Major Justice
Oct 26, 2006, 02:44 PM
I just bought a Saitek ST290 PRO from Wal-Mart to use with various flight sims. This joystick seems like it's made for flight because it has a lever throttle that is seperate from the stick, and the stick has a 3D twist for rudder control. Other features on it include a trigger rapid fire button, 5 "fire" buttons, an 8-way point of view hat switch, and a spring gimbal mechanism. It's also made for left or right handers.
It plugs into a USB port (No AC plug) & is ready to use. I have flown FMS with it, and I had to map the controls to my liking, and then calibrate it. It works perfect, and is much more challenging than using the keyboard. In my opinion, it's harder than flying an RC aircraft. It's hard to get the movement down so you don't give unwanted input, but you improve quickly. I am still having trouble with the F-15 model (Which reaches even faster speeds with the joystick).
Not only are the controls perfect for flight, but it looks awesome. The best part is that it was only $19.97. I had found some RC type controllers that people use for FMS on E-bay a while back, but I wanted to use a joystick. I always felt that using different types of controls will make you better at universally adapting your control skills. Since I already know how to fly model aircraft, I don't need similar controls for learning purposes. If I get used to using the joystick & wreck an airplane the next time I really fly, I'll regret ever saying this stuff.
So in conclusion, I would recommend this joystick to anyone looking for a joystick. It has all the required features, at a decent price. If anyone needs help mapping the controls on their joystick, just PM me. When you calibrate, don't forget to set the throttle to center in the last steps. If you are having any problems with input, then you aren't doing something right. I'm pretty sure you could adapt the mapping of any controller to work with FMS.
Product: Saitek ST290 Pro Joystick
Price: $19.97 (USD)
Distributor: Wal-Mart
PROS: Has controls specifically designed for flight. 3d Twist is perfect for integrating rudder control into the analog stick, and the seperate lever throttle resembles the throttle of real aircraft. Many other buttons for complex shooter games. Sleek design & simple to install for a decent price.
CONS: Joysticks are slightly harder to mester than an analog controller.
It plugs into a USB port (No AC plug) & is ready to use. I have flown FMS with it, and I had to map the controls to my liking, and then calibrate it. It works perfect, and is much more challenging than using the keyboard. In my opinion, it's harder than flying an RC aircraft. It's hard to get the movement down so you don't give unwanted input, but you improve quickly. I am still having trouble with the F-15 model (Which reaches even faster speeds with the joystick).
Not only are the controls perfect for flight, but it looks awesome. The best part is that it was only $19.97. I had found some RC type controllers that people use for FMS on E-bay a while back, but I wanted to use a joystick. I always felt that using different types of controls will make you better at universally adapting your control skills. Since I already know how to fly model aircraft, I don't need similar controls for learning purposes. If I get used to using the joystick & wreck an airplane the next time I really fly, I'll regret ever saying this stuff.
So in conclusion, I would recommend this joystick to anyone looking for a joystick. It has all the required features, at a decent price. If anyone needs help mapping the controls on their joystick, just PM me. When you calibrate, don't forget to set the throttle to center in the last steps. If you are having any problems with input, then you aren't doing something right. I'm pretty sure you could adapt the mapping of any controller to work with FMS.
Product: Saitek ST290 Pro Joystick
Price: $19.97 (USD)
Distributor: Wal-Mart
PROS: Has controls specifically designed for flight. 3d Twist is perfect for integrating rudder control into the analog stick, and the seperate lever throttle resembles the throttle of real aircraft. Many other buttons for complex shooter games. Sleek design & simple to install for a decent price.
CONS: Joysticks are slightly harder to mester than an analog controller.