Logitech Attack 3 Joystick 963291-0403

No matter how you like to fly, the Logitech® Attack™ 3 Joystick will give you maximum control with minimum hassle.

As soon as you wrap either hand around the comfortable handle, you'll immediately feel the smooth performance and precise control that tell you one important fact: This is no ordinary joystick.

Plus, the enhanced firepower of the 11 programmable buttons on this stick will help put you at the top of your game-and keep you there.

Assert your air superiority with 11 easy-to-program buttons and rapid-fire trigger
Dominate the sky with smooth precision of the throttle control, accurate handling, and stable weighted base
Comfortable ambidextrous handle fits right or left hand like a glove
Start playing right away with simple set-up and plug-and-play convenience

1 Calibration issues
I recently purchased this item. I thought it was a fantastic joystick, besides the fact that you were not able to twist it. It worked fine for about a week and seemed very sturdy. Then in all the games I used it with, the calibration was off and everything always went to the left, even when not touching the joystick. I had calibrated it multiple times, and it would work well temporarily, but then it would start in again. I finally got fed up after recalibrating it 20 times and I returned it. Do not purchase it, it has issues.

2 when 1 out of 12 controls work ...
the manual states it's compatible with Windows XP: even after downloading the latest drivers from logitech, and getting active x 9, only the analog control works: non of the buttons are programmable: according to logitech, that's a 'known issue under XP' - hey logitech: how about making that information known to the buyer before they attempt to troubleshoot, and you received their money? It's not that this would be a brandnew OS/game control combination, for which perhaps the test matrix element wasn't executed ... Very disappointed!

3 keep reasonable expectations
I plugged it in, it worked. I wanted a simple, inexpensive joystick. I got what I was looking for. I wasn't disappointed. If you want a real joystick, find a flight instructor and a Citabria.

4 Solid Joystick, Heavy Base, Good Feel, Works Like It Should
I'm only writing this because I think the review, the only review at this point, is misleading. I have used the Attack 3 joystick for over a year now with WinXP and I haven't had one thought about this joystick working or not working, it just always worked. I think that it should have been obvious that there was something wrong with the system, not the joysticks, especially given that not one of the three they sent ever worked.
At least they were under warranty!

Anyway, I fly flight sims almost daily and have used this thing, no problems, and have been happy for two reasons: It has a comfortable solid feel and it doesn't skimp on the number of buttons. But because I use this for flying, I wish it had an eight way hat switch instead of the 4 directional buttons at the top so that I could not only look up, down, left, and right, but I could look up-left, up-right, and so on.

In summary, this joystick is a good value because for the price you pay you get the comfort, durability, and functionality that you will not get with joysticks from other companies. Logitech does not make products like the first reviewer describes or they would have been out of business a long time ago!

5 Did they ever test these things?
If I can stop just one person from buying an Attack 3, I'll be satisfied. Thinking that third time's a charm, I'm on my third stick in five months. Same problem every time. It's fine for a week, until like others have said, the X-axis starts behaving erratically, and eventually becomes uncontrollably wild.

I've even gone so far as using third-party software to try and adjust the dead-zones and calibration readings. Alas, the Attack 3 overcomes them all, the sensor readings are rabidly epileptic, and beyond help.

If you're looking for a budget stick, STAY AWAY. If you own one, take it back, it doesn't get better or 'settle in'.

This stick is going back for the third time and I will no longer buy any Logitech products. I'd have been happy to pay an extra $20 for a well made, durable controller, but Logitech have contracts with every major store to sell this piece of junk and other, slightly higher priced junk, so buying an alternative brand is a hassle, a goose chase and a long drive.

Edit: To electronics fan - you misread my review. The Attack 3 works great - for about a week. Try using it for something that requires quick changes in direction for long periods of time, a racing game for example. You can't exactly test out the stick gently ambling along in a 747. The calibration readings become erratic and then unusable. It's not my system, because there's other reviewers out there that have the same problems. Search Google. I'll say it again - a cheap stick, with cheap components and awful quality control. Best avoided.