Review: Saitek X52 Pro Flight System

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my text-only review of the Saitek X52 Pro.  As this is my first attempt at a somewhat comprehensive review I don't expect it to be up to the same standard as what is otherwise available. 

QUICK SUMMARY

A mid-range, 2-piece HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) joystick setup designed for flight simulation of all kinds.  It's not stylised on anything in particular but has been designed to "feel" appropriate.  Noteable design elements include the hall effect (magnetic) sensors for the X and Y axes, software adjustable lighting, and a software-controllable Multi-Function Display (MFD) LCD screen.

In all there are 15 push-buttons (one of which - the trigger - functions as two separate inputs), 3 two-position momentary switches (6 more buttons), a 3-way selector, 9 axes when you include the mouse controller, 3 hats and 3 rollers.  Directly accessible software configuration allows for 12 momentary functions (7 on the stick), 3 2-way momentary functions, a 3-way toggle function, 1 rotary function, 9 analogue axial functions (3 on the stick) and 3 digital axial functions (2 on the stick, can be configured as 4-way or 8-way).  Any non-axial/-rotary control can also be used as a shift-state either on its own or in combination with others, allowing for literally hundreds of configuration options.  An additional 4 momentary functions and 2 rotary functions are available to specialy created plug-ins, but these only interact with the MFD readout.

For further details, please visit the Saitek website.

BACKGROUND

In the case of the X52 Pro, this is my first real experience with a HOTAS system.  Previously I've used multiple gamepads (analogue, digital and combination) and a varied selection of "normal" joysticks ranging from basic 2-axis, 1-button digital jobs on the Commodore 64 to the venerable Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro with a few in between.  For the past few years my joystick experience has primarily been with a "Batarang" X-Box controller and a [Saitek] Cyborg V.1 Flight Stick, but my go-to configuration is the keyboard and mouse.

ACQUISITION

I purchased the X52 Pro from PC Case Gear (PCCG), at a cost of $209 plus postage to Brisbane of $23 (standard delivery).  The order itself was placed late (well after closing) on Monday, the Direct Debit payment cleared on Wednesday and the package arrived early Friday.  If I didn't know any better I'd also swear that PCCG owns stocks in a bubble wrap company, as well as a packing tape company, because it arrived thoroughly enclosed in both.  As a result of all this, I received it quickly, cheaply (relatively speaking) and in perfect condition - not even so much as a ding on the box.  Many thanks to the guys and girls of PCCG, StarTrack and Australian Air Express for all the above.

Other than PCCG, however, there don't appear to be many places in Australia to obtain this particular setup (or any other Saitek/MadCatz gear, for that matter).  As of writing this StaticICE only listed six stores which feature it in their online catalogue, all of which are on the East coast, with prices ranging from $198 to $239 plus delivery if you can't pick it up yourself.  If you're really keen, though, some places may be able to order them in - the local Harvey Norman has done so before and was willing to do so again for $269 (Saitke's RRP) but your mileage may vary.

Unfortuantely, the first unit I received was deemed to be faulty - or at least not up to standard.  This is both my own opinion as well as that of a Saitek online support representative, who I unfortunately only know as "Saitek" so I cannot give any credit to them personally for their assistance.  The Multi-Function Display (MFD) would display sometimes garbled text, the throttle's lighting would flicker (more-so whenever the MFD updated), while the centring collar on the stick itself seemed to have some kind of defect which caused a noticeable grinding in a particular direction (which varied as the collar rotated) that caused a noticeable increase to the tension of the stick in that general direction as well as a rather concerning sound and feel.

The good news, though, was that PCCG seemed quite happy to assist.  They even ensured I was able to directly contact Home Entertainment Suppliers (HES) in Sydney - the Australian distributor for Saitek products - to try and get cut back on the costs and time involved in having it replaced.  I contacted PCCG on the Tuesday (again, late, since I'd just stayed up to talk to someone from Saitek directly), heard back from them on Wednesday at which point I got in touch with HES.  They weren't quite as quick to get back to me as PCCG, but did respond in a timely matter getting back to me early Friday.

