Logitech Buys Saitek (betanews.com)

PC accessories maker Logitech announced that it is acquiring Saiket brand and its line of flight sim controller assets from MadCatz for $13 million in cash. From a report on BetaNews: Today, the company announces a surprising acquisition. Logitech has officially bought Saitek -- maker of simulation controllers. While the move was unexpected, it actually makes a lot of sense. Logitech gains entry into a niche gaming segment that depends heavily on high-priced controllers. "First, these products are just great. We know a thing or two at Logitech about what makes a gaming product stand out and these products deliver exceptional experiences. Don't take our word for it -- we've seen the Saitek fans on the forums. Second, simulation games are cool and getting cooler. Whether you're into driving, flying or exploring space, there are fresh new titles available and more to come. Some of these titles are even VR enabled and we believe that dedicated controllers will stimulate and enhance the total VR experience," says Logitech.

Comments

Saiket

[Hognoxious]

Saiket my ass. You missed out "the" too.

He answered his own question

[Anonymous Coward]

Logitech might be wise to offer the acquired products -- such as flight and farm simulation controllers -- under its own brand. Don't get me wrong, Saitek has a very loyal consumer base, but why confuse consumers by selling under multiple names?

He answered his own question. Folks who want Saitek controllers are going to search for Saitek. And folks who don't care about brand will search and buy based on specs or price or color or whatever - and that's where the Logitec brand comes in. It's done in every industry.

Re:He answered his own question

[nitehawk214]

I would think that people that don't recognize Saitek and don't care about branding would be more likely to choose a Logitech branded device.

Re:He answered his own question

[Anonymous Coward]

Saitek as a brand hasn't existed in years. When they were acquired by Mad Catz, all of their products were rebranded. Nobody is going to be specifically looking for Saitek brand peripherals unless they have just awoken from a ten year slumber.

Re:He answered his own question

[Coren22]

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/se...

It seems that finding items sold under the Saitek name is quite easy. I can't say that when shopping for flight sticks and the like I would even think to look for Mad Catz rather than Saitek.

RIP Saitek

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess there's room in the massgrave of companys logitech bought and burried, like i.e. Squeeze Media...

Goodbye Quality

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not confident this won't just result in Saitek being pilfered for engineers and then allowed to stagnate or close, while we are still stuck with Logitech quality. I have had a number of lousy experiences with Logitech gaming devices. Most recently, a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro that developed an annoying permanent yaw to the left, for which calibration has not worked to solve or alleviate. Of course, Windows 10 borked calibration, but still...similar experiences with several other Logitech sticks.

Now mice, that's a different story. Logitech makes a good basic mouse. I've got a few that are 10+ year old laser mice that still work just fine.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Dunbal]

Logitech was never poor quality for lack of engineers. It was/is poor quality because of the shitty pots (potentiometers) they use in their products that cause them to require constant recalibration after only months of use, and are totally worthless as little as a year after purchase. Saitek used higher quality, though I guess that's all going to change now.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[omnichad]

Their basic mice are fine. And I use the m705 now for wireless, while recommending the m310 for home users. BUT, the Performance Mouse MX is still a sore spot. An $89 mouse and the microswitches wore out on the mouse buttons after only a couple years. Had great tracking and great ergonomics, but that design doesn't matter if you cheap out on the one moving part.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Anonymous Coward]

The Logitech Extreme 3D Pro still uses potentiometers. Take the stick apart and clean them.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Calydor]

A couple of years? Consider yourself lucky.

The mouse button switches on the M/570 trackball mouse wear out after 4-6 months for me, particularly the right mouse button. I really wish there was an alternative with the same form factor, but alas.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Yvan256]

Now mice, that's a different story. Logitech makes a good basic mouse. I've got a few that are 10+ year old laser mice that still work just fine.

I still use my Logitech M-BA47. I've been using that mouse since I bought it. And apart from needing to fix the left button because the switch plunger was eating into the button leg inside, and cleaning it once in a while, it still works just fine too.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Athanasius]

"developed an annoying permanent yaw to the left, for which calibration has not worked to solve or alleviate"

I had exactly the same fault on my first Saitek X55. After some back and forth I got it replaced under warranty. A few months later that replacement had all the stick buttons stop working unless I twisted it 1/3 left or right. The initial attempt to solve that was a replacement stick handle (it's designed to be removed so you can change the re-centering spring, they supply 4 different ones). THAT handle had the same twist/rudder off-centre issue.

