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Is the Saitek X56 really that bad?


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Ralfi can be fun to fly with but he isn't a good reviewer. Ergonomics wise, the X-55/56 throttle is the best on the market. The stick is a bit weird at first but you get used to it after a while. It would be more comfortable if the head of it was recessed a little like on the X-52. It isn't a deal breaker but is worth mentioning. At that price point, the only other option is the CH Products Fighter Stick + throttle. CH leaves a lot to be desired but will never break. You could drop a nuke on them and they'd still work. I have their pedals. They are imprecise, rough and definitely not the most comfortable, but they are indestructible.

System specs: i5-10600k (4.9 GHz), RX 6950XT, 32GB DDR4 3200, NVMe SSD, Reverb G2, WinWing Super Libra/Taurus, CH Pro Pedals.

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My X-55 broke down about a month ago. I am a hardware designer so I know electronics. I disabled few buttons and fixed the main problem. But I noticed that they used very low quality cables inside. Cables are worth almost nothing but still I don't know why they used such squishy cables. Overall I can say that material quality inside it was not good from what I saw. From outside it looks good.

 

If I was to buy a HOTAS now I would wait for new Thrustmaster F-18 stick, or buy Thrustmaster Warthog.

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I found

useful when shopping for HOTAS controllers.

Regards, Django.

| BMS | DCS OB | A-10C II | AV-8B | F-16C | F/A-18C | FC3 | Persian Gulf | Supercarrier | Tacview | XP11 | FF A320 | FF 757 |

| I7-9700K + NH-D15 | RTX3080Ti 12GB | DDR4-3200 16GB | Aorus Z390 Ultra | 2X Evo 860 1TB | 850W | Torrent Case |

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I have one for sale here so I’ll refrain from saying more but I prefer my vkb gladiator and peddels for fixed wing and my pro flight trainer puma for rotary wings

BlackeyCole 20years usaf

XP-11. Dcs 2.5OB

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I just went ahead and bought a Thrustmaster Warthog. :)

 

I just couldn't bring myself to spend nearly $400 on something that might break down within a year. Plus it'll be awesome to have a flight stick that's an exact replica of the one found in the aircraft I'm flying in DCS.


Edited by Vampyr
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To the OP. I purchased my x55 three years ago. I’ve had not one single issue before this week. 3 years of use and it still somewhat works. My issue I encountered was the wires finally getting cut inside the throttle. I spliced what I could but some rotaries and buttons no longer work. I purchased the thrustmaster twcs throttle for replacement. I must say, I am a little concerned that the lack of buttons on it will be a disappointment. I guess my rhino spoiled me over the years when it comes to that. The stick is still going strong so overall I have no complaints with the x55. It served me well over these last three years. She will be missed.

Windows 10 64 bit, Intel i7 7700k @ 4.7ghz, 16 gb G-Skill Ripjaws DDR4 2800mhz ram, Asus Prime Z270-A mobo, EVGA RTX 2070, 240gb SSD,500gb Samsung 850 evo SSD,500gb HDD, Warthog stick, TWCS throttle,, Thrustmaster T-flight Rudder Pedals, Track IR 5

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Was lucky with my controllers, Suncom Hotas and Saitek x45, siming since 1995 , retired the Suncom because of the game port issue then I got the X45, used, great hotas no issue at all and still working great, bought extra ones for back up but I didn't have to used them, they're collecting dust

 

With all the new hardware out there, I'm building my own, like I like them from my retired Suncom

 

Marc..

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My TM Warthog finally arrived today, and the difference between this and my previous stick (T-Flight Hotas X) is mind blowing. It was insanely difficult to get my rounds on target with the A-10's gun before, but now it's actually fun. Also, unlike my previous stick, this thing literally feels like a weapon in my hand.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used X52Pro for years. No problem.

Now, I've been using my X55 for years. Again, no problem.

 

Happy with it.

i7-2600 @3.4GHz | Corsair 16GB @1600MHz. | MSI GTX1660Ti Gaming X | Samsung 256GB SSD (Win10HPx64)
Samsung G5 32" + Samsung 18" + 2x8"TFT Displays | Saitek X-55 Rhino & Rudder | TM MFD Cougars | Logitech G13, G230, G510, PZ55 & Farming Sim Panel | TIR5
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  • 5 years later...
On 12/13/2023 at 1:42 PM, Goose489 said:

I wish the Saitek X56 was still only $128 but it has sadly gone up to an insane $250.

 

It's a lot of money for what you get, but:

 

I even got mine on sale as "open box".  Wouldn't have spent the money on it otherwise.


Edited by SickSidewinder9
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You guys know what the Best part of buying a X56 is? 

It is the Part where you buy one, play with it for about a year, realize the many major issues with production quality* and than you can lend it to a friend because you got to a point where it is not worth playing it while having the ability to buy a better one instead. So my friend has no money because he is student and now we can fly together. 

He does not care about all that problems with the X56 because he can use it for free. But anyway, if I had the possibility to go back in time, I would stop myself from Buying the X56 or the Saitek rudder pedals. 

 

It may be unfair to compare the X56 with my VKB Gunfighter Ultimate, Virpil Throttle and Thrustmaster TPR Rudder because of the price distance between it but there are possibilities to construct cheaper equipment by a company like Logitech that could work as good as the expensive stuff without the big problems the X56 has. I am wondering why logitech still sells that stuff. 

> In Europe they want about 220€ on amazon for that garbage and you can get a Warthog for 449€. I see the problem here. The quality of the Warthog is not as good as it was worth double the price. But the biggest downsides of the X56 are worth, not even trying it. 

If people have no money, go and buy T.Flight HOTAS X for 60€. I had that thing for years, playing Operation Flashpoint and ArmA with it.

Playing F-15C with HOTAS X in DCS could be 60€+7,49$ fun, too. But trying to play F-15E for 220€+63.99$ with the X56 could be a nightmare at some point. 

If I have 63,99$ for F-15E, I can get myself some 449€ Warthog

 

* Quality issues: 

- Self moving throttle (could not hold its own position because of bad constructed brake)

- mini joysticks wandering around because of bad centering. 

- one mini joystick keep sticking in position (not recentering) after moving it all way to the left

- bad Joystick centering because of silly spring construction, causing the plane to always turn (when programming a big deadzone, you will have problems with low sensitivity while adjusting your flight)

- really unnecessary big Stick-Base. It is as big as the throttle base but has no real use for that. You cannot get the stick between your legs when you want to use it as center stick and there are no official extensions for the stick. Also, the base is a bit light for keeping in position when using it on your desk and if you got both (throttle and stick) on your desk, you may not have any more space for stuff like keyboard. 

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