[Questions To ED-Pedallers] - CH Products Flight Pedals, MadCatz, Saitek Pro or ?

[Zplintz]

I have seen a couple of reviews where people are suggesting they found the CH Products less configurable/adjustable (hardware wise) but better made and more responsive product than the more expensive Saitek. The MadCatz pedals look solid but the pedals look extremely small (especially for my size 11 clown feet).

Not wanting to start an argument (ie it would be nice if the comments were polite and constructive and don't turn into a mine-is-bigger-and-better-than-yours battle) about which works best for you in ED. I am interested in individual, personal and subjective points of view from people using one or the other (or have used all of them I guess).


I wondered what you pedalling Cmdrs out there think of your device(s), why you chose it and whether you are thinking of changing?


Also how configurable are these devices?
- Can I choose to bind any of the axis on the device to anything in the game?


Are they comfortable for use?


Do you find you have had to take additional measures to stop them moving (especially in those moments of excitement like combat or in my case when I just boosted entering a station)?


Primarily I want to control all 3 lateral thrust axis on the pedals - is that going to work or would I have to use the rudder action of the pedals to control they yaw (which is what I think is how they would be used in a plane)?


Do you notice the analogue nature of the controls compared to using digital buttons for thrust (or do you perhaps just push to full extent anyway)?

 

[Reido]

My experience is limited to CH Pro Pedals only. I bought my first analog set back in the 90's paired up with a Thrustmaster HOTAS setup and used that for a couple of years without any issues.

A couple of years ago purchased a CH Fighterstick and Pro throttle and re-bought the USB version of the Pro Pedals since I already had a good experience with the older set.

The software that comes with the CH products is very good and you can configure the controllers in a wide variety of ways just using the menu system and you can get even more precise and specific if you learn the scripting language and create custom scripts which is something I've never needed to do as yet since I've always been able to setup my controllers to do some pretty funky things through the menus (an example would be to have the toe brakes emulate keystrokes, but only when the pedal is tipped 1/3 of the way forward can easily be done without scripting).

Comfort is a subjective thing, and as I mentioned I've only ever used the CH pedals, that being said I would rate the comfort level as "acceptable". The main aspect affecting the comfort is the spacing between the pedals which is only a few centimeters.

The stability is an issue with any pedals without taking extra measures, and the CH would be no different. They do have large rubber feet, but any hard surface they're placed on has to be kept clean of any dust so they grip well enough. If the pedals aren't too far from the wall then a couple of peices of wood between the pedals and the wall will keep them from moving away from you or if they're placed on carpet such as mine, you can put some sticky back Velcro on the underside to keep them in place.

Controlling all three axis is going to be tricky with any pedals as the toe brakes aren't "centered" like a joystick, however, you can setup both toe brakes so that one uses the X 0-255 and the other uses the Y 0-255 on one of the axis and use the rudder axis for the other thrusters, so it's "possible" to control all the maneuvering thrusters with the pedals. I think it would depend more on whether the game will accept the toe brakes as a non-centered input, but there might be a way around that if it's not the case.

I have the sliding action of my pedals setup to control the roll of the ship and the joystick controls the yaw and pitch, which will seem backward for some people but just works for me. There is no "right" way of setting up your controllers, it's really a matter of what feel right to YOU.

The "analog" action is very good with the CH pedals and the sensitivity, deadzone and response curve can be adjusted with the CH software as well. Having a smooth transition for the control inputs is the whole point of having a HOTAS system in the first place in my opinion since you get the muscular feedback of knowing where the control inputs are at any given time without having to take your eyes off the action to look at the HUD.

There..I think that's my essay for the day

I hope it's helpful for whatever brand you choose to buy.


Andrew

 

[CMDR NightsLong]

I use CH products HoTaS setup too, short: can't complain I love them to be honest. Reido has said it all. However on my carpet they appear to never move so.