PC Cyborg F.L.Y. 5 Stick

Shipping:Shipping was great. I actually got it in exactly 48 hours via UPS.Packaging:When you first get the device, it will be easy to set up ( I won't spoil the assembly for you if you haven't seen it before ). I was really impressed with the packaging for starters.Software:I installed the drivers ; quick and easy. I didn't install anything additional but that's up to you. I'm using a iMac (2008) with windows vista ( not sure anymore what level ).Hardware:I use this stick with Flight Simulator X. At first the stick was uncomfortable for my hand.I had to adjust it , which it then became a perfect fit. If you're worried about force feedback, don't. My logitech stick's FF motor died after maybe a year of use. The spring which hold it center and provides a force is good enough.What I was most excited about but a tad bit disappointed by was the throttle ( more so with FS X than the stick it self ) . It's a dual throttle which can also become single throttle isn't able to control individual engines. They both control all engines whether or not you use one or both. There is also a button that will join the two throttles.You also have lot of options when it comes to buttons. I actually have less use for my keyboard now that I can put those commands on the stick. There are 10 number keys, a "shift" key , a trigger and dual throttles. The book says you can assign them to commands such as the trim and different engines but you'll have to play around with that in the game you're using it with.The base can be folded and be put behind your monitor if you have a flat screen LCD monitor to save space. The over all texture and stainless steal of the device is very smooth.There is a light under the hat switch which can become distracting at times when you push the stick forward during flight. The light for some reason is very intense on that angle so don't look directly into it.Another thing is when you're pushing the stick forward, the base lifts up. I personally do not mind when flying because the only time I'm really pushing the stick forward is when I'm landing. Even then, I don't even push that hard for the stick to really lift. I only notice that when I'm flying freehand. It might bother some but it's fine with me.Final:I would suggest this to anyone who is interested in an adjustable stick, great over all feel and style. Of course there are more advanced sticks around but this certainly is worth the buy for what it offers.Good:Easy to instal driversGreat feel ( texture )AdjustableGreat StyleLots of buttonsSpace saverBad:Intense blue lightLifts when pushing stick forward

