Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner

Rating:
Summary: good all round joystick
Review: I got this joystick and my first impressions was yeah looks nice and i love the idea of a full size throttle. When i first got it being USB ther was no problems with delays so playing flight sims were no problem. I have had it for about a year now n the performance has decreased for the price I am considering getting another one. I have noticed that the joysticks wears very easily so after about 6-7 months of use it started to not turn properly. This might be because it was my first serious joystick and i was heavy handed but all round an excerlant joystick

Rating:
Summary: Nice feel, poor construction, and NO customer service
Review: I have owned the Afterburner for three months as a flight sim controler. While it worked, I was pleased with its performance. Ergonomically, I fit my hand well, the sensitivity of the stick was quite good, the large throttle control gives far better control than the sliders and dials on most non-HOTAS systems. My only qualms were that there were not enough buttons, and the rudder bar on the throttle worked poorly (however since the stick also has a twist control I did not care).

So I liked the stick... UNTIL it broke. One day I was dogfighting in Il-2 and suddenly heard a loud crack. After that the twist-rudder control no longer worked. I tried to contact Thrustmaster customer service and found out that it is non-existant. The phone number in the manual leads to a recorded message that tells you to use their website and then hangs up on you. So I went to website and filed service request there and received no response. After a couple of weeks I did it again with the same result. Finally, I sent emails to every thrustmaster e-mail address I could find on the site and also there was no response. This product comes with a ONE YEAR WARRANTY, however do not expect them to live up to their legal commitment. The management of Thrustmaster has built a wall around itself so tall that customers can never get through to them. (Oh, I also should mention that the manual explains that you cannot just send you broken product to them - "No packages will be accepted without a valid RMA number from a service represenative."

This is a disgusting way to treat customers, and I will never buy another Thrustmaster product again.

Rating:
Summary: Nice feel, poor construction, and NO customer service
Review: I really like this joystick. I went from a handheld controller to this joystick and there is a BIG difference in the amount of control and accuracy when flying simulators (MS Flt.Sim 2002) and combat flights (MS Combat flt. sim 2).
One drawback is that the throttle control is a bit too close to the main joystick when attached, which makes your wrists bend a bit uncomfortably. You can separate the throttle but then the base of the throttle and joystick are a bit unstable and you need a lot of table space to use in this configuration (but it's more comfortable).
One other drawback is that the buttons on the main joystick are a bit awkward. One of them is on the right side, above the trigger button, so you can't pull the trigger and hit this button at the same time unless you use your middle finger for the trigger and your index finger for the other button. The thumb buttons on the back are great and so are the buttons on the throttle.
All in all, I'm really happy with this joystick and would recommend it to all!

Rating:
Summary: Great joystick!
Review: I really like this joystick. I went from a handheld controller to this joystick and there is a BIG difference in the amount of control and accuracy when flying simulators (MS Flt.Sim 2002) and combat flights (MS Combat flt. sim 2).
One drawback is that the throttle control is a bit too close to the main joystick when attached, which makes your wrists bend a bit uncomfortably. You can separate the throttle but then the base of the throttle and joystick are a bit unstable and you need a lot of table space to use in this configuration (but it's more comfortable).
One other drawback is that the buttons on the main joystick are a bit awkward. One of them is on the right side, above the trigger button, so you can't pull the trigger and hit this button at the same time unless you use your middle finger for the trigger and your index finger for the other button. The thumb buttons on the back are great and so are the buttons on the throttle.
All in all, I'm really happy with this joystick and would recommend it to all!

Rating:
Summary: cheap switches
Review: I've used it less than a month and solely for MS Flight Simulator. I'm a 49 year old private pilot using it as a cheap way to get an intro to IFR so I'm not exactly beating it to death battling klingons. The hat switch and #4 button occaisionally stop working. I have to take the stick apart, fiddle with them a bit, and then they work. For a while. Of course I've tossed the box so no exchange here. I'll tolerate it for a while and buy something else.

Next time I'll try the MS stuff or save a few bucks and get the quality I'm paying for.

Rating:
Summary: time to get those flight sims!!
Review: just got one of these babies for myself. For a start, playing older flight simulations like X-Wing and Rogue Squadron has never been better. This stick kicks... never need to take my hands off the stick once all the buttons have been configured. Configurating this stick is DEAD EASY!.... plug it into the USB socket and away you go....... no hassles.

the yellow button is a bloody nuisance IMHO. get rid of it.

Otherwise, this stick handles like a dream considering the price.

Rating:
Summary: BEYOND BEST
Review: This is the best, I played it on all of my 3D games and it worked perfectly. The best thing is how it is not extremly tuchy and sensitive to the slittest movment. When I saw the design I was slightly skepptical but the first time I tried it I loved it, I found that It is even better on games like battle zone or voyager. I definitly think that you should buy this before its to late!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Thrustmaster Top Gun AfterBurner worth owning
Review: ThrustMaster's Top Gun AfterBurner game controller is well worth owning.
Pros:
1) Best bang for your buck. (Note: Amazon.com had the best overall price.)
2) The AfterBurner has a hefty feel to it; it looks well made. The buttons, rudder, throttle, and stick are responsive and lively during game play, flight sims especially.
3) It's similar to Saitek's X36 in throttle/rudder and joystick design. Whereas the X36 is bulky with 2 separate units, a throttle/rudder system, a (joy)stick, making it hard to play a game with the controller(s) in your lap, the AfterBurner has joined these two units as one (which can be separated) making it easier, in my book, to use. I also like the notched throttle settings (missing on the X36). There are more than enough buttons (8) when combined with the ThrustMapper software to make custom game settings. These custom game "Pre-Sets," once created by you, make game playing a delight.
Cons:
1) Supplied CD's ThrustMapper software would not run on either of my 2 PCs (both run Windows 98SE). Downloaded ThrustMapper V2.33 from us.thrustmaster.com and this corrected the problem.
2) Front-end learning curve using ThrustMapper to create Pre-Sets. But, once mastered, Pre-Sets work great.
3) Unlike the X36 mapping software that tries to locate every game on your PC, when creating Pre-Sets you must 'browse' for your game executables. A bit awkward if you have multiple partitions with games installed all over the place.
...

Rating:
Summary: cheap switches
Review: ThrustMaster�s Top Gun AfterBurner game controller is well worth owning.
Pros:
1) Best bang for your buck. (Note: Amazon.com had the best overall price.)
2) The AfterBurner has a hefty feel to it; it looks well made. The buttons, rudder, throttle, and stick are responsive and lively during game play, flight sims especially.
3) It�s similar to Saitek�s X36 in throttle/rudder and joystick design. Whereas the X36 is bulky with 2 separate units, a throttle/rudder system, a (joy)stick, making it hard to play a game with the controller(s) in your lap, the AfterBurner has joined these two units as one (which can be separated) making it easier, in my book, to use. I also like the notched throttle settings (missing on the X36). There are more than enough buttons (8) when combined with the ThrustMapper software to make custom game settings. These custom game "Pre-Sets," once created by you, make game playing a delight.
Cons:
1) Supplied CD�s ThrustMapper software would not run on either of my 2 PCs (both run Windows 98SE). Downloaded ThrustMapper V2.33 from us.thrustmaster.com and this corrected the problem.
2) Front-end learning curve using ThrustMapper to create Pre-Sets. But, once mastered, Pre-Sets work great.
3) Unlike the X36 mapping software that tries to locate every game on your PC, when creating Pre-Sets you must �browse� for your game executables. A bit awkward if you have multiple partitions with games installed all over the place.
...