Since I don't like leaving stuff in the post over the weekend, on Monday it was sent out and on Friday its replacement came back - definitely a good turn-around time, since most of that time would have been spent in the post.  This of course necessitated going over most of my original findings, including actual game testing, which I'd already written up before sending it back.  So I apologise in advance if something doesn't quite seem to flow as a result.

Many thanks to Jarrod of PCCG and Daniel of HES for their efforts in getting the exchange completed.

For reference, my original stick had a serial number beginning with M - the replacement begins with SZ.

WHAT'S IN A NAME

Just to make things confusing when looking for information elsewhere, there are actually two different variants of the X52.  There's the standard X52 as well as the X52 Pro I'm going to be reviewing today.  Unfortunately most reviewers refer to the standard X52 as the "X52 pro[fessional] flight system" which quite obviously makes things awkward to begin with.  Both of the the X52s were later renamed when they were added to Saitek's Pro Flight series of Flight Stricks, making them the X52 Flight System and the X52 Pro Flight System; again just the word "Pro" to distinguish them, only now the actual series of joysticks they belong to both include the word "Pro".

My understanding is that the Pro is worth the extra money.  However I've never used the standard X52 so I cannot comment on that from first-hand experience, other than to say the colour scheme of the Pro is far more sedate and - in my opinion - looks much better.  It also seems to be easier to obtain, at least in Australia.  That I've been able to find there aren't any forum entries or videos dedicated to modifying either the sensors or the return mechanism as there are for the standard X52, so it stands to reason they've been vastly improved - or the people that interested in such things simply never bought a Pro.

IMMEDIATE IMPRESSIONS

On unboxing the X52 Pro, the first thing that struck me was that it was light.  I don't mean light for what it is - I mean each part felt comparable in weight to my V.1 which is defintely a much "cheaper" device in pretty much every meaning of the word.  Despite this, it still feels sturdy on my desk even without the provided suction cups being used, mostly as a result of my second observation: It's very large.  Visually it's quite imposing and it takes up a decent amount of desk space, plus the clearences needed for full movement, but when I actually got my hands onto it (and adjusted the rest on the stick up two notches to centre) it felt pretty good to hold.  Solid without being cumbersome, and a firm grip exhibited no creaking plastic noises.

Unfortunately the adjuster itself didn't feel very reassuring when shifting it around, but after locking it in place the rest felt plenty sturdy.

Physically, the other thing that struck me was the whole thing could be described as smooth.  It felt well put together with only minor resistance in any of the controls, and unlike my original, faulty stick it would hold its centre even when leaning 90º over to the side.  There's a very tiny amount of centre play which seems to be a case of simply needing to wear in as pushing the collar down by hand all but eliminates it.  Also as a nice touch, the RX axis (twisting the stick) is firm enough that I was extremely unlikely to accidentally twist it, especially given how little resistance the other two axes have.  Beyond that, almost everything feels pretty much as it should.  All the hats and extra buttons provide decent feedback through my fingers, though if I'm honest the main trigger could have used more physical feedback especially as it's a two-stage trigger.

I will, however, say that I think the provided USB cable is too short.  Since it's hard-wired into the throttle quadrant, unlike the linking cable, it cannot be replaced or substituted.  It's easy enough to use an extension but I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't have to.  Most gaming peripherals come with a 6' (183cm) to 10' (305cm) cable these days, but I suspect the X52 Pro is maybe 4' (122cm) at most.  If your case is on your left this shouldn't be a problem but my case lives on the right, beside my desk, so it just makes things that little bit more difficult.

I'm also not necessarily sure that I agree with the detents on the throttle.  These are one of those things which have their purpose, but they serve a very specific purpose which a great number of applications simply won't want or need.  They can often make changing throttle settings frustrating as there's a significant loss of precision when you try to negotiate them, while also being far too obvious even with the throttle resistance dialed all the way back.  I could potentially restrict the axis so that it never needs to move beyond the indents but that seems like a colossal waste of precision elsewhere on the axis simply for the increased control around 25%/75%.  This, again, isn't a dealbreaker - just a design choice I don't agree with.

