"If you are more interested in flying aircraft that are STICK RATHER THAN YOKE OPERATED (such as fighters and helicopters) then you should probably get a CH-Products FlightStick and CH-Products rudder pedals."
This is not a cheap joystick! After thousands of hours later the Flightstick Pro stills works every bit as well as when first purchased, although the tension on the stick may not as high as it once was and it tends to drift a bit from time to time. Construction is of durable plastic. Rubber feet help keep the stick from moving during game play, although they could be larger. If you have a slick surface the stick can move around a bit.
The Fightstick Pro is the benchmark for 4 button joysticks with a hat. The hat is a four way switch on top of the joystick. Different games will use it in different ways, but typically it is used to control where the player is looking in most simulations. Pressed forward and the view is forward, to the left and the view changes to the left, etc. There are also the four buttons. Three are clustered below the hat and are designated buttons 2-4. Button one is in a trigger position at the front of the joystick as you would expect. The buttons are large and easy to find when your eyes are focused on the action on screen.
In addition to the basics the Flightstick Pro also offers dual trim controls to properly center your joystick and a long seven foot cord to connect it to your game port. There are two versions of the Flightstick Pro, one for PCs and one for the Macintosh. They are identical except for the way in which the joystick connects to the computer. Still, be sure you purchase the correct one for your hardware. Unlike many designs which are useful primarily for right handed people, the Flightstick Pro can be used very well by those who are left handed. It's only problem in this regard is the positioning of the throttle control on the left side of the base. Otherwise, the positioning of the buttons and hat on top of the stick are easily accessible to any player. The only major drawback to the Flightstick Pro is that it is not programmable. That is, you can't change what each button does in a game. So you are at the mercy of the games programmers to decide which game function will be controlled by each button on the stick. Given the ubiquity of the Flightstick Pro and the fact that so many controllers are compatible with it, most games do a good job of mapping functions to it. For many, lack of programmability may not be much of an issue. The Verdict Nearly every joystick made today is compatible with the Flightstick Pro. There is a reason for that, it is one of the benchmark controllers. If you don't need a programmable joystick, the Flightstick Pro is every bit a classic.
Features:
- Compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000 & XP for PC (requires Direct X7.0a or above) and MacOS 8.6 with Input Sprockets 1.7x for Mac
- 3 axes and 12 buttons (four push buttons and one 8 way point of view hat)
- Total of 22 (66 with the Pro Throttle mode switch) programmable functions with the new
- Control Manager software (included)
- Side slide throttle wheel
- Comfortable grip designed for both left and right handed operation
- Dual rotary trim controls allow for precision adjustment of ailerons and elevators
- Easy USB installation
- Quality components and construction
- Two year limited warranty