Saitek no more.

[Sokol1_br]

They will be "Logitek" or maybe "Saitech" :D

 

http://blog.logitech.com/2016/09/15/creating-immersive-gaming-experience-logitech-acquires-saitek/

[Devrim]

Wow! That sounds great to me. Saitek products will have better quality with Logitech, I guess.

[Scooternutz]

Wow! That sounds great to me. Saitek products will have better quality with Logitech, I guess.

 

Happy to see this as well. I use a Warthog but everything else, panels, rudders, throttles are Saitek.

[rrohde]

That's actually nice to see. All the recent mails I've gotten from Logitech were pandering to the mobile crowd, and not ever was there a controller shown. Hope that Logitech is now back in the picture for us sim-nuts. :)

[joey45]

Interesting.

[TomOnSteam]

Logitech's last HOTAS (G940) was a failure.

 

Saitek's X-55 has has issues ranging from ergonomics to spiking and ghost press.

 

 

Maybe two wrongs can make a right?

[javelina1]

Industry consolidation underway. Look for them to spin off their non profitable business lines next, as they focus on their core markets due to the forthcoming synergies....

[cichlidfan]

Industry consolidation underway. Look for them to spin off their non profitable business lines next, as they focus on their core markets due to the forthcoming synergies....

 

The last time I heard a statement like that, the company that made it was bought and stripped.

 

Btw, the very fact that they mentioned farm simulators is just truly sad.

 

On the plus side, Logitech has a far better track record from the software side of things, not to mention hardware.

Edited September 16, 2016 by cichlidfan

[Sokol1_br]

Logitech's last HOTAS (G940) was a failure.

 

Yes and could be a good product - unique in the market - if they don't opt to save 0,0$ in wires length and pot' quality...

G-940 probable was the "Swan song" in FFB joysticks. :joystick:

[cichlidfan]

G-940 probable was the "Swan song" in FFB joysticks. :joystick:

 

I would absolutely love to understand why that is 'probably' true. I think that every racing wheel out there uses FFB. Why doesn't the same logic apply to joysticks? My brother is a racing sim guy and I know he wouldn't consider driving without FFB.

[BTTW-DratsaB]

Hmm not sure if this is good. I am a sim racer and used the excellent Logi G25/27 for years... but they really dropped the ball with their latest G29, the supposed replacement for the G27. Most sim racers I know will not upgrade to that wheel from their existing Logi wheels.

 

I think it's better to have more competitors/ range/ choice

Edited September 16, 2016 by BTTW-DratsaB

[pepin1234]

Is a good news. More competitors is not good in Flight Sim because the market is not that big.

 

Honestly Saitek was really stuck with Mad Cats owner. With Logitech will be much better. Better engineers for sure.

[cichlidfan]

Honestly Saitek was really stuck with Mad Cats owner. With Logitech will be much better. Better engineers for sure.

 

^^^This.

 

My mouse collection includes a Mad Catz RAT7. I bought it to get a closer look and aside from looking cool, it is an ergonomic disaster. With about 14 billion hands on the planet, how can you make a mouse that is that far wrong.

 

I think it's better to have more competitors/ range/ choice

 

It takes a much larger market for that to work.

[Sokol1_br]

I would absolutely love to understand why that is 'probably' true. I think that every racing wheel out there uses FFB. Why doesn't the same logic apply to joysticks? My brother is a racing sim guy and I know he wouldn't consider driving without FFB.

 

Ah, Racing wheels... we are talking about joysticks for "flight games". :D

 

Now rest in the market, from "big names": CH (stuck in 1990's), Logitech, Thrustmaster - all try and leave (joystick) FFB market. Is credible that one of them will venture again in FFB?

 

VKB already say that don't have money for pay Immersion licenses necessary for sell FFB joysticks.

 

But we can (and should) dream... I remember that since ~2001 people are dreaming with Tm selling replacement grips for Cougar, after 2010 for Warthog... and in 2016 all still empty-handed. :D

Edited September 16, 2016 by Sokol1_br

[tintifaxl]

Don't remember CH or TM ever having built or sold a FFB stick, so no leaving needed there. ;-)

[MostlyHarmless]

After personally having so many issues with quality control on saitek products since the madcatz buyout I planned to never get one again, but now I might consider it if logitech can prove that they have improved the production quality.

 

CH made the Force FX years ago, a some what cult following now with people taking the old game port based ffb controller boards out to swap in logitech ffb controllers to update them to usb compatibility.

[Lenux]

Logitech Buys Saitek’s Sim Controller

 

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/09/16/logitech-buys-saitek-from-mad-catz/

 

Let's hope they will improve those products

[CHDT]

I remember my old Logitech joysticks: nicely designed, but total crap for reliability and precision after just a few months.

 

Recently, my Logitech 430 mouse died just one week after the end of the guarantee, not happy.

