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Saitek JI3G Cyborg 3D Gold USB JoyStick

Saitek JI3G Cyborg 3D Gold USB JoyStick

List Price: $39.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: reasearch
Review: I havent recieved my joystick yet but ive read about every review for it and its even USB!!WOW!!:0 So all you people what reasearch stuff before you buy it, dont worry about it. I've read a TON of reiveiws and so far its an amazing joystick! And [inexpensive] enough for even me(which is AMAZING)!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tricky XP installation
Review: I just installed the stick and took it for a test run (Independence War 2), so I can't say how I'll like it overall, but so far it is great. Better than any stick I used before.

There is a tricky aspect to installation when running Windows XP though. The software CD that comes with the stick is no good for Win 2000 or XP, and you need to download the drivers from the Saitek web site (3 MB or so). When you run the installation, it installs fine, but doesn't walk you thru the final steps. It installs, and you are required to "OK" the "unsigned" drivers (twice). Then the install just stops.

At this point you need to restart the computer (but it doesn't tell you this). Once restarted, go to Control Panel, Game Controllers, and highlight the Cyborg. Then click "Properties" button, Settings tab, Calibrate button, and calibrate the joystick. Then Apply the changes, and exit control panel, and the stick should work great.

Have fun!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good concept, but with drawbacks
Review: I know I'm going to garner some criticism with this review, but hey, reviews are for giving your opinion. First off, this stick is a snap to install, taking no time at all. I'd recommend leaving out the gaming extensions stuff though, I haven't found it very useful. It's relatively easy to configure the buttons, although sometimes I've found the new setups failed to load up when I started a game (small problem, the stick's default settings are pretty standard). Saitek hit on a good idea to make this stick customizable, especially because I'm a lefty, and it's pretty cool to fly with my left hand (although I still stick to the right, I've been doing it for so long!). It's also convenient to be able to adjust the stick so it fits into my hand. I find most controllers to be too small, but with a twist of the allen wrench and a little adjustement, this thing fit like a glove. The only problem with the stick is the quality of construction. The thing just feels cheap. The small rubber pads on the base allow the stick to slip, and the base isn't heavy enough to withstand violent changes of direction without tilting. The trigger feels cheap, and it's pretty easy to fire without meaning to, so keep your finger off it unless you're ready to blast away. Well, I think I covered just about everything I wanted to. All in all, it's a pretty good stick for under ..., but if you're a little more active in your gaming, I'd go for a little heavier hardware.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Needs a bit more meat to it.
Review: I like it very much but I would like to see a bit more weight in the base. The feel is super. It plays 1942 very nice but I still have not gotten use to it for all of the game. I only use it for flying. I like having it being USB as it makes it very easy to setup as my system is very busy.
If you get this one, take time playing around with it before you put it on live.

Have fun and good luck, [AFS] SP6_Adamson

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Perfect Fit
Review: I've been playing games for a long time, but could never find a stick that fir my large hand, andlet me play left-handed. The Cyborg is great for this as I could quickly convert it to a perfect mirror image of the right handed style, And I adjusted it to fit me perfectly.

It's really precise too!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh, what a difference!
Review: I've had my share of joysticks in the past, and have never really been satisfied with any of them. This is due, in part, to my being left handed and not wanting to 'stick with my right. The Cyborg is different. This is a joystick that is truly a joy to use. The most readily apparent feature of the Cyborg that sets it apart is the ability to adjust the various parts of the stick. Not only can you swap things around from right handed mode to left handed mode, but you can also adjust the depth and angle of the thumb triggers on the top of the stick. You wouldn't guess that this is a comfortable stick just by looking at it; it is very industrial looking. But I have not had any of my usual hand cramps or sore thumb joints using it. The buttons are arranged in such a way so as to make four of them easily accessible without adjusting your grip on the stick (trigger and three thumb buttons). You also have an 8 direction hat in easy reach. I find the buttons to have a nice amount of play (very little), though this is a personal preference, and they all have an audio and tactile response. One of the nicest features of the Cyborg is odd looking external spring at the base of the stick. This spring not only gives the joystick a nice amount of resistance to movement without making you really torque on it to get to the extreme angles, but it also keeps the stick perfectly centered when you aren't applying pressure. Every other joystick I have used relies on internal methods in the base of the unit for centering, and all of them inevitably fail, resulting in annoying drift. The only potential drawback to the Cyborg is that it isn't force feedback. That's great for me because I have found FF devices to be pretty silly, but some folks like them. For a sturdy, reliable, comfortable joystick, I have yet to find anything that comes close to the Cyborg.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Joystick! The Low Price is Just a Bonus!
Review: Overall, the Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold is an amazing joystick! It's the joystick's precise, easy axis motion that I enjoy most. The Cyborg 3D is better than most joysticks that cost far more than it, so it is definitely one of the best deals you'll find.

