Saitek no more.

[LuckyStiff63]

Way-Back machine.

 

I'm an "Old Guy". I've been running flight sims on the PC platform since 1991, and I bought my first HOTAS setup in 1994: A Thrust Master FLCS / WCS that I used so much that I had to replace the pots twice, along with springs and some of the switches. A little later I upgraded to the TM F-16FLCS and F-16 TQS, and again went through multiple sets of Pots. Those early Thrust Masters were built like a TANK, easy to program, and just plain WORKED. Not to mention there was community-created software (FOX-2) for programming available, and TM really supported their customers back then.

 

I took a break from 'simming for about 8-9 years, and (no surprise) when i came back, my trusty old sticks weren't supported on the newer hardware platforms - the old, analog "gameport" was replaced by USB.

So after absorbing more hands-on product reviews and online "discussions" than I thought was humanly possible about the 3 main HOTAS setups available at the time (TM, Logitech, and Saitek) , in January 2011 I bought Saitek's X-65f. And although I have had occasional minor issues with it, I LOVE this hunk of hardware to death. It was far easier than I thought it would be for me to make the switch from "Gimbal & Spring" to Force-Sensing" or "Load-cell" based controls.

 

My problem with Saitek has been the SOFTWARE they provide for creating profiles, and their rather spotty support for the product. It seems like Saitek pretty much gave up on the X-65f within a year or two after I bought mine. To this day, I haven't seen any official mention of DCS sims on the Saitek/Madcatz site, (with the exception of forum posts from other customers) let alone any real help configuring their product for use with any of the DCS aircraft.

 

I realize that controllers for Flight / Space sims appeal only to a niche market that doesn't guarantee gazillions of sales per unit like console controllers do. I also understand that a decent HOTAS system is far more complex, and expensive to manufacture than XBONE/PS4 pads, and that the lack of standardization for in-game control mapping for non-console games leads to a huge array of possible configurations that make support dicier.

 

But with the recent availablility of consumer-level VR, which suffers from many of the same challenges, it seems to me that by now, SOMEONE in the industry should have been able to design, build, AND provide long-term, quality SUPPORT for a HOTAS as DURABLE as the TM Warthog and X-65f, that includes force-feedback and a common-sense approach to programming. Or is that really just too much to ask?

 

We can all hope that maybe....just maybe, Logitech's purchase of Saitek will lead us further down that taxiway. But I won't hold my breath.

 

-- Check Six!

[DataHawk]

Saitek now Logitech

 

http://gaming.logitech.com/en-ca/flight-simulation

 

[probad]

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=174121

[cichlidfan]

Ancient news.

[DataHawk]

Ya, just posting the link for those looking