So they replaced the entire thing with an X56, which is mostly an X55 still, just a couple of new analogue thumbsticks replacing the old throttle mouse and one of the stick buttons (although that stick is also clickable as a button still).

I'm not confident, should I actually use it, that the X56 will have no issues before the 2 year warranty period is up.

In other words, I don't think Logitech can actually make the product quality worse.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Blaskowicz]

I had a good Logitech gamepad with four face buttons and two nice shoulder buttons and a D-PAD, although two buttons were turbo buttons. I want the game port back, lol. There's some additional cost about having to make it a USB device.
Analog sticks drive the price up a great deal too.
I mostly want a low cost gamepad, digital only but not skimping badly on the quality. Could sell a pack of two with a USB hub.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Speck'sBacon]

I only have two Logitech gaming devices (G15 keyboard and a wired gamepad), neither of which I would describe as poor quality. I've also had few to zero issues with just about every Logitech device I've owned, save headsets. Obviously, YMMV.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Anonymous Coward]

"It was/is poor quality because of the shitty pots (potentiometers) they use in their products that cause them to require constant recalibration after only months of use"

Every Logitech mouse I own currently, I've had apart. There are no potentiometers in any of them. For the one thing that would POSSIBLY use a pot (center scroll wheel) they all use a notched/segmented wheel with a dual-output dual-sensor IR setup to tell which direction the wheel is scrolling by which sensor is obstructed first.

Have you taken a mouse apart in the last 15 years? Because my MX500 (release 2002, enough time to count as 15 years) uses the exact same tech that I describe above. Nobody's used an actual variable multi-turn pot in mice for at least a decade.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Khyber]

"The mouse button switches on the M/570 trackball mouse wear out after 4-6 months for me, particularly the right mouse button"

That's because your middle finger has more strength than your index finger. Your middle finger is usually the one hitting the right-click unless you're left-handed. Given the same plastic type, switch construction, and equal weighting between usage of left/right mouse buttons, the right one will wear out far faster.

Guitarists learn this early on, and focus more strength training on the outer digits versus precision training for the middle one. It's one of the biggest causes of fret wear and tear. Watch a bunch of metal or rock music videos. When almost any note being bent without the aid of a tremolo bridge happens and is shown in video, it's done almost exclusively by the middle or index fingers. These are our dominant phlanges on that section of our body, and what we use the most often, so it makes sense they'd be stronger than the others.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Dunbal]

I was referring more about the Logitech joysticks and controllers. AFAIK Saitek does not make mice.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Khyber]

I just worked on one of these the other day. The X-axis pot gets fucked too easily. Cleaning it did nothing. I had to replace the cheap-ass pot that was used.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[UnknownSoldier]

Their basic mouse are crap, especially the wireless ones. Been there, done that.

Try one of these to see what you've been missing:

* G500s or
* the the earlier G500.

I've been using these for years without any issue. I finally wore my first G500 out after ~ 5 years of heaving FPS gaming.

--
Dark Matter is the aether of the new millennium. Where is the physical evidence??

Re:Goodbye Quality

[sir-gold]

I think they were referring to joysticks, which is what saitek makes.

Joysticks use atleast 2 pots, with up to 6 pots on the HOTAS joysticks, and the quality of the pots is a huge part of the quality of the joystick.

You could build the most comfortable and durable joystick ever, and it would still be crap if the pots have a dead zone a mile wide and drift like a leaf on the breeze.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Khyber]

"I'm not confident, should I actually use it, that the X56 will have no issues before the 2 year warranty period is up. "

Give me one week and I bet I'll fish out any problem it has. If you'd like, I'll even send you the money for the shipping + device. I love embarrassing the shit out of Logitech with any use/teardown I do of their products, especially their shitty webcams. The embarrassment never goes public (I e-mail them with my findings,) but their engineers know me by name and hate my guts when I point out their incompetence.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Hylandr]

I have been in the habit of replacing micro-switches in Logitech mice with higher-end equivalents . My only worry is the pricing of the new products. :(

Re:Goodbye Quality

[cfalcon]

I love my Logitech mice. It's all I use for gaming, productivity, whatever. They are the best.

