Saitek PS40U Aviator Joystick for use with PC or PS3 Game Console

by Mad Catz Inc

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 10.6 inches ; 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001EYU1VY
• Item model number: PS40U
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #5 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Game Hardware > PC Game Hardware > Controllers > Joysticks
  • #21 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Game Hardware > PC Game Hardware > Controllers > Flight Controls
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 15, 2008

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Get on your enemy's 'six', chalk up another kill and rule the skies with the Saitek Aviator -- the best way to play flight games on your Playstation 3 and PC. The Aviator gives you total accuracy and complete control, improving the way you play air combat games, heightening realism and enhancing gameplay.

Features include:

• 3 buttons, heavy duty trigger and POV analog stick
• 2 buttons, Start and Select and D-pad
• Dual mode switch - changes control layout to support different games
• Large, flat base gives total stability

System Requirement:

• Connectivity: USB 1.1/2.0
• System Requirement: Playstation 3, Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

Works great with:

• Tom Clancy: HAWX
• Blazing Angels
• Blazing Angels 2

Product Description

Get on your enemy's 'six', chalk up another kill and rule the skies with the Saitek Aviator -- the best way to play flight games on your Playstation 3 and PC. The Aviator gives you total accuracy and complete control, improving the way you play air combat games, heightening realism and enhancing gameplay. Features include: 3 buttons, heavy duty trigger and POV analog stick; 2 buttons, Start and Select and D-pad; Dual mode switch - changes control layout to support different games; Large, flat base gives total stability. System Requirement: Connectivity: USB 1.1/2.0; System Requirement: Playstation 3, Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions) and Windows 7. Works great with: IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey; Tom Clancy: HAWX; Blazing Angels; Blazing Angels 2

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good joystick, April 13, 2009

By 

William C. Wirstrom - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saitek PS40U Aviator Joystick for use with PC or PS3 Game Console (Personal Computers)

The Saitek ps40u is a great joystick when you need both a pc and ps3 stick. As for the pc it is very good for use in fighter type games and has lots of features. You can assign buttons action and in some games others have files already set up. Be careful not to buy the older ps33 model as it is not usable on the ps3.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good precision, great features, January 4, 2010

By 

Safari John (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saitek PS40U Aviator Joystick for use with PC or PS3 Game Console (Personal Computers)

This joystick is a replacement for my Logitech which was getting pretty sloppy. It feels precise, and the dual throttles with toggle-like switches are perfect for flight simulation without the bulk of a yoke/rudder pedals. More buttons wouldn't hurt, and perhaps a quad throttle setup would be even better. There's no Mac software for the "multi-function" capability, but the large red two position toggle switch can be used as another set of buttons (I use it to toggle spoilers and run full thrust reversers after landing.)

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good joystick for the price. Also, southpaw friendly!, December 30, 2010

By 

Timothy G. Berntsen "Guru of geekdom" (Virginia Beach) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Saitek PS40U Aviator Joystick for use with PC or PS3 Game Console (Personal Computers)

Overall this joystick works well. I don't like it as much as the Thrustmaster T-Flight series, but if you are in the market for a joystick that will work well on both the PS3 and PC, this will meet your needs and is good as an entry-level stick. It handles games like HAWX and Freespace pretty well and should serve you pretty well for the upcoming Ace Combat. What I would say is the biggest, most important part is that this stick has an ambidextrous design, making it suitable for both left and right handed play. My brother is left handed and has long lamented about the difficulty he had trying to play HAWX on my T-Flight HOTAS, so I bought him one of these for Christmas and now he too can get in on the flight stick club.

Pretty much all of the regular playstation buttons, however notably absent are dedicated R1 and L1 buttons. Instead, you get an option switch that allows you to change between "M1" and "M2" button layouts. M2 re-arrages the layout so that the trigger and all of the buttons on the stick's top represent the shoulder buttons and triggers instead of the face buttons. The face buttons are present in both modes in the form of an additional HAT stick on the unit's base. It might seem a little odd at first but it works. You also get a swiveling action on the stick for the rudder controls, and a little throttle that moves forwards and backwards (it controls the L2 and R2 triggers in standard mode).

The stick is not without drawbacks, however I find them forgivable due to the unit's price point (I got it for $20). First of all, this stick does not have much weight to it. The base very light, and it most certainly feels like something made of plastic. I would have much preferred the base be made out of metal, because that would make it feel much more sturdy and stable, but on the other hand, it probably be more expensive. I would have also preferred that all buttons be physically present in both operational modes, and the seam in the middle of the stick can be a bit annoying after long play sessions (you may wish to fix this by wrapping some kind of material around it). Lastly, the stiffness of the stick was a little more than my typical preference. The T-Flight series allow you to adjust the stiffness manually, and I prefer a looser feeling flight stick, especially when the base is so light. However, this is a matter of preference, and I got used to it after a while. If you like a stiffer feeling spring, this should please you quite nicely.

Overall though, these are only minor issues for a stick in this price range. If you have an occasional interest in flight sims, space shooters and the like, this stick will serve your needs well. However, if you're a hardcore flight sim nut and are fine with using your right hand, you may want to spend a few bucks more and get something a bit beefier. Overall though, I like this stick and I think it's a good choice for console gamers who want something that is friendly to left handed users.