Flight sticks for PC gaming can be had for $50 or so for the casual fan, but if you're willing to spend some serious money, Mad Catz has you covered with Saitek's latest HOTAS (Hands-on Throttle and Stick) offering. While the variety of hat switches, buttons, and customization is impressive, the real secret comes from the way you control the game: the stick itself does not move.
Just like modern military aircraft, the X65F uses force sensing technology. If you simply apply pressure to the stick, you'll control the aircraft. Twist the controls for yaw control. It takes a few minutes to get used to, and it's eerie to have such fine control over the plane with an immobile stick, but the product promises to remove hand strain and to allow you to play your games with much more precision than existing flight sticks.
The stick itself feels like a heavy piece of metal in your hand—you won't have to worry about keeping the stick steady or moving it around while you play—and after a while it simply feels as if the controls are reacting to your thoughts. You will the plane to do something, and it responds wonderfully; your hands need to do almost nothing to perform even advanced maneuvers.
The throttle is likewise high-quality, with a wide variety of buttons and a split design for games that feature dual-engined planes. You can lock the two throttles together for conventional flight as well. If you want to marvel at the array of hat switches and buttons, the official site has the rundown of every feature you'll ever need.
So far at CES, this was one of the most impressive of the game-controlling devices that we were able to demo, and the product will be available to consumers starting in February. The price? $400. Gulp.
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