But I'm *scared* at what they'll do to Saitek. Those HOTAS setups are beyond what Logitech can handle unless they run them as a separate division.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[iampiti]

I haven't had much luck with Logitech mice. I bought one of their trackballs (Marble trackball, price around 35€) and the left button stopped working after about a year. Investigated a bit on the Internet and found out they use the same (crappy) microswitches on that model that on their super cheap (10€) mice. That model of microswitch is widely known to be unreliable.
Coincidentally I had such a cheap mouse and its left button also stopped working after some months of use. I checked that the microswitch was the same model as on the expensive trackball. That doesn't bother me much on a cheap product but I expected the more expensive product to have higher quality components.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[sir-gold]

Replacing the micro-switches wouldn't be such a problem if Logitech didn't act like the shape of the human hand changes every few years.

The MX 510 and MX 518 were legendary, and people still rebuild old ones, yet Logitech doesn't produce them anymore, and the new ones are a different shape.

It also doesn't help that their mice only come in two categories: cheap and basic, or "lets cover the entire mouse in buttons"

Re:Goodbye Quality

[iampiti]

I had one of their Marble trackballs and my left button stopped working pretty soon. There was even a video on Youtube for replacing the microswitches for that EXACT model. That makes clear how common that is. It seems that if you really want to keep using Logitech mice and trackballs your only good alternative is to change the microswitches when they break

Re:Goodbye Quality

[drinkypoo]

I am using a Logitech Trackman Wheel (the replacement for the original marble wheel with the thumb ball) and I have had to replace all of the microswitches, some of them more than twice. I'd really like a replacement for these crappy Omron switches that would work in the same spot.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Anonymous Coward]

No, but Mad Catz does hopefully the quality will improve now

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Yvan256]

I never replaced the switches themselves and they're Omron. And I've used this mouse for gaming as well as for desktop use, daily.

Maybe it's the design of the hardware that puts a different stress on the switches in your Trackman Wheel?

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Anonymous Coward]

gaming devices

I think I found your problem, anything labeled "gaming" is overpriced garbage with blue LEDs

Re:Goodbye Quality

[drinkypoo]

Maybe it's the design of the hardware that puts a different stress on the switches in your Trackman Wheel?

Could be a different switch, too. I'm not sure where my remaining spares are, or I might check.

Re:Goodbye Quality

[K10W]

I'm not confident this won't just result in Saitek being pilfered for engineers and then allowed to stagnate or close, while we are still stuck with Logitech quality. I have had a number of lousy experiences with Logitech gaming devices. Most recently, a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro that developed an annoying permanent yaw to the left, for which calibration has not worked to solve or alleviate. Of course, Windows 10 borked calibration, but still...similar experiences with several other Logitech sticks.

Now mice, that's a different story. Logitech makes a good basic mouse. I've got a few that are 10+ year old laser mice that still work just fine.

I've had issues with their mice, razer and corsair too. Only company whos mice work perfect for me are Mionix. Opening mice up I notice most are not made to be repaired but mionix ones although aren't made for that are designed in a way swapping a switch to differentactuation pressure or changing cable for shorter one etc are easier than a few other brands. Only issue I actually had with my stock naos 7000 was the middle button jammed hence opened it up but it was fine, just some crap had got in the hole hence the jam. I noted how easy the insides would be to mod but not felt the need yet. Usually I have to swap switches or recable due to it breaking easy on other brands. Also the software is good. Stay away from the 8200 laser models though as they are more expensive and not as good as the avago optical sensor ones. Only company I found who get the most from that sensor with no built in -/+ accel and so on.

As for sticks I haven't used logitech but most sticks are rubbish aside from CH and VKB. I like twist so went with a Cobra M5 (vkb design but defender makes it unlike the other higher end vkb sticks) and highly recommend them for the price especially if you want to tweak stuff. The sensors are 2 per axis so you don't get that yaw issue as sticks wear due to 1 sensor with a +/- setting. You can swap out the controller so can support more switches and toggles etc whatever you want (upgrade is njoy32 based), also change the twist sensor (pot) to a mag one. The Warthog is a bad stick imho due to flimsy plastic gimbal, good engineering plastic would have been better but it is abs or something, sim forums have worrying threads on warhogs breaking. VKB sticks either have metal gimbal or in case of M5 you can get gimbal upgrades. If you have cash get a Fat Black Mamba instead (yeah sounds like a sex toy I know).

Re:Goodbye Quality

[Coren22]

It must be difficult to play a FPS while heaving. I hope you feel better soon. (I know, it was a spell check error, but it was funny to see).

I like the MX Master mouse I got for my laptop:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...

