My partner just bought me Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight for my Birthday and now she wants to get me a joystick for it. It will really enhance my experience with the sim but I don’t know which kind to buy. I’m not a gamer so this stuff is way over my head.
I’d like to get one that will work great with the program and isn’t too costly. I don’t want her spending more than $50 on one and if it’s possible maybe she can find one (new) for no more than $40.
I’d appreciate some recommendations.
Thanks!
Chao.
By the way, I love this flight simulator. Good bye social life!!!
Can you explain what *force/feedback * is? I’m a complete newbie to anything that involves and actual joystick. Last time I used a joystick was for my Commodore 64. Seriously.
I use Microsoft’s Sidewinder Force Feedback model with Flight Simulator and find it works very well. However, the current incarnation of this joystick is a bit out of your price range (Amazon sells it for $64.95, the non-feedback model sells for $42.95). Being that it is a MS product, you won’t encounter any compatibility issues.
Careful, getting addicted to Flight Sim can result in spending much more than $40 controller hardware… (flight yokes, pedals, head motion detectors…)
The Logitech® Force™ 3D Pro has force feedback, the Logitech® Extreme™ 3D Pro does not, but they are both three axis. I use the Logitech® Force™ 3D Pro with MSFS2004 and it works really well. I’ve also used the Logitech® Extreme™ 3D and it also works well, but doesn’t give you the same feel.
Force feedback is this cool feature that means that sometimes the joystick resists your inputs. If you were in a real plane at cruise speed, and you tried to yank back on the stick, the control stick would be harder to move that if you did it while you were sitting stationary on the ground. A force feedback joystick simulates this. I think it’s worth the extra $40, but YMMV.
Force feedback is a pretty cool feature, the joystick has a mechanism in it to give resistance against the the direction that you move the stick in some situations. For example in straight level flight if you push forward on the stick it moves more freely than if you were to pull back on the stick, just like the real life situation. If you are flying in the “Combat Flight Sim” when you pull the trigger the stick will shake a bit. In Some banking maneuvers will be stiff at first then get easier. The idea is that the stick more closely mimics what the flight control interface on a plane would be like and the resistance felt.
In addition to the twist action (which simulates rudder pedals), you should get a joystick with a built-in throttle.
Force feedback is a way of transmitting forces on the joystick, such that you’ll feel the stick shake or vibrate in response to different situations. As your plane takes off, for example, you’ll feel stick vibrate in response to the wheels rolling down the runway. The vibration will stop when you finally take off. You’ll feel a thud as the landing gear is retracted. You’ll have to maintain pressure on the stick until the aircraft is properly trimmed. If you fly through turbulence, the stick will shake in response to wind buffeting on the control surfaces. It truly adds another dimension to the simulation.
I can wholeheartedly second the recommendation for the Saitek ones; I have the first version of the Cyborg (although I haven’t used it for years now), and I was very impressed with it. It was absolutely ace for the X-Wing games. The twist function is indispensable.
Ah, for a good new space combat game. I miss chasing down TIE fighters and the funky twirly explosions you got when they split in two.
