Ok, a while back after getting my cable modem, I figured, why not plop into D3 for a while? So, I fired up my copy, plugged in my old recently dusted Sidwinder Precision 2. I had game after game of fun and seemed to even be winning a game here or there on occasion and I seemed to be performing pretty good. However, I started noticing something strange as I was playing. I couldn't slide to the left. My hat had apparently flaked out on the left.
So, I made a quick run out of town to pick up a new ST290. I saw one a one at a LAN party a while back, liked the looks of the button configuration and the blue light was kind of cool and matched my keyboard. Besides, I needed something to fill in until I could recieve a better stick and I was curious about Saitek sticks for a number of years.
Right out of the box, it was easy to adjust to fit the hand rest to the shape of my hand, it is also great for lefties. I liked the button config as stated before. I configured the two top buttons on each side of the hat for weapon switch buttons, the bottom right button to flare and the bottom left I set for countermeasures. It also appeared to have a spring. Something I was a little affraid of but I figured that others must use it, so what the hey? So, I jumped in-game.
Initially you feel pretty good and it feels nice and solid. However, after about 30 minutes of tough dogfights, I noticed that I start to slack off on my movements. Am I bored? Nope. I'm tired. The spring is so stiff that it causes your arm to wear down just enough that you no longer have any lead with your aim. Now this is ok in a flight simulator where your movements are more about keeping yourself in the air or even for jet fighter games. But with Descent 3, where your entire game almost as difficult as a dance routine, you quickly grow tired and tend to slack off. Why can't springs be optional on sticks?
Not only this but the hat switch is convex. At first you think it will be ok because the end of it is a little concave and it has a nice smooth shape.
This causes your thumb to become very sore. Also, if you have any conditions where you are effected by bloodflow in your hands, sweating will cause you to effectively slip off much easier. Something that just didn't happen with MS sticks. Why so many companies don't put any thought into making a comfortable hat switch that doesn't wear on thumb or slip... I still do not know. What I love are the thumbsticks on X-Box controlers. They are made out of a nice soft, smooth, rubber and you always have plenty of grip. Why this can't be implemented into a joystick, I still to this day, can't understand.
I was also dissapointed in a lack of any sort of software and it doesn't seem to function with a second joystick hooked up. At least not in D3. I really liked the option to set up profiles in the MS products.
As a final note, the throttle appears to be a peice of crap. It is in a completely useless position. You have to take your hands completely off from your keyboard to use it, so in essence, the only function of your left had would be for the throttle if you were to use it in any other game and it would be an a totally inconvenient spot anyway. If they were smart, they would sell sticks that can have an optional throttle that you can buy as a seperate, optional peice if you prefer to have one for some reason or another. Why they even inlcude throttles on sticks like these, I still to this day, don't understand. I have never found a use for one and I prefer using my keyboard in most cases over a joystick throttle.
The handeling also seems to be a bit sluggish in-game in comparison to other sticks I have owned.
And last but not least, the base is much too light. It really needed to come with some way to strap it to your desk or some added weight in the base of the stick. Though, this was easily resolved with some fasteners.
So, in short:
Pros:
1. Cheap.
2. You can set it up for both southpaw and righties. 3. Secondary button is right where you want it, in the middle and below the hat.
4.Buttons on the stick itself are set up perfectly. Cool Light on top.
Cons:
1.Convex hat switch (though better than some sticks I have used).
2. Spring makes stick far too stiff and will cause your arm muscles to become sore after 30 minutes of gameplay.
3. Seems to perform a little sluggish in-game.
4. You can't seem to hook it up with any other controller. At least when running D3.
5. Base is far too light and requires some sort of fastener to keep it in place on your desk.
6. Like most sticks, it has a nearly useless throttle button.
IMO: Don't buy this stick if you can help it. It is a waste of money but if you REALLY need a stick, at least it is cheap.
Personal note: I hope the Logitech 3D Pro performs a lot better than this stick. I would really like to be able to lead my shots for once. What I need is a very accurate, very comfortable stick with a convcave hat switch.
Messy's ST290 Review
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[]V[]essenjah
- DBB Defender
- Posts: 3512
- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 1999 3:01 am
For the Google impaired: http://www.saitekusa.com/USA/prod/st290.htm
Looks like a somewhat cheaper version of the Cyborg Evo, which I use (or used, at any rate, until getting Grendel's converter 
). I've never had most of the problems you've mentioned with my stick, although I will admit that the hat switch can get a bit tough to handle; also, with the size of my hands, I'm not really able to keep my wrist resting on the platform (even at its highest setting) while still being able to comfortably reach the hat and top buttons.
All that being said, I've never had a problem with the spring stiffness; it takes a bit of getting used to, but it certainly doesn't impair my D3 ability (or lack thereof) that much. It also loosens up over time, which helps matters. As far as multiple controllers go, I don't know about that particular stick, but I seem to recall D3 not being able to handle multiple separate controllers; we are talking about a 7-year-old game, here. Regarding the base being too light, I've never noticed, since I've pretty much always played Descent with the joystick seated in my lap; my physics textbook makes the perfect surface for resting the Evo's base on.
And the throttle...well, for your particular stick, I can see how the lack of any base buttons might render it somewhat useless in most cases. However, with the Evo's six base buttons, I find it indispensable. I'm pretty much a joystick-only player, so I rest my left hand on the base for throttle/afterburner while using my right hand for everything else on the main stick. I've never had much of a problem using it, and I always liked it better than a keyboard; to me, the feel of actually moving forward/back to move your ship makes the whole experience that much more immersive. But, obviously, to each their own. It's all about your own personal playing style, and you just have to try to find a stick that fits it.
). I've never had most of the problems you've mentioned with my stick, although I will admit that the hat switch can get a bit tough to handle; also, with the size of my hands, I'm not really able to keep my wrist resting on the platform (even at its highest setting) while still being able to comfortably reach the hat and top buttons. All that being said, I've never had a problem with the spring stiffness; it takes a bit of getting used to, but it certainly doesn't impair my D3 ability (or lack thereof) that much. It also loosens up over time, which helps matters. As far as multiple controllers go, I don't know about that particular stick, but I seem to recall D3 not being able to handle multiple separate controllers; we are talking about a 7-year-old game, here. Regarding the base being too light, I've never noticed, since I've pretty much always played Descent with the joystick seated in my lap; my physics textbook makes the perfect surface for resting the Evo's base on.
And the throttle...well, for your particular stick, I can see how the lack of any base buttons might render it somewhat useless in most cases. However, with the Evo's six base buttons, I find it indispensable. I'm pretty much a joystick-only player, so I rest my left hand on the base for throttle/afterburner while using my right hand for everything else on the main stick. I've never had much of a problem using it, and I always liked it better than a keyboard; to me, the feel of actually moving forward/back to move your ship makes the whole experience that much more immersive. But, obviously, to each their own. It's all about your own personal playing style, and you just have to try to find a stick that fits it.
I use that stick myself. And as TG said, the spring loosens up over time, so for a while it'll be still 
As for the hat.... I'm probably not going to ever replace my stick becuase it wore out, you know why? It's becuase I don't use it for anything, aside from pri\\sec weapon switch and flare... And the sluggish ness might be solved by turning the deadzone down to 0.
As for the hat.... I'm probably not going to ever replace my stick becuase it wore out, you know why? It's becuase I don't use it for anything, aside from pri\\sec weapon switch and flare... And the sluggish ness might be solved by turning the deadzone down to 0.