It works really well, and rarely loses connection. I have never liked wires on my mice, they always seem to get hung up on something when gaming. Previous to this one though, I used a Logitech Trackman trackball. It was nice never having to pick up and move the mouse at the pad edges with that, but they tended to get gummed up more easily as the tracking is done on something that touches your fingers.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitec...

Saitek back in the day

[nitehawk214]

I haven't done any flight sims since way back in the day (the market for them fell out over 10 years ago and things became stagnant). Long enough ago that HOTAS was still all keyboard/joystick port. But I do fondly remember using my Saitek setup. Looked and worked beautifully. My only complaint was that some games did not test with HOTAS so they keyboard emulation worked poorly, such as multi button press. The technology had become stagnant and all of the major sim game developers went bankrupt and got bought out.

Re:Saitek back in the day

[SuiteSisterMary]

Yup, I had the Saitek X-36 stick and throttle combo, and before that, a Gravis Phoenix. Those were the days.

Re: Saitek back in the day

[Anonymous Coward]

Thrustmaster F16 and throttle quadrant with Stickworks digital mod with CH Products rudder pedals pro. Also have a CH Products yoke. That setup and Flight Simulator were what inspired me to get my pilots license, pp-sel.

Good

[CeasedCaring]

Saitek QA has been in the toilet since they were bought by MadCatz in 2007.

Re:Good

[Hognoxious]

Is MadCatz a subsidiary of Dice?

Re:Good

[CaptnCrud]

I know, I don't understand some of these "now the qc is going to go down the crapper" posts...the qc was already in the crapper and anyone who ever owned the x-52 and 56's know this.

If anything this might actually make things better, logitech may be the defacto generic brand but at least some of their products are good (I actually like their wired gaming mice and keyboards).

Anyway CH sticks ftw, they are ugly and old looking but you wont find a better, or smoother action for the price...their just so damn ugly though..

Re:Good

[dave562]

I have an X55 and it lasted for about a year's worth of playing Elite Dangerous before one of the hats on the stick went out.

The RMA process was smooth and they replaced both the throttle and stick. I thought that they made a mistake, but a week later one of the hats on the throttle went out. I guess that they were being proactive.

Re:Good

[RandomSurfer314]

That doesn't surprise me. MadCatz produces the only mice on the market that are flawed by design and cannot possibly work.

Re:Good

[korgitser]

Elaborate?

Bring back the Saitek Eclipse II

[Anonymous Coward]

Best keyboard I've ever owned.

Re:Bring back the Saitek Eclipse II

[Hydrian]

Take a look at the Perixx PX-1100. It is the same dang keyboard. Great build quality. I use it all the time.

Now, if Perixx made a version with a trackpoint in it, I'd be in heaven.

Re:Bring back the Saitek Eclipse II

[uvajed_ekil]

Still using mine, when I use my desktop anyway, which is not too often. But it still works great.

enfia o mintegui no cú também que passa

[Anonymous Coward]

pior do que namorar com filha da puta de político, é ter pais trolls. bando de retardado da igreja de são jorge. prefiro tomar tiro na cara e ouvir esse bando de comerdor de criança me ameaçando com 5 tiros nas costas, do que casar com uma retardata que é herdeira do sofazão.

Forget quality. Goodbye sane pricing!

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you paid attention to logitech pricing lately?

They only have one thumb actuated trackball anymore that MSRPs at 50 dollars.

They don't manufacture the Force3d anymore (and when they did it was 60ish dollars for something with weak force effects, sloppy recentering (+/- 400-1000 on a scale of 8, 16, or 32k per axis), and no deadzone adjustment.

The CHEAPEST force feedback steering wheel they now produce is 250 dollars for a PS3/4 model, 300 now for the G37(27?) or successor, and raising by 50-100 dollars per generation, despite being neither more reliable nor sensitive than previous models, and with maybe a half dozen extra buttons/features (most of which games don't use.)

Logitech is just sorting themselves out to be the Creative Labs of input devices, then destroy that industry the same way Creative managed to stagnate and kill both the consumer and professional sound card market, even when embedded hardware was/is barely good enough for playback and bollocks for recording!

This is bad.

[Qbertino]

Logitech Quality has declined measurably recently, that's my experience anyway. Their flagship mouse MX Master has quite a few driver issues and also the DarkField sensor seems to have problems with some surfaces.
Saitek/MadCatz was the alternative I was looking to, especially because of their wide range of wired mice. Just this weekend my buddy bought a new mouse and skipped Logitech and bought a Mad Catz Rat (yeah, I know, the naming is over the top). Despite having some negative reviews I consider them better in quality than the current state of Logitech and more interesting in terms of customisability and programmability.