UPDATE:I have really tried. I started out with a review of a 3 because the axles of the stick had huge slop areas when I got it, and resulted in about an initial 40% dead-zone allocation to prevent any craft from spazzing out and said that it was adjustable but that was just about all it had going for it.Let me explain what kind of horrible mistake this company made by selling this pile of crap right quick before I move on. The joystick was a test buy. I'd had a lot of friends that mulled back and forth between "Mad Catz" is better and "Razer" is better. So I figured, before I go all out, I'd buy something from MadCatz and something from Razer. So I got the MadCatz FLY Stick 5, and the Razer Orbweaver gaming pad. I was so horrified at the quality of the joystick, I bough a full set of Razer products and then hated the company for not offering joysticks to replace this pile of crap. When I say I bought the full set, we're talking deathstalker ultimate, oraborus mouse, headset, Vespula, the works -- in total, ole MadCatz gained $60.00, like $40.00 profit, and ole Razer? well they got a nice little $720.00 sum, and likely profited $250 of that. And there in lies Mad Catz grave error.A few months back, I lowered that rating to a 2. The #2 button popped off and the deadzones increased to around 60%. I'm just fed the hell up at this point as well and order a Thrustmaster HOTAS to replace this steaming pile of crap. And then I have the company send me a PM wanting to know if I would want a replacement (an amazon message sent some 5 months ago) and was SOOO tempted to send them a video, in reply, of me smashing this joystick on a brick with the subject, "No, I don't want another steaming pile of crap". You see, I'm not going to waste my time to simply have them replace this crap with more crap. It makes no difference how many times it is replaced, THIS JOYSTICK IS UTTER, STEAMING, CRAP. I don't ever want another joystick like this. The point of a video game is to provide entertainment. Trust me when I tell you, it is not possible with this joystick. Its not a joystick, its a trollstick.But I'll continue to explain why. You see, if button 2 falling off wasn't bad enough, the worst part about it was repairing it with some plastic epoxy, I was able to restore functionality to that button. But here is the kicker and that bad part, the button felt a LOT more solid AFTER I fixed it than out of the box. Imagine that, a jimmy rigged fix is more of a solid construction than the original manufactured item. You can't make this crap up! Ok, so then the other button (the one on the other side of the 2) it comes off, I fix that one as well. And, you got it, it works better and feels more sturdy.*sigh*So, the last straw was the trim switch you hear folks talking about. I used that in Elite Dangerous as a weapon group cycling "button". However, you would "click" down on the button once, but the joystick may register 0 clicks, or hell, it might even register 20. Like a box of chocolates, you NEVER knew wtf you would get with that button. This prompted me to coin a new word, just for this joystick, "Click and Pray".Before ditching this Joystick I put a grand total of about 17 gaming hours on this Joystick and its not like I was as pissed as I am recounting the stress this Joystick put me through while playing Elite Dangerous, and I wasn't even PVPing, this joystick just seems to melt in your hand, sorry for the chocolate references. But you know, you don't expect Chocolate to last very long, a joystick for $60.00, no, it better give me a little more than a year or more than a $3.00 mouse.But what gets this product a rating of 1 today is the sheer comparison of a CHEAPER joystick with included (but detatchable throttle console), has better construction quality, better materials, more buttons, and more precision on its sensors than the con artists at MadCatz could dream of. This newer joystick now feels like a $500.00 rig in comparison. And that prompted me to realize just how badly I had been conned out of $60.00 when this new Joystick was only $40 with a quality that just has no comparison.If there is a joystick on the market that I would dub "Worlds Worst Joystick", Mad Catz, you get a 9999999 out of 10. You can't possibly get any worse without breaking the damn law. It is definitively impossible.This company did indeed do one thing positive. I'll never stress again over a Mad Catz product because I will refuse to allow one in my house.TL:DR: This is the most despicable, pathetic excuse for a $60 joystick I have ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon. I hope someone finds trade or commerce laws that will burn the hell out of these guys because I'll be damned if they don't deserve every burn they'll get from resulting law suits, I mean that too, this joystick isn't a one-of-a kind defective batch, read the reviews. I kicked myself in the rear hard for not doing exactly what I just asked you to do.And you know what, for the life of me, I can't understand how anyone having this joystick over a week can rate it more than 3 stars because I just don't buy that they were so incredibly lucky they happened to find some batch that was intended for the developers or investors of the company. I say this because there is no way the buttons didn't pop off or show a LOT of play in a demonstration without additional fortification to that little 1mm strip of flexiplastic that holds the button and provides all the pivot and bares 1/2 of the press pressure. Seriously, that's how bad it is.. 1mm. From what I can tell of the positive reviews, these people rated this joystick right out of the box without plugging it in or have only ever had this joystick and doesn't realize how incredibly low quality it is. When you get 40% slop while the stick is centered, most companies consider this defective, but read the instruction manual, not Mad Catz! They consider 80% slop defective!

An outstanding flight stick. The ability to adjust the stick's length and fwd/backward slant is great. The buttons on the stick can also be positioned for the most comfortable position. All movements seem crisp and smooth. The Cyborg X has capabilities I haven't explored yet such as the ability to program the buttons. The only curiosity I've found is while flying jets on map CLEAN SWEEP in BF2 the #2 button does not always release bombs cleanly. Sometimes there is a lag between button press and bomb release and other times only one or two bombs out of five will release. But in all fairness I'm not sure that this isn't a function of the game rather than a stick problem. Works great in MS Flight Sim X.Update: Problem with button#2 became worse and the button finally came apart from the flight stick. Replacement by Amazon was almost immediate. No hassle, no cost. Important note: The stick must be assembled by screwing on to the base. It can be overtightened which caused my POV button to function in only one direction. Loosening resolved the problem.