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Game Controllers: Ratings of Sources
Total of 24 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. IGN.com
As of June 2009
PC Hardware
by Editors of IGN.com
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Although they don't make their positive reviews easy to find on this list, gaming website IGN.com has managed to provide more reviews of top game controllers than any other site. Reviews are thorough, based… on hands-on testing and littered with references to each device's competitors so you know how it stacks up to other options. Each device receives a rating on a 10-point scale, and IGN designates the best products. The Arcade-In-A-Box Slim Arcade Custom Controller, X-Arcade Tankstick, Logitech Momo Racing Force, Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control and Xbox 360 PC Controller are the best-rated game controllers overall, with ratings of at least nine out of 10.

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2. About.com
Not Dated
PC Steering Wheel Roundup
by Steve McCormick
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Steve McCormick, About.com's NASCAR guide, reviews 15 PC steering wheels, rating them based on his impressions of "racing feel... look, convenience and value." Three standouts receive perfect scores of five… out of five, and a later review of the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel gives it the same rating. Each review includes quick pros and cons, a more detailed description of the device based on McCormick's testing, and occasional user reviews. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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3. Techgage.com
As of June 2009
Latest Gaming Peripheral Articles
by Editors of TechGage.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

TechGage.com, a website devoted to news about and reviews of technology, covers a handful of game controllers. The articles are thorough, providing key features, a discussion of hands-on testing, a product… rating on a 10-point scale, and, in some cases, a plethora of photos and step-by-step walkthroughs of using the device. Thoroughly impressed, they give both the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control and the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel scores of nine out of 10.

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4. I4U.com
As of June 2009
Peripheral Reviews
by Editors of I4U.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Gadget website I4U.com reviews an array of peripherals, including gaming mice, keyboards and other controllers. The reviews are detailed, covering each device's features with a separate page listing… specifications. Each reviewer discusses impressions from hands-on testing and provides a final verdict and a rating. Of game controllers, the X-Arcade Tankstick and Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control and Pro Rudder Pedals receive the highest score, nine out of 10.

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5. OverclockersClub.com
As of June 2009
Hardware Reviews
by Editors of OverClockersClub.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment OverClockersClub.com, a website devoted to maxing out PC performance, features an impressive array of hardware reviews. Their multi-page articles, covering installation, testing, feature lists and value comparisons, are among the best available. However, they cover only four game controllers, two of which are made an Editors' Choice and one of which receives a Gold award.
6. GameVortex.com
As of June 2009
Hardware
by Editors at GameVortex.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Game Vortex is another gaming website that reviews gaming hardware and software, providing straightforward reviews and ratings on a percentage scale and occasionally selecting top picks. The Saitek Cyborg Evo Force is one such pick, receiving a score of 97 percent. Each review appears to be based on testing, but none are as detailed or comparative as those provided by other sites.
7. GameSpot.com
Feb. 2009
Street Fighter IV Arcade Stick Roundup
by Lark Anderson and James Yu
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment According to this roundup from Gamespot.com, Hori makes the best combat joysticks. Editors also recommend an arcade stick from Mad Catz. Reviewers Anderson and Yu run down each stick's features and discuss their impressions from testing the units, giving both Hori options four out of five stars.
8. TechRadar.com
As of June 2009
Joysticks and Gamepads
by Editors of TechRadar.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment TechRadar.com's reviews are not as thorough as others', but their advice, based on first-hand testing, is sound. Moreover, they are on top of recent developments in game controllers, providing one of the few reviews of the new Thrustmaster Ferrari F430 Force Feedback Wheel, one of only three controllers to receive 4.5 out of five stars.
9. Amazon.com
As of June 2009
PC Gaming Hardware
by Contributors to Amazon.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Amazon.com's game controllers section includes subsections for gamepads, joysticks and steering wheels and pedals, but you'll have to look in the video game department for the user favorite Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, which is compatible with PCs. While user reviews generally do not compare products, they can help ascertain a product's durability and usability in real world conditions.
10. FlightSim.com
As of June 2009
Reviews: Hardware
by Editors of FlightSim.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment FlightSim.com reviews an impressive amount of flight simulator hardware, including the only in-depth review we could find of CH Products' new Eclipse Yoke. The reviews are thorough, providing results of hands-on testing as well rundowns of features. Unfortunately, all of the products are almost unreservedly recommended, and none are directly compared to each other.
11. Bright Hub.com
As of June 2009
Gaming Gear and Culture
by Editors of BrightHub.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

BrightHub.com is the only site that has rankings for all types of game controllers -- gamepads, joysticks and steering wheels. Although the articles are not terribly detailed or based on first-hand testing,… they do an excellent job of summing up the consensus picks. Most importantly, their round-ups are quite recent, making BrightHub.com a decent site for the most current top picks for any type of game controller.

