Customer Reviews

Saitek X52 Pro Flight System Controller

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

Ordering: 5 of 5
Direct from Amazon, arrived 2 business days after placing the order. The retail box is OK, with just egg shell cardboard for internal support, the oversized shipping box with airpacks was probably necessary. The Pro comes with one DVD (.html manual, drivers and Flight Simulator X demo) and a single page, multi-lanquage instruction sheet. Printed instructions stop at plug in and load the DVD to install the drivers.

Appearance: 5 of 5
Aesthetically superior to the X52 IMHO. And many other brands as well, this is a serious piece of peripheral, it just plain looks like it means business, unlike most of the splashy silver competitors.

Function: 4 of 5
Its a great stick, spring tension is consistant throughout the full motion range, although force is somewhat light. Not for lefties. Mode change knob might be easier for one-handing if it were on the left instead of the right side of the column, I find myself letting go of the joy handle to twist for a mode change. Toggle buttons at the base of the stick aren't the ancient mechanical potentiometer trimmers- up on the left toggle changes the viewpoint in the FSX demo, out of the box.

Throttle MFD display is angled, easier to see than the X52. MFD has a clock, push the wheel and it turns into a stopwatch timer. Switching force for the wheel button is light, quite easy to button when one only wants to wheel. Throttle handle has a button style mouse, works as well as the mouse button on some laptop keyboards. At about 80% throttle the force to pass the military/afterburner detent is severe, dialing down the adjustment helps some.

If you are into rudder control, the handle twists for Z rotation, or pull out the small tab at the base of the handle for twist lockdown and/or usage with separate rudder pedals. However, with a strong twist there is still about a 20% Z rotation even with the lockout set. Bump up the deadzone or ensure ZRot is disabled if not in use, perhaps a sensor lockout instead would work better here.

Software: 1 of 5
This is where we fall short, especially if your new PC came with Vista. The programming SW is on the supplied DVD, but go straight to the Saitek web site and grab the latest drivers and profile editor if/when available. Dialups beware, driver + editor downloads are up to 20+Mb depending on the OS. Latest Vista drivers recognize the device and installed, but the the lack of programming SW and profiles for Vista is a bust. The latest driver adds on/off/color control for each individual LED, very nice, but the control panel settings stay with the PC, not a game profile, best as I can determine. There is also an SDK for programming the MFD, requires MS Visual Studio CC++.

The FSX demo has a few small maps and five aircraft, including the twitchy helicopter- not the Bell. Only single engine choice is an ultralight but 65m/110k per hour airborn still beats a drive any day ;) and after about fifteen minutes or so the screen will blank and the demo exits.

A big caveat with the lack of profile editing software, files created for the X52 aren't compatible with the Pro. Nor will the Vista drivers recognize a Pro file created on XP. Until Vista-capable editor is released and/or Saitek posts more Pro-version profiles, the inability to customize is severe.

The iMFD plugin for FSX seems to have either the same X52 vs. X52Pro issue or maybe an OS .exe glitch. In XP SP2, a double click only results in an error dialog box. The demo output program in the SDK loads and runs, and has LED controls similar to the Vista control panel LED tab, except the button labels in the dialog box never change with the state.

But keep an eye on the support web site, this would item would be a 5 when the software is online, check the file dates from Saitek (DDMMYY).

Software versions tested:
XPHome 32bit driver 5.2.0.22 filedate 171006, editor 4.3.4.17, filedate 191206.
Vista 32bit driver 6.0.2.123 filedate 300107, editor NA.

I upgraded from the orginal X-52 which also was a great stick in my opinion, never had the problems with it has other people had. The only minor problem with the orginal joystick that was corrected with the X-52 Pro, was the weak center spring. The Pro also have different look and hat buttons along with several other improvements. You will have to re-program all of your profiles if you are upgrading from the older version.You can't beat Saitex for the price and proformance, I'm satisfied.

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.

Its great. When I bought mine when it first came out last year, I was estatic. Going from a X45 to a X52 Pro, was like day and night. The new software was great. I never touched the stuff on the disc. Now-a-days thats just there to make you feel good, but overall the stuff on the disc is usually always obsolete.
Programming for it took a while, they changed a few things from the X45 programming software, but I got a hang of it. Before I left for Kansas last year (and had to abandon it no money to ship it all back)I had it fully programed for X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Dark Star One, X-Wing Alliance, X2, Crimson Skies, MechWarrior 2, Clan Ghost Bear, MW3, MW4.. yea
Very usable.
I'd recommend it to everyone.

