Rating: 
Summary: Great Joystick but ....
Review: Since I bought this joystick 7 months ago, I wouldn't buy another but I do have a few complaints about it. The size of the base takes up a good portion of my desk and the fact that it is not compatible for use with older DOS based games(x-wing, aces over europe). I know DOS based games date me a bit but they're still plenty of fun to play without the force-feedback. Overall I would definately recommend this joystick for modern games but I'll still keep my old analog for the dated games.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware if you have the Trident chipset!
Review: The Trident chipset found in SIIG soundcards is not compatable with digital joysticks without an analog option. This stick also requires MIDI. I was on the phone with Microsoft for an hour before they finally found out why my computer kept crashing and rebooting. I had to restart in safe mode to remove the software. I bought a Turtle Beach sound card and the stick still didn't work because of a loose connecter--and they say this is well built? I was on the phone with Microsoft for a half hour cleaning old soundcard drivers out in safe mode and they were to arrogant they never once suggested that there might be something wrong with the product! They told be that Turtle Beach sound cards were low end and I should get a better one. I said "wait a minute, Turtle Beach is owned by Voyetra and they make the software for every soundcard!" I'm glad I didn't take their advice. I jiggled the loose connecter and it suddenly started to work. There is no way to screw the connecter into the soundcard. Force feedback does not add much to Flight Simulator. I find the landing gear vibrations annoying and unrealistic. But, it is neat to feel the guns in CFS. You can feel a stall in a dogfight. The rudder twist feature is indispensible for flight simulation, but I would reccommend the less expensive Sidewinder joystick unless you are really into combat. I rate the product a 3, but their customer service a zero!
Rating: 
Summary: Beware if you have the trident chipset!
Review: The trident chipset in SIIG soundcards is not compatable with joysticks that cannot be switched into analog mode. Also, a cord that splits MIDI and and joystick functions like you get with your keyboard will render the force feedback inoperable. The stick must be connected directly to the port. Force feedback does not add much to Flight simulator. If you like to keep your MIDI keyboard connected, and you do not play combat games, choose the regular sidewinder.
Rating:
Summary: One Great Joystick
Review: This is a wonderful joystick to setup and use. The ease of setup is simply, plug in, install software and its ready to go. Quite a few profiles are included with the install and microsoft has a profile download area that you can download from. One catch is the profile downloads are for older programs and there are a few new profiles that do make it to the downloads area. If you want to program the joystick, its easy to set the buttons to what you want. Programming the force that goes with it is a little harder and in fact I have yet been able to figure out if/how to do just that. The program button could be made a little easier for us who want to program forcefeedback and not just the button controls. Some games have bypassed the wait for MS to come out with a profile by having the software autodetect the joystick and run the proper profile for the game, but not all games have this feature. I have, on more then one game, used a profile that came close, then programmed extra buttons for appropriate functions. All in all it is probably the best force joystick around and Mechwarrior 3 is really fun to play with forcefeedback.
Rating: 
Summary: ONE AWESOME JOYSTICK !
Review: This is one awesome joystick , Microsoft got it right with this input device. You can actually tell the differance between shooting guns and firing cannons.The eight point veiw on the hat switch helps alot when the BOGIE is on your six and you feel the bullets hit you! And it's programable so you can DO YOUR BEST MOVES with a push of a button!
Rating:
Summary: The best joystick on the market,
Review: This is the best joystick I've ever used,the force feed back is Great !The software I've Loaded One time works beautiful you can program each game you have differently if you wan't,In the sidewinder controls you can set different levels of force for different games too.It comes with several game configurations installed that are very usefull.I use this Joystick for all times of games.Nascar 3/4,Mech 3/4,Soldier of Fortune,Star Trek voyager,Moto Cross 2,Works Awsome With MechWarrior #3-#4 then again Microsoft Joystick on Microsoft Games don't get much better than that,they work great on flight sims too.And as far as it being to big and bulky,nonsense it's great, nice size to grip,and has a nice wieght so it doesn't slide around much.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS DA BOMB!
Review: This is truly the best joystick out there! The total vibration is unbelievable and goes hand in hand with the game. What is also great is the huge assortment of buttons. It even has a shift key to double the amount. When I bought it, it came with a game called Urban Assault. I'm not sure if it still does but that game kicked! It was as if the joystick was made for the game. Other good games that worked well was Monster Truck Madness I & II, Motocross, and Rogue Spear. It should work well with all racing games but if you want the true feel get a Force Feedback wheel. But for shoot em up games and other stradegy or 1st, 3rd person it's a great piece of equipment. It plugs in through a gameport too. GET IT, ITS WELL WORTH IT!
Rating:
Summary: Hmm... Expensive, but nice.
Review: Well, folks, as a college kid, I wasn't really sure if I wasready to shell out the big cash for this device, but it sure looked tempting. I got lucky; I eventually found it on a popular auction site...And oh... it's definitely been worth every penny, especially at half price. Games have an unusual new kick to them. The only drawback: my midi cable that I use for my keyboard interferes with Sidewinder, so I have to swap cables in my sound card's joystick port. But if you have a controller card or you plan to use USB, you shouldn't have that problem. Overall, it's a bit pricy for a joystick, but it's a heck of a lot of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Hmm... Expensive, but nice.
Review: Well, folks, as a college kid, I wasn't really sure if I wasready to shell out the big cash for this device, but it sure looked tempting. I got lucky; I eventually found it on a popular auction site...And oh... it's definitely been worth every penny, especially at half price. Games have an unusual new kick to them. The only drawback: my midi cable that I use for my keyboard interferes with Sidewinder, so I have to swap cables in my sound card's joystick port. But if you have a controller card or you plan to use USB, you shouldn't have that problem. Overall, it's a bit pricy for a joystick, but it's a heck of a lot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: No real support from Microsoft
Review: While the features are good and it has a decent degree of reality in the design, Microsoft's decision not to make it compatible with their own operating system ie, Windows XP rnders it a throw away item. This is just another example of Microsoft's contempt for their trapped customer base. I notice the current model(FF2) has software to make it compatible with XP, which seems to be FF2's only real improvement. While I have limited experience with computer joysticks, as a retired fighter pilot with 4,000+ hours in various fighter, fighter bomber and attack aircraft, I would contuine to use their Joysticks if I thought they would support their own products.
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