Quick Review: Saitek ST290 Pro Joystick

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Website: http://www.saitek.com
Platform: PC
Price: $20 - $25

Saitek is a popular and solid manufacturer of game controllers from joysticks to wheels to gamepads, ranging from budget-buy to top-line. I decided to buy the ST290 Pro and see if it was worth just $20.97.

Features
- (semi)adjustable and programmable stick
- rapid-fire trigger
- 5 buttons
- 8-way point-of-view hat switch
- lever throttle

One thing to notice about the ST290 is this curved, plastic bit that is screwed to the side of the stick, with a flat plastic piece below it. This is simply a hand/palm rest, of which you can raise or lower to fit your hand height, regardless if you are left or right handed (it can fit either side). The actual flat piece/palm rest can be removed if you just want something for the side of your thumb to rest against. At the top of the stick are 5 thumb buttons, with a POV hat switch in the middle, providing 8 directions, and ahead is the trigger. All buttons have a travel of about a mouse-click, except for the trigger which travels a bit farther. The clicks are audible and not annoyingly loud. Stick action is smooth and unhindered, allowing good manueverability. The stick also features a twisting action (Z-axis) for rudder control, which is a very welcome feature you don't usually find in $20 joysticks. At the base is a wide throttle lever you can push up and down. It's resistance is perfect - it's not loose and it's not real tight, just the right amount of friction for the right feel. Although, I think I would've preferred the throttle to be on the left of the stick, but I assume it is behind it to suit both left or right-handed players.

Overall the stick is lightweight plastic, with no real weight to the base. This may turn you off if you use your stick heavily. I haven't had any problems with the base lifting up though, but it's always nice to have a weighty feel at the bottom. So what might be the problems? If you look at the top 3 thumb buttons below the hat switch, it looks as if you could adjust their angle as we see some sort of axle that they are held onto. This is merely part of the aesthetic design, the buttons are not adjustable. It would be nice if they were, provided anyone finds their angle too shallow. While the joystick does not come with any software (as it is Plug-And-Play), Saitek mentions in the paper guide that you can download drivers and programming software for it. I downloaded the 30 MB drivers, of which would not install - it would ask me to plug-in my joystick before proceeding with the next step. The joystick was plugged in (a blue-light indicator at the top shows if there is any power going to it, by the way) but alas, no luck installing the drivers via the setup program. I had to right-click and choose "Install" on the WinXP driver .INF file, and copy all the rest of the files (.DLL's etc) into C:\Windows\System32. I've no idea what functionality these drivers are to provide, if any - since the stick is Plug-And-Play. Along with the drivers came Saitek's stick programming software. Their website mentions the ST290 Pro is programmable, but the software told me it couldn't find a supported stick! Regardless I was able to get the ST290 working in "Operation Flashpoint" and it was a relief to finally fly without a keyboard and mouse.

For $20 the Saitek ST290 Pro is a well featured joystick that outdoes competitor joysticks of the same price range.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros: 5-buttons + trigger, hat-switch, rudder-twist action, ambidextrious design, good build and price
Cons: Driver and programming software installations didn't work, light-weight