Recommended Joystick?

C

Clavius0712

New member
Joined
Jan 26, 2009
Messages
86
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi All,

I only discovered Orbiter a week or two ago and have been blown away by it! To think this is a free download when it's as good, if not better, than many a commercial game! I have been playing for several hours most nights and am beginning to get the hang of all the controls, MFDs etc., however I am still using the number pad for control of the RCS in space and the ailerons etc. when in the atmosphere of Earth.

Is there a good Joystick anyone can recommend that is suitable for use with Orbiter and which would allow Orbiter spacecraft to be flown more intuitively? I'm finding take off and re-entry/landing particularly difficult using the numpad alone.

Any advice much appreciated and I would like to say hello to everyone as I can see myself coming back here a lot more!

Clavius0712
 
Clavius0712 said:
Hi All,

I only discovered Orbiter a week or two ago and have been blown away by it! To think this is a free download when it's as good, if not better, than many a commercial game! I have been playing for several hours most nights and am beginning to get the hang of all the controls, MFDs etc., however I am still using the number pad for control of the RCS in space and the ailerons etc. when in the atmosphere of Earth.

Is there a good Joystick anyone can recommend that is suitable for use with Orbiter and which would allow Orbiter spacecraft to be flown more intuitively? I'm finding take off and re-entry/landing particularly difficult using the numpad alone.

Any advice much appreciated and I would like to say hello to everyone as I can see myself coming back here a lot more!

Clavius0712
Click to expand...

The Saitek Cyborg X would have to be the best single piece joystick around. It is still quite new so finding one might take a while.
 
Pilot7893 said:
Saitek AV8R
Click to expand...
I have the same one. It's pretty good and should have all the buttons you may need. Having programming software for key/mouse commands is also a bonus. (not that other joysticks don't have the same thing) ;)
 
That said, don't map joystick movements to the num keys - there's an addon, called fly-by-wire, which is specialised in doing that.

It's free as well.


-----Post Added-----


Clavius0712 said:
Wow, it's got it's own MFD! Can this display an Orbiter MFD? I think there is a module to allow for external MFDs. That would be awesome!
Click to expand...

Hum... I'm not sure. Though, I would think that someone would be able to code an addon that allowed you to pull up basic information on the X52's MFD, like your pitch, AoA, Ground Speed, Altitude, etc.
 
I use a Logitech Wingman Extreme 3D. It has enough buttons to make flying on a laptop easy, and does a good job. Also comes with LogiTech's "Profiler" button mapping utility, so you can set the joystick up multiple ways for multiple games. My only complaint is that it's too bulky to fit inside my laptop case, but that's why I have a game-type controller (sadly with no throttle; thrust is binary!).
 
I would use the ST290 Pro from Saitek for orbiter flights. It has all the controls you need.
Jest to let you know there is orbithangar.com for orbiter addons, best place.
 
I use the Logitech Extreme3d pro. It's got a stiff response (not forcefeedback) that I like so I can "feel" the craft whether I'm "riding on that arrow of fire right up into heaven" on the Delta Glider, or cruising around the country in a FS2004 Mooney bravo.
 
I use Microsoft Sidewiner 2.
It had a lot of buttons and a slider, but it's a little old.
 
Just to let you know, I decided to go for the Saitek Cyborg X. It's a bit pricier than some of the others mentioned but I felt this was worth it for such a nice piece of kit - and it's only the price of a typical PC game, which seeing as Orbiter is free, is quite acceptable.

Thanks everyone for your advice.
 
James.Denholm said:
Or, if you're looking for something a little more hard-core, this one's pretty sweet.
Click to expand...

Thats the one that is sitting inches from my hands :lol:
Been using it for awhile and I love it.

About the MFD screen - It doesn't seem able to accept data from games. It comes with free SST mapping software thats easy to use and you can even "record" your keypresses (the delay between them too I mean) for more complex entries. And theres no need - I would hope not - to map the joystick to the number pad keys. There would always be static thrustings that couldn't be tapered. Orbiter supports it and takes care of the main slider and stick for you.

