Hi guysI read the review of the Saitek X52 today and it seems an impressive of kit. I currently have CH yoke and pedals and was wondering what is considered the best option of these two. The fact that the Saitek can do away with the need for the keyboard seems attractive.

I read it too. My question is...Can you use just the joystick and not the throttle piece? Is there a throttle lever on the joystick? Stan

I don't think there is anything on the joystick that would be usuable as a throttle input. though you could program buttons for F2 or F3 (I think most people would want an axis, though).As far as eliminating the keyboard, that isn't my experience with the X45.scott s..

Hi guys,My opinion is that the products differ depending on their use. The HOTAS setup is better for fighter games and combat sims. The CH setup is better for the commerical aircraft simulation side of things.Both have their advantages and disadvantages but I think it really comes down to what you do most. If you were flying commerically most of the time I would suggest that the CH yoke/throttle/pedals setup would be the best kit for you. In all honesty since I got my CH setup about a month ago the only thing I'm using my Saitek setup for is the MFD display. However the Saitek X-52 kit is good for what it is, though I get the feeling its not quite as solid as the CH products have been reported to be (Mine are a year and a half old and I'm starting to get some creep on the deadzones in a few axis')For the Saitek the clock on the MFD can be set to three different times zones (and in 12 or 24 hour formats) so if your flying from A to B you can have references to GMT time, Local time and Destination time which is especially handy especially since you sometimes 'lose' time in FS2004. Though I wouldn't be purchasing them just for that feature alone. I actually used the Saitek setup for a long time before my CH setup and found them good for what they are, though my throttle was 'noisy' which was not good for some aircraft (the movement would override the thrust controls).Frank,Be careful if buying for that reason as 'doing away with the keyboard' will only work if you have the ability to assign everything to keyboard buttons. Sometimes for setting things like MCP headngs and altitudes it may indeed be more practical to mouse scroll them rather than tap a button 10 times. Also if your using some of the more complex addons you should doublecheck that all the key assignments that you think you'd assign are available in the key command lists.In all honesty I have heaps of buttons spare between my Saitek and CH setups and have only assigned a few key controls to buttons/levers (throttle, flaps, gear, TO/GA, etc). I simply find it easier to set some things with the mouse and the other with buttons.Stan,You can always 'unassign' the throttle in the game and just not use it. However the joystick plugs into the throttle base which connects through a USB to the computer so you can't use the joystick standalone. There is no axis on the joystick that can be used for the throttle.I recommend both products, Saitek for value and price but CH for quality and reliability but wouldn't suggest buying both as one makes the other kind of redundent. If you already have the CH setup and rarely fly combat simulations then I don't think the Saitek would be worth it. I think you should look at the whole 'doing away with the keyboard' thing very closely before you purchasw the Saitek as I'm not sure it would be wholly 'practical'.Hope that helpsJeremyP.S If your after a few more button have a look at the throttle quadrant, although it probably is overpriced it gives me enough buttons to assign things that are important as well as having the additional buttons on the axis themselves. For example my throttles have the reverse detent buttons as an F2 keypress so if I slide them right back on landing I know I have fully cut the throttles. For the spoilers I assigned the detent to 'arm spoilers' so to arm the spoilers I simply have to move the level back to the detent.

Thanks for the input. I think I'll stay with the Saitek Cyborg Force that I have now (I also own a FF2 Sidewinder and a non-FF Saitek Gold). I also have the CH Yoke and Pedals, but because my wife uses the main computer that I use for FS, it's a pain to keep setting it up when I want to fly. We have several laptops in the house, but it seems the main pc has a lot of appeal for both of our needs. Because I like the CLS Airbus series and fly it quite a bit, the joystick always has more appeal to me over the yoke. For GA aircraft, I'll sometimes set up the Yoke and Pedals if I plan to spend a good deal of time with that type of aircraft. Confusing...but I'm always in search of the perfect input device. How about a FF Yoke? Stan

To ask which of the two products is the best option is, in my opinion, not a fair question. The two products complement each other. Flying aircraft equipped with yokes is best achieved using the CH yoke and pedals while flying stick-equipped aircraft and helicopters, then the X52 is the answer. I use both and I am very satisfied with both products. I like flying helicopters and for this the X52 is the smoothest (and I want to underline 'smoothness') and most versatile product I've owned. Over the years, I've tried three different joystick products and find that the X52 more than meets all my requirements. However, when using the X52, I couldn't do without the CH pedals, especially for flying helicopters. And lastly, when using the X52, my experience has been that I have to temporarily unplug the CH Yoke (not the pedals) because of an incompatibility mostly related to rudder control. Hope this is helpful.JJM

Thanks guys for your thorough replies to my original question. I will have to ponder for a little time longer:-rollI have never mastered the art of helo flight using the CH yoke but can see the sense and purpose of having the CH pedals for this along with the X52. Also are not the Airbus a/c fitted with a (side)joystick control rather than a yoke? Perhaps I can persuade the other half to part with some notes for a Xmas pressie:-rotor or perhaps :-spacecraft