Joy Sticks

JoySticks

One of the questions that comes up probably more than any other for this game we love to play is about joysticks. Which is the best? Well, I doubt I can answer that question, but I can give you lots of information so you can make your own decision.

Let me start by saying I don’t use a joy stick per se’, I use a controller and a mouse, but it wasn’t always that way. When I first started playing MechWarrior 2, I used a keyboard. That was it, a simple keyboard. As I got more fanatical about my playing, I bought a cheap joy stick, one of those 15$ jobs that probably didn’t even have a name brand. I still found myself using the keyboard for many functions but I felt like the joystick gave me a bit more accuracy on my shots and more of that ‘in the cockpit’ feel.

When my son got interested in playing the game, again, back in the MW2 days, I bought him a Microsoft Sidewinder force feedback version. This stick was quite expensive (at least it was to me in those days) but it seemed to have everything you would want in a stick, a throttle control, plenty of buttons, torso twist and accuracy. It felt good in your hand and it was easy to control. The best thing was it was rugged and very accurate. He liked it and every time I picked him up he would ask if he needed to bring his ‘stick’. He was (still is) a mech fan.

He seemed to like it so much that I decided I needed a decent stick for myself. At that time, there were several ‘on line’ auctions where you could buy things pretty cheap. The Sidewinders were out of my budget (at the time) so I decided to look on the ‘web’ to find a decent stick for a decent price. I had been to the local ‘Best Buy’ and ‘Circuit City’ stores and I had been touchy feely over all they offered. Best Buy had this one stick called the Wingman Extreme Digital. It had a twist handle, seven buttons, a hat switch and it was very heavy.

In those days, ‘UBid’ was my favourite auction house so I thought I would check there for this stick. If I could save a few bucks and get a stick I wanted, then goody for me. The sidewinders were selling for 50 to 70$ and I simply was too cheap to pay that for a stick for a game. They did, however, have this Logitech stick that I liked from looking at Best Buy. The bid was only 5$ with a 5$ shipping charge. I figured wth, 5$ is not a big deal, if I didn’t like it, I was only out 5 to 10$. I set my max bid to 7.50$ and I bid on 2 of them (always need a back up). I won the auction at 5.50$ each plus 5$ for shipping. They showed up less than a week later.

This stick was pretty nice. It had USB connections and a very heavy base. I loaded the software and connected it with no problems and it worked fine. Later that night, I would fire up the game and see what it could really do. I gotta tell ya, I was impressed. The stick was stiff but accurate, the twist was smooth and the buttons were placed where I could easily reach them. The only thing I did not like was the throttle control. I was a bit on the dinky side and actually tough to push back and forth. As with most things, once you got used to it, it was fine. Those 2 sticks gave me many years of use before the controllers inside began to die. I really liked the feel of the stick and as I said, I got 3 to 5 years of use out of them for only 12$ each.

When they got to the point where I could not use them anymore, I decided to buy another stick. This model was no longer made and I couldn’t find any on EBay or UBid. I went back to the retail stores to what was available.

Logitech had this slick looking stick out called the Extreme 3D Pro. Wow. It felt nice, had lots of buttons (12 I think), torso twist, and an easy throttle control. The only downfall I saw with the stick was that I had big hands and the actual part that you hold on to was a bit smaller than my previous Logitech stick. It was not uncomfortable, but it was smaller and I did like the way it looked and felt and those extra buttons, w00t! Needless to say, I bought it. Exceptional stick. 11 onths later I was taking it back to swap it for another one. The controllers (pots) had worn out and it would not hold calibration. I had purchased the extended replacement warranty and I kept my receipt. With no questions asked, Best Buy handed me a new one and home I went. I went through 3 more in just 3 months. I sent Logitech some emails as to what was going on. I even used some of my work contacts to actually call the product manager and find out wtf was up with his sticks.

I got tired of the monthly swap fest and decided to buy an EVO. Saitek had a decent rep and some of the guys I gamed with said they loved theirs. So I bought one. It was a bit lighter than the Logitech stick and taller and it had fewer buttons. I had to re-map my controls and go back to using the keyboard for some functions that I had mapped to the Logitech before, but the EVO was a nice stick. Once I got used to it and got it adjusted to fit, I really liked the stick except that it was so light. I liked it enough that I bought a second one (always have a back up) in case the one I was using died in the middle of a match. I still have them both and that was 3 years ago. They both work and there have been zero issues with calibration or accuracy.

Because I like to try different things, one day while browsing around in Comp USA, I ran across a Thrustmaster Afterburner II joystick. This beast looked interesting, it was a 2 part joystick that could be joined or separated. There was a throttle control on one side similar to that of a jet and a joystick side with torso twist. There were plenty of buttons and it was relatively heavy enough that I wouldn’t be sliding it all over the desktop while shooting or being shot. The price was reasonable so I bought it.

Every time you change sticks there is a bit of a learning curve to get ‘used’ to the new one. The Thrustmaster was no different. I like t use the single player mode to ‘learn’ a joystick. After several plays, I was ready to go online with it. The stick had a nice feel and was easy to operate. Everything was in easy reach of a finger or a hand control, the twist was easy and the aim was accurate. The size and weight were very nice and did not slide under my ‘heavy handedness’. I really liked this set up except that it took a lot of desktop real estate and I had to find a place to put it when I wasn’t gaming. Another thing about the Thrustmasters, I believe that they actually manufactured the Sidewinders for Microsoft. If they didn’t, there were some things that were mighty close in looks and operations, mighty close. The Thrustmaster was / is a quality stick. I still have this one too.

