Personally I prefer my T16000m to the over priced 52's.
Saitek X52 Pro
- Thread starter Piercetech
- Start date
Here are my thoughts after 'upgrading' from a Thrustmaster T-Flight X HOTAS to the X52 pro.
The thrustmaster is better out of the box. The only thing the X52 does better is it has more physical buttons which can be somewhat circumnavigated with the TF-X by using shift keys.
The X52 feels sloppier, moves too much, is missing a rudder control on the throttle control and I don't like the lightweight spring. The throttle has 2 horrible notches at 10% and 90% that are not useful. The X52 software is awful and you have to use it to get all the functionality. I have had to reinstall numerous times and it felt like going back to Win 95 with its driver issues.
The TF-X is great to use on your lap with it in bolted together mode. The notch for the middle of the throttle is perfect for 0%. The buttons and feel are precise and it has not let me down once in 12 months of use.
However, there are 4 mods you can do (and should do) to the X52 pro (or regular) to make it a much better experience.
1. Spring mod - inserting a plastic round disk or cable ties above the springs sorts out the sloppy, imprecise feel immediately.
2. Magnet mode. Buying 4 small 12mm x 3mm magnets and adding them to the existing inside the joystick instantly increases the sensitivity and removes the dead zone sloppiness.
3. Remove the 10% and 90% plastic notch from the throttle
4. Bolt or suction cup both to a small wooden or glass shelf so it can be used in lap mode.
Wow what a difference those four things have made. That has brought me round and I wouldn't go back now. But what a shame you have to mod it out of the box to make it better than a £39.99 equivalent.
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DO NOT BUY X52 PRO! If you can, just save up the money for something better. My X52 pro is kinda working but the drivers are just awful. Some of the throttle buttons work sometimes, and sometimes they don't. Which is nice if you want to use eg engine boost... Also the mouse "nipple" is erratic, even if you put max deadzones for it, the thing still might move like mad sometimes. Also, if you zero the throttle, sometimes it won't go to zero.
I don't know... all this hate against X52 Pro from many on this forum. I've owned two or three saitek Hotas going back to the days of Jane's F15. One of my friends also has always owned Saitek X52 and neither of us have had issues.
The drivers are unsigned. That's bad given that windows blocks one of the drivers without telling you so you can't have key-presses working via X52 pro unless you disable driver signing.
Other than that I've had no issues with my X52 pro and I've had it for a number of years.
The point is there are much better joysticks out there.
Hurricane Moon
Banned
ziljan is right,i should have listend to his advie when asked lol.....my x 52 pro lasted a few days.....straight out of the box the hat switch on the throttle had input problems.
i could not thrust down!...kept shooting me off to the right...and yes it was all calibrated properly....
i now use a x 55 rhino as i play DCS and FSX and xplane ect aswell......apparently the rhino has faults,but all i can say is i love it....the stick and throttle is superb...and the software isnt as annoying,and works.
edit-i got lucky with madcatz QC on this one it seems..
i could not thrust down!...kept shooting me off to the right...and yes it was all calibrated properly....
i now use a x 55 rhino as i play DCS and FSX and xplane ect aswell......apparently the rhino has faults,but all i can say is i love it....the stick and throttle is superb...and the software isnt as annoying,and works.
edit-i got lucky with madcatz QC on this one it seems..
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my first x-55 failed as the twist just 'went away' after 7 months, i am rather heavy handed with it in combat though. shipped off under warranty received a new stick and throttle with the batch number starting GO15. i have read that the previous batch to which my first stick came from was bad stock. this new stick 11 months, still going strong. heavy and somewhat aggressive use it feels so much better. even if i have to replace again, i love the x-55 and wouldn't entertain the idea of a different hotas it just fits perfectly imho. (though i thoroughly understand and can appreciate the torment of an expensive product failing and being unfit for purpose)
don't buy MadCatz/saitek . here my story with those people https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=130733
Nggh... one of my pet hates for input devices.
Edit: @OP
, You might consider Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X. Way cheaper (so excellent for a first try), and I'm very pleased so far.
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Aha...
I was wondering how a Saitek fails in a short period of time. I had a theory that perhaps it was due to rough handling/heavy handed. Thanks for confirming.
No matter how difficult combat is on elite, even if I'm about to lose my ship... I NEVER use excessive force on a HOTAS and that could be why I've never ever had issues with any Saitek HOTAS. Same goes for my friends.
I would suggest re-training yourself to use less force. It should be a precision tool rather than a plank of wood... regardless of brand. If I had a Thrustmaster HOTAS I'd still use it like a precision tool.
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The strange thing is that I didn't need to run the software when I first bought it, but then later on when the hardware started losing its calibration, the software needed to run all the time so that my ship didn't fly in random directions. After a month or two, if I closed the software, half of the buttons lost their mapping in ED. Now the input software will crash about once per hour causing the game to enter a "windowed" state which means my controls are completely non-responsive. At which point I have to alt tab back to the desktop, restart the input software open the control panel and alt tab back into the game to deal with whatever threat has been killing me for the past 20 seconds.
This can mean life or death when attempting a tricky planetary landing 25KLY out, or getting jumped by a gank squad in open.
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sound like you have a lot of fun
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My feelings precisely. To the best of my knowledge the Thrustmaster HOTAS X is the only HOTAS made that has a central detent on the throttle to demark the dead zone when the throttle is used full-range.
You can add me to the list of "Won't ever buy anything related to MadCatz ever again"
X55 tanked after approx 50 hrs of use, support only replies every 2 days, and took 6 weeks to get replaced. My replacement is still in the box. I got tired of the waiting and the hassle and bought something else.
That $200 I spent on the X55 might as well have been tossed in the fireplace.
X55 tanked after approx 50 hrs of use, support only replies every 2 days, and took 6 weeks to get replaced. My replacement is still in the box. I got tired of the waiting and the hassle and bought something else.
That $200 I spent on the X55 might as well have been tossed in the fireplace.
I'm no Saitek / Madcatz fanboy, but I bought an X52Pro during the ED beta last year, and it has worked fine since I've had it, and I'm very pleased with how it lets me control the game.
I'm currently using it with the Windows 10 beta drivers and software.
I've disabled clutch mode, and configured the mouse "nipple" axes to work as "bands".
Overall I'm very pleased with it.
I'm currently using it with the Windows 10 beta drivers and software.
I've disabled clutch mode, and configured the mouse "nipple" axes to work as "bands".
Overall I'm very pleased with it.
Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X has twist for rudders on the stick too. Sturdy and at a third of the price. It really is a sadly overlooked HOTAS.