The MFD screen is basically to show which mode (mapping set) of the current profile you're on. So, lets say you made a profile for an XR2. Alot of buttons, right? Well if you use all the available, you can go to the next "mode" and re-use the buttons there. The MFD screen also displays time with your option of 12hour or 24hour displays, and I do belive you can set multiple time zones and scroll with the scroller next to it. This is nice, since every time you look at your throttle, you're reminded of how late you're staying up and playing Orbiter each time. :rofl:

This model was also in the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still", the new one, used by the Predator UAV pilots. Even has a safety cover on the main firing button, which is really :speakcool:

I do indeed recommend it for those with the cash and the need for a joystick!:cheers:
 
Another vote for the AV8R (Aviator). I especially like the dual throttles configured as main/hover or main/retro. The mode switch is great for the toggles, simply put it allows for 24 different functions to be mapped to the switches. I generally have a basic atmospheric mode, a SCRAM mode (XR series craft) and a docking/hover mode. As is the case, I'm sure, with any other of the quality joysticks mentioned, proportional thruster control is pretty good, too.
 
I use Microsoft Sidewinder.
It has worked for years.
I only use it for atmospheric flight.
For space flight it is better to use keyboard, IMHO.
 
Word of warning about the X52;

I bought an X52 along with the Saitek Pro-Flight rudder pedals about 2 years ago, and whilst my setup was great at first (and still is), recently the stick and rudder pedals have ceased to centre properly, so when I take my hands off the stick in Orbiter and X-Plane, I continue to roll to the right with similar effects after yawing. Having reinstalled both Orbiter and X-Plane, along with my Saitek drivers I have to conclude that it's a hardware issue.

Maybe it's a wear and tear thing (my setup was used probably more than is healthy over the period of time in question, and a lot of that was harsh use with CFS and F4) but I just thought I'd mention it seeing how expensive they are!
 
Hmmm, sounds like X52 has calibration problems...
Those were the reason why I stopped buying crappy joysticks in the distant past.
Crappy joysticks have that calibration problem in time.

I also had a Cyborg Saitek many years ago, but the problem of it was lack of sensitivity near center.
That was the reason I moved to Sidewinder, despite of the fact Saitek Cyborg was better looking and more comfortable.

Microsoft Sidewinder haven't given me such problems during these years.
 
Dickie said:
Word of warning about the X52;

I bought an X52 along with the Saitek Pro-Flight rudder pedals about 2 years ago, and whilst my setup was great at first (and still is), recently the stick and rudder pedals have ceased to centre properly, so when I take my hands off the stick in Orbiter and X-Plane, I continue to roll to the right with similar effects after yawing. Having reinstalled both Orbiter and X-Plane, along with my Saitek drivers I have to conclude that it's a hardware issue.

Maybe it's a wear and tear thing (my setup was used probably more than is healthy over the period of time in question, and a lot of that was harsh use with CFS and F4) but I just thought I'd mention it seeing how expensive they are!
Click to expand...

Have you tried calibrating the joystick?

I personally have a Saitek X45. I love the throttle, but the stick...notsomuch. It looks too cartoony to me (I think the X52 has a better color scheme) and some of the buttons are very difficult to use (ie, the pinky switch). I also didn't like how it's not a twist stick for yaw, but rather they have this weird little lever on the bottom of the throttle for yaw (believe the X52 fixes that, as well).

My solution was to pick up a Wingman Extreme Digital 3D from the local goodwill for $5 (lots of play in the stick, but if I set a large enough deadzone it's fine) and use that as the stick combined with the X45's throttle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Problem I can't Go Play in Space because I can't control my craft.
Replies
11
Views
3K
based8
B
MVA
Hardware Developing low-cost flight control (WIP)
Replies
3
Views
3K
MVA
MVA
A
Problem HELP! Can't download Orbiter 2024. 0 B/s. on download
Replies
0
Views
323
azpaleo
A
H
Joystick not appearing in Orbiter 2024
Replies
5
Views
3K
Gondos
G
T
Problem Fly by wire ignoring rcs / off mode
Replies
0
Views
775
thom
T
Back
Top