The Joystick/Controller discussion thread

[danskmacabre]

Recommend me a Joystick please

I assume by what I've read there isn't mouse control supported for ED (such as like in Freelancer).

Assuming that's the case, seeing as I haven't owned a joystick for many years, Can I get some recommendations for a nice joystick please?

Preferably one that has the best compatibility, quality etc.
I like lots of buttons , thruster slider, hat, twist etc..

I use Windows 7, 64 bit.

 

[Asp Explorer]

I assume by what I've read there isn't mouse control supported for ED (such as like in Freelancer).

Assuming that's the case, seeing as I haven't owned a joystick for many years, Can I get some recommendations for a nice joystick please?

Preferably one that has the best compatibility, quality etc.
I like lots of buttons , thruster slider, hat, twist etc..

I use Windows 7, 64 bit.

Oh mouse control is definitely supported!

Having said that - if you are using mouse and keyboard, you will probably very likely be eaten alive by everyone with a joystick/throttle setup, including those unconscious and/or logged off

I'd suggest the X52 Pro, but really any stick is going to be a vast improvement for you.

 

[danskmacabre]

Oh mouse control is definitely supported!

Having said that - if you are using mouse and keyboard, you will probably very likely be eaten alive by everyone with a joystick/throttle setup, including those unconscious and/or logged off

I'd suggest the X52 Pro, but really any stick is going to be a vast improvement for you.

OK so sounds like a joystick is a good idea.
So the Saitek X52 pro is the bees knees then?
I don't mind spending a bit extra for a good quality joystick.

I think I had a Microsoft Joystick many years ago, which was very nice, but I gave it away during one of my moves.

 

[danskmacabre]

Ooh that Saitek joystick (comes in 2 parts) looks pretty awesome.
There seems to be people in another thread reporting issues with it though relating to USB issues and driver issues.

 

[KickahasTier]

XBox 360 controller

I assume by what I've read there isn't mouse control supported for ED (such as like in Freelancer).

Assuming that's the case, seeing as I haven't owned a joystick for many years, Can I get some recommendations for a nice joystick please?

Preferably one that has the best compatibility, quality etc.
I like lots of buttons , thruster slider, hat, twist etc..

I use Windows 7, 64 bit.

Well I just ordered an XBox 360 controller, not a joystick per-se but there is a little stick on it. Lots of buttons, hat, control stick, dpad. Also bulletproof reliable; I have always found joysticks to be terrible when it comes to reliability. I'm thinking it ticks most of the boxes.

(Wired ofc because who needs wireless lag)

 

[Flavio]

I personally was thinking of this http://www.dabs.com/products/thrustmaster-t-16000m-joystick-pc-6JFW.html?refs=11&src=3 or getting the xbox 360 pad but I don't have the funds to go for the x52 which is probably one of the best as everyone seems to be getting that.

 

[danskmacabre]

I could borrow an Xbox 360 controller from someone to try it out and see how it feels.
Certainly if it feels good enough I could just go with that, but then I don't mind throwing some extra money at a REALLY nice joystick such as the X52 if it plays out a lot better.

I sort of wanted to get a joystick or whatever BEFORE elite comes out, as perhaps the price will spike for a decent joystick once ED comes out.

I guess I'd need to try it out on an existing game to see how it feels, but which one?

 

[Asp Explorer]

I could borrow an Xbox 360 controller from someone to try it out and see how it feels.
Certainly if it feels good enough I could just go with that, but then I don't mind throwing some extra money at a REALLY nice joystick such as the X52 if it plays out a lot better.

I sort of wanted to get a joystick or whatever BEFORE elite comes out, as perhaps the price will spike for a decent joystick once ED comes out.

I guess I'd need to try it out on an existing game to see how it feels, but which one?

The 360 controller is workable, certainly better than mouse and keyboard. Just make sure that, if you borrow one, you get the wireless adapter too

 

[danskmacabre]

The 360 controller is workable, certainly better than mouse and keyboard. Just make sure that, if you borrow one, you get the wireless adapter too

Heh ok, noted. Or borrow a wired one.
If Elite turns out to be as good as it looks, I expect I'll be playing it LOADS.
I love space sims.

The X52 looks REALLY nice. I may as well give in and get that, I'll only agonize for weeks over it and eventually weaken in the end and buy it, so I can just save myself the trouble of all that and cave in straight away and buy it lol.

 

[Alpha Protocol]

Heh ok, noted. Or borrow a wired one.
If Elite turns out to be as good as it looks, I expect I'll be playing it LOADS.
I love space sims.

