Customer Reviews

Logitech Wingman Force 3D

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

When shopping for joysticks, I find it can be very difficult searching for just the right one that will work for you. Just as equally difficult is finding one that isn't overpriced garbage. Even when you do finally find one that suits you, you find many drawbacks in its design, such as poor website support, lack of game profiles, bad software design and overwise. The silution to all of these difficult questions when deciding on which joystick to purchase is simple...The Logictec Wingman Force 3D, hands down! This joystick is the answer to all my prayers. The forcefeed back is just as good as the Microsoft versions at HALF the price! The control is wonderful, crisp and clear without those pesky twitches when the stick is in a neutral position like some of the lower quality joysticks I've seen in the past. The web support is second to none, offering the latest game profiles, software upgrades and patches which is one of the main reasons I returned my Microsoft forcefeedback for this little beauty. One last little perk when comparing this joystick to its competitors is versatility; although they don't advertise left and right hand playablility, using this joystick left-handed is pretty comfortable which gives it another perk when you absolutely demand both mouse and joystick use. Enjoy this great joystick and happy gaming!

I was a MS controller junky all the way, until I got this controller as a gift one year. I'm impressed; it is way more stable then the MS Sidewinder I was using. I had more control in the corners on NASCAR 3 and 4; Jane's Flight Sims really liked it. I could pause mid barrel roll and hang there, never could get the Sidewinder to do that. Also the Logitech feels better. Tighter compared to the loose flopping feel of the sidewinder. I now have two Wingmans, one for each computer, and they are still going strong. I'm not knocking the Sidewinder line completely, but when it comes to Joysticks, MS has some work to do, to catch up to this one. The controller has a game port connector with a USB adapter cable. It works great under USB.

Also Win XP sees is it, likes it, and loads it. I don't like the Logitech software, but of course I don't like Sidewinders software either.

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.

The sensitivity is quite amazing, it especially noticeable when calibrating - even the slightest movement is detected. The direction-of-view (or POV) switch works very well, and the other buttons are well placed both on the actual stick itself and on the base (for your left hand). I get rather sweaty when playing these games, however, and I think they need to cover this in some sort of non-slip anti-sweat coating. I also found that although it is excellent for flying anything, it doesn't control cars all that well, perhaps you'd be better off getting a steering wheel if that will be your main use. I don't think it is this model of joystick exactly that causes cars to go all over the place, probably it is the reaction time, which is slower for a one-handed joystick than a two-handed steering wheel.

I'm really impressed with this joystick. The force feedback is good, the layout and feel are good, the look is good. Intallation was really easy. The only problem is it is maybe a little too rattly at times. Its build isn't as solid as the microsoft versions, but then look at the price...almost 1/3 of the price. For me that really makes the choice obvious. The small gains you get are not nearly worth the extra cash. This joystick is the choice I recommend.

After reading a few favourable reviews, I purchased this stick to use with FS2002 and other Force Feedback games. The installation and calibration was easy enough, and the stick felt comfortable in my hand. However, I could never get the stick to function properly, even with updated drivers and Logitech's "Wingman Profiler". It was much too sensitive with your inputs, inspite of turning the sensitivity down in all games. After awhile I just got used to it and learned to use small adjustments. Many other times, the program I was running wouldn't even recognize my inputs, and I would have to unplug the stick from the USB port and plug it back in so Windows could "recognize" it. Now after three months, the Force Feedback has stopped working completely, and when I returned it to Radio Shack in exchange for a new one, the replacement stick was also bad. Defective right out of the box! After the second time around, I simply returned it for a refund and am looking at a SideWinder now. Save yourself the trouble and money and DO NOT buy this joystick. Nothing but problems for me.

I purchased my first force feedback joystick about 9 months ago. It was a Microsoft Sidewinder 3D. It worked off and on for a few days so I returned it and got this joystick. It has worked perfectly in Windows 98, ME, and XP. The forces make flight simming much more fun.
The only complaint I have is that it doesn't have as precise movement and centering as a non-force joystick. This is true with both of the force feedback joysticks I have used, though.

About 2 months after buying this product, which was as good as everyone says, it started acting erratic and would not calibrate back to normal. It was impossible to play with it any more (e.g. Flying along straight and level,suddenly a full uncontrolled roll to the left). I then started an odyssey to upgrade drivers, read all tech support documents, called tech support (either busy or leaves you on hold for 40 minutes-long distance, no 800 number- until I gave up). Sent e-mails(only auto responses) complained to every one of Logitech's e-mail addresses (including one for investors) finally got a response from a very helpful guy who after a painful diagnosis process told me the stick was defective and told me to call tech suport! After a few more tries got through and they agreed to send a new one...great. however their Chinese shipment was late and it took a month to get it (all told this all took about three months,part time.) The new one worked fine for 2 months then started doing the same thing ,this time with the twist anf y axis) I don't know if I have the heart to go through it again. I would not recommend this product if you want long term reliability.

This joystick is definitely a lot of fun. I never had a force feedback joystick before, but I certainly will not go back to the plain variety after this. I got it mainly to play MS Flight Simulator, and it works great with that, although I had to modify the default button assignments to make it more logical layout wise. It is fairly easy to do. The design is ergonomical and looks good. The number of buttons is ok for most games. The accompanying Wingman software is of questionable value, but you do not have to run it to use the joystick in games, despite what Logitech's instructions say.

The feedback effects themselves are great. They are powerful enough, unless you want to play an armwrestling match with your joystick. It really does give another level of reality to the games. It was quite a shock to see the stick move on its own the first time when the instructor was flying the airplane in Flight Sim. The centering does have a different feel than simple mechanical joysticks, but it is pretty easy to get used to it. A fun toy!

This joystick is very good for pretty much all Flight Sims. It includes a trigger, for the Combat Flight Sims, and it has 5 other buttons. It also has a throttle, which is a standard for all joysticks. And is dosen't need installation software. Bottom line, an exelent product.
***NOTE: Do not unplug the USB cord from the jack unless the computer is OFF.***