What's happening to the price of flight sim controlers?

[Tonydb]

Tonydb, can you act as our reporter for flight sim equipment?

I'm sure that you're right about a flight sim surge in China. The Saitek line may be sold, or it may be shut down.

Whatever happens, you'll probably see new stuff long before it appears outside of China.

Thanks for the compliment, I have to own up that I am one of those, in China, manufacturing flightsim hardware, I am building a new factory right now and will produce for the consumer market by the end of this tear or very early next year. Materials and labour are less expensive here, I can get skilled staff and fund R&D for a fraction of the European or USA cost and because we produce products for the training market we understand quality as well as price. I love simming (I'm a grouded pilot - old age) Just like anyone else I cannot understand the failure of the current market players to realise their opportunities and get the product and the price right. My freight costs to europe or USA work out at about one dollar per item if I ship in bulk. Perhaps this is an opportunity, tell us what you want, are yokes where it is or would you prefer floor sticks, or both. How much space do you have before divorce looms, do you want specific aircraft products or generic fly anything products. It is your market and they are your choices.

[SpaceHippy1975]

Thanks for the compliment, I have to own up that I am one of those, in China, manufacturing flightsim hardware, I am building a new factory right now and will produce for the consumer market by the end of this tear or very early next year. Materials and labour are less expensive here, I can get skilled staff and fund R&D for a fraction of the European or USA cost and because we produce products for the training market we understand quality as well as price. I love simming (I'm a grouded pilot - old age) Just like anyone else I cannot understand the failure of the current market players to realise their opportunities and get the product and the price right. My freight costs to europe or USA work out at about one dollar per item if I ship in bulk. Perhaps this is an opportunity, tell us what you want, are yokes where it is or would you prefer floor sticks, or both. How much space do you have before divorce looms, do you want specific aircraft products or generic fly anything products. It is your market and they are your choices.

To be absolutely honest, I'd love to see/purchase a joystick/throttle set-up similar to the Thrustmaster Warthog or VKB joystick but with a rudder twist on the stick.
(VKB joysticks are very nice but have very limited production runs & are pricey too https://flightsimcontrols.com)

I was really considering the Warthog but ultimately it was the lack of rudder twist on the stick that put me off (price didn't help much either!) As I don't have much room as it is for my set-up & trying to add a seperate rudder pedal system was a no go. In the end I went for the X-55 Rhino, although I do like using the X-55 but I have a horrible feeling that it won't last for donkeys years because of the build quality.

I also went for the X-65 a few years ago, something I do regret buying, straight out of the box the throttle quadrant was so stiff I ended up pushing the whole thing backwards & forwards instead of sliding on it's axis! I swear they used some industrial glue instead of grease on the internals! & I could never get used to the stick having no movement whatsoever & having the sensors detect my hand movements eventually did my pickle in! In the end I just stuck the thing in a box & shoved it up in the loft!

[ermias]

Of main interest is the rotary Off/Right/Left/Both-All/Start switch. That's now a fuel selector switch with Off/Left/Right/Transfer.

Of equal interest on the second switch panel is the Gear Up/Gear Down lever. That now applies/releases the parking brake. But there's a twist - When the parking brakes are in the locked position, only the top light is lit red. When released the red light goes out. The two lower lights never light up.

Wow, I like what you did to make the most of Saitek radios and switch panels. I really didn't like, and I think I still do, the engine switch and I have been thinking what I would do with that. Now I know what it is up for. Yes, fuel selector!!

ermias,

[B0ikat]

I'm not so deep in that I use panels, a good joystick will do. My Cyborg X is getting long on the tooth, and acting a bit twitchy. Having a pocket full of money (Tax Refund.. Wooo Hoo!), I carried myself down to the Shreveport Best Buy. After looking around a bit, and finding none, I asked an assistant where the joysticks were. Guess what? The smiling assistant a happily informed me that they do not carry joysticks in that store any more, but they had a fine assortment of "game controllers". I've yet to see any aircraft that uses a "game controller" instead of a yoke or stick. All I could do was roll my eyes and leave. I was sort of wishing the guy at the door would if I had found what I needed. I guess the storm cloud that had developed put him off since he only wished me a nice day.

Next, the Bossier City Best Buy. Same deal, for the most part. I found it disquieting to have to pantomime using a joystick as opposed to a thumb-twitching game controller, but a light dawned, and the assistant said they did have a joystick. It wasn't on the shelf where you'd expect, but on the stock shelf next to the wall, where you needed a ladder-stand to get them. They had six or eight Logitech Extreme 3D Pro's. That's all they had. At $35.00 a pop, I decided to hedge my bets and bought two.

[Fozzer]

...the funny thing is...

A year or so ago, I was given, for free, a set of Saitek Pro Flight Yoke, Rudder Pedals, and Throttle assembly.

I tried them out, and quickly found out that the Yoke got in the way of my view of my monitor screen, and the Rudder Pedals got my feet all confused with what to do with them, and merely collected all the dust on the floor carpet.
The Throttle Assembly was yet another large piece of equipment that got in the way of everything!

