Saitek P3000 Wireless Gamepad and Docking Station
by Saitek
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Our Price: $42.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Video Games See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Saitek P3000 Wireless Gamepad and Docking Station
Customer Review: PROS & CONS
Summary: 3 Stars
First let me say the controller is pretty good.The controller handles great and its very light but a bit slippery The install is a bit troublesome but great support will get you up and running.The only cons i believe is you must have the docking station in view or in a least a couple feet The wireless not to strong And the battery well they have issues they dont hold a charge very long So you need more than one battery and you may get a bad one from them just sitting around But SAITEK online support is very good and they will work with you on them issues or any one you may have.Customer Review: Battery can be fixed
Summary: 3 Stars
The only major problem is the battery. It "dies" after a while. Actually, it doesnt die, it's just loose inside the casing and eventaully pops out of its socket. To fix it, slide a screw driver into it to break the glue. Put the two batteries back in place, and slide the top back on. It works now!
Even though it's easy to fix, it's basically a defective product until you fix it yourself. You get 3 stars. (very fun with working battery)
Customer Review: Battery issue
Summary: 3 Stars
The gamepad itself is a well engineered product. It fits the hand well, has many buttons and the joysticks are also a nice touch. My problem as with other reviews I have read is the battery packs. One of the two refuses to take a charge. Who knows how long the second one will last. It appears there should have been more engineering with the batterys, or at least as much as with the rest of the gamepad.Customer Review: dont buy this
Summary: 2 Stars
The Good
The controller has ample buttons which make it so you wont need your keyboard or mouse. The controller itself is constructed well, and has a great feel to it.
Problems:
1. Wireless - although it says 30 feet, i have found that it needs to be within 3 feet of me for the best results. If its more than 5 feet away, forget it. I had to buy a USB extension cable just to use it, which canceled out the need for it to be wireless. Nothing on it says what gigahertz it is, so i am guessing its not even 2.4GHZ.
2. Although the base is only 2 feet away, in the middle of a game it just starts trailing off in one direction. This is solved by using the keyboard, escaping out, and reloading the joystick software. Its very frustrating when your playing a game like Far Cry and it hasn't saved.
Issues
1. Batteries - this is probably luck of the draw, but i was shipped with one defective battery which should have been caught in quality control.
2. Not all games automatically work with joysticks, so you will need to program it. The Saitek 3000 controller comes with really good programing software to do it. But be prepared to spend up to an hour of programing before using a game, and continually fine tuning it as you play. I dont mind, i just wish they had more scripts on their website for download. I think they have about 12 games only.
Update:
I tried buying the Saitek P2500 which was the same gamepad but not wireless. My game profiles i made on the P3000 didnt carry over. Worse, the P2500 stopped working within the first 6 hours, and I had to exchange it, and that one had problems with the SHIFT button. Finally i returned that also.
Conclusion:
I just bought the Logitech Wingman Wireless Rumblepad, its by far a better gamepad. Its 2.4GHZ, so it has distance. The software to program custom scripts is miles ahead of the Saitek SST software. When you load the profile, it automatically loads the game which it corresponds with.
Please, if your looking for a game pad, get the Logitech. Save your self the 3 weeks on pain I had to go through.
Customer Review: Forget rumble and wireless, work on making a better D-pad!
Summary: 2 Stars
1: How many PC games out there use rumble/force feedback? I can't think of many, maybe Need for Speed or something. Vibration motors only add more weight to the controller.
2: Wireless just means time spent recharging. Besides, you're often in a chair right in front of your computer! Unless you've got great vision and a TV out card you don't NEED wireless.
3: The D-pad is poorly made: Saitek's making a new P990 model, adding two more L and R buttons but they're keeping their D-Pad, why? Because they said customers like it, hah! They obviously haven't read any of the reviews here. I'm afraid I'll snap mine. The diagonals make an annoying, loud popping sound too.
I'm NOT being forceful, I try to be as gentle as possible. Logitech's designs aren't much better. Saitek's D-pad is too raised and clunky, Logitech's D-pad is so recessed, its more like clicking a mouse button and diagonals are impossible.
Whatever happened to quality input methods that were rigorously tested? I miss the SNES "cross" d-pad, the Turbo Touch 360's "touch sensative panel" d-pad. And even the PS2 pad. There ARE adapters to let you turn SNES and Playstation to USB, but you can burn out the controller if it doesn't get correct voltage. I shouldn't HAVE TO go through such trouble.
Just make better D-pads you guys! Sure, you make your stuff for First Person Shooters, but the majority of folks buying these pads are emulation gamers looking for a way to play NES, SNES and Sega without always having to use their keyboards.
We're gamers as much as anyone else.