Since my the throttle MS Sidewinder Precision 2 has ceased to function I need a new joystick but I find it hard to find any good alternative.I now have CH Pro Pedals USB and FS9. I wan't a joystick that works fine with FS9 but it should also work fine with other flightsims also it should not be very expensive. CH tells me that I can't mix USB and gameport devices. Does this mean only CH products? If not the joystich must have USB connection.I looked Wingman Digital 3D but I think it didn't feel good. I have had a Cyborg earlier which broke down. It feels somewhat bad to buy something I have had before and broke.Otherwise I think about MS Sidewinder Force feedback but I have heard there is much problem with forcefeedback and FS. Is there another forcefeedback joystick that could be an alternative?I suppose the CH flightsim Yoke is one of the best alternatives for FS9, but it's a little bit to expensive and how well is it in other flightsims?I really can't find an alternative that feels fully satisfactory.

Well, generally - the question is - where is the technology going? Almost every device is now being produced to connect to the USB(2). Put a 128MB card into a Digital Camera, for e.g. and you've got a (albeit small but better than a floppy) removable drive/memory simm. Modern cases all come with two or more usb ports on the front, with another four in the back. What type of a/c do you like to fly? The ThrustMaster has been around for a while - and supports usb - and ->this IS where the tech is going.. I fly MAAM-Sims B25 "Briefing Time" B25 and CaptainSim's "727" - so I want/(need?) a yoke and (the new)throttles.. Yes I will buy the new throttles and the yoke and the pedals, because - quite honestly - MS's FS9 and the fabulous new add-ons are SO good. The experience since 2000 is incredible.If I were a Tom Cruise-type I suppose I would want the stick. The gear is out there and you only live once. It's all priorities.PJ

Real quick, I've got a Suncom SFS throttle on a USB adapter, and the SFS Flight Controller joystick set up on my gameport. Don't know what they're talking about.

One word.............SaitekX-45 is Dollar for Dollar one of the best Joy/Throttle quadrants available.Bobby

For the most I fly the Cessna but would like to test other planes also.

Yes I have been considering this Saitek X-45 but I found the pricesomewhat high. And if you are going to spend that money why not add50% and buy a CH flightsim Yoke?

>Real quick, I've got a Suncom SFS throttle on a USB adapter,>and the SFS Flight Controller joystick set up on my gameport. >Don't know what they're talking about.>I suppose they are talking about their own products.

If you can find one,Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner 2. (Non Force feedback)VERY comfortable right handed stick with 4 buttons (button number three is a bit odd, but since I use it for trim, no loss)A full throttle with Detants for idle and after burner. The throttle also includes 4 buttons as well as a rocker switch to act as a rudder (or twist handle, should you desire). Whole setup ran me 60 bucks at Comp USA and worth every penny, and it's the best stick I have had since the original sidewinder precision pro.I hate the X-45. The stick is uncomfortable, I find the throttle to be intimidating, and the pinky trigger on the stick is ludicrous and painful. Plus the flip to fire on button two is cheesy and gets in the way.The Thrustmaster is much more comfortable and has nearly the bells and whistles of the x-45. Plus the throttle can either be attached to the stick with allen screws to allow a nice one piece affair, or unattached and used with at wire between them two provide better separation.Sorry if I'm pimpin, but this is the best stick I have run across in years.Click below for a peekhttp://us.thrustmaster.com/products/lookpr...&skin=Joysticks

>If you can find one,>>Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner 2. (Non Force feedback)>I can find one. A store can order them and it would cost about60% of a Saitek X-45. This store recommended me the CH flight yoke which they said is of much better quality and have three years guarantee compared to one year for the joysticks.

