Saitek PC X52 PRO Flight Control System

Considering that there really isn't any other joystick available at this price range, the x52 pro isn't bad. Beware of quality control issues and thoroughly test the device first though.The joystick itself is very nice, the throttle, not that much. The detents at 0% and 100% throttle are irritating and it could definitely have done with a few extra buttons and more ergonomic hats.

Excellent product and vendor. Completely satisfied.

Very very nice it is ultimate and very good quality product

Whilst being a premium product, the drivers in the software package - both on the disk and downloadable - are unsigned! This means that 64bit Windows systems will NOT install the supplied software drivers and consequently you cannot use the product as advertised. All they have to do is recompile the offending files with the appropriate digital certificate, maybe a days work (I worked 25 years as a MS Systems Developer & VB Programmer) Saitek/Madcatz have been notified and provided with evidence of the files to fix, so far its taken them 3 weeks with no fix yet on sight.[Edited 29/07/2015]I am now able to fully endorse this product as working correctly and think it an excellent buy for Elite Dangerous (that's what I purchased it for)With some considerable assistance from Madcatz, the correct drivers from their site at the time of writing this are:-Saitek_X52Pr0_Flight_Controller_7_0_34_109_ (either 32 or 64 depending upon your OS)_Drivers_pfw.exeSmart Technology 7_0_27_13 (either 32 or 64 depending upon your OS)_Drivers_pfw.exeThis installs the following along with the correct driversSmart Technology Programming Software 7.0.20.13Saitek Direct Output 7.0.34.109ftp://ftp.saitek.com/pub/software/full/Saitek_X52Pro_Flight_Controller_7_0_34_109_32_Drivers_pfw.exeftp://ftp.saitek.com/pub/software/full/Saitek_X52Pro_Flight_Controller_7_0_34_109_64_Drivers_pfw.exe

I purchased my X52 Pro primarily to work with Elite : Dangerous on my PC; this review is based on that experience. At the time of writing, my Steam client advises that I have logged approximately 300 hours in-game...The Saitek X52 Pro Josystick/Throttle set (and the accompanying pedal set, should you wish to acquire them) have clearly been designed [and priced] towards the serious end of the flight simulation / gaming market. So: what do you get; and, perhaps more importantly, are they worth it?The two supplied units are fashioned from a reasonably heavy duty, injection-moulded plastic, supplied with soft rubber feet which provide a perfect non-slip grip on my (varnished wood) desk and have the size and bulk to remain in place even when things get exciting. The units are connected by a removable cable with connectors of the PS/2 keyboard style (cable approx 1.65 metres in length) and a slightly shorter USB cable of 1.45 metres in length, to connect to your PC/console.In general use, the torsional strength of the springs used in these two units are extremely good - the weighting is firm not flimsy, but not so strong as to be fatiguing. The resistance of the throttle is perfectly balanced and showing no signs of slackening off after 4 months of solid use. However, the first major weakness of this set relates to the springing design for the joystick. There is a "dead area", a small zone of slack, which permits the joystick to just "flop" loosely, at the apex of it's travel. This dead zone allows the uppermost tip of the stick to move approx 7mm in pitch and 7mm in roll without the potentiometers engaging. I have to say I find this to be incredibly frustrating - it makes fine adjustments to flight direction almost impossible [requiring constant correction] and it is absolutely not something I'd expect after 4 months of gentle use from a control set costing over £100.Unlike other reviewers I had no trouble with installing the software on Windows 10 Pro, although I would concede that after installation there is no confirmation of success and no obvious Start Menu application to refer to should you want to configure things. You have to right-click on the applet in the system tray...I have tried [and failed dismally] in attempts to configure this joystick for use with older games; that might be just me, but bear in mind that this kit is a *big* step up from your basic Logitech Wingman... My only real gripe comes with the huge array of function buttons offered; with complex games like Elite Dangerous every single button does something, but remembering the load-out for infrequently used controls is not easy. Rather than spend money on things like 3 different coloured "mode" switches, I'd much rather have [for example] the ability to slide some thin card/paper label strips across the 3, 2-way buttons on the base of the joystick, so I can label them up... [or maybe even extend the LCD panel to both units.Final concern relates to cabling. If your PC is positioned to the right of your gaming area and if you position the joystick for your right hand and the throttle for your left, you might find [as I have] that the USB connection cable is a bit short. Unfortunately, this one is fixed to the throttle base, so your only option is a convetional USB extender. Not ideal, but not the end of the world...Pro's:1. Overall good build quality, with solid materials and a thoughtful design. The moements and actions for the throttle in particular are both weighted and "expensive". The throttle unit oozes quality.2. Extensive ability to customise the set, with a huge range of buttons distributed across the units.3. LCD panel in the throttle unit can be configured by game software that recognises it...4. Popularity of this model means that many games will recognise it out-of-the-box and pre-configure themselves with major controls working in a mostly logical way5. For the serious fan, the set can be extended with a full set of rudder pedals; for the rest of us, the control column of the joystick has a twisting rudder action...Con's:1. Expensive for a joystick set, even one of this quality2. The cabling setup does not anticipate PCs located to the right of the player; it would be wonderful if the PC connection cable could be linked to either unit, instead of being hard-wired to only one3. My set has a dead zone near "dead centre" that makes for incredibly annoying attempts to "centre on to" a remote destination when playing Elite. Requires constant correction. Argh.4. The down side of having such a wealth of function buttons, which means that remembering what they all do is a problem... Could be solved either with an integrated holder and card markup strips, or more use of LCD panels such as the one integrated into the base of the throttle unit...Overall: a polished, sophisticated and more-than-capable top-end gaming joystick that generally does a brilliant job of delivering an engaging gaming experience. Let down only by a couple of minor design oddities and a disappointing lack of build quality [with respect the dead-centre issue]. Just about earns a recommend, but only just...

