Logitech Force 3D Pro Joystick

Reviews: Peripherals

Accessories | Gaming Devices | Keyboards / Mice | Printers

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Anthony Fiti
Kurtis
Logitech
Mar. 26, 2006

<< Previous

Next >>

Taking a Closer Look

The biggest thing that struck me as I pulled the joystick out of the box was that it was definitely suited for right-handed people. That's fine with me, because I am in fact right-handed, but if you're a southpaw you might want to bone up on using your right hand. (Of course, most lefties have already come to grips with the fact that products are designed for righties! though just recently Logitech announced some left-handed mice, so maybe that's changing. - Ed)

All the buttons on the base of the joystick are located on the left side. In my opinion this is smart because unlike other joysticks I have used in the past, I won't have to cross my left hand over my right arm to hit any buttons, or worse, take my hand off the joystick to push buttons during the heat of battle.

The throttle is located close to the user on the base of the joystick. The control is a rotating throttle with a fin on the barrel to provide a place to grip and manipulate the control. There are + and - icons to indicate the direction of the throttle.

On the top of the joystick are an additional four buttons and an 8-way hat switch. Along the side of the joystick near the top is a button where you thumb would be in a traditional rest position. The button is inset in the shaft of the joystick to make it less likely that you'll accidentally hit if you put your thumb back in the rest position. And like every joystick I've ever seen (aside from the old Atari joystick!), the backside of the joystick is the trigger mechanism.

Setup

The setup was easy, until I had to find a free outlet to plug in the AC to DC transformer that would give the joystick the extra juice it needed. Once you find a vacant spot, just plug the adapter into the wall and the joystick, then plug in the USB cable.

The box came with a CD that had the drivers, along with a short manual covering basic installation and use of the device. Installing the driver was quick and painless but required a reboot.

One thing I strongly recommend is that you use Logitech's Game Profiler. This tool is available through the Gaming Options control panel applet. One cool thing about it is that it will search your hard drive for installed games. You can go in and assign buttons to specific tasks, and all you need to know is the command name, as the profiler software already knows what key or keys correspond to what in-game command. No need to go and find your keyboard map and manually assign each button to a key. You can assign keys to buttons if you'd like, however for the three games I have installed it had the key to command look up table already when I went to edit the profile.

<< Previous

Page 2 of 4

Next >>

Page 1: Introduction / First Looks
Page 2: Taking a Closer Look / Setup
Page 3: Testing
Page 4: Conclusion

Subscribe to Gaming Devices [more info]

Add Comment

4 User Comments

1 - Posted by Nick on March 27, 2006 - 7:44 pm

You mention that its setup for Righties. Thought id throw out the Saitek Cyborg Evo series as a good 'Lefty-friendly' joystick. The Cyborg series has gotten pretty good reviews and there are many different parts that can be adjusted for both handedness and hand size.

2 - Posted by Anthony on April 1, 2006 - 8:16 pm

Indeed, I own a Saitek joystick and have configured it as a lefty would use it just to see how it felt. It seemed to work well (minus my inability to play games well w/ my left hand).

3 - Posted by nsppatel on January 4, 2007 - 3:22 pm

Is it compatible for the playstation 2? (Ace Combat 5)

4 - Posted by J2T on January 5, 2007 - 12:53 pm

Yep, I have the Cyborg Evo Wireless (courtesy via a contest from TTL and Saiteck :) ) and the only thing I wish it had was force feedback.

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.