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Logitech's Saitek purchase is all about flight sticks
Logitech has been expanding its product line in several directions, moving up to pro-gamer gear and down to basic, yet robust, mice and keyboards. But it's also been moving beyond the desktop computer market, like buying wearables and sport headphone maker Jaybird back in April. Today the company acquired Saitek, maker of high-end simulation hardware, presumably to supply peripherals for the driving and flight genres. You know, the kinds of games you'll really want a specialty controller to play in VR. Whether this means the end for the custom controller Saitek was building for the upcoming Star Citizen is uncertain, as its new parent company wouldn't comment when asked by Polygon.
Hands-on: Maingear Shift running Saitek flight-simulation hardware (video)
Custom PC builder Maingear had something pretty nifty up its sleeve at Pepcom tonight: versions of its desktops configured to run Saitek's flight-simulation hardware -- in this case, with a full cockpit setup. In partnership with Mad Catz, the company developed configurations of its Potenza, F131 and Shift desktops optimized to work with the Saitek line of flight-sim systems. Tonight we saw the Shift paired with some pretty heavy-duty hardware: we're talking 18 USB connections for the full Saitek cockpit. Maingear's pro-certified system packs a Core i7 CPU clocked at up to 3.9GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics (with four GPUs), and with an experienced pilot behind the wheel, that translated into a smooth landing in Flight Simulator X. Maingear says the whole setup -- hardware controls plus the Shift desktop -- will go for $5,500 starting tomorrow. That's the top-of-the-line configuration, mind you; if your piloting aspirations are more modest, you could opt for the more affordable Potenza, which starts at $1,000. Check out a video demo below.%Gallery-158862%
Saitek flight gear replicates Cessna 172 Skyhawk, lets you simulate lazy Sunday flyovers
Sure, some flight-sim junkies want to imagine themselves dogfighting with an F-16, afterburners screaming as they climb into the sky. But for virtual pilots less interested in white-knuckle air warfare, Mad Catz has unveiled a product line based on that ubiquitous trainer, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. The company's Saitek brand now offers a Yoke ($200), Trim Wheel ($50), and Rudder Pedals ($210), all officially licensed from the airplane manufacturer. Buy them all together and you'll receive a free Flight Switch Panel, thereby completing your cockpit ensemble. Remember, though: you're in this for the pure, majestic joy of simulated flight. It's not a competition, so don't let this guy and his $300,000 flight simulator get under your skin. Cool?
Saitek keeps flight simulation alive with new gear, no word on robot air hostesses
Microsoft may have axed its Flight Simulator franchise a little while back, but it appears that there are still enough virtual pilots out there to keep Mad Catz abuzz with making new apparatus. In fact, the notoriously expensive Saitek Pro Flight range will be seeing an addition of three new products in October. First we have the self-explanatory Backlit Information Panel, which could probably double as a pricey mood light if you have $149.00 / £129.99 / €149.99 to spare. Next up is the identically-priced Throttle, Pitch and Mixture System box that's supposed to replicate the controls found on the Cessna, Piper and Money Bravo light aircrafts. If these two modules fail to drain your piggy bank, you could always fork out another $199.99 / £179.99 / €199.99 for the F16 / F35-inspired, die-cast alloy Combat Rudder Pedals. Bundle these with the other Saitek hardware and you might get close to having the full cockpit.
