Roadburner440
Charter Member 2010
After being in the market for a new controller, and finally seeing an Avsim review on the product I finally decided to take the plunge. This is an upgrade from another Saitek product, the X-52 (regular not pro). So throughout this I will be comparing the 2, and you can make your own conclusions from there.
For starters the X-65 is rediculous expensive. I managed to find it some $80 cheaper on Amazon.com. It is up to you though if the $300 price tag is worth it though. After 2 days and a lot of flights I have some mixed feelings about this in some departments but these are more to do with FSX than the controller itself.
Out of the box this controller is impressive. When I picked it up after Fed Ex it was delivered it was heavy. Unpackaging it the controller is in fact made out of metal, and it comes with a metal weight that screws to the bottom of the controller. It is very tedious to put together though. There are a lot of little set screws that attach the control panels/pro flight screen to the throttle. It is definately a 100% improvement in looks/design over the X-52. Plus it has a dimmer green lighting pattern that does not light up the whole room unlike the blue screens and such on my X-52.
I first tested the controller with my Iris F-14A/B Pro package, and the difference in handling is immediate! For my X-52 I had to maintain a fairly large dead zone as it would always seem to bias to the left (even tho the spring had the cyclic stick perfectly centered). With the throttle you can select 1 of any 4 force settings on the fly (and you can customize it in the SST window how much force it takes if you dont like the factory settings). I think they are adequate. Cause when you need to do really exact movements F1 (the hardest setting) is awesome. Especially for flying helicopters. A downside though is the throttle is extremely stiff. I lowered the tension as far as I could, and the only thing that helps is unlinking the throttles. That has made it bearable. So something has to be off with the alignment. Other than that they work great.
The main reason I got it was for helicopters of course, and words cannot describe how much easier this controller has made it. While my helicopter piloting skills still suck; I actually managed to land the Huey in the spot I intended. Also hovering is exponentially easier. The only downside once again is the throttle. Since it is a dual throttle, and a pain in the rear when they are linked together to move. I use it uncoupled with the helo as well, but using the left throttle seems awkward to me manuevering around the right one to adjust my power. It is liveable, and a small gripe I think to be able to hover and such now.
Here is a short list of cons though. While I could go on and on about the great experiences I have had with it so far I figure this is more beneficial for people thinking about it. The force sensing on the controller is awesome, but at higher force settings it hurts my wrists. Also at higher force settings the controller will sometimes lift off the desk if you are not careful. The weight plate helps, but it really should be bolted/zip tied down. Same thing with the throttle requiring a rediculous amount of force to move if you have the throttles tied together with the clip. Unclipped though they move about the same as my X-52's single throttle. Just would be nice for flying helo's/single engine birds if it was easier to move with them linked together. Also while this controller has buttons/switches everywhere they are not arranged in a way I feel is conductive to FSX. Although over time I am sure I will get used to the layout. The hat switch for panning my VC view is far out of my thumbs rear, and sometimes I bump the neighboring switches/buttons trying to get to it (guess this is a reason to finally stop being stubborn and get Track IR huh?). Hopefully this helps somebody else out. I think it is a great controller other than the above mentioned gripes, and to me the benefits outweigh them. Think now I will be able to get my 25 hour rotor craft badge and beyond now that they aren't as aggrivating to fly.
For starters the X-65 is rediculous expensive. I managed to find it some $80 cheaper on Amazon.com. It is up to you though if the $300 price tag is worth it though. After 2 days and a lot of flights I have some mixed feelings about this in some departments but these are more to do with FSX than the controller itself.
Out of the box this controller is impressive. When I picked it up after Fed Ex it was delivered it was heavy. Unpackaging it the controller is in fact made out of metal, and it comes with a metal weight that screws to the bottom of the controller. It is very tedious to put together though. There are a lot of little set screws that attach the control panels/pro flight screen to the throttle. It is definately a 100% improvement in looks/design over the X-52. Plus it has a dimmer green lighting pattern that does not light up the whole room unlike the blue screens and such on my X-52.
I first tested the controller with my Iris F-14A/B Pro package, and the difference in handling is immediate! For my X-52 I had to maintain a fairly large dead zone as it would always seem to bias to the left (even tho the spring had the cyclic stick perfectly centered). With the throttle you can select 1 of any 4 force settings on the fly (and you can customize it in the SST window how much force it takes if you dont like the factory settings). I think they are adequate. Cause when you need to do really exact movements F1 (the hardest setting) is awesome. Especially for flying helicopters. A downside though is the throttle is extremely stiff. I lowered the tension as far as I could, and the only thing that helps is unlinking the throttles. That has made it bearable. So something has to be off with the alignment. Other than that they work great.
The main reason I got it was for helicopters of course, and words cannot describe how much easier this controller has made it. While my helicopter piloting skills still suck; I actually managed to land the Huey in the spot I intended. Also hovering is exponentially easier. The only downside once again is the throttle. Since it is a dual throttle, and a pain in the rear when they are linked together to move. I use it uncoupled with the helo as well, but using the left throttle seems awkward to me manuevering around the right one to adjust my power. It is liveable, and a small gripe I think to be able to hover and such now.
Here is a short list of cons though. While I could go on and on about the great experiences I have had with it so far I figure this is more beneficial for people thinking about it. The force sensing on the controller is awesome, but at higher force settings it hurts my wrists. Also at higher force settings the controller will sometimes lift off the desk if you are not careful. The weight plate helps, but it really should be bolted/zip tied down. Same thing with the throttle requiring a rediculous amount of force to move if you have the throttles tied together with the clip. Unclipped though they move about the same as my X-52's single throttle. Just would be nice for flying helo's/single engine birds if it was easier to move with them linked together. Also while this controller has buttons/switches everywhere they are not arranged in a way I feel is conductive to FSX. Although over time I am sure I will get used to the layout. The hat switch for panning my VC view is far out of my thumbs rear, and sometimes I bump the neighboring switches/buttons trying to get to it (guess this is a reason to finally stop being stubborn and get Track IR huh?). Hopefully this helps somebody else out. I think it is a great controller other than the above mentioned gripes, and to me the benefits outweigh them. Think now I will be able to get my 25 hour rotor craft badge and beyond now that they aren't as aggrivating to fly.
