Saitek X65F Pro Flight System

Zitat: Good Points: + Force-sensing pitch, roll, and rudder axes (if you like them) + Lots of buttons + High-quality feel and appearance + Metal construction + Force settings are adjustable on-the-fly Could Be Improved: - Forcesensing pitch, roll, and rudder axes (if you don’t like them) - Throttle feel is poor, throttle friction is too high, throttle must be made stationary for effective use - Forcesensing twist rudder is not feasible - separate rudder pedals are necessary for accurate rudder control - Programming software is not equal to the highend hardware - Throttle rotaries are hard to rotate from one extent to the other without repositioning your hand - Expensive (compared to the cost of other available HOTAS systems) It’s obvious that Saitek tried very hard with the X-65F Pro Flight Combat Control System. The ergonomics are great, the number of programmable positions is vast, and the entire package looks professional and is a pleasure to put one’s hands on. However, the software is less capable than it should be and is out-shined by the X-65F hardware. More importantly, two glaring issues severely detract from the enjoyment of flying with the X-65F. The first issue, X-Y bleeding when using the joystick, is most likely a side effect of the fact that the stick has no motion; perhaps a small amount of permitted motion in the stick base would help people fly more accurately, like it does in the real F-16 flight controls. This issue is one that X-65F owners will probably get used to, although it might take awhile. Some may even like the force sensing axes right away. The second issue, the feel and tension of the throttle, is not something for which one can learn to compensate. The throttle is too hard to move, period. Further, it has an uneven feel across the detents. And finally, it requires a permanent (or nearly permanent) mounting solution to be usable in air combat. There´s so much great potential in the X-65F, but its just not quite there yet.