Compared to the first, faulty unit I received, there are some differences.  Firstly is that the stick centring mechanism seems it will need to wear in this time around.  The first one felt loose but would always return to centre, where-as this new one feels much firmer but occasionally the collar springs won't fully push it back into place creating a noticeable un-sprung area.  It seems to be freeing up with some use, however - though I decided to help mine along with a couple drops of very light oil* it will still require some use to really come good.  The second observation was that the detents in the trim rotors are noticeably less pronounced, to the point where the clutch rotor almost feels to not have one.  I'm also hoping this improves with some use since, unlike the throttle, the detents in these axes are extremely useful.

*Note that some oils, greases and other lubricants can damage the rubber and plastics which make up pieces of the joystick.  If you decide to do as I did, make absolutely sure that you're using an appropriate lubricant.  If you don't than you may simply make things worse, or you could cause irrepairable damage to the assembly.  It's better for all involved to leave well enough alone and let time do its thing than get it wrong.  Warrenty clearly doesn't cover that kind of damage.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

BEFORE USE

The initial setup of the joystick wasn't quite flawless.  Originally I had attempted to use a USB extension cable to put the throttle where I wanted it (see my earlier comment about the too-short cord) and my only extension cable has connectors which have seen better days.  This was met with no response - not a single light (suddenly the power lights on both the stick and the throttle didn't seem quite so silly anymore) and nothing in the control panels.  Removing the extension cord caused everything to work as it should, though I'm unsure whether this is as a result of the condition of my extension cord or the actual reason for the fixed cord being the rather short length that it is.

Getting the actual hardware up and running wasn't a great problem and, as most people tend to do, I completely circumvented the provided driver disc in favour of getting the newest drivers and software off the internet.  As was somewhat expected, its drivers weren't exactly that new - version 6.2.2.4 from April 4, 2008, though that information took some digging to actually discover.  Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things as there's not exactly a lot that can go wrong in the operation of a joystick that would necessitate updates over the years.  The drivers installed without a problem and the stick checked out just fine in the control panels.  It's recommended to run each axis through its full range 4 times in order to calibrate it, so this was a good time to also get that out of the way.

Since I'd previously owned a Saitek joystick, I left the Saitek Smart Technology (SST) software installed that I'd been using for it - version 7.0.13.22 from January 23, 2012.  While this didn't initially present a problem, it quickly became an issue when trying to set up profiles - though this was likely as a result of the V.1 requiring its own software as well, which may have been conflicting.  SST would present errors quite frequently which made the whole thing into a much less appealing prospect than it should have been.

Removing all of the existing SST software and replacing it with the version linked in the X52 Pro's download section - version 7.0.2.7 from July 29, 2008 - fixed the problem completely.  Without the V.1's software to interfere a later update to 7.0.17.2 from June 25, 2012 as a result of purchasing an MMO7 mouse went through without any real problems; though this has disabled the ability to use a control on the stick and have the profiling tool automatically select that control and, if I'm entirely honest, the two don't quite seem happy to coexist when it comes to profiling.

IN USE

Actually using the stick really just confirmed a number of my earlier impressions.  The stick was light to use without feeling like I needed to centre it myself and didn't wander across my laminate desk (the suction cups just seem silly now).  It also has a deceptively broad throw which I believe assist in fine adjustments, but the increase in resistance beyond about half-way and the light feel of the middle means it takes some getting used to using the full range.  All the buttons and dials seem to be pretty well placed, though I'm not entirely sure I agree with the placement of the X "trim" rotor and Fire E button; I would have preferred them rolled further to the user-side, but I may come to appreciate them as I get more use out of the whole thing.

I had no issues with the cable between the two sticks being loose, in contrast to what some other reviewers had to say, and I suspect the vast majority of people (those who never actually unplug it) will never have any problems with it at all.  Since I'll potentially be taking it to LANs it will be interesting if it remains feeling as sure in a few months' time.  According to Saitek, it's simply a male-to-male PS2 cable so replacing it shouldn't be any great problem if it wears or gets damaged.

Unfortunately the flickering lighting on the throttle seems to be by design, but that's arguably an extremly minor issue that has absolutely no effect on the functionality of the stick.  In a completely dark room I could perhaps see it being a minor nuisence and it would be nice if it didn't happen.  Since the other issues encountered with the original stick are completely absent, I'm quite happy to accept a small glitch which doesn't have any real impact - and I can always turn the lighting all the way up or down if it bothers me that much.

