Saitek J13 Cyborg 3D USB Joystick

sorry, I just had to say that...


Saitek J13 Cyborg 3D USB -> A total plug-play joystick   October 1, 2000
 27 out of 28 found this review helpful

Last night I went out and bought the Saitek J13 Cyborg 3D(twist) *GOLD* joystick. I exchanged my "stupid" game boy color, for this beautiful joystick. I had been researching about this particular joystick for quite some time, and seeing, that it was better than the 2000 version, which has NO 3D twist, I choose the J13 3D model. It just so happens that the one they had at Software Etc. was the "New" gold version.... If you have a choice, get the gold version, #1 it looks better, and #2 it has drivers that are all up to date. You can still download these drivers, but I thought this was neater, because the newest driver download was 5 megs. The joystick performed very well on the games I have. I tryed it on Freespace 2, and it proformed great. It was a bit sluggish at times, this is probably because I didnt switch over to analog for Freespace 2. Thats another neat thing, the ability to switch between analog and digital. I also tested the joystick on Crimson Skies. It proformed very well on this, giving me the upper hand against all opponents. Before the joystick, I used the keyboard. My machine gun accuarcy on Crimson Skies, was 5%. With the Cyborg, it is now 45%. That is one hell of an increase. This is a joystick that is total plug and play. I inserted the disk, got the drivers off the disk. Restarted. Pluged it in. And made up some controls for my games, and voila, I was playing better than ever. This a much superior joystick to the sidewinders, because the joystick, has a feel like a piston. You feel like you are holding a German Made Weapon Of Mass Destruction. When you pull the trigger, a mechanical "Click" is heard. Satisfyingly all the buttons do the same thing. On other joysticks the buttons dont click and the stick has a plasticky junky feel. This stick is also non-sweat. Get sweaty palms when dogfighting? This stick is for you. It has a special coating that doesnt let sweat stick. Very nice! Over all this joystick is a must have for the flight enthusiastic person. It has the look of a preying-mantis, or an alien. It is a deadly piece of equipment, BUY IT...! IT IS WORTH IT! TRUST ME! AND DID I SAY LEFT HANDED PEOPLE CAN USE IT TO? THERE IS A SMALL TOOL THAT LETS YOU ADJUST EVERYTHING, VERY COOL! GET IT!, BE HAPPY!, DONT BE SAD!


Supreme concept, few flaws   September 30, 2000
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Let's just call this bad boy the Cyborg, make's things a lot easier, and after a few missions on your favorite sims, you'll think it's an extension of your arm.

The Cyborg's primary feature and trademark is the nearly full customizability, not just of the buttons, but the action design and shape of the joystick itself. With an ingenious tool that fits snuggly and securely on the base, you can adjust the handrest according not only to the size of your hand, but accordingly to your left or right handedness. This is especially helpful for those long missions, reducing the strain on your hand muscles, and gives you the extra stability needed for fine control and precise maneuvers.

The thumb pad (home to three thumb-activated triggers and the hat-stick) is also customizable, with a forward-back tilt allowing it to adjust to your thumb length, and a left/center/right tilt to fit your particular preference and (again) handedness. (They really wanted to make the Cyborg fully usable by lefties... not a priority for me, but it may be for you.)

The Cyborg itself is molded with a rubberized plastic, offering a great grip, secure throughout the mission. Having a secure grip is especially useful, as you can actually rotate the stick itself (left and right), allowing fine rudder and turning control--a feature also useful in FPS gaming for strafing.

On the flip side, they may have taken the left/right-handedness thing too far, as the four buttons on the base (which I've used for targetting and weapons management) are inconvienently positioned for use in the middle of a dogfight. I want to be able to use my thumb, resting on the base, to manipulate the buttons by feel... not have to look down and tap them with my index finger.

Further, the advertised "16 programable functions" is something of an exaggeration, as they -must- be including the hat-stick in this measurement, and "shift" button which is again entirely inaccessable due to the would-be abidexterity of the stick. Still, I haven't had a problem finding space for the commands I really need, but I'm used to having extra buttons serving no purpose, not having to prioritize which I really need on the stick, and which I'll make do with the keyboard.

But against the measure of control, stability, and solid performance this stick offers, these complaints are small potatoes. I'd definitely recommend the Cyborg to anyone looking for a controller primarily-oriented towards flight sims, with secondary importance placed on FPSs.