Mousepad roundup: Razer, SteelSeries, Saitek and Kensington battle for two-dimensional supremacy
Mousepads, who needs them? That's the question that's been keeping Tom's Guide up at night lately, so they've done the only responsible thing a tech site can do and rolled up a mega roundup review of some of the more popular ones. Unsurprisingly, you'll find plenty from Razer's gaming collection, including the dual-sided Vespula and the Engadget-approved Megasoma, which are faced off against entries from Saitek, SteelSeries and lock specialist Kensington. The one that will have inevitably caught your eye, though, is that steel saw impersonator known as the Greensforged Remember Ravensholm pad. Built especially for a Half-Life 2 fan, it's made entirely from steel, but we're told its usefulness is apparently not quite on par with its good looks. Anyhow, dive into the source link for the complete roundup. [Thanks, Ben]
Mad Catz courts Xbox 360 dogfighters with pricy F.L.Y. 9 flightstick
Yo, Mad Catz. We both know there aren't a lot of good flight sims on the Xbox 360, but that's no excuse for releasing a bargain-budget stick like the Aviator as your first foray into the console space. It doesn't do Saitek's reputation justice, and fliers like us won't stand for it. We want something a little more substantial. Something like your fancy Cyborg X flight stick for PC... What's that, you say? You've done it? Fan-tastic. With nearly all the bells and whistles of the original stick but added buttons, a removable lap rest and completely wireless functionality, the Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 looks like just the stick to strafe our Xbox 360 budget this spring for $100. But hey, that's not cool -- what's with doubling the original Cyborg X's $50 price? Press release after the break.
Mad Catz rolls out new Saitek Aviator flight sticks for Xbox 360, PS3
Flight sticks may not be quite as common as they were during the heyday of PC flight sims, but there's still quite a few would-be Chuck Yeagers out there, and Mad Catz is doing its best to cater to them with its new pair of Saitek Aviator sticks for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. From the looks of it, these are mostly identical to the existing Aviator PC flight stick, with the notable exception of the requisite console-specific buttons, and a slightly spiffed-up appearance. As a bonus, each of these will also double as a PC joystick although, naturally, you won't be able to swap 'em between a 360 and a PS3. Look for both to hit all the usual shops later this month for $50 apiece.
Eclipse III Backlit Keyboard: a backlit keyboard enthusiast's dream
We get pretty tired of keyboards that don't completely rule. The Eclipse III from Saitek probably isn't one of them -- it's backlit, after all, and that backlighting is totally multi-color, which is pretty important. At least to us. If that wasn't enough, this USB plug and play beast boasts a "two stage height" adjustor system, keys which are "laser-etched," headphone and microphone audio ports -- oh! and "time-saving Windows and internet shortcut keys." We have yet to see any indication of price, nor do we know when it will drop. Can we make a suggestion? ASAP would be for the best.Update: It appears to be available for pre-order on Amazon for $79.99, and claims to be shipping within 2-5 weeks. [Thanks, Calvin]
Mad Catz purrchases Saitek, Joystiq shoots headline author
And good riddance to that guy. We would have gone with a quip about angry Jazz musicians, but the headline's already gone down the RSS tube.Mad Catz, a name you'll frequently see on third-party console peripherals or sentences ending in "buyer's remorse," has announced its $30 million acquisition of fellow controller constructor, Saitek. The move is seen as part of a "strategic diversification," with Mad Catz gaining access to Saitek's expertise in designing PC peripherals (such as flight sim sticks) as well as a wider distribution network, especially within Europe. It's also expected to open the doors for the purchasing company's foray into PC mice, keyboards, speakers and "electronic chess."It seems Mad Catz is on a bit of a spending spree this year, having previously checkmated Joytech in September. The pessimists among us are already envisioning a monopoly on third-party peripherals (with construction quality on par with Monopoly's board pieces).
