So I had to order a new pair of joysticks since my old ones were damaged in the move... they didn't make the old model anymore, so i ended up buying the newer, more expensive Saitek Cyborg X... not only is it a mechanically inferior piece of trash, but the drivers cause me to bluescreen about every 10 minutes while playing vendetta, a problem I've never had before in the 3 years I've been running Windows 7 x64 Pro. To add further injury, attempting to uninstall the drivers causes the PC to hang on boot, and the only way to get back into the OS (even in safemode) is to roll back to last known good config, that has the bluescreen drivers.

Their support is non-existent, just a bunch of canned responses telling me to do things I've already tried, and then telling me they can't help me. Turns out their peripheral line got bought out by Mad Catz a while back (lucky me).

Long story short, I probably won't be in game for a while, until I figure out how to best go about nuking and paving a complex system with over a terabyte of installed programs and games, and 2 terabytes of data.

Words cannot describe how fsking pissed I am right now.

you've been running windows 7 for 3 years?

Since the very first closed beta. Never a bluescreen once.

Eew. They got bought by Mad Catz? One of the worst manufacturers of gaming accesories ever, imo.

That really sucks.

Thanks for the heads up tho. : (

I always thought saiteks were junk at least in my experience over a few years ago.

Sorry to hear about your troubles though, that really sucks that their junk did that to your comp and they don't know anything about their own junk to fix it.

I have the older X52, and it works outstandingly for VO, especially together with a cyborg EVO. (GET YOU ONE!) No problem with the drivers or anything in 7 x64.

I think around 2008 is when their new products went to shit, and they started coming out with models like this: http://www.saitek.com/images/300dpi/Joystick_PS22_ST90_LegsOpen_ProductImage.jpg which just screamed cheap fragile gimmicky Chinese construction... maybe that's when Mad Catz took over. I'd just avoid buying anything new from them, but their old hardware like the X52/pro and the old EVO is still top notch, even in used condition... with the right care, you can keep them running like new for a very long time, and there are even some modifications you can do to make them better by reducing or eliminating hardware deadzones, increasing tension, etc. The rudder potentiometer can be serviced if it gets dirty, so with a little TLC, you should never need to buy a new stick. (I've had my X52 long enough that the aluminum finish has corroded, and the paint worn thin, but everything still operates smoothly.)

The profiling software has become a bloated piece of shit, but at least all the features are still intact, if a bit harder to work with. Get the latest version just for the stability if you're running 7, though if you have XP, maybe track down an older version that's more lightweight.

Hit up ebay for an X52 pro (more solid build quality than the standard version, and programmable MFD), or an old Cyborg EVO (not the wireless or force feedback one), and if it looks in good condition, it probably is... at worst, you can disassemble it and clean it out and lubricate it.

I used a Saitek ST90 for a while. It wasn't bad for being a portable joystick for $14.

It may have lasted longer if i wasnt so heavy handed on it :)