So, after the trial period, (of about 10 minutes), I packed them all up again, put them all back into the spare bedroom, and reverted back to my trusty Saitek Cyborg X Fly 5 twist Joystick which takes up no room on my desk, doesn't get in the way of anything, and does everything that I need of it for pretending to fly an aircraft!!

Sweet and Simple....>>> http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/fly5.html ...... ...!

Paul.... ...!

[OldAirmail]

I don't know, Paul.

That thing looks like it might kill me in my sleep. Creepy!





It really is amazing how differently we use the same program. Some need something low and slow, while others only want to fly the fastest thing around.

Some build large an elaborate cockpits. All switches have to be flipped & twisted in the right order. Others just want to fly.


For my part, using the radio for navigation, the switch panel for turning on & off different parts of the plane suits me to a T.

I want to start each engine up. Flip a lever to bring up the landing gear? GREAT.

We each have an aspect of flying that appeals to us, and no one is doing "IT" wrong.

Doing some of those things that are required to fly is part of the fun for me.

[Tonydb]

That's the magic of simming, no rights or wrongs and each to his own with a common base of interest, it challenge for a manufacturer who is not dedicated to that market as a whole. We will try our best to meet the challenge, but every comment and point of view is valid and welcomed.

[OldAirmail]

I would think that two joystick/throttle sets, one basic, and one mid-level, could be a good starting place.

A general, multipurpose, switch set, with the following;
Up to four engine starter switches.
On my CH Products yoke, I use the two toggle switches on the right.
First toggle: Up - engine one start-up. Down - Engine two start-up.
Second toggle: Up - engine three start-up. Down - Engine four start-up.
Landing gear
Flaps Up/Down
One row of (5) momentary switches - With label insert spaces.
One row of (5) on/off switches - With label insert spaces.



Instruments

With the cost of each of these mini panels, something like this gets to be too expensive.


For less than the cost of one Pro Flight Instrument panel you could have one nine inch USB panel for instruments.

This is what I use.
.

Read A small scale cockpit in a box!



You don't need a lot of money for simulated flight with FSX, etc.

But if you get more than a little interested in it, you will start spending money. For most people, EVERY purchasing decision becomes "I can have this, or I can have that".

One of the products in the link above is the JMF-１DG, which costs $617 USD. I like it. If it were under $450, I think that it would sell well enough.

At $600+ USD, I think that it'll disappear. Remember that $617 is only for the box that sits on top of that $200 - $260 Saitek yoke.



And depending on that yoke still being around could become problematical if it disappears suddenly.

Check for yourself. Search online for companies that actually have it in stock. How much is it now?



My last suggestion on anything with switches & buttons would be to use a simple USB controller boards. Skip the proprietary software.

[ermias]

I personally don't like the saitek mini panels. Before I spend that amount of money, I would try to learn how to use servos with photoshop printed gauges and a driver hardware and software available in flightsim markets. I believe for the price of two panels one can make the primary six gauges using servos.

I like your setup and also what you said about avoiding proprietary stuff. I am not saying I don't use those, but as much as I could I have avoided them and bought simple USB cards and toggles. That has saved me a lot of money and given me satisfaction. And there is still the good old way....,use MDF and hide the monitor behind the holes.

And BTW: There is always eBay.

ermias,

[OldAirmail]

I personally don't like the saitek mini panels. Before I spend that amount of money, I would try to learn how to use servos with photoshop printed gauges and a driver hardware and software available in flightsim markets. I believe for the price of two panels one can make the primary six gauges using servos.

I like your setup and also what you said about avoiding proprietary stuff. I am not saying I don't use those, but as much as I could I have avoided them and bought simple USB cards and toggles. That has saved me a lot of money and given me satisfaction. And there is still the good old way....,use MDF and hide the monitor behind the holes.

And BTW: There is always eBay.

ermias,

Ermias, you're a better man than I am. I like to play around and tinker with my equipment, but my best results are no more than adequate.

On that note, though, you may like my solution for a cheap, and sometimes free, USB controller board.

Yeah, a basic gamepad type controller.



I used it to add four LED switches to my CH Products yoke.

[OldAirmail]

....

And BTW: There is always eBay.

ermias,

Not so much.

I truly believe, now, that if Mad Catz doesn't sell off the Saitek line, it may take it with it into bankruptcy.

It looks like I'm not the only one with that belief - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - ebay

BTW....
I take it that ebay sellers have fake accounts to drive up the bids?


It's stuff like this that keeps me off ebay.

[ermias]

They are trying whatever they can to robe customers.
Saitek switch panel:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saitek-Pro-Flig ... Sw1S9WePoG
$995.88, 8 watching and the last one. 8 watching.

SIX THUMB SCREWS ARE NOT INCLUDED.

Same product: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saitek-PZ55-Pro ... Sw-dBTtw0-


I am not sure who in their right mid would buy this.

[ermias]

Ermias, you're a better man than I am. I like to play around and tinker with my equipment, but my best results are no more than adequate.
On that note, though, you may like my solution for a cheap, and sometimes free, USB controller board.

I believe what you did on your setup is great. I always like to salvage things too. This brought a question I had for a long time. We use FSUIPC to assign functions, but sometimes I wonder if there is a way to only isolate one or two controllers from FS instead of disabling everything and leave it in the mercy of FSUIPC. Anything comes to mind?

Thanks,