As for actual gameplay, I bought this with three main focal points - none of which could be considered as "true" simulators.  They include the DOS-based TIE Fighter and X-Wing, Descent Freespace (1 and 2) and, of course, Mechwarrior (3 and 4).  Along the way I also gathered up a few more open-source space trading/combat games to have a play with, and I have had a play around with a real similator due to the included demo of FSX, but it was never really my intention for that level of realism; hence I didn't opt for pedals, panels or CH gear.

X-WING/TIE FIGHTER

DOS, by its very nature, isn't the greatest proving ground for any modern joystick.  Without using any kind of trickery it's essentially limited to just 4 axes and 4 buttons which can be assigned to one or two joysticks - a far cry short of what's available on the X52.  DOS games also tend to be fairly low precision through no real fault of the environment (DOSBox) or the joystick itself, which means a lot of the benefit of the hall-effect sensors on the primary axes is wasted.  The provided software, however, makes it relatively easy to reconfigure all the extra buttons and dials to keyboard or mouse functions, allowing it to retain its HOTAS functionality.  DOSBox also has some pretty good configuration options, which may be more friendly if you have a separate mapping for each game rather than a global map as I do.

With all that said, though, X-Wing and TIE Fighter feel dead smooth.  Targeting, even only fine adjustments, is near-perfect - however there's still some resistance to the initial move I'm hoping will pass with use.  Before finishing configuring a profile properly for DOSBox I gave it a test and the stick itself was very satisfactory.  I did find that moving it towards its outer limits front and back had a noticeable increase in resistance but I have my suspicions that this will also subside once I get a few more hours of use in.  Once I've got it properly set up I can see it being a remarkable experience - even if only in 320x200 (or 640x480 in the case of TIE Fighter).

After adding the profile, I discovered something interesting as to how the SST software handles axis "bands".  The Lucas Arts classics unfortunately only have 6 keys for engine power: Increase, decrease, 1/3, 2/3, full power and all stop (TIE Fighter adds a "match speed" option).  The first two are basically pointless to assign to the throttle, but on assigning the latter I discovered that bands are, by default, repeated indefinitely as long as the axis remains in the appropriate location.  That is to say my first foray into a mission, jamming the throttle all the way forward was met not only with a satisfying boost of speed but with a continual ticking sound and a message informing me that I was now at 100% throttle simply not going away.  Saitek was thoughtful enough to include a way to get around this, but it's only accessible via the Advanced Command feature - setting each band to hold down the key in question for 1/10th of a second was sufficient to get the response without any repeat.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend such an extravagant input device strictly for DOS games, however.  Mostly because, as mentioned, DOS really can't take full advantage of it - and even those titles which do take advantage of more-than-usual inputs still won't use them all, nor will they fully appreciate the other improvements that have come about since DOS gaming's prime.  As DOS games tend to only be designed for such, any decent two 2-axis, 2-button joystick would be quite sufficient so long as its well made, comfortable and easily operated with one hand - the X52 is simply too much joystick.  Of course, if a game just flat out doesn't seem to work right with a joystick at all (eg Rebel Assault) than even a $2 second hand stick more dirt than plastic will be equally as "good" as anything else, but the X52 will still be more consistent on the calibration screen.

But if you're getting an X52 anyway, rest assured that DOS "sims" are easily taken in its stride with a level of control that simply cannot be matched by thumbsticks.  Just be sure to set up a good profile (or more, since a lot of DOS stuff can't be reconfigured) so as not to let most of the controller go to waste, or just ignore the throttle quadrant.  Either way it's going to be a good idea to make sure you can still comfortably use the keyboard at the same time.

FREESPACE

More specifically, the FreeSpace Source Code Project and the FreeSpace Port mod.  FS2Open is definitely more up to date than the previous DOS titles, taking full advantage of everything that moves, twists and presses on the X52.  Not quite everything has a use, of course - I couldn't really find a suitable bind for the trim dials or the slider.  Unfortunately this still leaves a number of commands - especially those related to communication - on the keyboard with no suitable joystick-bound alternative.  This means either reaching for the keyboard as I elected to do or setting up a another profile to add shift-states for comms (which I may do later).