The X52 looks REALLY nice. I may as well give in and get that, I'll only agonize for weeks over it and eventually weaken in the end and buy it, so I can just save myself the trouble of all that and cave in straight away and buy it lol.

I've had an X52 PRO for some time now. I bought one for my wife too. They really are probably the best joystick for that price-point. If you want to spend 2-3 times as much or more, there are other very solid options to consider.

 

[Jorlin]

Ooh that Saitek joystick (comes in 2 parts) looks pretty awesome.
There seems to be people in another thread reporting issues with it though relating to USB issues and driver issues.

Yes, there are issues with the X52 and USB3 Ports...ran into it.
It's no driver problem...just a problem that, besides promises from the manufacturers, usb3 is NOT fully downward compatible with "old" USB devices. Had some other troubles before with my wireless headset (keyboard stopped working when using it)
For the moment i disabled USB3 support completely in my BIOS...although it supports disabling it for single ports. was to lazy to guess the right one...

The reason why i say it's not a driver related issue is: My System won't even boot with X52 attached. It won't even go to bios diagnostic screen.

Since i disabled USB3 support, everything is fine.

 

[ATARI.]

My advice, after playing the alpha is don't rush in to buying a joystick. I did (buy one), and it turns out I much prefer the 360 controller.

Not saying this will be true for everyone, just trying to save some people the trouble/money.

 

[alchemy42]

A friend of mine suggested the X52 Pro so I bit the bullet and picked one up.

It is so awesome, I'm having trouble coming up with a creative way to say how awesome it is.

I just discovered you can change the color of the buttons (green/red/amber). And the Alpha default settings are pretty damn good. Took me very little time to get used to flying with it.

 

[danskmacabre]

I've had an X52 PRO for some time now. I bought one for my wife too. They really are probably the best joystick for that price-point. If you want to spend 2-3 times as much or more, there are other very solid options to consider.

X52 is as about as much as I'm willing to pay for a joystick and it looks more than enough for my needs.

 

[Jorlin]

My advice, after playing the alpha is don't rush in to buying a joystick. I did (buy one), and it turns out I much prefer the 360 controller.

Not saying this will be true for everyone, just trying to save some people the trouble/money.

sure.
If you play mostly on consoles and you're already mastered the controllers, maybe best guess is to stick to it.
Same goes for K/M.
I didn't buy the X52 for Elite, in fact it was collecting dust in my wardrobe for some years

 

[danskmacabre]

Yes, there are issues with the X52 and USB3 Ports...ran into it.

My PC has USB2 ports on it as well, so I can just plug it into those instead of the USB3 slots. Hopefully it'll be a non-issue for me then.

 

[Asp Explorer]

A friend of mine suggested the X52 Pro so I bit the bullet and picked one up.

It is so awesome, I'm having trouble coming up with a creative way to say how awesome it is.

I just discovered you can change the color of the buttons (green/red/amber). And the Alpha default settings are pretty damn good. Took me very little time to get used to flying with it.

As far as the LED colours go though - it's a bit meh. At different brightness levels the flicker and strobing becomes annoying. Also, not every amber is the same, they have different tints on some buttons and that irritates me immensely So does the occasional unsticking from the surface , and you end up moving the whole controller and not the stick or throttle Otherwise, yeah - it's a lovely bit of kit

 

[Jorlin]

So does the occasional unsticking from the surface , and you end up moving the whole controller and not the stick or throttle Otherwise, yeah - it's a lovely bit of kit

Yep. But it has some lovely holes that cry to me: "please screw me" ...and i will do it
ehhh....i meant that i will put some screws... you get it.

 

[Asp Explorer]

Yep. But it has some lovely holes that cry to me: "please screw me" ...and i will do it
ehhh....i meant that i will put some screws... you get it.

Yup indeed. The only problem with that is I dare not actually screw it to my desk. It's in such a fragile state it would probably fall apart completely

I actually got some Velcro that I was meaning to put on the underside and take the suckers off, left it in the car. Completely forgot about it until now. I'll give it a try - IF I can get the silly car open, it's -18c outside and frozen stiff lol.

 

[Caylo]

I don't own one yet, but the X52 and its big Pro brother are mentioned so often in threads like these, there's got to be something to them. If you look closely at the developer videos, even Mr. Braben's team is flying with those!

Really thinking of picking up one of these babies myself, both for Elite as well as MWO, where it has been praised by a lot of players, too. Now I just need to find a store in the EU that sells them for a good price - if I end up having to import one, the customs fees are ridiculous.