I'll break it into pros and cons as most people have:

Pros:
1) Perfect feel to the joystick! Incredibly smooth and precise motion, twist, and throttle axes give much better control than most other joysticks.
2) Very customizable physically! You can adjust several different aspects of the joystick to best fit your hand and how you play.
3) Very customizable by software! Saitek includes excellent software to program the joystick, even for games that do not normally use a joystick for input (emulating mouse, keyboard, etc).
4) Lots of buttons! This decreases or removes the need for keyboard use in many games, so you can keep your offhand on the throttle or base buttons as necessary.

Cons:
1) There is a slight spring dead zone to the motion and twist axes that prevents the joystick from having a single resting place. Sometimes you can be stuck with a slight bit of input even when you're not touching the joystick, and have to tap it into its calibrated default position. However, this is mostly Microsoft's fault for not including dead zone in its Windows XP joystick calibration, and I suspect many joysticks suffer from this. Fortunately, many joystick-controlled games allow you to calibrate the dead zone.
2) Base buttons should be closer to throttle. Though this would remove the joystick's equal ease of use for right- and left-handed people, it would make the base buttons much more useful for games requiring constant manipulation of the throttle.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Joystick! The Low Price is Just a Bonus!
Review: Overall, the Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold is an amazing joystick! It's the joystick's precise, easy axis motion that I enjoy most. The Cyborg 3D is better than most joysticks that cost far more than it, so it is definitely one of the best deals you'll find.

I'll break it into pros and cons as most people have:

Pros:
1) Perfect feel to the joystick! Incredibly smooth and precise motion, twist, and throttle axes give much better control than most other joysticks.
2) Very customizable physically! You can adjust several different aspects of the joystick to best fit your hand and how you play.
3) Very customizable by software! Saitek includes excellent software to program the joystick, even for games that do not normally use a joystick for input (emulating mouse, keyboard, etc).
4) Lots of buttons! This decreases or removes the need for keyboard use in many games, so you can keep your offhand on the throttle or base buttons as necessary.

Cons:
1) There is a slight spring dead zone to the motion and twist axes that prevents the joystick from having a single resting place. Sometimes you can be stuck with a slight bit of input even when you're not touching the joystick, and have to tap it into its calibrated default position. However, this is mostly Microsoft's fault for not including dead zone in its Windows XP joystick calibration, and I suspect many joysticks suffer from this. Fortunately, many joystick-controlled games allow you to calibrate the dead zone.
2) Base buttons should be closer to throttle. Though this would remove the joystick's equal ease of use for right- and left-handed people, it would make the base buttons much more useful for games requiring constant manipulation of the throttle.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Saitek JI3G Cyborg 3D Gold USB JoyStick
Review: Price Range:[money amount](US)
The best stick for the money!
Robust design tells you at first glance, "I WORK - HARD!"
I have not been able to put this stick down since I bought it.

The Good: The smoothest, most comfortable, full-featured stick on the market. Ten programmable buttons. Smooth throttle controller. Ambidextrous design. Adjustable for hand size and thumb length. Eight position hat switch. Wrist rest and palm bar for comfort and relief of fatigue. Features pre-configured profiles for "Heat", "Quake", and most other popular first person games flight simulators.

The Bad: Micro-switch trigger makes misfires easy. Small base for those who get "into" their gaming experience, may tip during high excitement encounters (consider mounting).

The Ugly: It just is! Saitek followed the mechanical appearance, but don't let that scare you off.

Another great job Saitek, keep 'em coming!

- Catch me later -

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great stick
Review: Reasonable price, works great, comfortable............buy it.


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