A few days ago I got a nice big box in the mail from a well known online retailer. I wish I could say it arrived unexpected but truth be told I had been regularly checking the tracking number.
So the other night I replaced my well used and dying Saitek X45 with a matte new G940. I had been using G25 driving pedals as well, but switched those out for the G940 pedals.
Some notes of interest:
Power supply appears to be identical to G25. Same ratings on the back. I switched to the new one anyway, just to be sure.
G940 pedal base is not as deep as the G25, which was good 'cause the G25 pedals had barely fit under my desk. Width is roughly the same, maybe slight wider.
G940 throttle and joystick bases are much deeper and a bit wider than the X45. However I was able to velcro (not included) them right into place where the X45 had been. Tight fit though and more by luck than anything else was I able to get them in there. I have the stick center mounted; since it's deeper it brought the actual stick back towards my chest a bit. I think this might be a good thing for comfort - not sure yet.
Overall build quality seems quite good. I thought I'd wish for metal but it's high quality plastic and the feel is excellent.
Split throttle is nice - easy to use for throttle & prop pitch or collective. All buttons, hats, switches and sliders are easy to get to with average sized hands.
Joystick button layout on the stick is the same, though top left and top right are a stretch for me. Hats are easy to get to though. Thumb trigger on stick is quite nice.
Pedals - well, I've not used any other flying pedals but they seem good. Stance is wide. Big spaces for feet. Tension is adjustable; brakes seem decent.
Connections - 9(?)pin connectors from throttle and pedals and power supply pin enter joystick at the front. I wish they would have tucked them into the base like on the G25. I have had to make sure I don't snag them.
As far as using it goes - well, throttle is great, works as expected, very smooth. Taking me a bit to get used to the pedals but I think that will work out ok.
Joystick inputs are extremely accurate and smooth... which is a plus on every game except Rise of Flight. My IL2 accuracy has improved (from awful to bad). However combine that sensitivity with this stick's short throw (compared to X45) and Rise of Flight gets a lot twitchier.
I'm on the fence about the force feedback. It's a little geary feeling and I don't know that it adds much to my experience. Maybe I will change my mind, leaving it on for a while.
A few issues:
Grouping of P buttons at back of throttle is too uniform. Makes it hard to find buttons by feel. I wish they'd been grouped rather than laid out in a grid.
No 'center' detentes on sliders and wheels! This is pretty much the only real flaw I have found. Makes it impossible to zero out trim by feel and it's hard to do visually as well.
Cord from power supply to stick is just barely long enough for how I have it wired up. Plenty long for a simple setup, but if you have the wires threaded it can be a stretch.
Shows up as 3 seperate controllers to windows, so it's impossible(?) to use the full setup with older titles that only support one controller. I suppose you could use the Trim wheels on the joystick as throttle and rudder though.
Edited by pakfront (11/12/09 07:57 PM)
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. A pig that doesn't fly is just a pig. - Porco Rosso
. Windows 8, Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3ghz, 8GB RAM
. GeForce 560 640mb @ 1920x1200 32bpp 96dpi
. TrackIR 3 Vector, Logitech G940 & G25