ST290 Programmable Joystick with Throttle

This one is a winner, in my opinion! I have this device and used it for several years, and it was none the worse for the wear after all that. I dropped it about 47 times (my own fault) and finally broke off one of the buttons that hang out to the left and right nearest the top, but used it for another year in spite of that.When I finally decided to replace it, I looked at about a half dozen other models and their prices, and decided to reorder the exact same device. I'm glad I did!This control stick is solidly constructed, stays in place, and has all you need for flight simulation basics. With the trigger set by default to brakes, buttons 5 and 6 for landing gear (up and down, respectively), and 3 and 4 for flap settings (incrementally), this leaves the hat button on top and #2 below it for changing views and aspects within those views. The handle twists for "yaw" control, and that's a must for me!I have been addicted to flight simulation for over 7 years, and do it every chance I have. This is probably at least 10 or 12 hours a week on average (I don't watch T.V.). The quality on the new stick looks to be a match for the original one, and I'm sure it will last me as long.For the price, this device is a gift!

I have owned four or five of these (Saitek ST290 Pro) over the past three years. I love the stick for its ease of use, no doubt about it. My only complaint about this stick is the way the trigger is attached to the stick. The trigger has plastic hooks that grab a rod, holding the trigger in place. However, these hooks are rather weak and thin, and after numerous trigger pulls they weaken and break, and the next thing you know... BAM, your trigger flies off. This has happened to every one of these that I have owned. Once I went to great lengths to repair the trigger, affixing it with a little loop of 12-gauge electrical wire (which worked for some time) but the trigger wobbled during that time and always felt a bit weird.I am not a crazy trigger-puller or anything like that. I play normally, usually for a total of around 5 hours a week. The trigger is just poorly-engineered. Stronger plastic should have been used, and the trigger connection should be a complete loop around the rod (making it stronger) rather than just little hooks that grab the rod. If they would have used 1 or 2 more grams of plastic, this could have been achieved.All in all, I love this stick, and for $20 a pop it hasn't been a bad investment. I would just appreciate a little more durability instead of having the trigger self-destruct at an inopportune time.

Absolute B.S. nonsense! This stick does not twist! There is no rudder control! Did I get the only ST290 in the whole universe that does not twist? That was the only reason I bought this stick!!

This joystick has performed well for me in terms of drivers (downloaded from Saitek website for Windows 7, 64 bit), button and joystick functions. I bought it to play an online flying game because the controls on my gamepad felt too "twitchy." Well, this stick has the opposite problem. With the gamepad I had the settings turned all the way down and still struggled. With the ST290 I have the sensitivity settings cranked all the way up, and it still feels too slow in an aerial dogfight. The gamepad "sticks" have about one inch of travel total (all the way left, to all the way right). This joystick (stick alone, NOT including the base) is almost eight inches tall, and requires about seven inches of travel to go from extreme left to extreme right. This would be fine if I were flying a DC10 in a flight simulator, but I'm getting crushed in the fighter plane game. So, no quality complaints from me, this just wasn't what I needed.

I've had several joy sticks for multi-player fps (first person shooter) games. One in particular I consider a good one by Logitech. My friend was using this ST290 Saitek and he would beat me in tight combat dogfights with the same fighter. What trickery is this? 9 of 10 I'd lose to him till I borrowed this ST290 Saitek and whooped his 455. I out flew him in tight combat turns. It's not fabricated as well as the Logitech nor does it look as gracious. In fact some plastic parts can be broken rather easy. But if my opponent has a Logitech and we're flying the same aircraft, his 455 is mine. Multi-player fps games is my spare time hobby so winning is everything.Feb. 24, 2015. Did I say I've owned this joystick for 4 years? Since 2010 or 2011, I've be using the ST290 Saitek. I lost the trigger a month ago, so I'm going to buy another one. It just stopped working. So while I'm procrastinating before I purchase my new one, I reprogrammed the left thumb button as my trigger. That was convenient.

Loved the features but the 'trigger' is much too flimsy and snapped off after only a short while.

Southpaw pilots rejoice! This had everything I needed and if you reverse the throttle axis it completely resolves the complaints of other reviewers saying the throttle gets in the way during operations. Also there is a blue LED light at the top of mine. I see some people saying theirs doesn't have one. The only problem I have with the joystick is because I bought it used. If it were sold in the US I would buy a brand new one right now.It's hard to find a left handed joystick with good functionality that is aesthetically pleasing. This meets all three criteria.=========================Details about buying used=========================I've had this thing for about a year now and it's still going strong. When I first got it I had to put some WD-40 on the moving parts at the base in order for it to work exactly as intended. Once I did that it felt like a new joystick.