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12. Computer Joysticks
Aug. 2008
Best Computer Joysticks
by Kevin O'Reilly
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Computer Joysticks' Kevin O'Reilly briefly describes his top-10 joysticks and provides links to detailed but not particularly critical discussions of some of them. O'Reilly does not explain why these joysticks made the list, though, or how he ranked them.
13. HubPages.com
Not Dated
Flight Simulator Controls
by "ojkershaw"
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This article provides a succinct overview of the leading peripherals for flight simulation. Although the product descriptions focus primarily on listing features and do not include testing results or rigorous comparisons with other products, contributors to the site do an accurate job of casting each device within its competitive landscape.
14. FileFactory Games
As of June 2009
Hardware Reviews
by Editors of FileFactory Games
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment FileFactory Games is by no means a comprehensive source for gaming hardware reviews, but the items it does cover receive excellent, detailed reviews based on hands-on testing. Most of the game controllers reviewed get very high scores, but the conclusions are not out of line with other sources. Their review of the NaturalPoint TrackIR 4 Pro is the best we found.
15. DriverHeaven.net
As of June 2009
Hardware Reviews: Gadgets/Accessories
by Editors of DriverHeaven.net
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Although this site does not review many game controllers -- instead focusing on graphics cards and PC components -- their reviews are thorough and credible. Editors tend to cover lesser-known items like the… Saitek Cyborg gamepad and NaturalPoint's TrackIR (an Editors' Choice winner), making the website a valuable complement to other, higher-rated review sites. Although editors do not review the Xbox 360 PC Controller, they say the Saitek Cyborg is unable to unseat Microsoft's gamepad as the industry leader.

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16. SimHQ.com
Jan. 2007
The Trifecta of Flight Sim Peripherals
by Frank Giger
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Reviewer Frank Giger of SimHQ.com, a website devoted to flight simulation, gushes about Saitek's X52 Pro Flight Control and Rudder Pedals, comparing them favorably to competition from CH Products as well as… the original Saitek X52 Flight Control. Although his experience with products from both companies makes Saitek's offerings sound more compelling, we would have preferred a more direct comparison of the two.

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17. FiringSquad.com
March 2005
CH FighterStick/Pro Throttle and Saitek X52 Review
by Jakub Wojnarowicz
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Although dated, this in-depth comparison of the CH FighterStick and the Saitek X52 is by far the most detailed and rigorous of any available. Reviewer Jakub Wojnarowicz not only subjects each device to… intensive hands-on testing but also provides a complete comparison of the two devices, concluding that the Saitek X52 is good for beginners but the CH FighterStick is the best choice for experienced users who want unparalleled accuracy.

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18. OzHardware.com
May 2007
Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System Review
by Editors of OzHardware.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment OzHardware.com reviews a considerable amount of computer hardware but only one game controller, the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control, receives a perfect score of 10 out of 10. The review itself is excellent, providing multiple photos and detailed comments from hands-on testing and recommending the joystick as a good value over its cheaper predecessor.
19. About.com
Not Dated
The Top 10 Game Pads
by Michael Klappenbach
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This article highlights About.com guide Michael Klappenbach's ratings for the top-10 gamepads on the market. He does not explain why he selected or how he ranked these models, nor does he compare them directly in his descriptions. He provides a more in-depth review only for the Xbox 360 Controller. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
20. ScrewAttack.com
Feb. 2009
Dyo's Guide to Arcade Stick Alternatives
by "Diyomaro"
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This post does not attempt to rank or rate arcade sticks, but it does a good job of rounding up and describing a variety of single-player alternatives to the popular and Mad Catz Tournament Edition arcade stick.
21. Game Planet
Apr. 2009
Logitech G25 Racing Wheel
by "pablo_d"
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Game Planet reviews mostly computer games and its occasional forays into hardware are usually for gaming mice. However, they do provide one review for a game controller, the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel, which is one of the few items to receive a score of 9.5 out of 10.
22. FlightSimulationGuru.com
As of June 2009
Topic: Product Review
by "Nick"
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment FlightSimulationGuru.com is a blog devoted to flight simulation. The site is not comprehensive, focusing only on the controllers the author has bought for his own cockpit set-up. However, the reviews are unique in that they are in video format, which might be preferable for some users.
23. Real World Labs
Feb. 2009
Logitech G25 Racing Wheel
by Nik Kastrantas
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Real World Labs does not rate any of the products it reviews, nor does it review any other game controllers besides the Logitech G25, so it's hard to tell where the racing wheel stands in relation to… competition. However, this thorough article is useful because it provides a plethora of photographs, visually detailing packaging and game play as well as multiple angle shots of the wheel, pedals and shifter.

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24. BruceAir.com
As of June 2009
Product Reviews
by Bruce Williams
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment BruceAir.com is a website devoted to flight instruction with sections on flight simulation and product reviews. Although Bruce Williams, a professional aviator and instructor, does not review many devices, his discussions of Saitek's Pro Flight Yoke System and Aviator Joystick are among the most detailed and credible available.

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Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.
 
 
 
  

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