Joystick search: no joy

[Toly]

Maybe someone can help me out here... I'm re-hashing a desktop sim with a projection screen, trackIR, and a few custom gadgets... now I'm looking to upgrade a joystick. The good old Thrustmaster of 10 years is a gameport card and I want everything working thru a USB hub, to have a single-wire connection between the PC and the 'flight deck'. So, I'm in search of a quality USB joystick. Can please someone provide recommendations? Also, I'd like to know if force feedback is really worth it in terms of enhancing realism. I'd also like something that looks and feels realistic and not too 'arcade-like'

I'm running FS9, Il2 and LoMac. In FS9 I fly mostly King Air, 727 and Baron.

Thanks!
-Toly.

[Geremy Britton]

buy a gameport to usb adapter or alternatively try searching for a saitek x52 joystick these are quite good for what you are after.

Good luck

[Badge]

Are you looking for just a joystick or a joystick and throttle quad, check out the Saitek http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826102008 yoke and throttle quad if you want a yoke. I prefer a combat stick for my multi simming games so I use the Saitek X45 which they don't make anymore but they do have the X52 out but I'm not to keen on that one. The X45 can be had off ebay for cheap these days and in my opinion its better than the 52.

Force feedback should of died back in the 90s its more annoyance than helpful.

[spitfire9]

Force feedback is still very good with IL-2FB and Lomac.

I have an old Sidewinder ffb stick, but for Fs2004 a yoke or an X52 are much better.

[Toly]

I have been considering a Saitek yoke, but there's been a lot of negative reports about them :( Gotta admit, the yoke looks very authentic and attractive.

And that is the problem I see with Saitek joysticks... they don't look very authentic... In that sense I like the appeal of Thrustmaster products... any comments on these? Is there anything else along those lines?

Also, can someone pls elaborate on the benefits and drawbacks on force feedback? I know some people like it and some don't but can someone express it in terms of actual flight experience?

Thanks!

[Spatate]

I have a Saitek throttle and pro quadrant


altough i have experienced some of the phantom clicks, i still like it...

[David Rogers]

I like my Saitek Yoke too but I had serious problems - if you are confident to make quite a lot of changes to your FSUIPC.cfg file, you can partially correct most of the faults that Saitek made when engineering the yoke.