Spotlight: Saitek X52 Pro, AV8R-01 & A100

Articles: Event Coverage: CES 2007

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Bradford Day
Brian

Jan. 8, 2007

Specifications

Spotlight: Saitek X52 Pro, AV8R-01 & A100

Saitek is off and running in the gaming flight stick department. We visited their booth as we're fans of their Evo Wireless flight stick and R440 Force feedback wheel and pedal set. New for "07 is the X52 Pro Flight control system. This flight stick and throttle combination is the top of the line product for Saitek. And here's why. Check out this list of features:

Joystick

2 dedicated MFD buttons and 2 rotary dials with in-built buttons to control additional game functionality
MFD displays data directly from games, including Radio Stack info from Microsoft Flight Simulator 9 and 10
Software Development Kit included for creating game-specific programs to interact with the MFD
Choice of red, amber or green button illumination
lluminated buttons and MFD - ideal for low light environments
Throttle unit illumination varies depending on throttle position
Enhanced MFD backlighting
Improved cable management system

Throttle

Precision centering mechanism, non-contact technology on X and Y axes and constant spring force reduce free play, improve control and increase durability
2-stage metal trigger; 2 primary buttons in 1 convenient position
4 fire buttons including missile launcher with spring-loaded safety cover for instant access
Conveniently positioned metal pinkie switch provides shift functionality to double up on programmable commands
2 X 8-way Hat Switches
3D rudder twist 3-position rotary mode selector switch with LED indicators
3 spring-loaded, base-mounted toggle switches for up to 6 programmable flight commands
5-position handle adjustment system to suit all hand sizes
Progressive throttle with tension adjustment, detents for afterburner and idle
2 fire buttons
Scroll wheel with built-in button
Mouse controller / hat switch with left mouse button
8-way hat switch
2 x rotary controls
Smooth-action slider control
Clutch button initiates "safe mode' to allow on-the-fly profile selection, or to display button functionality without activating

Note that the full range of programmable buttons, the backlit feedback system the 8-way hat switch or the MS Flight Sim X plug-in control aren't cool. But, the interactive multi-function display (MFD) is the real piece of work. The previous generation flight stick/throttle, the X52, included the MFD and it displayed real time stats and info for in flight sim operation. The X52 Pro is fully interactive and can actually control aspects of the game. For example, you can set the MFD to act as your flight check list, altitude and fuel monitoring or pretty much any other off screen virtual read outs that you would otherwise need to use the hat switch to see. The X52 Pro is fully integrated with MS Flight Sim X and is a must have for flight sim enthusiasts.

New for CES is their AV8R-01 retro flight stick. To keep up with the growing trend towards World War II flight simulators, Saitek has developed a simple, single stick controller that mimics the fighter planes of the 40s. Even the programmable switches are designed to look like old fashion toggles. Especially nice is the dual throttle control for that extra bit of realism while flying multi-engined buzzards. Depress the thumb buttons and lock the throttles together for a single-engined plane. The AV8R-01 still contains a hat switch, trigger and cool flip-top safety switch for that dog fightin' realism. Again, a must have input device for Battle of Britain 2 or IL2 Sturmovic flight sim fans.

And one last little device that Saitek was showing off was the A-100 pocket speaker. This little lump of black plastic is a powered speaker meant for the portable media device market. Aimed more at business traveler or college student, the little speaker module packs a punch with twin Neodymium drivers and a tuned bass port. Four AAA batteries will power the A-100 for up to 24 hours of play or it can be plugged into an AC adapter. Flight sim enthusiasts will probably not find much use for this product, however.

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