Article Type: Review
Article Date: January 21, 2002
Product Info
Product Name: Cyborg 3D Force
Category: Controller
Manufactured By: Saitek
Release Date: Released
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1997: Year of the Force
In 1997 CH Products released the first force feedback joystick for the PC in their Force FX. The huge stick was expensive (about $180 US) and connected to the PC via the game port and serial port.
While it occupied a lot of desktop real estate, it was quite an innovation. Think of it. For the first time ever, flight simulation fans could feel some of the real world forces that pilots actually felt while in the air. True…the forces were only conveyed through the hand and wrist, but nevertheless it was a leap forward.
The big limitation was the use of the serial port. IRQs were something of a black art at the time, and not everyone had an easy time getting the Force FX to work.
On the positive side, the technological leap in hardware was followed very quickly by simulation support. In 1997 Rowan’s Flying Corps took to the air, and set a new standard for WWI simulations. With 3dfx support, a dynamic campaign and high fidelity flight models, this one gave me many hours of fun. The ability to feel some of the forces of flight was a bonus.
Not long afterward, Red Baron II was released and also included force feedback support.
The Evolution
Here we are four and a half years later, and force feedback is almost a ho-hum technology. While the interface went from the serial port to USB, a huge step forward, the implementation of force effects in sims is often lacking. Furthermore, interface aside, not all force feedback sticks are created equal.
Of the recent releases, Logitech’s Strike Force 3D and Microsoft’s Sidewinder II are two of the best I have seen yet, with my preference going to Logitech. It probably has as much to do with style as with performance, though I can testify my all around best experience with force feedback to date has been with Logitech’s sticks.
While CH no longer makes a force feedback joystick, Microsoft and Logitech are no longer the only game in town. Saitek, well known for their Cyborg series and X36 HOTAS, have jumped into the fray, with ThrustMaster hard on their heels.
Saitek Cyborg 3D Force
Saitek is well known for their Cyborg series, beginning in late 1998. Their Cyborg Gold is a great single stick solution, and now they have faced the challenge and built force effects into their winning design.
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| The Cyborg 3d Force |
The 3D Force is similar in size and weight to the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback II (SFF). In fact, it is also similar in style and action.
Like the SFF, the 3D Force sports eight buttons, an eight-way POV hat, throttle and twist handle. Uniquely, however, the 3D Force is designed to be equally accessible to the south-paws, with a throttle that can be accessed from either side.
I had no lefties around the house to test south-paw use, but it was simple enough to try it myself. Incredibly, I found I could still maintain control of a 109 in IL-2 Sturmovik using my left hand, and my right hand then controlled the throttle and accessed the two right hand buttons on the base.
What makes this possible is Saitek’s mirror style design of the base, and the flow through throttle bar on the rear of the unit. As you can see in the image above, there are two throttle levers which are mounted on a bar that runs across the back of the unit. The throttle can be accessed from either the right or left side of the unit.
The feel of the stick is warmer than the Wingman and more like the Logitech unit, with the handle wrapped in a black urethane. The look of the stick is more “futuristic” than the Wingman, which passes for more of a flight combat style. But if you are going to call a unit the “Cyborg” you are justified in seeking a futuristic style!
Which leads us to another question: if you are building a joystick for the flight simulation market, why would you want to appeal to the “futuristic” crowd anyway? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I suspect that the Cyborg is meant to appeal to the space shooter crowd as well, and in fact the size of that market probably exceeds that of the flight sim market.
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Programming the Unit  |
Programming the Cyborg 3D is relatively easy, and using the buttons as DirectX functions in game is simplicity itself. A fair variety of configurations are included with the stick, and more can be accessed on the Saitek website. Downloading a preset file is quick and easy. Naturally, you can also modify any preset file.
Advanced programming is a bit cumbersome. The interface could use some work. While the interface allows you to simply click on a 3D image at the button position you want to work with, there are too many dialogue boxes to move through. A system like that used by Microsoft or Logitech would be superior.
Installation and Performance
The Cyborg stick installed easily in my Gigabyte 266A with 1.7 GHz Athlon XP. Plug 'n Play seems to work as advertised under USB and WIN ME. The stick was found as an HID device by Windows ME and I installed the software. I launched Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 2 (CFS2) and chose Roger Dial’s P-51 Mustang.
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| CFS2: Something for Everyone |
In CFS2 the default force settings are very strong for the SFF, but about right for the Cyborg 3D. Performance is comparable otherwise, with perhaps a finer feel on the Cyborg. That surprised me, but it could be that the reduced power output makes the forces feel better.
It had been a while since I had flown CFS2, with IL-2 Sturmovik occupying most of my flight hours. My next launch was Rowan’s Battle of Britain (BoB).
For this comparison I plugged in my Logitech Strike Force 3D (LSF). This has been my force feedback stick of choice to date, particularly in BoB where it performs perfectly.
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| Bomber Busting in BoB |
What Do I Mean By “Perfect?”
In short, with a few adjustments to the force settings in the PC section of the game, I can set the stick so it assists my situational awareness and it adds greatly to the suspension of disbelief. The LSF in BoB gives me excellent feedback, in particular with the flight physics effects. I wasn’t expecting the Cyborg to perform as well.
With almost the same settings, however, it did perform as well as the LSF. I really couldn’t tell the difference. Gun effects were as I wanted them, hit effects were there and not too strong, and buffet and stall effects were perfect. I could tell when I was in trouble from the increasing rumble of the stick.
Saitek claims that their new TouchSense technology achieves new levels of realism. I have no way to test that claim. It is possible that in some gaming environments the Cyborg 3D could outperform the LSF. In BoB it performs equally well, and that is already achieving a great deal.
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| FS2002: The New Standard |
My next test was in Microsoft’s latest release: Flight Simulator 2002 (FS2002). I had perfect response and did not have to worry about sensitivity or settings. The aircraft responded predictably to the deflection of either axis, and the rudder response via the twist handle was also appropriate. The devotees of civil aviation probably have flight yokes, but if one was interested in flying FS2002 with force feedback, the Cyborg would work well.
I haven’t mentioned documentation to this point. The paper documentation included is brief and references installation only. The full documentation, including programming methods, is covered by PDF file, fairly standard practice these days.
Conclusion
This unit is a winner for a first entry by Saitek in the force feedback market. I could wish for a second hat, like the Logitech Strike Force 3D, and I could wish for a different programming interface. But installation is simple, in use the stick is predictable, and the forces are executed nicely.
