The Control Center review- Saitek X45

X45 Digital Joystick and Throttle Manufactured By: Saitek Retail Price: $79.95 (US) Review Date: 10-21-01
The most common e-mail I have received of late is- "The price on the X45 Joystick and Throttle must be an error. You have $79.95 listed!". Its true. The Saitek X45 Digital Joystick and Throttle can be your for under $80. The increase in component quality, availability and customer demand coupled with the innovation of manufacturing streamlining and a highly competitive computer hardware marketplace feed into this products great price. Other companies have dumbed down their products to make them "more accessible" to the consumer while others are banking on high-end, high priced gear to temp their target market into investing hundreds of dollars in the gear- Saitek found the happy middle road with the X45 by delivering all of the features at an affordable price.
Features - Joystick 4 buttons 1 missile button 2 8-way hat switches Pinkie Switch (w/removable extension) Removable suction cup feet Throttle 2 fire buttons 4 way hat switch Throttle control w/detents Rudder control rocker 2 rotary controls 3 modes w/LEDs removable suction cup feet	Appropriate For- Flight Sims (MS FlightSim 98/2000, CombatSim 1/2, Fly, etc.) Racing Games (Need For Speed Series, Powerslide, Midtown Madness series, etc.) Space Sims (Descent Freespace, Forsaken, Mechwarrior III/IV, Incoming, etc.)
System Requirements - Windows 98, SE, ME, 2000, USB port	Price - At $79.99 (US) the X34 is the most affordable means to have a flight system.
Please note the following E-mail I received- My name is Ron Hunt and I'm the creator of the Unofficial Saitek Help Center now hosted on the SimHQ web site. After reading your review of the Saitek X45 I would like to bring to your attention an error in the review that might lead someone to buy this controller on your recommendation only later to find out that it does not perform as you mentioned. The problem is that neither the new Saitek Smart Technology programming software or the older Saitek Game Extension programming software is compatible with either Windows 2000 as your review says or Windows XP. The software will install and appear to work under these OS, however the user will not be able to download any user programmed SST/SGE game profile to the X45. Saitek is aware of this problem and is working on a Win2k/XP compatible version of SST/SGE, however they admit that it will be mid 2002 before it will become available. The X45 is usable under Windows 2000/XP with special "beta" drivers available from the Saitek web site, however this only allows the X45 to be recognized as a 4 axis/32 button controller. This allows the buttons to be programmed in games that allow the user to program a DirectX button assignment to a game function. Other than that there are no other programming possibilities with the X45 operating under Windows 2000/XP. Anyway I thought this information might be of interest to you regarding your X45 review.
Warranty- 1 year limited.
Performance - On paper everything is there- multiple button and control surface options and seemingly endless programmability. In the real world (or virtual world) the X45 does not disappoint. The layout of both the throttle and stick is very comfortable. Although its not fashioned after and "real" controller it works quite well in its layout. Everything is within reach of your fingers and you will quickly learn the feel and location of all buttons and levers. There is enough distinction between adjacent buttons that you will not be confused as to which you are activating. Each base is heavy and large enough to stay put on its own and I did not need to use the provided suction cup feet. The X45 was put to task with a variety of software- mostly flight sims. The software used included: MS FlightSim 2000, Combat Sim 2, Fly 2K, Descent III, Mechwarrior IV and Crimson Skies. Performance in all was good. I first used each with the default settings of the controller and programmed specific actions within each game/sim. I later went back and downloaded/activated provided profiles for these programs. Once the template of what each button and control surface is committed to memory you start to see the advantage of using the SGE software. Actions previously achieved by multiple keyboard presses were now possible with the push of a single button. Likewise, creating your own profiles and modifying provided ones provided to be beneficial. I actually created a single button action that would prepare my Cessna for landing- extending flaps, lowering gear and calling the tower. Previously it took a handful of keyboard commands to achieve the same end effect.
Setup - The installation will install the drivers for the Saitek X45 and the Saitek Gaming Extensions (SGE) programming software. Setup is easy and straight-forward if you follow the instructions properly. Do not connect your X45 until asked to by the installation procedure. With your computer switched on, close down any programs that are currently running and insert the Saitek Product Companion CD into your CD-ROM drive. When the first screen appears, click Install to continue. After reading over the Disclaimer, click Accept to continue. At the next screen, click on the Install button and follow the on-screen instructions. Note: The computer will restart during this process - please leave the Saitek CD in the CD-ROM drive when this happens. After the computer has restarted, and when the connection prompt appears, plug the X45 into your PC. Your computer will recognize the X45 and start installing the software. Follow the on-screen instructions until the installation is complete. When prompted, click Test to view the Test Screen. Now try out your X45 's buttons and controls to show that it is working properly. When you have finished, click OK.
Software - The SGE software running the X45 is familiar to those with other Saitek products. The SGE uses a Windows Explorer interface to access the programming utility of the X45. Some have complained of the stability of the SGE software but I have never had a problem. The SGE software is both simple to use and extensive in nature. The best way to learn it is to jump right in. The option to automatically download profiles from the Saitek website is a handy feature. Of course you can create your own by following the instructions in the manual and through the on-line help.
Documentation - The manual provided with the X45 is pretty darn good. It will get you up and running in little time and give you a basic understanding of the SGE software use and programming. For further understanding of the software operation (and the most current details) refer to the on-line help. The Saitek website offers good detail on the Saitek product line. Downloads are available for drivers and updates. Profiles are not posted as web-site downloads but are accessible through the SGE software.
Overall Rating - I can't say enough about the value of the X45 Digital Stick and Throttle combo. For just under $80 you get a highly accurate, comfortable, program rich controller that performs great. Any flight enthusiast will be pleased with this combo. The Control Center highly recommends the X45!
Pros- Great features at an affordable price Accurate throttle control	Cons- Options could be overwhelming to the new user.
	1 Stick - Not Recommended 2 Sticks - Functional 3 Sticks - Recommended with some issues 4 Sticks - Recommended 5 Sticks - Highly Recommended!
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