| USB
SFS Flight Controller
Manufactured By: Suncom
Retail Price:
$25.00
Review Date: 8-30-99 |
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The
USB SFS Flight Controller is a replica of the stick found in the F-15
Eagle jet. It has the feel of the real thing and is quite a large
stick. So large in fact that those with smaller hands may want to
"stick" to the other arcade style sticks out there (There are reasons the
military has specific requirements for pilots. I don't think we'll
ever see my 4'9" girlfriend in the cockpit of a fighter jet.
Sorry honey!).
USB has its obvious advantages- quick and simple
setup, digital interface and usually a lower CPU demand. However,
USB currently has 1 major disadvantage- the inability to have multiple
controllers connected to complement each other (i.e. stick with external
throttle and/or rudder pedals). All of this should change in coming
months with the release of DirectX 7. Until then a USB joystick is
usually a lonely component. When DirectX 7 is released Suncom will
follow through with the release of the USB version of the SFS
Throttle. The USB Throttle and USB SFS should make quite a pair when
available (see the review of the gameport Combo).
The stick is intimidating in size. The base
appears a bit narrow for the size of the controller but the base weight
and 4 heavy duty
suction cups hold it firmly into place on the desktop. Button
placement is decent considering it modeled after a real controller that
was designed and built by the "lowest bidder". The trigger
button and middle button (pinky) are placed so they are always just below
a finger. The other buttons and the hat switch are controlled by
your thumb. The remaining buttons have differing configurations and
are laid out so there will be no confusion among them.
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Features
72%-
- Realistic modeling of F15 stick
- 4 buttons
- 8 way hat switch
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Appropriate
For-
- Flight Sims (MS
FlightSim 98, Fly, Airwarior, MS Combat Sim, Falcon 4, etc.)
- Driving/racing (Need For
Speed, Motocross Madness, etc.)
- Space Sims (Mechwarrior
III, Descent Freespace, etc.)
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System
Requirements
-
Windows 98, USB port.
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Price
-
The low price tag of $25 makes this solid stick a good buy. Its a
great entry level stick or the start of a full USB flight control setup.
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Warranty-
1 year limited warranty.
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Performance 80%-
Performance of the SFS Flight Controller USB is
solid. It hold its calibration and centering much more solidly
than its gameport counterpart. Its a simple task to setup and use
when desired. The SFS Flight Controller USB is limited by its lack
of a throttle and few buttons.
I put the USB SFS to task with a few flight/space sims
including Microsoft FlightSim 98, CombatSim and Descent
Freespace. The lack of a throttle control on the stick forced the
use of the number keys for throttling. This detracted from the
realistic look and feel of the stick. Otherwise performance was
solid. More buttons would have been nice but this can be said of
almost any controller.
Racing games such as Motocross Madness, Need For
Speed and Midtown Madness didn't suffer from the lack of a throttle
because the joystick was used to control speed. In Motocross Madness
I used one of the buttons for acceleration and relied on the stick to balance
the bike.
Space sims also played fairly well depending on
their requirements. Most require some sort of throttle
control. Once again using the number keys just doesn't have the same
immersion feeling you should get from a sim.
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Setup 100% -
Plug and play! Simply plug the SFS into a free USB port and Windows
will auto-detect its presence. Insert the enclosed floppy disk
holding the proper ID of the controller (and the Windows 98 CD if
required) and put it through the calibration regiment for good measure. Alternatively
you could forgo the insertion of the provided CD and set it up as a
generic USB controller. This makes no difference in performance. |
Software 95% -
The only software provided is the floppy
disk holding the inf file that will allow Windows to recognize the
controller as a Suncom SFS Flight Controller.
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Documentation 80%
-
The documentation included with the USB SFS is brief. A 10 page
manual, in 5 languages covers basic setup and warranty
information. However, since setup is so simple it is more than sufficient
to get you started.
The Suncom webpage was
recently redesigned and is quite comprehensive in its coverage of each of
the controllers. Typically each controller has a page featuring
instructions, drivers, troubleshooting and purchase details. Of
course the features and specifications of each controller are also covered
on the product pages.
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Overall Rating 81.9% -
The SFS Flight Controller USB has its accolades
and criticisms. It has a great look and feel to it, is a solid
controller with the ease of USB. It is also missing many key
features needed by today's crop of sims and games. A throttle
control would have been a nice addition but I guess we will have to wait
for the release of the SFS Throttle USB. Button placement is great
but there a far to few- again something that will be remedied by adding
the SFS Throttle USB when released.
All in all, the SFS Flight Controller is a great
beginner, multi-purpose stick. Its also a great starting point for a
full USB flight control system once the other components become
available. The Control Center recommends the SFS USB based on its
solid construction, expandability and performance.
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Pros-
- Affordable
- Easy setup via USB
- Expandability with future USB SFS Throttle
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Cons-
- Limited number of buttons
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 |
1
Stick - Not Recommended
2 Sticks - Functional
3 Sticks - Recommended with some issues
4 Sticks - Recommended
5 Sticks - Highly Recommended!
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Buy the SFS Flight Controller USB
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