Logitech Attack 3 - joystick

...thing you notice about the Logitech Attack3 joystick is its shape - it's very stylish and looks just like what you'd expect to by inside the cockpit of an F19 (or whatever). The handle leans forward and it fits very comfortably and naturally into the hand, with the main fire button positioned beautifully.

The second thing you notice is that, when you plug it in (this is on Windows XP, anyway), the install runs automatically and you ...
...straightforward from Windows, but most games have their own calibration routines any.

The joystick is equipped with no less than 11 fully programmable fire buttons (main fire button, three at the top, two each side and two at the back) - though in all honesty I try to avoid games where I need more than 4 buttons - I tend to forget what does what, and while I'm trying to remember I get killed… But if you need plenty of buttons, they're ... more

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, and then I thought, "Why wait?"... and I couldn't think of a good reason, so here it is!

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The first thing you notice about the Logitech Attack3 joystick is its shape - it's very stylish and looks just like what you'd expect to by inside the cockpit of an F19 (or whatever). The handle leans forward and it fits very comfortably and naturally into the hand, with the main fire button positioned beautifully.

The second thing you notice is that, when you plug it in (this is on Windows XP, anyway), the install runs automatically and you are ready to go in literally seconds. Calibration is fairly straightforward from Windows, but most games have their own calibration routines any.

The joystick is equipped with no less than 11 fully programmable fire buttons (main fire button, three at the top, two each side and two at the back) - though in all honesty I try to avoid games where I need more than 4 buttons - I tend to forget what does what, and while I'm trying to remember I get killed… But if you need plenty of buttons, they're here.

There is also a Z axis - this is the only slight disappointment I had with the whole joystick - instead of a proper "throttle" like my old joystick had, there's a rotating lever at the back. This only really makes a difference with flight simulation games but is a little fiddly to get to if you need it. However this is a minor quibble.

The unit itself is solidly built and very responsive. Unlike most joysticks it doesn't seem to be geared to a particular type of game - I've played racing games, sport simulation, 3D / 2D shoot-em-ups, and other basically unclassifiable games with it and they've all felt comfortable. And no, I've not even used fire buttons 6-11 yet… The only thing that people may be disappointed with is the lack of a HAT, though you could program some of the buttons to act like one if you really wanted.

Many peoples' prayers may have been answered because this joystick has no suction pads! (damn things never worked properly anyway). Instead, it has four small rubber "feet" that simply rest on whatever surface you have it on without trying to cling to it. After some usage, I've found that these do actually work quite well as "shock absorbers" and, while not exactly perfect (more frenzied games still result in the joystick sliding around madly if you're not careful) it's a good overall solution.

Overall, this joystick is excellent value for money. If you're looking for a stylish, sturdy, reliable, responsive, and versatile joystick that won't break the bank, then this is an excellent choice. If you only tend to play one sort of game, you may be better off getting a joystick designed specifically for that type of game. There's no force feedback, though you'd expect to pay rather more for a joystick that had it!

There is a slight problem with the X-axis of this joystick. After a few weeks I seemed to have encountered the same problem. All it takes to fix it is re-callibrating the joystick from Windows. It's an annoyance rather than a major problem.

If this was an expensive joystick the minor problems I've had with it may have been enough to rob it of a 5 star rating, but it's listed on Argos.co.uk for £19.99, and I believe it will be a similar price elsewhere. Unlike some other older joysticks, this one seems to still be readily available. For the discerning gameplayer on a relatively tight budget, this does the job very nicely indeed.

Thanks for reading!
 

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