As far as price being high I'm not sure what your talking about. I purchased my Saitek last year for $79 at Compusa. As little as 2 months ago I saw it on sale for $69 with a $20 Rebate. Even at $80, it's still less than what you would pay for a yoke.As far as some of the comments below about it I have to disagree on some points. It has been rated the number 1 joystick 2 years in a row from several major hardware sites. As far as the cheesy buttons go, if your into combat sims as well as GA/Comm flight sim than it is a best of both worlds scenario. If your looking for a true to GA/COMM feel than a yoke is the way to go. The flip up fire button is in fact useful in combat and lends itself to a more realistic feeling.I consider the ThrustMaster exactly what it is meant to be. A midrange multipurpose joystick. It's the "Cheap" feel and materials that bother me. Grab a hold of both sticks and see which "Feels" better. Smoother. take a look at the quality and craftsmanship that make up the Saitek. The ThrustMaster screams made in Taiwan.(No offense to any Taiwanese people on the boards.) The Saitek says German engineering. I will agree the pinky button has to go.Like the below post this is just my opinion but having used both I can say that overall quality, fit and finish of the Saitek lets it win hands down.Good luck whatever you choose.Bobby

Just a few links for ya......60% less than the Saitek??????From Newegg.Comhttp://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?...cription=SaitekCompusahttp://www.compusa.com/products/product_in...8294&pfp=SEARCHThe Control Center Review:http://www.joy-stick.net/reviews/joysticks/x45.htmAVSIM Review:http://www.avsim.com/pages/1001/saitek_x45/saitek_x-45.htmlJust one more :)http://www.gamersdepot.com/accessories/Saitek/x45/001.htmOK so I love it Lol.....Bobby

The "Can't mix USB with gameport" thing is at least partially fiction where FS2002/4 is concerned. I am still using the gameport CH CombatStick and Pro Pedals that I've had for years, with a relatively new CH USB Pro Throttle. It works fine. I also had a CH USB Flight Yoke for a while and it worked fine with my gameport pedals.Other sims/games may/will have issues - I know X-Plane does - but I fly FS most of the time these days so it's not a big issue. One thing about FS2004 is that its device support is probably the best out there in games/sims.That said, you'll probably have the least hassles with an all-USB setup.BTW I bought a Logitech Wingman Extreme USB twist stick for my 2nd computer setup, and I personally think it's a very nice looking and feeling joystick (I'm not sure how it relates to the Digital 3D one you mentioned though). If it had the same number of hats as the CH USB 568 stick I'd probably just use that (less the twist axis, which I don't need), but it doesn't, so a 568 and USB pedals are on my eventual buy-list. Mostly I want the toe brakes of the USB pedals, which is non-trivial to get to work with the gameport version (actually impossible as long as I have a gameport joystick). And, I do want an all-USB setup so that X-Plane works better - I fly it on occasion and it sure wants me to have either one or the other.Dave Blevins

perhaps some of the things you say is true, as far as stick quality goes, I am very happy the the TM. In fact, I have had the Saitek Cyborg stick and that stick broke very early on, as the allen screws that allowed all the "customizations" were not strong enough.As a result, the entire head of the joystick would wobble any time you tried to use it, and because it was meant to be "ambidextrous", some of the comfort was sacrificed to allow left or right-handed operation.On the X-45 The pinky button is what kills it for me, It's too small and causes welts, and the stick is not very comfortable if you try to not use it. Also the flip up, has a tendancy to flip down. For me, the added realism of "turning off the safety" is not that important for me. On a long Flight Sim session, I need comfort, and in that arena, the TM wins hands down. Simply put, the TM is one of the three most comfortable sticks I have used. being in a virtual tie with the ORIGINAL MS precision pro, and the ORIGINAL Logitech Wingman Extreme.

If budget is a consideration, look at the non-force feedback Wingman Extreme Digital Stick. I know you say "it didn't feel good but was that the floppy FF stick? I have used the non-FF stick since day one; I bought the FF sister but that is (like most FF sticks) not as precise for flying and after a while you get fed up with having your hand unrealistically shaken to bits anyway - I used it for a day or two and then used it to prop up books.I have CH Products USB yoke, pedals and the Wingman all set up together. Wicked combination. Y & P for Cessnas to Boeings; S & P for Airbuses, fighters, helicopters. What more could a man want?The Wingman is reliable, tough and does what it is supposed to do for about $35 these days I think. Look no further.It doesn't make coffee, though. I use my walking Wingman for that. Her name is Maryann.Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

>If budget is a consideration, look at the non-force feedback>Wingman Extreme Digital Stick. I know you say "it didn't feel>good but was that the floppy FF stick? I have used the non-FFNo it was the non FF and it didn't feel good moving the stick andthe POV button.