself coming back to the Logitech RumblePad or some kind of Saitek stick & mouse combo, though.
What good is accuracy when you can't rotate quickly and smoothly? I mean yea, I'll occasionally switch back to mouselook mode to line up a long-range rail shot on zoom, but for all other purposes, the stick is at least as precise as necessary for gameplay... and it's faster/easier than using the mouse, especially for roll maneuvers and slashing in close light combat.
I have that Logitech, and it's great as long as you don't have a 9-year-old sister who manhandles any and all controls in sight.
Personally, I'd go with the Saitek. The Logitech is isn't exactly designed to last a long time. Even before the aforementioned younger sibling's "assistance", I noticed it was wearing down pretty quickly.
Personally, I'd go with the Saitek. The Logitech is isn't exactly designed to last a long time. Even before the aforementioned younger sibling's "assistance", I noticed it was wearing down pretty quickly.
shooots... I'm getting me a SpaceExplorer. Those things look perfect for VO. And a whole bunch of other things. Combined with a mouse... awesome.
EDIT: Hmm... no OS X support listed. Wonder if it'd "just work," since most other USB devices do? Probably not, eh? That thing looks it'd take a pretty specialized driver, and control panel.
EDIT: Hmm... no OS X support listed. Wonder if it'd "just work," since most other USB devices do? Probably not, eh? That thing looks it'd take a pretty specialized driver, and control panel.
I use an old MS Sidewinder precision pro. Always stays calibrated and have never had a problem with it. Too bad they don't make it anymore... Many could be had on Ebay though.
I hear these are pretty good, you should try one:
oh geez the old sun sparkstations optical mice.
they were useless w/o the grid pad. those were absolutely awful ergonomic.
just get yourself a regular optical mouse and if you much, a highly textured mousepad to help the optical sensor.
they were useless w/o the grid pad. those were absolutely awful ergonomic.
just get yourself a regular optical mouse and if you much, a highly textured mousepad to help the optical sensor.
Just bought two Cyborg EVOs. Between the price cut and free shipping, i figured it was worth the grab now. I look forward to playing VO with them and retiring my old X52 (anyone want a heavily-used but working Saitek X52?)