Hello there people, its your resident car addict here, thanks for reading my review. If you liked it...
Hello there people, its your resident car addict here, thanks for reading my review. If you liked it, have a look at my others! Comments always welcome!
Member since:30.04.2004
Reviews:23
Members who trust:4
I actually bought my ST90 whilst on a school trip in New York. In a little computer store opposite Macy's as it happens, but that's beside the point. Prior to purchasing this ST90, I only had its poor brother, the ST50, which had served me well, and showed that Saitek designed and constructer very sturdy little joysticks. I had used the '50' in all sorts of situations - a keen driving sim fan, it had been especially useful for use as a gearstick, pushing and pulling to change gears. When I had got bored of burning virtual rubber, the little hunk of black plastic was more than happy to jump straight into the role of flight simulatorjoystick, and performed equally as well in such a role. To my joy, when returning home, I found out that exactly was same was true of the ST50's big brother - the '90'
One of my main reasons for wanting a new joystick was due to the lack of buttons on the ST50. Whilst that had the grand total of 2, the ST90 has, in comparison, a veritable smorgasbord of little switches and buttons - 3. Having said that, these are all intuitively placed, and within instant reach - no matter what size your hand is. 2 under the thumb and a 'trigger' which falls under your index finger, when gripping the joystick. On the subject of buttons, one of the more disappointing features of the ST90 becomes apparent - whilst even then the lowly ST50 came with an analogue sliding roller for use as a throttle in flight simgames, the 90 has 2 buttons that increase or decrease the amount of little green LED's that are illuminated. These LED's are located above the 2 buttons, however the downside is, there are only 4 of them. So, in the context of a flight sim game, when used as a throttle (what they were intended for) you can choose between 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% power. You miss out on the advantages of having the little slider which eases through all 100 variables. It just seems odd to use such a feature on a more expensive joystick, effectively; you're paying more to get less adjustability.
On to the ST90's party trick though, perhaps its best feature, is its storage capability. Whereas most joysticks have a large base area that consumes half your desk, the 90 makes use of a rather clever system. 3 stands-come-stabilisers are hinged on the side of the joystick, so that when not in use, they can be folded up, and the whole joystick can be ushered away in a corner somewhere. This is also useful for transportation. Indeed, the ST90 comes packaged in a sort of capsule, highlighting the benefits of having such a space saving design. When you want to use the joystick again, you just fold the 3 legs down, and twist a little orange slider clockwise slightly, which locks all the legs in place. It's a clever system, and more to the point, one that actually works!
Installing and setting up this joystick is a breeze. A 5 year old with the attention span of a fly could easily complete the procedure. If, like most people these days, you have Windows XP, then you just plug the thing in with its USB connector, and away you go. There is a calibration process to complete, but this too, will take well under 5 minutes of your time.
Saitek have a good support system on their website, so even if you do require to download drivers or support material, you can do so with ease.
The bottom line is that the Saitek ST90 is an honest a joystick as you could care to find. It doesn't vibrate, have force feedback, or buttons plastered everywhere, it might not even have an analogue throttle, but it is extremely solid. I have put mine through all sorts of abuse, and nothing shows any sign of wear, or even if something is about to break.
It doesn't claim to do anything amazing, but it does everything you need it to, and what more could you want? The only thing that's cheap about this joystick is its sub-£10 price tag.
Thanks for reading Tom
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
The ST90 joystick is perfectly adapted to flight simulations and action games that require ... more
a great dexterity. The ST90 is equipped with 2 axes, 2 action buttons, 1 quick trigger and a digital gas control. Its ambidextrous design makes it easy to use fo...
Postage & Packaging: £3.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The ST90 joystick is perfectly adapted to flight simulations and action games that require ... more
a great dexterity. The ST90 is equipped with 2 axes, 2 action buttons, 1 quick trigger and a digital gas control. Its ambidextrous design makes it easy to use fo...
Postage & Packaging: £3.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The ST90 joystick is perfectly adapted to flight simulations and action games that require ... more
a great dexterity. The ST90 is equipped with 2 axes, 2 action buttons, 1 quick trigger and a digital gas control. Its ambidextrous design makes it easy to use fo...
Postage & Packaging: £3.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The ST90 joystick is perfectly adapted to flight simulations andaction games that require ... more
a great dexterity. The ST90 is equipped with 2 axes, 2 action buttons, 1 quick trigger and a digital gas control. Its ambidextrous design makes it easy to use for...
Postage & Packaging: £3.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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