Of course if you get a first person flying game you have to get a good joystick. which is exactly what i did. i pretty much just went to compusa and felt out which i liked best.

The good: 4 buttons and one hat. i occasionally wish that there were an extra button or two when im playing a complicated game. the layout is as follows; your pinky gets a button, your pointer finger gets the primary weapon button, and your thumb gets the hat, secondary weapon button, and another button in the middle. and of course you can program every button to whatever you like provided your game has the option. compared to some other joysticks i've seen, the layout of this joystick is pretty darn good. there is no possibility that any of your fingers can slip and hit the wrong button. one of my friends has a joystick that puts your thumb in a half-circle of three side by side buttons, which explains why he stinks so much at x-wing vs tie fighter. the overall feel of the stick is very good, your hand fits smoothly around the stem and the jacknife of your palm rests on a small platform. and as for the durability, this thing can take a good beating. i've put it through plenty of abuse and it is always ready for more.

The Bad: For some games you may wish there were an extra button, but you can always put your other hand to work on the keyboard. my only big complaint is the stability, the base is somewhat small and there are only rubber feet to keep the base from sliding. quite a few times when i need to pull up in an X-wing the front of the base pulls up as well.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 25