That aside, everything is pretty much a mirror of the DOS tests.  Accuracy and smoothness are worlds better than the V.1 I was using before, and having immediate access to the throttle makes dogfighting a whole new experience.  Movements were smooth and I felt completely in control throughout the entire working range of the stick.  I won't go so far as to say it's made me a better player, but it's certainly an extremely good way to interface with the game - and it makes for a much more immersive experience than a mouse, or even a lesser joystick could ever provide.

The increased precision available to a Windows title was very apparent, however.  Because the centring collar is still wearing in on my new stick it's not quite returning to the middle.  In the absence of any deadzone, this means that I had very slight drift - not enough to be detrimental in most circumstances, but enough that my ship would slowly rotate almost continually.  Jiggling the stick a little fixed it until my next set of motions, and after some more use this has all but disappeared.

In all, it's a very good setup to use for Freespace.  Good, but not perfect, if only as a result of the sheer number of controls that Freespace offers in contrast to the number directly available on the X52.  For actual flight and dogfighting, I imagine it would be pretty hard to top.  It'd probably match well with a numeric keypad sitting next to the throttle so you can more quickly access the comms functions.

MECHWARRIOR

Rather unfortunately, results here are somewhat mixed.  This is, in large, due to them being an older titles - that means that they don't support the full compliment of buttons (including hats), necessitating yet another profile.  Still, there's room for one more on the dial before I have to start separating them into individual files so that's not exactly a major problem, though it's more time taken before you can actually dig in and is something worth considering (MW3 seems to have been designed for 4 axes, 8 buttons, 1 hat and a "shift" button).

On the subject of profiles, however, it's perhaps important to mention that Saitek do not include features to automatically switch the active profile based on the active task.  Currently you can only switch them manually and assign one to be loaded on start-up.  Fortunately the X52 includes a side dial which can be used to easily set each profile up in a 3-way configuration and I suspect you could even go beyond this using the "Latched" facility.  A gentelman by the name of Danny Hasley has created a tool called the "Cyborg Auto-Profiler" (currently at version 2.2) which allows task-based profile switching that should work with the X52 - however I've had no need for the tool myself so I haven't tried it out.

I'm inclined to believe that the X52 and similar HOTAS setups really aren't ideal for Mechwarrior titles.  They're extremely close, to be sure, but I can't help feeling that they'd be better played with two sticks - one for moving the mech proper, including forward and backward throttle, and the other (or a mouse) for moving the torso and actually aiming.  Despite the game featuring controls that allow for a reverse "switch", having immediate access to both forward and reverse is significantly more desirable for the controls.  In fairness the throttle quadrant does a good job of this, it's just that there's no defined centre point for reference nor is there any automatic centring.  The extra freedom offered by having both directions immediately accessible was also appreciated in other titles, such as AquaNox, D2X-X2 and Descent 3.

Perhaps if the "mid-point" of the throttle could be moved so as to line up with the "brake" indent at around 25% it would be more appropriate for such purposes (though MW4 doesn't seem to respond to reverse until about here anyway, other titles aren't so convenient about it), but as yet I have not found a way to do that via Saitek's software.

Ultimately I didn't find it to be as rewarding an experience as the space combat games that I played beforehand.  While I think these games could benefit from a suitable controller, the X52 - or any other HOTAS setup - simply isn't it.  But I could see a lot of fun being had using a pair of CH sticks.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS OBSERVATIONS

The first thing that I found particularly interesting was the way the mode dial works.  It actually requires the SST software to be installed to do much of anything - otherwise it quite literally functions as three buttons (28 through 30) that just get held down depending on where the dial is.  Even with it installed it still technically functions as three buttons, just that they're preset to choose from the three different "profiles".  More accurately it's simply changing shift state, in the same way that the pinky trigger is configured to do by default.  This means not only that you can reconfigure the mode switch to actually function as a three-way always-down toggle switch, but also that you can configure any button on the stick that you like to be a shift-state button of its own or in tandem with other buttons.  This isn't something I feel like I would use myself - though I did remove the shift-state function from the Pinky button and briefly re-assigned it to the Clutch before removing that as well.