Somewhere along the line I had received a racing game and a baseball game for my PC. (I don’t own any gaming consoles, but I have bought many for my son). I found it difficult to use a joystick for auto racing or even playing baseball, it just didn’t seem right. I went looking for a controller. I found a very nice one called the Gravis Xterminator Digital Xtreme.

This little controller had everything you need in a game controller. Lots of buttons, a couple of hat switches, a throttle control, finger flippers, a ‘D’ pad and a very small joystick, all for 40$. I love this thing and I still have it. It works great and it has lasted for years. It doesn’t seem to lose calibration and its pretty accurate. I even used it to play MW4 when my 1^st Logitechs died. I don’t recommend it for MW4, but it does work and it does a decent job. For you console gamers out there, this is a nice controller to sue on your PC and it gives you the same feel as you console games.

I have seen many folks migrate to the Saitek X45 and X52. I have never used one so I cant comment on the quality or the accuracy. One of the guys on the Blood Pearls has a X52 and he swears by it. He wanted that dual controller, cockpit feel of being inside a mech. Every now and then I hear him on comms complaining about this button or that button or that the software wont let him do a specific task, but I have to say that he is not very tech savy and just the fact that he is using the Saitek software at all is surprising to me. The X52 is an impressive looking set up and Saitek has made great strides in the quality of their products. The internal controllers or ‘pots’ on this stick are different and made to last. Of course this stick is a bit on the upper scale as far as $ wise goes.

Back to the Logitechs for a moment. Logitech came out with a cordless ‘Freedom’ version of the Extreme 3D Pro. I bought one of these and I have to tell you I was impressed. I don’t care much for ‘cordless’ products, but this stick is nice. IT is more or less the same stick as the 3D, BUT, it has different internal controllers (pots) and of course it is cordless. The plan from Logitech was that people would ‘want’ cordless and they would phase out the 3D version and this one would become the forefront in their gaming sticks. That didn’t go over so well with the public, they actually liked the 3D Pro so Logitech began to upgrade their ‘pots’ in the 3D with the same switches used in the cordless version.

There are many other sticks out there and I can only suggest that you choose one that you are happy with. CH Products make a fine set up sticks but they are expensive. Again, expensive to me may not be to you and you have to figure the cost of the stick vs the time of use. If you pay more than a 100$ for a stick, but you get 4 or more years use from it, then the cost of ownership is only about 25$ for a year (or less). That is pretty reasonable. Look around, find something you are comfortable with and something you like. Some need lots of buttons, others need only a few. Accuracy is very important as is the ability to hold calibration. I suggest that if you buy retail, that you buy the extended replacement warranty, one that lets you swap out the stick if you are just not happy with it.

What do I use? Well, As you can see, I went through several sticks and tried many. I still have a bunch of sticks in my closet (keep my wife away from there), but I don’t use a joystick anymore. One of my team mates turned me on

to a Belkin Nostromo N52 Controller and

a mouse. Couple of years or more now and I am still using the same one and it does everything I need or want it to do. With 14 keyboard type buttons, I don’t lack for any actions. It also has a ‘D’ pad that doesn’t lose calibration as well as a throttle control. The software allows you to program the buttons in up to 3 ‘shift’ modes (that’s roughly 42 functions). I also use a Logitech MX 518 Laser Gaming mouse. I sue the mouse for torso twist, throttle control, firing groups 1, 2 and 3 and the Nostromo for everything else. I only use the keyboard for chat.

This thing is very comfortable and it doesn’t slide around on your desktop. More so, it doesn’t take up much space on your desktop either. Its left hand only, but remember this, it is just a ‘smaller’ version of your keyboard, so its not a big deal. You just use your left hand to push some keys or your thumb to do what ever you set the ‘D’ pad up for using the software included. The software included also allows you to write macros. You could set up a macro to do certain things, like go active for 3 seconds, then back to passive and repeat this function until you stopped it, or set it so that it chain fires weapons, or even chain fires within a group, all at the touch of a button.

Belkin has just released a tournament edition that is all black and has the button ‘lit’ so you can read them in the dark. It offers a couple of other slight modifications, but overall, it’s the same controller as the N52, it just looks cooler. I have to tell you, I was against the N52 at first because it is a left hand controller and I never had much success using a mouse for gaming. It took me a week or so of learning curve ‘for the mouse’ but I have not regretted it at all. The N52 is not so expensive (even less now that a newer model is being released) (roughly 30$ and dropping) and it is very sturdy. I suggest you get a decent mouse for better accuracy and speed, but again, the price of a mouse changes every month or so as newer faster models come out. The best thing is, you need a mouse for everyday use anyway, so why not get a good one?

Well that about raps up my input on joysticks and controllers. I hope that somewhere in there you found something useful. The important thing to remember is to get something you are happy with and something that works for you. You might have to try several before you find the right one or you might just get lucky right off and get one that ‘fits’ you. Just because this is mech warrior, don’t be afraid to use the keyboard, or keyboard and mouse or even a ‘console type’ controller if that is what works for you. The important thing is that you are playing the game and having some fun.