Logitech G Extreme 3D Pro USB Joystick for Windows - Black/Silver

For starters, it's cheap, functional, and durable enough, but don't expect it to be a HOTAS.I would say that anyone who is interested in using a joystick for a game like war thunder should buy this stick. To understand what I'm trying to say please realize that this is coming from someone who bought this stick for the explicit reason of starting out on a joystick. It has almost been a year since I bought it, and I want to discuss using joysticks versus the mouse before I discuss this one model.Anyone who is buying a joystick for the first time needs to understand the very different world they are entering when they do so. I don't want anyone being deceived; it is much more difficult to use a joystick than a mouse. The joystick does give you more authority over the aircraft than mouse and keyboard, which can be an obvious advantage. However, the mouse and keyboard allows you to focus on simply pointing the aircraft where you want to go and employing the weapons while the computer optimizes the control inputs. With the joystick you are the one that eases the aircraft into and out of the turn; you set the banking of the aircraft. This is not as easy as it seems at first. When you first start, your brain will want to think that all you have to do to bank the aircraft ten degrees is to hold the stick at a ten degree angle. The next thing you know the aircraft is upside down because you forgot to return the stick to neutral. Like I said, it’s a very different experience and it requires a bit of a learning curve. In fact, most people stick to flying with the mouse and keyboard because of the difficulty of transitioning, and the time it can take to start getting kills with the joystick (I still do better with the mouse than the joystick).Now, in regards to this particular product, Logitech has a reputation with me of making virtually indestructible computer peripherals. Okay, so they’re made of flimsy plastics. But they have still survived many drops and some rough handling from yours truly. Additionally I would say that the price is right for something you might buy, use a couple of times, and then never touch again. And the product gives you everything you need in order to have full authority over your aircraft. This way you can at least make an informed decision whether or not you want to use a joystick; then you can upgrade to a more expensive HOTAS system if you so choose.Durability is apparently a hit or miss proposition. I have seen many reviews saying that the neutral position will shift over time. I have not seen this. The only problem that I have seen so far is that the hat switch was unusable on Microsoft Flight. This scared me at first, but when I got the joystick to work on War Thunder (not the easiest thing to do), the hat switch worked fine.The only real gripes I have with the Extreme 3D Pro are that it isn’t a HOTAS nor will it ever be one, and that the stick is a little rough when switching roll or pitch direction. This last complaint is commonly mentioned in the reviews of every joystick I looked at below 100 dollars. This is only a problem when making very intricate maneuvers such as when dog fighting. In fact it only started to become a problem for me when I was trying to fly in War Thunder’s realistic mode, and it became a substantial issue when I tried simulator mode.CONCLUSION: this is not a stick for the simulator enthusiast. This is a starter stick, something you can buy without guilt if you decide you don’t enjoy flying with a joystick. And for those who do enjoy flying with joysticks, it is something that can be used until they can get a more complex system. This is after all nothing but a joystick with throttle axis and a few buttons. Those who like joysticks will eventually want more buttons and a better throttle, but those cost money and money causes guilt if you’re not among the joystick enthusiasts.

This is one of those products that is so great, you feel compelled to leave a review. I haven't owned a joystick for a very long time, since the 90s actually. I had one back then for playing the classic 6 degree of freedom games like Descent 1 and Descent 2. Skip ahead 25 years-- I just got a gaming PC and came to find out that the classic descents (with improved gameplay and graphics) still exist, as well as their long-awaited successor, Overload. This joystick is perfect for those games, and it's bringing back all the nostalgia from long ago.The other game I play this with is Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020). Using the joystick and keyboard alone no doubt is as fancy as some of the huge cockpits designed specifically for flight simulator games, but the simplicity of just having a joystick that works is great. You can control everything with this joystick in Microsoft Flight Simulator and it works great.Other things:Quality is very high. Button layout is intuitive and there are plenty of them. Accuracy of sensors inside the joystick feels spot on. Windows 10 recognized it immediately, as well as the games that I use it for.Con: On occasion when playing descent, the joystick will move on me. It is weighted well, but could be slightly heavier. I'm probably cranking on it more in descent that most people will for most games.Overall, besides making it slightly heavier, I'm not really sure what I'd change. It's a workhorse of a joystick that I expect to last for years. Price was not bad either, especially compared to other options.

If I'm remembering correctly, I've owned three Logitech Extreme3D Pro input devices over the many years they've been produced by Logitech, and recently purchased a fourth for a novice armchair pilot I'm introducing to the flight sim world. I have used the Extreme3D Pro primarily for flight simming, but I have also used it to reasonable effect for motorcycle and car simulators; I have found the Extreme3D Pro to shine brightest when used to control a flight simulator. While there are much, much more impressive input devices on the market today, the Extreme3D Pro is an excellent, no-nonsense device for the novice and experienced flight simmer.The Extreme3D Pro provides pitch, roll, yaw, and throttle in one device, and supports 12 programmable functions plus a programmable 8 position "hat" switch. The base is large relative to the height and throw of the stick, and is stable with all but the most agressive stick inputs (i.e., the base stays put as long as you don't bang the stick to the stops). The buttons on the stick are well-placed, making it easy for the novice to learn to use to good effect. The throttle is a small rotating paddle on the base behind the stick. I have found the throw of the throttle lever to be large enough to provide a good feel for adjusting throttle settings with default gains in the sims I've used with the Extreme3D Pro. Likewise, the rotation of the stick for yaw control in flight sims (that's how I've used it over the years) is natural, with good feel given default gains in the sims I've use with the Extreme3D Pro. Logitech placed 6 of the 12 buttons on the base. Those 6 buttons could have been laid out better to accommodate the natural left-hand placement on the base while using the throttle paddle. Speaking of hand placement, there might be a version of the Extreme3D Pro for South Paws, but I haven't seen one; the stick is definately meant for use by the right hand.The buttons often have functions defined by default settings in the most popular (flight) sims available today, so there is little or no need to customize the allocation of functions to buttons other than personal preference. Logitech has a rather crude, though effective, application that enables the user to program functions for the buttons, but the experienced and expert simmer will likely want to customize the allocations within their flight sim instead, saving system resources for the simulator to eek out every frame per second you can. I use the Logitech app to calibrate the joystick, but I use the simulator's function allocator to customize what the input device is controlling and how (e.g., function allocation, command repeat and rate, gain, dead-zone, non-linearity).I have not had an Extreme3D Pro fail the same way twice (yet). The construction is rugged, and the buttons have never failed on me. As the stick gets on in age, though, you might notice a persistent drifting in the calibration of the stick, or a "stuttering" in the throttle. When I've taken apart such miss-behaving sticks that are out of warrantee (it's always started to happen out of warrantee), I've found a lot of gunk in and around the sensors for the stick. Cleaning that up usually solved the problem. However, since the Extreme3D Pro is so inexpensive to purchase, and since they last so long with light to moderate use (i.e., not repeatedly slamming the stick or throttle from one stop to another during aggressive inputs...not that I have much experience with that ;-), by the time you get any kind of anomalies in the device you'll probably be in the mood for a replacement or an upgrade.All in all, I've been very satisfied with the Logitech Extreme3D Pro, particularly when used for flight simming. It makes a great first joystick or as a replacement for a low- to mid-range joystick.