I had the CH Yoke and Throttle set first which was ok, but I didn't find that set up had the sharp control feel I was looking for. I did some research on the web, reading the reviews on different systems and finally decided to go with the Saitek X52 Pro Flight System. I ordered it and while on the expensive side, I found everything about this controller to be first class and worth every penny. It looks great, feels great in your hands, and it is far more precise at controlling all aircraft axis. I' completely satisfied and will never go back to the CH Yoke setup again.

I purchased this product over six months ago. As far as a simulation controller goes, this product takes the cake. The controller itself is very rugged and solidly constructed. Even after the joystick took a shortfall, its works perfectly.

Breakdown: Buttons, solid feel and good response. The LED's are customizable so you can set the intensity and color of the lights - that is a neat feature. The primary POV (silver) is showing some minor slop in response but that is to be expected with some good use. I have no worries that the product is going to fail on me. The included throttle is a dream. The friction setup is a little weak but the slider itself gives a good, positive feed-back which is what you expect when you roll on a lot of thrust. The MFD is customizable to a degree. With the correct plug-ins, it can display a wide range of information and the its easily accessible and intuitive to use. The scrolling wheels located under the MFD are a bit clumsy and when entering frequencies, can be a hassle. The main issue between the stick and throttle units is the connection. The system utilizes a corded port connection with several small pins inside of the barrel. This connection will get weak over time and you frequently have to ensure the cord is seated between both units to get a good working setup.

The software: To use this stick as a basic setup is a breeze. But to really utilize the powerful software takes lots of time and some advanced knowledge of working with programming. At times the Saitek interface was more of a hassle than a bonus so often times I never activated it. Sometimes it would clear profiles erroneously or get in the way of the scripting interface to operate the MFD. Unless your serious about have all the modes activated and running smoothly, the programming feature is pretty frustrating.

All around precise and great stick despite the minor short comings.

Saitek X52 Pro Flight System Controller
Only one minor problem. I am a lower-intermediate flight sim user. I use FS 2004, CFS 2 and CFS 3. I had some difficulty with trying to determine the difference between 'Mode' and 'Profile'. I found the on-line video from Saitek on how to program to be very helpful.

Previous reviews indicated that I may encounter problems with possible cross controling the ailerons and elevator or rudder when transiting the stick through the null point. This does not happen with my unit. Another concern was that the throttle transition from 90% throttle to full trottle would require excessive force. I have found that there is a little extra force that is required to go into full power. This is just about right. I have not changed the out-of-the-box friction settings.

My third concern was that some owners have experienced problems with keeping the stick and throttle in place when operating the units. I have not had any trouble with the stick or the throttle slipping or sliding. They are placed on a formica desk top. I do not need to install the suction cups that were provided. However, I can see that some gamers would have problems if they tend to slam their controls from stop to stop.

The adjustable stick handle is a blessing (5 possible positions). The stick returns to the center (neutral) position everytime. The hand grip on the throtle is supurb. Both units have a solid feel.

My next purchase will probably be FSX (along with a new computer with some muscle to crunch pixels). The X52 Pro will be ready when I make these upgrades.

This is a very nice joystick. HOTAS is adjustable and also the Joystick by the knob on the front. This has so many buttons, I don't know what to do with them all. Just wish it was a little cheaper.

Another thing, any profile created with the X52 is not compatible with the X52 Pro as they use different file extensions. There is supposed to be a file converter to do this but Saitek hasn't released it. A third party version out there doesn't work. The drivers and SST software are old, but there are beta versions out there but they are causing problems with profiles also.

I recently purchased the X52 Pro and I really liked the feel and looks of the product and when it worked it worked great , however after 3 days of light use the joystick button 1 and 6 stop responding along with the pov 1 and pov 2, it wouldn't pivot 360 degree's it would only pivot to 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. Saitek support determined that the product was faulty and suggested that I return it for an exchange. I sent it back for replacement, well at least I got to use the replacement for 5 days and it stopped working also. I can't believe that this company is putting out such poor quality products. Go to the Saitek forum and do a search on X52 and you will find multiple issues with this product. I wish I had done that before I purchased mine. For the price they charge for this product you would think that it would be better quality. But then again, it's made in china. Make sure you do some research before you buy this product, it may save you some headache down the road. The only positive thing about the purchase is that Amazon was really great in exchanging the product and refunding my purchase.