What joystick to buy

[cccs]

I've not used any games before but I'm interested in ms flight simulator 4.

Amazon suggest buying this with a Saitek Cyborg Evo joystick. The majority of reviews don't seem to rate it - "wanders in the neutral position" - this doesn't sound great to me, what joystick do you suggest I buy?

[lockstock2sb]

a logitech wingman force feedback stick is a good choice. i have one which i will be using on MSFS as soon as my bloody graphics card shows up ! I bought mine for £13 off ebay as a as new refurb.

it has a nice stiff analogue throttle on the side also which is vital if you want to fly well i think ! Has a hat switch and shedloads of buttons so you can look round the cockpit and operate the flaps etc all from the stick.

this is the one that i have :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/pc-logitech-joystick_W0QQitemZ

good luck

Steve

[Rob P]

I've had a few Saitek joystick and they have never lasted. Currently got a bog standard Logitech Attack 3 which does the trick. I'll always go for Logitech

[Nuggs]

I use the Cyborg Evo and love it (especially the comfy, adjustable nature).

No wandering for me - that's usually a symptom of not having up to date drivers installed.

[MarkBarton]

A bit higher up the food chain are www.chproducts.com/ - I used to have a gameport Combat Stick HOTAS setup, but lost it somewhere . Quality kit.

[wolves_wanderer]

I'll second the Logitech force feedback recommendation as I've got one of those. All the buttons you will ever need and the stick seems to be very well built.

[r988]

I have a logitech FF and its crap, most people on the IL2 forums seem to agree. But then all that hardcore manouvering means a lot more strain on the stick, most of those guys go through 4(!) sticks or more a year (get replaced on warranty ) and the saitek evo is most common one these days dur to sheer availability.

I mainly use a Logitech Attack 3 now, cheap and far superior, finer, control in comparision to the Force feedback stick, it lacks rudder controls (FF is a twist stick) which is a bastard when it comes to arresting a stall/spin in a P-39 or P-40 when your cranking round hard on the deck trying to draw a bead on a pesky La but if you have lightning reflexs you can sometimes catch it with some opposite roll. You learn to work around the landing by turning and setting it up further away and using the key board rudder trim for torque roll. My aim is miles better with the Attack 3 as well and i can actually hit target in deflection shooting. Ideally I'd add some rudder pedals and be set. Mines getting on now though so might need replacing soon, but they are cheap to replace which is good.

I think the Microsoft Sidewinder FF is an excellent stick but they dont make it anymore, lots of people swear by this 'unobtainable' stick, but you can sometimes find them second hand on ebay. I know of some people who bought a few and keep some brand new and tucked away in the cupboard somewhere . Then you get to the homemade stuff but thats a bit hardcore.

High end stuff like Thrustmaster is excellent but you will pay a fortune for the privelage. You want to be really serious before you buy that stuff rather than a weekend warrior type (unless your rich )