The Amazon product page for Saitek controllers is a bit of a mess. The selection boxes include:- "Black Keyboard X55" - This is the X55 joystick- "Joystick" - That's the X52 (non-Pro version)- "Simulator Contoller (sic)" - That's the X52 Pro, which is the one I'm reviewing.If you have Elite Dangerous and you've glanced down in your cockpit, you'll see a keyboard and throttle that look an awful lot like the X52 Pro. And as you move the real joystick and throttle, the virtual ones move to match. So if you want it to look real (and especially if you're planning to use a VR headset), this is the joystick to go for.Elite Dangerous will autodetect the joystick, and will load sensible key mappings. I've changed mine just a little. You will need to install the Saitek software, but just to disable the "clutch" button on the throttle, and optionally to change some of the LED colours if you want to. You should NOT load a "profile" (keyboard mapping to the joystick buttons) as Elite Dangerous supports the joystick natively. If you want to make any changes, do it in the Options menu in the game.Having played with a perfectly good Logitech joystick for a year, the Saitek took my Elite Dangerous gaming experience to a different level. I've heard other people talk about reliability issues with the Saitek equipment but so far I haven't had any trouble at all with mine - other than the LEDs on the throttle not always coming on when I boot my computer, and that doesn't hugely bother me.Note for Star Citizen players: At present, Star Citizen does not natively support all the features of the X52 Pro, so you will probably need to find a profile (there are some available for download if you look for them). Once again, you can alter the mappings to suit your preference.

It's the best HOTAS that I'm aware of that has twist-yaw on the stick. I really enjoy using it but there are little things about it that bug me.General:- Firstly, unlike many review state, NOT ALL lights are customisable/dimmable, be prepared to use blue tack if you play in a dimly lit room.The stick:- The silver thumb switch on the stick is not comfortable to use with its rings of sharp edges.- The 3 paddle switches on the base of the stick feel very cheap and wobbly, but they work which is the main thingThrust:- Not enough digital buttons on the thrust and too many difficult to use analogue ones- The thumb mouse on the thrust is impossible to use for what it was intended, good luck moving the mouse to where you want it to go to!- The max and min click points of the thrust are really annoying and pointless - there is a guide to removing them on youtube but will void your warranty so I've not done that yet, will do though once the period has past and if it's still working by then.- The screen and buttons on the base are almost pointless for most games and when dimmed, the backlight flickers like mad. The only good thing about that bit is the clock and stopwatch... yes, that's it I'm afraid...- The (i) button is useless as far as I can tellSoftware:- I tried creating profiles but applying them simply crashes my computer (Win 8.1, an i7 with 16GB ram) so the profile switcher on the stick has never been used.So like I said, other than these gripes, I love this piece of kit. But it's expensive for what you actually get... but there are no real alternatives if you want the twisty stick (a must in my opinion).

This HOTAS is great, until it starts going wrong, and then it's not so great. It gave me probably 10 months of problem-free Elite Dangerousing before weird things started to happen. Lights would start to turn off and on. The joystick would just stop responding to input forcing you to quickly unplug and plug it back in, in the hopes that it would restore function (which happened maybe 3 times out of 4, which is GREAT fun in the middle of a dogfight!)The joystick eventually developed a drift and the dead zone would have to be adjusted in software, which made the whole thing slightly less accurate. Eventually, my wonderful partner bought me an X55 which has been rock solid, and she's inherited this slightly creaky setup. It works OK most of the time, but for something you pay over £200 for, I feel it should last longer than a year.