I’ll be honest: I rarely fly in games, I log into the simulator no more than once a week or two, and I had no desire to buy an expensive joystick. True, you can’t fly far with a mouse and keyboard either, so I decided to look for a budget device. In the end I settled on Mad Catz Cyborg V.1 Flight Stick – this, it seemed to me, is a good compromise if you want to fly in comfort, but you still haven’t become a fan of simulators. So I decided to write a short review about it.
Hangar. Box and accessories
The budget of this model is not entirely a disadvantage. It’s just that the device for its money (about 2000 rubles at this moment) does not indulge in anything unnecessary. Mad Catz is a fairly serious company and would not skimp on quality. Reputation is more valuable. In the most ordinary box there is a joystick packed in cellophane, a stand for it and a short manual – nothing superfluous, sheer Spartan severity. There is not even a disk with drivers, although no one needs them in the Internet era anyway.
Fuselage. Assembly and appearance
As for materials, plastic rules the roost here. So good, high quality, but plastic. I didn’t notice any manufacturing defects; there are no rough seams at the soldering site. The parts fit together conscientiously, the buttons are pressed confidently.
The joystick is made in gray and https://casinogriffon.co.uk/ black colors, the stand is gray with red mounts. It snaps onto the base of the stick and secures tightly. There are rubber pads both on the stand and on the device itself – it does not slip on the table and does not jump out of your hand. Although ribbed rubber inserts would not hurt..
A special reinforcing spring is installed at the base of the handle, due to which the joystick stroke becomes tighter. There is no feeling that you are squeezing a Chinese toy in your hand that is ready to break. The upper part of the handle visually resembles the cabin of a spaceship, and the entire device with the stand looks like a Decepticon robot that escaped from a laboratory. Science fiction fans should like it, but IL-2 fans may not appreciate it. A matter of taste.
But I would consider the overall lightness of the design to be an objective disadvantage. In the heat of an air battle, the joystick can easily be lifted from the table, although during normal maneuvers it behaves quite steadily.
View from the cabin. Specifications
To Mad Catz Cyborg V computer.1 Flight Stick connects via USB, quite convenient. This model has only nine buttons. At the rear at the base there is a motor control lever, at the top there is an eight-position hut for viewing and five buttons. As befits a “combat” device, there is a ready-to-fire trigger located in front. And for those who absolutely lack the functions of these buttons, shift will help. If you download the drivers from the official Mad Catz website, it can be configured to switch the layout, in which all other buttons are assigned different functions. Convenient and quite simple, although pilots with large hands should be careful and avoid accidental clicks.
Under the wing of an airplane. Connection and testing
My Windows 8 recognized the joystick in seconds and installed the drivers itself. I only play two simulators – IL-2 and World of Warplanes, and both immediately discovered a new device. Based on the results of a month and a half of use, I can say that the joystick is comfortable to control, the buttons are pressed softly and confidently, nothing sticks or becomes loose (at least not yet). Yes, it took some getting used to, but that’s ok. I found only one downside: if there are more control buttons in the game than on the joystick, you have to use shift and assign part to the second layout. This is not always convenient, especially when you rarely play. Otherwise, I have no complaints about the device, everything works as it should.
And flew off into the sunset. Conclusion
To sum it up, I can say that Mad Catz Cyborg V.1 Flight Stick earns its money honestly. It will not become the main weapon of a professional pilot, but will suit those who like to fly depending on their mood. All my complaints about this model are broken by the price tag, and these are not complaints, but minor quibbles. Mad Catz made a strong joystick without any hint of “eliteness”. If you want something cooler, there are easily other candidates. But their price will be appropriate.
Oh, I remember an acquaintance briefly fitted a joystick for flight sims and a toy for it. I don’t remember what kind of game it was, but I started playing day and night. It was great!