It's a shame that this happens. I don't expect the market to benefit from it.

My 2 cents.

Re:This is bad.

[ChoGGi]

I've had two rat7s, both have had issues with buttons not working, one of them is completely dead (doesn't get detected when I plug it in). First one lasted a year or two, second one started fucking up within 6 months.
It's too bad since I really do like the customizable layout.

Nobody does HOTAS like Saitek

[Iamthecheese]

A Saitek flight controller is the best.

If Logitech takes away that legacy, however, there will be another company to pick up the slack. It would be sad to see Saitek decline, like watching a friend turn to alcohol and slide into the gutter. but the miracle of capitalism is that demand will be met. Whatever happens within five years there will still be an excellent flight controller on the market. At $250 a pop Saitek controllers are selling for now it's just too lucrative. CH, Thrustmaster... someone will step in with a godly HOTAS* at that price.


*For the uninformed, HOTAS means Hands On Throttle-And-Stick

Re:Nobody does HOTAS like Saitek

[Anonymous Coward]

thrustmaster fcs are suppose to begin selling in september. x52 owner got so frustrated with i just gave it away. useing a logitech 3d extreme with the drifting yaw a ch pro throttle now, will replace with thrustmast t1600m in the next month or so.

Re:Nobody does HOTAS like Saitek

[drinkypoo]

I've got a F22 pro that i've got halfway working with an arduino mega board... I need to spend some more effort on that project

Saitek has had some issues

[Chewbacon]

There are some discussions out there about saitek having supply chain issues and products being on backorder indefinitely. One in particular is their rudder pedals, which used to be reasonably priced, now costs hundreds of dollars. Hopefully Logitech will get things on track. The flight sim controller isn't a crazy lucrative business unless you are really enthusiastic and the ultra enthusiast is shopping above Saitek's quality.

Re:Saitek has had some issues

[Anonymous Coward]

There are some discussions out there about saitek having supply chain issues and products being on backorder indefinitely. One in particular is their rudder pedals, which used to be reasonably priced, now costs hundreds of dollars. Hopefully Logitech will get things on track. The flight sim controller isn't a crazy lucrative business unless you are really enthusiastic and the ultra enthusiast is shopping above Saitek's quality.

It's getting very very thing up there. Thrustmaster as comparatively cheap alternative, CH above because it's CH, but not in terms of price. But then? Simpeds no longer existing, some hungarian building pedals from furnature wood (getting great reviews), and a russian with all-metal Bf109 pedals. That's about the whole market.

Gains entry into?

[Anonymous Coward]

While the move was unexpected, it actually makes a lot of sense. Logitech gains entry into a niche gaming segment that depends heavily on high-priced controllers.

I don't understand where this statement comes from.

The WingMan came out in 94, and their racing wheel in 2000. They've been making gamepads since they used to look like SNES or Genesis controllers and we plugged them into MIDI ports.

They've been into REAL gaming peripherals long before all the stupid "keyboard and mouse is best for everything" PCMR bullshit EVER started.

Re:Gains entry into?

[Anonymous Coward]

While the move was unexpected, it actually makes a lot of sense. Logitech gains entry into a niche gaming segment that depends heavily on high-priced controllers.

I don't understand where this statement comes from.

The WingMan came out in 94, and their racing wheel in 2000. They've been making gamepads since they used to look like SNES or Genesis controllers and we plugged them into MIDI ports.

They've been into REAL gaming peripherals long before all the stupid "keyboard and mouse is best for everything" PCMR bullshit EVER started.

and they made hotas flight controllers G940 before discontinuing it few years ago citing money issues and concentration on core business like keyboards and multicolored mouses...

Does anyone remember.....

[dkone]

Slim Devices (RIP)

For those not familiar, way back in the early 2000's Slim Devices put together a hardware/software package for whole house streaming audio that is STILL ahead of today's current technology. Logitech bought them in 2006, actually made a few improvements until maybe 2009-10, but I am guessing that is while the most of the unit was still staffed with Slim engineers. In 2012 they discontinued the line, followed up with the EU Radio (stupid fucking name) which was in the same housing as the last version of the Squeeze radio. The only bright part about the EU radio is that you could flash the bios to make it work as a Squeeze radio. They then discontinued the EU radio. Trying to find replacment squeeze radios gets harder and harder (and more expensive by the month). I have 8 devices at home and that should last me..... Fingers crossed.

