Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System

I have read the past reviews and in the face of alot of negative ones I decided to buy the Saitek X52 Pro. I recieved this controller and set it up exactly as specified in the instructions and I learned it… was not plug and play. I thought it was because the instructions said it was. After much fiddling around I realized I had a defective model and had to send it back. Amazon was exceptional about helping me to obtain a new one for replacment and I plugged the replacement in and VOILA!!! It works and works like a charm and you can set it up to just play but this is a complex piece of electronics and programming, you can go into control panel and the profile editor and completely custom tailor this fine piece of work. I have noticed that my landings are so much softer, I was getting an avg of -200fpm in the big jets and now in the 744 and 777 I get about -50fpm to -100 fpm. Now there is alot more to a landing than the controller but all things being equal this controller was the answer for me. Not all electronics will work the first time you plug them in, it's just the nature of the beast. You will be pleased with this product if you allow your patience and understanding to be ruler. I got mine replaced and I am a very happy customer and will look forward to buying Saiteks rudder pedals soon.

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Very impressed with this joystick. Takes a little while to get comfortable with but once you get used to it you'll love it. Only major complaint is there are no detailed instructions on how to use ALL of… the joysticks features, nor a tutorial. I have not found anything like this as of yet. Also the buttons are arranged in such a manner that it can be difficult while in a dogfight to hit the button you want. It's easy to hit every other button but the one you actually want to press. The rudder twist feature was something I had not experienced before and found it difficult to work with at first. Now that I have mastered it I would say your better off having it than not. Overall very happy with this joystick. Lack of force feedback is probably a good thing. Force feedback makes you feel more like your in the game with the exception that you have a more difficult time aiming at your target. (I have had a Logitech Wingman Force for nearly a decade)

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I have a love/hate relationship with Saitek - their products, when they work, are good, but when they don't expect lousy support. Actually, I take that back - we've moved into a hate/hate more… relationship. This expensive piece of garbage doesn't work. The software provided installs the driver, and the programming software provided allows you to program your control. Except, it doesn't - the programming software opens .dat files, which are the files that define the functions of your joysticks functions. Or do they? The new PRO version uses a file called .pr0. Apparently, the significantly cheaper NON-PRO version uses .dat files. Oh goody, punish me for spending more. The disk that came it the package, clearly labeled Saitek x52 PRO, doesn't let me edit .pr0 files, only .dat files. And the Saitek website offers nothing in the way of pre-configured drivers - no premade profiles, so you're gonna have to program it yourself. So today, I spent the day reading manuals, cursing, searching the web for answers, cursing some more, attempting to get support from Saitek, cursing. I'm not a programmer, and they haven't provided me the tools to program even if I was so inclined. I just want to fly a (even more cursing) flight sim. Like I have been doing for the past several years, you horrible cursewords, you. But I should have known better - when I bought an X36 from them years ago (the box clearly said "for PC & MAC) and I couldn't get it to work with a Mac, the helpful support guy at Saitek snidely told me to buy a PC (I told him where to go and what to do when he got there). In the 10 years after that incident, I'm afraid support hasn't gotten any better - this thing doesn't work right out of the box. What really stings me is that I've had bad experiences with Saitek before and I bought this thing anyway. Never again - I'm returning this, thought resisting the urge to run it over with my car is very difficult. Other companies make joysticks - I would strongly (ENTHUSIASTICALLY) recommend you see what other companies are offering.

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