Hi Gang,
I had an X52 sent to me for review on my radio show. After a bit over a week of use I thought I would post my opinions here, they will be airing Wednesday :-)
The X52 cosmetically is a side step rather than an upgrade from the X45. The coloring is nice and matches with the Gamer Keyboard very nicely. The blue lights are really neat and the look is very tech, but it is not an improvement of the look from the cosmetic look of the X45. The X45 might not look as high tech but does look more durable.
The adjustability of the X52 is something that was very nice to find. The palm rest and pinky switch can be adjusted up or down to fit hand size. With a full 1.5" of travel this works very well. Only complaint here is I wish the palm rest as a bit wider.
The button layout on the stick is a HUGE improvement over the X45. The X45 has a flat top at roughly a 45 degree angle and all the buttons on that top. The X52 has the base 45 degree slope, the primary hat and two fire buttons sit on that, however the top then turns up to a full 90 putting the second hat, launch button and another trigger. At the end of this section is a rotor for mode selection.
This design puts all the buttons in a much more natural pattern without the need to STRETCH to get to a button. The front button on the X45 stick is now moved to the 45 degree area of the X52 stick. It is on the left side. Now this is USUALLY bad for a stick since it beans the button will get accidentally hit a lot as the thumb comes over. The X52 fixed this with some innovative design ideas. First the button is a flush mount, by not being raised they made it harder to accidentally hit. Next the button is positioned so it is BETWEEN the base hat and the 90 degree hat. This means your thumb will not likely rest there and it require s a bit of conscious effort to hit. Still very easy to reach just much harder to accidentally hit.
The spring load Launch cover is nice and works very well the tension is about perfect and the cover flips up and down with ease.
The Trigger has been modified to a two step. This is actually very useful. The first step has a solid feel and a short travel. A light touch will work really well here and response is quick. The second bump can easily be mapped and can be used as a second firing or to alpha strike full weapons.
At the base of the stick you have three toggle switches. The triggers register two positions on each. These are great for mapping seldom used functions that you can take your hand off the stick for a second to do. This further eliminates the need for the use of the keyboard. GREAT IDEA...
The spring in the stick is actually a bit looser than the X45; it feels a LOT like an EVO. The twist is very smooth and functions well. A lock exists on the stick to cut off the twist. The Hall sensors provide for a better range of motion and the stick definitely feels more precise. It requires however that X45 users develop a lighter touch.
The throttle has some interesting changes as well. The tension adjustment is no longer a screw of the bottom but a thumb screw on the side, easy to use. The indentations for middle and after burner are very light and difficult to feel. Also the zero throttle or middle position is a bit back, would adjust it about 10% forward.
The front of throttle had remains and has been joined by a scroll wheel for a mouse which also has a button press. Nice feature if you use the mouse mode on the stick.
The rotor on the tops of the stick is set so it is at a 90 degree angle; in the center is a fire button. A slight bend in the stick moves the standard button from the X45 to a bit more facing angle and the button size was reduced. The second rotor is a bit down in angle and in the center of it is a clutch button. This is to neutralize the stick and allow on the fly mode switching.
The mode and aux are gone from the throttle and replaced by a slider. Not personally found a use yet but I am sure the flight sim gurus will find a ton.
The mouse and mouse button have been moved forward a tad and are basically unchanged.
The MFD looks real neat but in the end is all about looks. It shows you a display of your current mode and the profile loaded for the stick. If you NAME your buttons it will show you what button you are pressing. (If I am in a game I do not have time to look at a display of what I am pressing)
A clock on the MFD will allow you to keep three different time zones for rapid access. The first one is GMT and the rest are fully adjustable. At the bottom right corner is the date. The time can be replaced by a stop watch so you can time your play time or help make sure you complete missions on time. This is actually, with the time, the most useful features of the MFD.
The basic software is nearly identical to the X45 however the drivers offer a few useful twists.
The lights can be dimmed or turned off if you choose. Not that useful but a thoughtful touch, I like the lights full blast myself :-)
Dead zones for all the axis on the stick can be adjusted, not just the center but the outer limits as well. This means you can make the stick hit a full turn faster and reduce the throw, thus speeding up response. This does not limit the physical movement but will make the stick more responsive in games and can be customized to your feel.
The last screen in the drivers will let you set the MFD for the time zones you want and the date format you choose.
I have to say I was prepared for this to be just a tricked out X45 when I got it. I was overjoyed to find a whole new stick. The feel of the EVO in its flow is obvious and the precision is there. The layout is a ton better than ANY stick I have ever used INCLUDING the EVO. The layout reduces the need for much adjustment except for hand size and the adjustments of the X52 take care of that nicely.
To date I have only a had a few issues with the stick and they seem to be game related. The way the stick reads it buttons means some games do not see them correctly. However using the profile software I can set my buttons as needed so this is a minor issue at best.
I have used a LOT of joysticks in my life, and I can honestly say that hands down, so far the X52 is the best I have had.
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Si quelqu'un avait le temps de traduire pour les non anglophones ce serait sympa, j'ai pas le temps ce matin.
