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76.3
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| First Impression |
A solid no-frills stick with a wide footprint and a T-bar throttle control.
Dual mode serial\USB connector with a whopping 8 foot cord! (Now that’s what I’m talkin bout!)
Not a lot of buttons, however all them are well within thumbs reach.
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8.5
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| Software Installation |
There is no software that ships with this stick. Just plug it in with the provided game port to USB adapter and it sets itself up as a standard USB Game Controller. After checking the calibration, I noticed that I did not have full range of motion. It took three times to finally calibrate it correctly. -Perhaps drivers could eliminate this. |
7.0
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| Software Controller Interface |
Every game I tried recognized the joystick without a hitch and programming the buttons through each games joystick configuration utility was virtually painless. |
9.5
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| Game Included |
None. Natta, zip, nuttin! Seems like this is a trend with most joystick manufacturers. Could this be the new ‘standard’ in the joystick industry? Let’s hope not. Providing a game might sway the potential buyer into purchasing one.
I am giving this a 5.0 since it seems to be the average with most manufacturers.
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5.0
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| Help Instructions |
The help instructions are pretty basic, as is the installation. However if you run into any problems (which I didn’t after successfully calibrating it) they suggest installing the CH Flightstick Pro drivers. I have an idea...how about burning a set of drivers made specifically for your product onto a CD and place it in the box before shipping! : ) |
6.0
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| Comfort |
The angle of the joystick, which is slightly tilted forward, and the flared hand base provided for hours of comfortable control without any adverse effects to my hand. The non-slip rubberized grip doesn’t look like rubber, it is more like a smooth feeling plastic with rounded edges giving it the feeling of rubber without it actually being there...weird I know, but having said that, my hand did not slip or slide at all during game play. |
9.0
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| Construction (Quality) |
An aggressive stance, solid feel, wide footprint, and suction cups at all four corners proved to be more than enough to stabilize this flightstick during game play.
Four micro-switched fire buttons, a trigger, and a four\eight-way HAT switch all worked perfectly. The hat switch needs to be bit more grippable. A very smooth glossy surface provided little thumb traction in the heat of a battle.
The stick centered nicely and movement was smooth with just enough spring tension to give it a nice feel. However there is no twisting axis that I believe all fightsticks should have.
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8.0
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| Looks |
The wide aggressive stance and T-bar throttle make this one of the better-looking standard fightsticks. |
8.8
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| Value (price for what you get) |
Spectra Video offers this product for $29.99, which is almost fair among quality flightstick controllers. Although when you compare apples to apples the price seems to be a little high.
More programmable buttons and a twist axis could improve the score.
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6.5
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| Recommend to Others |
If you’re in the market for a good standard flightstick\joystick, and are willing to shell out the cash, you should not be disappointed with this one. A good feel, solid stance, and accurate performance make the Phantom 2 a safe bet. |
8.0
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