Purchasing a good Joy/FlightStick

Dotsie~tmp

For a while now Ive been buy relativly cheap jsticks and find that after a while the potentiometers degrade and the stick becomes twitchy and useless for any real precision in flight sims. The money spent on all those poor sticks would have been better spent on one good one.

For this reason Ive been searching around for prices on some good ones. Ive narrowed my sights on these three.

Thrustmaster: TopGun AfterBurner II
Microsoft: Sidewinder Precision 2
Microsoft: Sidewinder Force Feedback 2

One of the biggest reson for going to the more expensive is reduced accuracy over time and considering that the Microsoft sticks are both digital optically sensed instead of analogue pots, im favouring the MS stick. Ive been doing a bit of pricing online and from retailers. Though considering the poor range and how not up to date some Irish retailers stock is I would appreciate any advice on choice of stick or especially where is cheapest to buy.

Ive included some of the lowest prices Ive found. (shipping incl.)


Amazon.co.uk

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TM TG AB II €65
MS SW P 2 €65
MS SW FFB 2 €102


Komplett.ie

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TM TG AB II €69
MS SW P 2 €59


Peats.ie

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TM TG AB II €70


PCSuperstore

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TM TG AB II €66.50
MS SW P 2 €52.50<--
MS SW FFB 2 €100

I was surprised to see PCSuperstore was the cheapest. Thx in advance.

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Dotsie

PPC

I have the FFB1 and its brilliant.
Best joystick i ever used.

Hiighly reccommended

RicardoSmith

Personally I find the MS joysticks very sloppy from new...

Moriarty

A bargain at only $289 from amazon..

Dotsie~tmp

Lol moriarty i was drooling over this the other day...but its soo expensive. Do you own one? What do you fly with it?

BTW i still want to know good places to shop

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Dotsie

DiscoStu

the saitek x36 is supposed to be good. i just use a playstation joypad. fuppin great for flight sims they are.

RicardoSmith

I kinda like the CH Products sticks. Had some problem with their pre-usb models but I loved the build and feeling of the stick. I'm currently using a TM "Top Gun Fox 2 Pro USB" which is a decent budget stick. Its enough for the light "simming" I do at the moment. If I was spending more time at it I'd probably buy a seperate stick and rudder set, either the CH Products FighterStick or the Hotas Cougar.

Vuk

I use the TopGun AfterBurner II, the one thing I really like is the 2nd rudder control on the throttle, it's a tilting horizontal lever (as opposed to twisting the yoke) and helps greatly with rudder control during a turn. Keeping this one 'till I can afford some good pedals!
Also, the yoke/throttle rudder control is selectable, so it's one or the other but not both.
This joystick is also available with a force feedback flavour.

bkehoe

I've had the Force Feedback2 since it came out around 2 years ago, and its just as good now as it was when it was new. Accuracy is still as good as ever, and the forcefeedback is great.

Dotsie~tmp

Well i finally bought the Microsoft Sidewinder Precision 2. Got it in PCWorld for €49.99 [£39] (was actually €64.99 but i used their price promise to get it down to the price PCSuperstore had it at but who were also out of stock). Not a bad price. Didnt have the cash to spring for the Force Feedback version [€100].

Very happy with it. And precision it certainly has. Bad ergonomics too, but forgivable. The rudder axis in the stick is driving me mad though. I have no experience with it and feel dizzy after flying . Keep feeling the urge to twist insted of just rolling. I suppose you get used to it over time though.

One problem i am having. Games dont seem to recognise the seventh and eight buttons on the base. Anyone else found this? They show up in gaming options. Maybe its just the game.

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Dotsie