Dead in the water now. Took my Wingman back and, after going through three of these things, got a full refund. But now I'm without a joystick.Searched the stores in two towns here and came up zilch.Now I'm browsing Ebay auctions and have seen two that really caught my interest.There were a number of Saitek X36 available starting at $10 and up.http://ebay0.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_4...b9ea8c6/i-1.JPGThere was one Saitek X45 at $65 with still 4 days to go so it will probably sell for far more than I can afford.http://www.cs.sunyit.edu/~augustm/ebay/sai...ottle_stick.jpgDoes any of you have or have had experience with these sticks who could give me some insight on them?Or, does anyone out there have something nice they wish to sell?I have about $50 that I can afford; maybe a little more (that I can't afford, but we do what we have to do when we REALLY want something) ;)Cheers!Heather

I've been following the prior thread with much interest.I had a USB CH Yoke which packed it in, and needed a replacement. I didn't want to invest the same amount in a replacement device.On the basis of what was posted I went out to CompUSA and purchased a Saitek Cyborg 3D USB yoke. I paid $29.95 plus Florida tax.I've got the unit programmed, and mated up with a pair of Simped Vario Gameport rudder pedals I've owned for several years (there's a neat little website called Stickworks that has a set of Rudder Only drivers to allow mating up gameport and USB devices which works nicely).The joystick has a nice feel and despite the cheaper price is actually easier to use than the yoke was (!!??!!). The price was right, and I'm satisfied with the way the unit operates. A few more function buttons/keys would have been nice, but considering what I paid, I'm not complaining. The only question, of course, is how it will hold up over the long term.Michael VerlinHistoric Jetliners Group

Heather I have the X36 going on 2 years now but since moving to XP I have lost the ability to program the stick. I am forced to use FS interface to program the buttons. Although this is not a huge loss it does limit the Hotas capability to basically program 1 button 3 different ways. The Throttle part has a mode 1 thru 3. Each button can be programmed different for each mode that you have selected. You also lose the ability to program complex keystroke combinations. As far as the tactile feel and ergonomics you cant beat it. Saitek is promising the completion of the programming interface but it has yet to be seen.Hope this helpsBob G

Heather By the way, if u decide to get it I would make sure you have the USB version and not the gameport version. By doing so you will be able to take advantage of the programming interface. Im not sure but I think the gameport version is no longer being supported.BobG

Heather Sorry for all of the posts but the picture of the x36 is a gameport version if you hadnt noticed.BobG

. Good luck on e-bayHeather, I just took a look at the Saitek site and they have the X-36USB reconditioned for $39.99 so don't pay more than that on e-bay.Best Regards, Ed Green, [email protected]

Thanks guys! I appreciate all the feedback. I'll keep that in mind regarding the USB aspect.Maybe that's why this one pictured was so cheap huh?Cheers!Heather

What about the MS Force Feedback?I'm not overly crazy about the Sidewinder but the FFB might be fun.Heather

I'm using the X45 & really do like it. Has two hat switches & plenty of buttons to take care of just about anything without having to use the keyboard. Usually runs 79.99 at stores for the USB model.L.Adamson

L.Adamson Does it work with XP?BobG

Heather,I bought the reconditioned X36 from Saitek andit has worked flawlessly for me.

>L.Adamson >> Does it work with XP? >Athlon 1900XPGeforce3Ti500512DDRramWindows XP (home)

L.AdamsonI guess what I should have said is does the programming interface work with XP. Do you have full programmability?BobG

Hi Heather,I can't recommend the X36/X45 series. I had an X36 for two years that performed okay until it died this spring. Only after I replaced it did I come to understand why I always had such trouble trimming many of the aircraft in FS2K2: It had become incredibly sloppy (wouldn't center properly). The real problem with these HOTAS is the SGE programming software. A fellow named Ron Hunt started a site to assist owners in learning how to program these things (don't know if the site is still sctive; Ron recently moved over to the Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS), which was much more helpful than anything Saitek ever did for the product. Saitek has also had a problem with buggy drivers (which isn't an issue with FS2K2; I never used the Saitek drivers in this sim). Many of the Saitek HOTAS owners have simply come to the conclusion that the company will never properly support the product, and that it is the owners as a group who must continue its development. But, as Larry stated, at $80.00 for a new X45, if it lasts 2 years you would get pretty good bang for your buck.I would tend to agree with Michael's recommendation of the Saitek Cyborg 3D USB. A friend, who is a casual simmer, has one and loves it. Another I would point you to is the Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner, which I believe is in the $50.00 range.I agree with others in the thread concerning USB vs. Gameport. USB only.Hope this helps,

Bob, I don't use any of the programs. I just assign a "bunch" of buttons from within the FS2002 menu. Maybe that's why I don't have a trim problem as suggested farther down the line. I also have an older Saitek 3D Digital (game port) tied into all this to make use of my NONE USB Thrustmaster rudderpedals. L.Adamson