Excellent Budget Joystick
Written: Sep 01 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Value pricing, customizability, unique look
Cons: Analog, buttons not as sturdy as hoped
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| admiral's Full Review: Saitek Cyborg 2000 (J-18S) Joystick |
Introduction
Darn. I could only find $20 in my wallet. I decided that it would have to do as my budget to purchase a new joystick to play flight simulations with (especially Falcon 4.0). Hmm. As a starving college student on a budget, I wasn't expecting to get much of a joystick for my $20 from past budget joystick purchasing experiences. Boy, was I wrong.
Overview
Only one budget joystick caught my eye. It was Saitek's offering, the Cyborg 2000 joystick. It had the standard fare: 4 action buttons, a 4-way hat switch, and throttle control. The stick looked pretty damn cool too. I definitely wouldn't feel embarrassed sporting this budget stick on my desk. This joystick had one feature that even the more expensive joysticks couldn't boast: ergonomic customizability for both left and right handed users.
Pros
The tension of the Cyborg 2000's stick feels solid when you pull/push it felt just right for me. It seems to be set at a very comfortable level. It won't give you a hard time while you're doing loops in your F-16 Falcon nor will your fighter jet go wildly out of control with a slight nudge of the stick. You can even see the spring at work when you're moving the stick around which I thought was very neat.
The customizability might be the clincher for most folks. Included with the unit is a hex screwdriver in which you can adjust the height of the handrest, adjust which side it goes on, adjust the angle in which the buttons face, and adjust which side the throttle should be placed (left or right). This was new for me because for some reason, every joystick I have used never felt right for me. With the Cyborg 2000, I can finally feel comfortable on a 3 hour flight in Falcon 4.0. And this is the perfect joystick for left-handed users because of the same customizability.
The joystick's base weight is not too light but not too heavy either. Depending on how roughly you handle joysticks, the Cyborg's weighted base may or may not be enough for you. I don't jerk the joystick around too much so I haven't had any problems in having the joystick tip over. My hand pretty much rests on the throttle control anyway, giving the joystick more balanced stability.
Cons
Didn't think there would be cons to this joystick did you? Hehe. :O)
This joystick, unfortunately is analog and only has an adapter for the 15-pin gameport that is pretty much available on all computers today. The downside of this is that there is no plug-and-play (a la USB). Aghast! I actually have to configure this joystick by myself! No biggie. Follow the included instructions and you'll be fine. (The 15-pin gameport adapter can also be a blessing if you're planning to use separate rudder pedals). You also don't get the nice digital accuracy of digital joysticks...oh well.
The buttons don't "feel" sturdy enough for my taste to last me a years to come. I just hope the buttons don't break on me in the middle of a bombing run in Falcon 4.0...hehe. But then again, I only got the joystick for $20 so what am I to expect!
Speaking of buttons, this stick won't come with any software like the digital joysticks do in which you can program the buttons on the joystick. But this isn't too much of a downside as pretty much all games provide joystick mapping utilities/options in which you can assign the joystick buttons different functions in game.
Conclusion
I was incredibly impressed with this joystick and I think you'll be too. You are getting one of the most solid, most customizable, most comfortable, coolest looking, and not to mention value priced joysticks on the market. If you only have $20 to spend for a joystick this is your joystick. No need to even look at anything else out there. If you had maybe $40 to spend, then I'd probably look at the Logitech Digital Extreme 3D. But if you're a starving college student like me on a budget, get the Saitek Cyborg 2000.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20
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Epinions.com ID:
admiral
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
UCLA undergraduate, Army ROTC cadet and a fan of penguins.
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