Saitek offers up Cyborg Keyboard for the gamer in you
You can't seriously consider snapping up Saitek's Cyborg gaming mouse without picking up the Cyborg Keyboard to match, can ya? If you've managed to elude the already-launched alternatives up until now, this version sports an equally futuristic motif with multi-color backlighting, a touch sensitive, backlit control panel, a dozen programmable hot keys and the ability to morph into Cyborg mode -- which instantly disables the Windows keys and configures the color / brightness of your gaming keys with a single press. Furthermore, the 'board features metal-plated keys in "gaming areas," a pass-through USB socket, audio and microphone ports, an adjustable wrist rest and gold-plated connectors for good measure. Currently, pricing and availability details are nowhere to be found, but hang in there soldier, Saitek should be filling in those holes soon enough.[Via Uber-Review]
Saitek intros Cyborg gaming mouse
Saitek's got a new gaming mouse for those in need of a little more precision than your standard off-the-shelf model, with its new Cyborg mouse cranking the dpi all the way up to 3200. That, of course, can be dialed back to accommodate various mousing tasks, and you'll get a good number of non-standard mouse features as well, including a programmable four-way hat switch, and two extra buttons that can be set up however you like. While there still doesn't seem to be any official word on a release, Gizmos.es points out that Amazon UK currently has it listed with a release date of January 11th and a list price of £40 (or $83), although it can be had for £30 (or just over $60) at moment.[Via Gizmos]
Saitek independent LCD interface boxes for flight sims
At E3 earlier this month, Saitek demoed a peripheral sure to spark the interest of many a flight sim enthusiast. Their product, for now with no name, enables flight simulators to display different, customizable information from the "game" on three separate LCDs. Effectively, the displays emulate a real cockpit, where each bit of information comes from a separate module that is integrated into the dash. The device is scheduled for a fall launch, will cost only $99.99, and will be supported in several flight sims beyond the obvious Flight Simulator X -- we're crossing our fingers for X-Plane support.
Saitek unveils Cyborg Rumble Gamepad, Headset for PC
Saitek, the creator of quite a few sexy PC peripherals, has apparently unveiled a duo of new PC accessories that take styling cues from console counterparts. While hardcore FPS gamers have long yearned for a mouse / keyboard combo for their disadvantaged consoles, Saitek could be hoping that the same mantra will prove true in reverse, and has introduced the Cyborg Rumble Gamepad and Cyborg Headset in order to give PC gamers a solid alternative to the age-old WASD method. The standout feature on the gamepad is its Precision Control mode that reportedly "allows gamers to select the sticks and buttons on the controller that, when the mode is activated, are desensitized so as to allow for the most precision." As for the headset (shown after the break), it boasts a "5.1 surround setup" and includes a trio of drivers in each ear, and while we wish pricing and availability details were already disclosed, it looks like we'll all be playing the wait-and-see game on Saitek's latest pair.
Saitek's sexy Obsidian mouse incorporates touch-sensitive scroll
If you've found yourself pacing in tense anticipation for Apple's touch-sensitive mousing device, Saitek's latest could definitely calm your nerves and satisfy your desires simultaneously. The sexy Obsidian mouse touts a 1,000 DPI optical tracker, four-way touch-sensitive scroll, a bundled recharge cradle with wireless transmitter, five total buttons, support for Windows / OS X systems, Teflon feet, and best of all, it even includes a pair of Li-ion batteries to keep you mousing all through the night. Additionally, the curvaceous critter doesn't play favorites with dominant hands, as both righties and southpaws alike shouldn't have any qualms handling this one. Currently, the Obsidian is available now for £39.99 ($80) for our pals across the lake, but if you'll just be patient, the device is slated to land on US soil for a mere $49.95 real soon.[Via I4U]
The ultimate sim controller dog fight
As any hardcore gamer will tell you, simulation games aren't really simulations unless you've got the appropriate hardware to back up all that finely-tuned software. Taking that into consideration, the folks at Extreme Tech decided to round up no less than ten controllers of various sorts to see how well they replicated the real thing, including flight sticks, throttles, steering wheels, and pedals. While any of the tested controllers will get the basic job done, they did find a few standouts in bunch. Getting top marks among the flight sticks was Saitek's X52 Pro, with CH 's Fighterstick Pro only slightly behind. CH came out ahead with its other flight-related peripherals, however, with its Pro Throttle and Pro Pedals USB getting marks of 8 out of 10 and 9 out of 10, respectively. For those who prefer to keep things on the ground, Extreme Tech found Logitech's G25 racing wheel (complete with pedals and console) to be the best bet for driving sims, although at $250, authenticity certainly doesn't come cheap. Those not willing to go that far may want to take a look at Microsoft's PC-compatible Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, which comes in at half the price Logitech's rig but, according to Extreme Tech, still provides a decent racing experience for less-demanding gamers.