It's also perhaps worth mentioning that the two-stage trigger will always respond as button 1 while it's held down, in addition to button 15 when the second stage kicks in just before the stops.  This could make for a very interesting shift-state modifier - for example, part-pressing the trigger to enable "combat mode", changing your nav-point commands to targeting/weapon commands, arming missiles and so forth.  Second Trigger to fire, of course.  I can't say I really played around much with such a setup but it did seem like a good idea to try it on more than one occasion.

The next was in the way the two additional hats (the upper-left on the stick and the one on the throttle) were handled.  Whether it's because the functionality simply doesn't exist within Windows or because it's not well catered to I cannot say, but the two extra hats are treated instead as extra buttons.  They're assigned to buttons 20 to 23 and 24 to 27 respectively, which still puts them outside the range of older software but can be useful to know for configuring things which don't necessary have the best of setup programs (I'm looking at you, Vega Strike).  Unlike the mode selection dial, however, the SST software doesn't see them as buttons and only sees them as hats, so they cannot be configured as shift-state buttons.  Just like the main hat they can, however, be configured as individual keypresses (including behaving as 4-way or 8-way) with a 9th "key" being available for the centre - just remember that they'll repeat indefinitely unless an advanced command to press and release the key(s) in question is used instead.

Next up, and I don't think it's documented anywhere (or I couldn't find it if it is), is that the lighting brilliance can actually be adjusted without the aid of software.  The right scroll wheel on the MFD can be used to adjust both the button lighting and the MFD backlighting by scrolling it up and down.  Each is adjusted individually and pressing the scroll wheel toggles between which one is currently being altered.  While it doesn't provide any direct numeric or graphical feedback, or even tell you which one it is currently set to, it will update the control panel settings accordingly so the setting will be preserved between sessions.  It won't update the control panel while it's open, however.  While this is arguably as useful a feature as the dash-light dimmer in a car, it's still a nice and unnecessary touch which helps impart the feeling that thought went into the design.

ALTERNATIVES

HOTAS kits have never been a high-demand item, but in recent times analogue joysticks of all kinds have lost most of their "habitat" as gamepads gained in popularity with "next gen" consoles.  As such if you want the "full" experience the options are limited, but extend in price from very affordable to "serious users only" levels with the X52 Pro fitting into the middle.  The bottom end is exclusively in the hands of Thrustmaster's T.Flight HOTAS X, while the top end is rounded out by Saitek's own X65F Pro (the only Strain Gauge stick of any kind on the market), Logitech's G940 (the only HOTAS to support force feedback), Thrustmaster's HOTAS Warthog (made under license from the US Air Force) and the highly acclaimed CH Products (the only company which makes industrial and commercial joysticks as well as PC joysticks).

If you're dead set on a HOTAS setup than the best way to go about it is simply to decide how much you're willing to spend, then find what fits within your budget and has the features you're after.  None of the current line-up can really be called "bad" for what the money - though some older products (the non-Pro X52 and the Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar spring to mind) reportedly require sometimes extensive modifications to perform well enough to justify their cost, but perform admirably as a result of said modifications.

It's perhaps also worth noting that you can practically buy the CH Products gear in installments in order to soften the blow while getting top-notch equipment.  The sticks, yokes, throttles and pedals can all be purchased separately while the software still allows them all to function as a single device for legacy compatability.  Saitek also sell many extra accessories under both the Pro Flight and Cessna labels to really complete the effect, however their software doesn't allow them to all function as a single device which may limit their software compatability.

Of course there are non-HOTAS options as well.  Saitek, Thrustmaster, Logitech and even CH Products make 3-or-more-axis joystick which don't feature a separate throttle quadrant.  These cost significantly less (sometimes even compared to the T.Flight HOTAS X) while still offering most of the basic functionality, and tend to be small enough to push to the side or back of your desk while they're not in use.  Saitek also offer an X-Input compatible stick in the form of the Aviator which should be even easier to set up and potentially more useful for modern titles - but they seem to be much harder to obtain than even the X52.

CONCLUSION

There are two questions you have to ask of any product you buy when forming an opinion on it: Do you regret purchasing it, and would you buy another one?

