Logitech Wingman Force 3D
by Logitech
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List Price: Our Price: $34.99 You Save: $15.00 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Wingman Force 3D
Customer Review: Good, very good!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this control, the vibration is very good it handle very smoooth.Customer Review: Questionable build quality, but the price is right...
Summary: 3 Stars
A few years back you'd pay $150 for a force feedback joystick. Those were the days when serious flight simmers paid top dollar for the best quality they could get. Unfortunately, those days are gone, and force feedback joysticks (along with quality joysticks in general) are fewer in number than ever, and not as good as they used to be. Now that MS has stopped making Sidewinder products, and Logitech replaced their older (and better) Wingman Force stick with this one, there's not a lot of choice left if you want force feedback. On the positive side, the price is now much lower than it used to be.I'm on my second one of these sticks... the first one I got from Amazon had a defective motor in it. Other than that, the initial feel of this stick is actually pretty good - better than I expected, based on the other reviews - and if I hadn't gotten a defective unit I'd probably give it a higher score. But taken with some of the other problems I've read about here, I have to think there are probably some real quality control issues with this stick. I can say definitively that this model is not nearly as solid as either MS's last force feedback stick or Logitech's previous model. But both of those sticks were built like tanks. At least the buttons all feel really nice on the Force 3D; solid but clicky and springy, and with a nice throttle with the perfect amount of resistance. The hat switch works well too - much better than my old Sidewinder Precision Pro (and it's concave now, just to update what an earlier reviewer said about previous revisions).
As for the force feedback itself, it's not the best but it's not bad either. If you're a flight simmer you will probably appreciate having force feedback - this is not really a stick that's intended for other types of games. It's a flight stick, and it does add a lot to the realism of flight sims to be able to feel things like ground bumps and aerodynamic forces on your airplanes (some sims even let you feel things like turbulence). The force effects by default are strong enough, but you can make them stronger if you want to (some people have complained that the effects feel weak, but you can really crank them up with Logitech's included utility). It can be surprisingly forceful given how light the stick is. That said, the motors do feel like they're straining if you really crank it up.
Centering is always an issue with force feedback sticks because they rely on the motors for centering rather than springs. Some people prefer a standard stick for this reason. Unlike some older force feedback sticks that use a combination of cables and motors for centering and other non-force effects, this stick seems to use only motors, so the centering doesn't feel very smooth - it feels very digital, like the motors have a certain number of levels (which feel like detents) where they will allow the stick to rest. It's hard to explain, but the result is if you push the stick in one direction, it's almost like it "clicks" as it goes through the various levels of resistance from the motors. This is constant and there's no way around it; you just have to get used to it. It's not that hard, but it's definitely a different feel from an analog stick that uses cables and springs for centering.
Some have complained about stick sensitivity with this model; I haven't had a problem in Flight Simulator 2004, which is all I've used it for. Even with the loose "dead spot" when centered, if you just take the stick sensitivity down a couple notches in the game settings it's absolutely fine. The centering right in the middle is definitely a bit loose but it doesn't seem to really matter much, and it's a common issue with most force feedback joysticks.
Overall, I'm glad I purchased mine, but I would probably have rather paid more for a better stick. I feel this is priced about what it's worth. Whether you want force feedback or not is a question in itself; if you're not sure, this is a good stick to test out, being as cheap as it is.
Customer Review: Not compatible with Star Wars Galaxies JTL on NForce2 Chipset!
Summary: 3 Stars
If you're looking to buy this joystick to use with Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed... and you are using an nForce2 chipset on your Motherboard... then don't bother wasting your money.
The nForce2 Chipset shares IRQ's with the USB and Network Controller... so if you are connecting to the Internet through your Ethernet, and enable the Force Feedback on the Joystick in JTL... it causes the "Drunken Bee Effect" (commonly discussed on the games Support Forums) to an extreme nature.
nForce2 Boards offer a lot of customizing on the IRQ settings, but the one thing they don't let you do is the ability to the Disable IRQ for USB.
I have tried disabling every device I can think of that uses IRQ's which I am not using on my Mobo.. the Serial and Parrallel Ports, etc... and it is all to no avail.
I have tried at least two different nForce2 Mobo's and have the same problem on them both regardless of how I change settings in the BIOS on them.
If I log out of the game, and disable the Force Feedback on the game Options in the game launcher... then log back into the game, the problem goes away.
SOE Tech Support says that, players should go to Logitech and report the problem until Logitech produces a new set of Drivers more compatible with JTL. Logitech last issued new Software updates for their PC Game Controllers on 4/28/05... and their Force Feedback is still not compatible with Star Wars Galaxies. It is my opinion though, that the SOE Dev's are just idiots (as usual) and can't produce a game that supports some of the best hardware out there... or they just keep screwing their own games up.
So until either SOE figures out how to support this Joystick, or Logitech figures out how to make it work with just that one game... don't buy it for that game.
I only rated this 3 Stars... because overall it is a nice Joystick and works well with my other games. But the main reason I bought it was for the Force Feedback effects on JTL and since I can't use them, then I'll have to return it for something else.
Customer Review: Don't expect it to last long...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was pleased with this stick for almost two years. Flying mostly Warbirds III, the force-feedback was a nice added effect, and the button setup was manageble. The only problem I had with it (until recently) was that the hat switch was pointy and uncomfortable. I rarely used the hat anyway, so it didn't affect my satisfaction much; plus, I think they've already redesigned the hat switch. I had no setup problems, and everything was just fine.About two weeks ago, however, both the twist-handle AND the X-axis went bad, within a few days of each other. The twist-handle (which I used for rudder/yaw control) response became twitchy, expecially around the center, despite my smoothest possible input. For example, if I were to twist it slightly to the right, it would think it was fully twisted to the right, and sometimes even fully to the left.
The X-axis (which I used for roll/aileron control) began responding only to cetain areas of the normal movement. For example, when I moved it about halfway to the left, it would think it was in the center.
Basically, I think the stick just wore out, but I expected it to last a bit longer for the price.
Customer Review: Decent with practise
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this stick for nearly 9 mos, and used it very little at first, preferring my non-ff logitech stick because this one seemed too out of control. After getting bored with a certain game, I took up this stick as a challenge, and am pleased with the results.The FF is ok, nothing special, but once you have it set up with your comp and your game (this took quite a while and a lot of experimentation), I won't go back to non-ff. I actually get a feel for when my plane will stall, which is so necessary in flight sim games (been playing il2 FB). The on-stick throttle is pretty good and is not loose.
My biggest problem with this product is that the center spring doesn't really center, and seems to be in the ++ section a bit (upper right), which sometimes causes my plane to roll or pitch forward.
All in all, ok stick for the money. FF is great, but I'll be heading toward a better, more expensive stick after this.