 

And my headphone too, but within the guarantee (happily), but I have to wait ONE month to get a replacement unit.

 

I'm done with Logitech.

Patiently waiting to buy the new Thrusmaster T16000 hotas :-)

Edited September 16, 2016 by CHDT

[CHDT]

I remember my old Logitech joysticks: nicely designed, but total crap for reliability and precision after just a few months.

 

Recently, my Logitech 430 mouse died just one week after the end of the guarantee, not happy.

 

And my headphone too, but within the guarantee (happily), but I have to wait ONE month to get a replacement unit.

 

I'm done with Logitech.

Patiently waiting to buy the new Thrusmaster T16000 hotas :-)

[Sokol1_br]

Don't remember CH or TM ever having built or sold a FFB stick, so no leaving needed there. ;-)

 

Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner FFB - based on that "semi-clone" of Logitech 3D PRO sold OEM for several brands:

 

https://support.thrustmaster.com/product/ffbjoystick-pt/

 

CH - the "Jurassic", work only in Windows 95, Force FX.

 

http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/reviews/chforcefx.htm

 

Their base is huge - I have one in my... "museum". :D

 

While old Logitech Wingman Force 3D were supported by Windows, it was possible to make a

"CHtech" Franken Force:

 

http://snomhf.exofire.net/frankenForce/overview.html

 

Although the guy in the link choose a expensive way, mix Force FX + Wingman Force + FighterStick - just to be ably to use that "press joystick buttons to press keyboard keys to make commands in games". :)

Edited September 16, 2016 by Sokol1_br

[BitMaster]

For one I am happy that Saitek is still rivaling the market but I have my doubts if Logitech will venture into a niche market that isn't hip either.

 

I own like a dozen mice and have owned far more, Logitech in general left a good impression in software and reliability of usage and ergonomics, no flaws there.

 

What I dislike about them..and for that reason my son now has his own set of mice, SELF PAID, is that if you play Dota2 or any BF series your left shooter mouse button wont live long enough to make it worth the price you paid. The whole Series from the G5 gaming down to G700 with all in between FAILED with broken buttons. Nowadays it is not as easy as it was to DIY and fix it.

 

I still use a Logitech G700 but will think twice if I have to buy agin for me. If 2she" fails due to a broken button I am done with them. There are alternatives as my son proofs me, just I dont like them looks and haptic mostly, about as stated above by chichlidfan. I also use both hands for my mouse, left or right, i dont care, so it needs to work both hands somehow.

 

Joysticks from Saitek: one I had, never again. I came from TM and went straight back to TM with a few other sticks aside to the main TM Hotas of it's time. Logitech wears out far to quick, not an option for someone like us. Unless they make it hardcore tough I wont consider Logitech sticks anymore.

 

I hope that someone else makes an alternative to TM as also they have more than 1 flaw but by far the best you get right now imho.

 

If it had a FFB option..unsure if I would prefer that. If it is properly done like in my G25 whell, yes...but if it is like in the MS FF2 stick...NO.

 

My expectation is that they wont come up with a proper Hotas to rival TM. mid to low end gear prolly yes.

[Tricky11]

I think its absolutely fantastic this has happened. I have found in the past that Logitech customer support is the best i have ever experienced. They have replaced products for me that have broken even though they were out of warranty just as a good will gesture because im a valued customer. One was a G15 Keyboard and the other was when my G25 wheel gave up the ghost so the replaced it with the G27 which had only just came out at the time. I of coarse now use thrustmaster gear but i still use logitech when ever i can.

[cichlidfan]

Well, hopefully something interesting will come of this. I agree with Bit that, under heavy use, Logitech mice seem to have a high failure rate. I love the feel of my G700(s) mice but I have bought more of them then I should have needed to.

 

It is really a shame that no single company seems to be able to produce a product that is well designed ergonomically along with being reliable long term.

 

I wonder if Nikon would ever consider a venture into a new marketplace. :D

[_Randolph93]

This is bad news. I've had two Logitech products that were a written-off in less than a year. First It was a joystick which had failed pots in months, than a mouse that had bad click buttons in less than a year so I had to dismantle those freaking microswitches and bend a little sheets to make them work as they should.

With the current Saitek owned by Madcatz I have no complains other than lack of spare parts.

[jeffdude]

Worried

 

:unsure: - I'm not too sure how this will go. I used to be a Logitech fan boy. Razor products stole the mouse market with the incredible precision. Then my other favorite products the G15 and G19 keyboards with integrated displays and nice macro keys were dropped in favor of a mobile dock thing with little support from anywhere. I know our community is awesome, but I think some of our best coders are getting burnt out on programming DCS. So more external peripherals in crazy languages are not going to get a lot of love :imho:.

 

Will they make a good future HOTAS or other flight product, who knows. If we take the BEST from Logitech (if they still have some good engineers) and the BEST from saitech, we could end up with a great product that is ergonomic and durable.