Do I have any regrets purchasing it?  It's an expensive piece of kit, to be sure, and for someone who's not actually training to be a pilot of any kind (I doubt they'd let me) in a world where "arcade" flight/space simulators are few and far between it's understandably the kind of thing which I may not get my money's worth out of.  In all honesty, I probably could have opted for something significantly cheaper and still gotten a pretty good experience.  However, for what I do use it for it works absolutely perfectly - no compromises like a gamepad would lend itself to.  In much the same way that a craftsman works better having the right tool for every job, and a decent version of said tool, rather than one tool that tries to do everything it does exactly what I purchased it for as well as, if not better than I'd been expecting.

That's dodging the question a bit, so the simple answer is: no.  No regrets.  I know for a fact I'm going to get a lot of enjoyment out of it for the few titles I bought it for, and perhaps a few others that come along.  Not everyone can justify that sort of thing, however, so if you are considering getting something like the X52 it's important to keep in perspective just how much use it's going to get and just how much you're going to enjoy it.  With an RRP of $260, you could easily spend the same money on a top-notch keyboard and mouse that may see far, far more use, with a little left over for a budget joystick that's perfectly suitable on the odd occasion you're after one.

But would I buy another one?  I think the answer to that is, quite honestly, no.  It's not because it's a bad piece of equipment - it's actually really, really good, which is probably more than enough for most people.  But because it's so good it makes me wonder just how much better the "good stuff" can actually be, given the X52 Pro is often referred to as an "entry level" HOTAS system.  So, in the event that my X52 Pro should become unusable for any reason, I would more-likely-than-not opt for a CH Products "Top Gun" pack (USB Fighterstick and USB Pro Throttle) to replace it with, rather than getting another X52; and possibly adding a Flightstick Pro as well for Mechwarrior and such.

That, of course, doesn't mean the X52 Pro isn't worth buying - just that I'm getting so much more out of it than I expected that I want something even better next time.

WHAT I LIKED

• Everything felt smooth.  The axes, the throttles, the rotors and even the trigger.
• While feeling smooth, everything also responded with a fantastic amount of precision; sometimes perhaps even too much.
• With the exception of the hand rest, everything felt solid and well made.
• The whole setup felt extremely stable in use.
• Every button is a potential shift-state modifier and every button can work as an assignable button - even the mode wheel.
• The SST software works seemlessly in the background and it's relatively easy to get into making profiles.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• The trim axes really should have been wheels.  While they work well for one purpose, they only really work well for that one purpose.
• The main USB cable seems unusually short - or at least short enough that some setups will need to be adjusted to accommodate for it.
• The hand rest adjustment is awkward to adjust and doesn't feel very re-assuring until it's fully tightened.
• The trigger lacks pretty much any sort of tactile feedback, making it feel less confidant in use when you cannot hear the (very quiet) clicks.
• The detents in the throttle cannot be adjusted in location, which can make them annoying if your game doesn't need such functionality.
• The SST software, while easy to get started, has a lot of its more advanced features burried too deep.
• The newer versions of SST aren't 100% friendly with the X52 Pro, nor do they promote co-existance of multiple Saitek/Cyborg devices.

TWO WEEKS LATER

I decided to add this section because of the number of "it'll improve with use" things I mentioned throughout the review.  It's one thing to hope that things improve - it's quite another if they actually do.  I'm pleased to say that everything has indeed come good with use.  All of the movement has freed up to the point where the stick will only just support its own weight under the effects of gravity if I tip the assembly on its side, and I no longer have any drift at "centre".  Even the trim rotors have improved, though they don't get nearly as much use as any other part of the joystick.  I'm still set on eventually replacing it with something "more" when it eventually gives up working, but I'm definitely not in any hurry for that time to come.

LAST WORDS

Based on my experiences I would have no complaints what-so-ever with recommending this to other people.  Just do be aware that there is a potential firmware issue with earlier releases, so if you can it is better to obtain it from a local brick-and-mortar store in case you need an exchange as the firmware is not user-updatable.

Highly recommended.

LEGAL STUFF
Please note that I'm not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this review.  Nothing has been provided to me outside of what I have purchased myself and nothing is expected as a result of having completed this review - it's just something that I felt like doing myself, in my own time.  All names and trademarks belong to their respective companies.  Etc etc.