FU logitech, stick to making mice and keyboards. You never let me down there, but did you really fuck up the Squeeze line.

Okay, now just bring back the Marble FX Trackball!

[kimgkimg]

We want you to bring back the best trackball ever created! Please Like it, if you want to see this happen folks: https://www.facebook.com/Bring...

USB HID

[DrYak]

Their flagship mouse MX Master has quite a few driver issues and also the DarkField sensor seems to have problems with some surfaces.

Drivers? For a *mouse* ?
It's fucking USB HID device (or bluetooth wireless if your laptop has Bluetooth 4.0 LE and you go dongle-less).
It's just a bunch of axis and buttons (though you have to admit that the MX Master mice tend to have a little bit more than the average of them).
You just plug into anything with generic USB HID support and it should work out of the box.
If it doesn't work, you shouldn't blame Logitech, you should blame the retarded operating system that fails at basic USB HID.

The only thing that would require extra software would be:

- Battery status in your status bar. Which is visible thanks to green LEDs on the mouse if self, so I doubt it's that much necessary to have the status-bar widget.
(Though we're on /. Maybe you have a script that automatically sends an e-mail to your smartwatch to remind to plug the charger into the mouse when leaving the room)

- If you want to do some complex re-paring (e.g: pairing the mouse with a Logitech dongle that wasn't initially designed for it).
(Again, this is /. and this might actually be the case. I would point you in the general direction of Solaar)

- Circumventing a piece of software that has asinine key/button binding. (e.g.: that has some stupid arbitrary hardcoded maximum of 3 mouse button, thus preventing you from binding the extra butons to additional functions). But then, any keyboard/mouse/joystick button remapping software would be plenty enough.

Logitech Quality has declined measurably recently, that's my experience anyway.

I have a strong impression that Logitech doesn't the same build quality in all markets.
(I've noticed difference in products between US market, and Logitech's home Switzerland)

Could anyone else confirm ?

Re:USB HID

[godefroi]

Drivers? For a *mouse* ?
It's fucking USB HID device (or bluetooth wireless if your laptop has Bluetooth 4.0 LE and you go dongle-less).
It's just a bunch of axis and buttons (though you have to admit that the MX Master mice tend to have a little bit more than the average of them).
You just plug into anything with generic USB HID support and it should work out of the box.
If it doesn't work, you shouldn't blame Logitech, you should blame the retarded operating system that fails at basic USB HID.

Oh, you plug it in and it works, but you don't get all the fancy per-game remapping and 30s startup time and 1-2GB RAM consumption. Those are worth something too, you know.

In other news, Logitech's "drivers" have always been shit.

The only real problem

[Anonymous Coward]

is the lack of decent combat flight simulators to use them with. Everything's been arcadey since Lock-On.
 
captcha: dinosaur. goddammit

Linux Drivers and Improved Hardware

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Logitech,

Please make a yoke and controls out of something more sturdy than thin plastic.

While you are at it, give X-Plane a try on Linux and fix those horrible drivers. Hint, they are not so great on Windows either.

It would be great to have my three simulators (plus two more planned for this year) consistently working properly. The students will appreciate it.

Thanks,

Saitek Customer

Mixing the two...

[Anonymous Coward]

Logitec has nice electronics, but their movable parts aren't quite lacking in precision, durability, etc.
With Saitek its vice versa. The movable parts are nice, but the electronics are questionable (e.g., X52 not working on USB3).

What are we going to get now? There are two way to mix these things...

Re:Okay, now just bring back the Marble FX Trackba

[Zxern]

I think you meant this mouse:
http://www.recycledgoods.com/l...

Extra axis buttons.

[DrYak]

Oh, you plug it in and it works, but you don't get all the fancy per-game remapping and 30s startup time and 1-2GB RAM consumption.

It works in my case.

The whole stack support them:
- Linux' USB HID driver perfectly supports all the available axis and buttons my the MX Master.
- The SDL library used as a middle ware support multiple extra mouse axis and buttons.
- Quake3 supports binding any commands to any input. (You just get fancy name like "Right Click" on the first few buttons. Then it's more like "M_BTN7"...)

For stupid games that don't have a good re-mapper, there's always things like (rejoystick, joy2key, qjoypad, etc.)

As usual, the crap software that comes with your hardware is crap.
(like the fancy stupid DVD player that came with your optical drive. Simply use VLC)