Saitek X52 Pro Flight System Controller
by Saitek
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Saitek X52 Pro Flight System Controller
Customer Review: Saitek X52 PRO
Summary: 5 Stars
This controller was bought to up-grade a Saitek 290 PRO; and it was worth every penny I paid for it.Customer Review: X52 Pro is a good addition to FSX
Summary: 5 Stars
X52 Pro controllers delivers precise control.
I like to use this controller in FSX.
Customer Review: Quite an improvement over the standard X52, but some things still not up to the level of the X45
Summary: 4 Stars
Please note, I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who used the Saitek X45 for 4 years, so most notes are comparing it, the X52 Pro, and the X52 standard. I get rather nitpicky about individual features, so for those interested in the bottom line, you can skip most of this, and just read the last paragraph. :)
Compared with the standard X52, the X52 Pro is indeed a significant improvement. All extra functionality of the multi-function display aside, the quality is simply higher. However, I'm still very surprised that so many steps back were taken from the old X45.
Compared with the original X52, the spring tension in the stick of the X52 Pro is a great improvement. I remember being very disappointed in the X52 when I picked up a display model, and the weak spring allowed the stick to fall over under it's own weight. The X52 Pro added a second centering spring to help, and it is much better, but still rather weak compared with the X45, which had a massive spring.
Also, as with the standard X52, the X45's rudder rocker switch is gone, replaced by the twisty stick. Now, I do understand this, since it is a common practice in joystick design now.. however, I have never seen an aircraft with this feature, and if realism is the goal, you'll need rudder pedals. The rocker always has felt more intuitive to me.
I think my largest disappointment in this stick, and the standard X52, is the new style for the dials on the throttle. In order to install the buttons in the centers of the dials, they had to sacrifice the quality of the dials themselves. The X45 had wonderful dials, with a smooth rotation range of about 300 degrees around the circle, and a great feel. The new style on the X52s is terrible by comparison. The new dials are difficult to rotate due to their design (instead of actual knobs, they are now flattened cone shapes with very little grip of any kind), they are cut down to a range of motion of less than 180 degrees, and feel as if the mechanism is made entirely of plastic (which it actually appears to be, since the dials fall off easily, revealing a plastic construction). A far cry from the well-oiled feel of the X45's dials. While I do appreciate the extra buttons, they could have been placed elsewhere to save the quality of the dials.
Ok, that's enough ranting now. I tend to be very picky, and these are things that stuck in my mind. However, there are also several new features which I do appreciate greatly.
First, the extra buttons. All told, there are at least 9 more buttons on this stick than the X45, including the toggle switches (which I very much appreciate- no more clogging the hat switches with flaps, landing gear, speedbrakes, etc.). The new style hat and castle switches are a welcome change of design, as is the spring loaded "fire" button cover. The new slider axis is very useful (although the feel of it leads me to believe it may become sloppy in the future), as is the mouse scroll wheel, and included button.
Changing the mouse controller to a full two axis mini-stick is a mixed bag... it gives much more range of control of the mouse, but it also complicates things if you like to use it as a regular hat switch (just a matter of reprogramming). Also, this mini-stick can get stuck, forcing your mouse cursor to keep moving after you let go. This is particularly annoying since it can keep your screensaver from starting. Also note that the mouse cursor is ALWAYS on, even with no profile applied. With the default settings, you can simply use it as a two button mouse full time. A setting to disable this, and turn it into a four or eight button hat would be nice.
The multi-function display (MFD) is a nice feature, but I have yet to really use it to any extent. The radio stack capability in Flight Simulator X is nice. It also has the ability to interact with Windows Media Player, displaying the current music track, and using the right wheel to control volume (note, it's backwards, and badly scaled- scroll up for volume down, and expect to scroll a long time before you notice a change). Don't expect any more than that though, the other buttons don't do anything useful (like change tracks, pause, etc). It may be possible to program these functions yourself, but using a multimedia keyboard is musch easier.
Overall, I'm not entirely happy that my X45 quit working finally, but I'm plenty happy with the X52 Pro. It does everything I need it to do, and has been very accurate so far. While there are a few things that could still use work in my opinion, they don't stop me from enjoying it. I've used it in multiple games, and it has performed well in each of them. At this point in time, the X52 series (I'd recommend the Pro version over the standard one, but the standard version is quite a bit cheaper) is probably the best bargain on the market, since you can easily pay over $300 for the combination of a stick and throttle.
Customer Review: Much Better Than the X-52 Original
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered the Pro with some reluctance having owned the original X-52. My brother also had one of the originals that lasted barely over a year. The spring tension was way too light with the original and there is a problem with the throttle losing calibration and that is exactly what happened to mine and my brothers.
After a couple of good recommendations from some guys I fly with online I decided to go ahead and get the X52 Pro. I must say that I am very pleased with it so far. The spring tesnion is much better (has dual springs) and the optical pots make for much smoother movement in game. It is also more ruggedly built than the original.
Pro's:
-Has Vista 64 bit Programming software available
-Can customize the LED colors (does not include the MFD)
-Has better MFD Options
-Sturdier with better spring tension
-Has a module that allows control of the radio stack in FSX with MFD Rotaries
-Has a nicer task bar interface
-Slider is 100x better than the original which was crap & would never calibrate
Con's:
-The programming software is not as intuive as previous versions. It is not visual and you cannot click a button on the stick and have it be selected in the programming software as before.
-Rotaries are a bit tough to move precisely. Takes more force.
-The rotary wheels at the MFD only work with the FSX Mod. Can't seem to get them to work in anything else.
-Throttle detents are a bit overdone & if you are trying to make fine adjustments at 10% & 20% it can be a bit tough at times. This is even the the friction backed off all of the way.
-Still can't do a calibrate function. Is supposed to be self calibrating and you have to go into the control panel and move every axis through it's full range of motion 3 times to make sure it does. I have had the throttle lose cal 1 time during a game.
Overall I gave it a 4 star. Doesn't rate a 5 and 4 1/2 isn't an option.
I would recommend this stick from what I have seen so far. I have been using it regularly for a little over a month now.
Customer Review: Great product with poor setup and use docmentation
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the "Pro" version of the X52 joystick/throttle combination. The build quality is very good, especially compared to most of the "consumer" sticks and throttles. All of the axial movement components have a more solid "feel" and the buttons and switches have sufficient tactile feedback when activated. Use with various flight simulator games has demonstrated that the unit functions as expected and is superior, in my experience, to similar units from CH and others. The unit comes with programming software to enable the assignment of functions to controls, buttons and switches (e.g. for specific functions in games) and allows the saving of "profiles" which contain specific assignments.
The setup and user documentation is much less satisfactory. There was no printed quick-start card or manual that identified the multitude of switches. All of the documentation/software shows only the "standard" X52 hardware, not the "Pro" hardware. The unit comes with a CD of software, that when installed enables the programming of the unit, but to figure out which switch or button is which (in order to assign them to functions within games), you are reduced to pushing each button or switch in the setup program and then listing on a sheet of paper its associated number or identifier. The setup software contains a "3D" graphic depiction, but it doesn't show every button on the Pro unit. Other Saitek products seem to have better quick-starts and manuals, so its unclear whether there was something missing from my box or this particular product didn't have specific documentation prepared for it.
As is normal for such products, the descriptions are sparse and examples nonexistant, so the buyer will need to be prepared to spend lots of time "fiddling" with the setup process to figure out how to make it work for your particular setup/application. All in all, a good buy (I was offered a $20 mail-in rebate at the time I purchased, that may not always be available).