Freedom 2.4 GHz Cordless Joystick

This is by far the best joystick on the market ever. I have been using this joystick for over 10 Years on Microsoft Flight Simulator Programs. Versions MS Flight Simulator 2000 To Flight Simulator FSX. Joystick works flawessly, and is wireless. Has many programable buttons that can be used to program different functions. Unfortunately Logitech has discontinued manufacturing this product. I don't know why they have done that. Because they had a winner, that no other manufacturer could touch. The only wireless Joystick on the market , and it worked. You can still get your hands on a used one, for a reasonable price. However if you are looking brand new, there are very few around, and the sellers are taking advantage of the fact that they are not made anymore, and have jacked up the price to around $100.00 and over. But if you can get your hands on a good used one, they are still worth it and better than anything else on the market.

Wireless is a cool feature, very convenient. The weight is good, grip is nice and firm, but the whole thing is not particularly ergonomic, though -- kinda awkward to hold with the other hand while you're playing. Real problem, though: this thing isn't built to last. At all. After a few months, it starts losing calibration, floating all over the place, with the twist function failing to neutralize -- rendering the joystick useless. You can't recalibrate it, and there's zero support from logitech, so suddenly the relative bargain starts looking like less of a good deal. Not getting a replacement -- check out some of the other brands out there.

I am a big fan of all things cordless, and so I thought I might try a cordless joystick. My reference point has been 5 faithful years of service from a Microsoft Sidewinder Pro. The Logitech installed easily in WinXP. I ran the included CD, plugged the tiny USB transmitter into an open USB (2.0) port on the back of my PC, and then installed the batteries (3 AAs) into the stick itself. Synchronization took 5 seconds; I pressed the button on the front of the transmitter box and then a (any) button on the stick, and it was done. I used the software to calibrate in 2 minutes and was ready to fly. Flying in MS FS2002 was very good with this stick. The 10 buttons on the stick are a snap to program with the software. In my other flight sim, Fighter Ace 3.5, it wasn't as smooth a result. The kinds of ACMs required by a combat sim are necessarily more precise and I've just had a difficult time getting the right amount of damping. Maybe I'll get the hang of it as time passes, but for now my kill ratio has crashed. The stick itself is well built and quite nicely layed out (i.e. good ergonomics). It sits comfortably on my lap, is light weight without being flimsy and its base is very easy to grasp. I have every confidence it will not break easily. Overall, I'm encouraged. I hate clutter and the lack of one more cable on my desktop makes me happy. Of course, if I keep getting lit up, it'll be back to the Sidewinder, but for now I'm working on it.

I bought this to replace my previous joystick...the same model, which lasted through about 7 years of abuse before finally calling it quits. There aren't many options out there for wireless joysticks, but even if there were I'd recommend this one. The tri-point base is very stable, it doesn't slide on any desk I've had, the buttons and each axis are responsive. Battery life on the 3 AA batteries is good-I've switched over to rechargeables almost exclusively, and had them in the joystick for at least 2 years. They would last for several weeks at a time; obviously the more you play, the shorter their duration. Recalibrating and programing is fairly easy with the included software, but I don't think I ever used it after my initial purchase years ago. The stick can be programed in the games I used it for, so that's how I did it. The USB receiver can stay hidden out of sight behind your PC tower with no reception issues. I never noticed any lag between input and reaction, and I primarily used it for online gaming. This is actually the second replacement I bought. The first one worked for about two days then stopped working at all. I had to return it and buy another, but I've been using this one for a few weeks and it's back to the good old days. I still recommend it for anyone looking for a cordless joystick or any kind of joystick smaller than a Saitek setup.

I purchased this very recently, knowing (a) that it was a discontinued model, and (b) that there are some issues with it. However, I really wanted to have a real full-function joystick I could use with my newly-upgraded-to-top-of-the-line Home Theater PC. Previously, the HTPC was sufficient for media playback, but not really for anything like games. Now, it's my most powerful computer in my home. And this means that games sitting on the couch is a reasonable possibility. I already own a Logitech Cordless Rumblepad, but pads are useless for flight sims and the like, in my experience. I really wanted a joystick for the living room, and for it to be wireless. This discontinued model remains the pinnacle of wireless-joysticks, it seems. So... THE GOOD, first. It's very, very comfortable to use, and has a smooth mechanism. I understand that some people have failed the sensors and buttons in their units, but I suspect that this may be related to contamination (spilling a coke on it?) or the like. I could be wrong, and if so, I'll certainly update this review accordingly, of course. But for now, I'm not concerned with that. And for now, the sensors and buttons are very smooth and responsive. I've read several comments about the three "feet" not being rubber, but mine has a rubberized coating on those, which grips my end-table's top surface quite effectively. The buttons on this are atypical for most joysticks... but they're not bad in any way. I do prefer my F-16 flight stick based controls, however. The most problematic part of this is the location of the throttle. Having it be in the upper left "foot" region would have been far better, in my opinion. But since few of the sims I'm using this with are really useful for "single axis throttles" anyway... the main exception being MS Flight Sim X, where "rapid throttle changes" are not the norm... this hasn't been a problem for me. If I want to do serious flight simming, I'll do so in my office using my full HOTAS rig. ("Hands on throttle and stick") In general, I REALLY like this stick. But there's a major drawback, and it's one several other people have already pointed out. It's remarkable to me that Logitech never fixed this, because it renders the stick almost unusable as a result. This is the rapid transition into "Power Saver" mode, which seems to occur in less than two minutes. And note that this is based ONLY on "button presses," not on axis activity... meaning that if you're not hitting buttons, but are still steering, the stick will "shut down" while you're in flight. THIS IS A TERRIBLE THING, unless you're playing games where shooting perpetually is always part of the gameplay. I believe I can create a work-around for this, however, using the Logitech Gaming Software. I simply need to choose one button I'm not going to use, and set that up as a defacto "power button." I'll assign that button to go into "auto-repeat" mode once pressed, perpetually, until the button is pressed again. I'll make sure that whatever keypress or button press this is generating is not one which is assigned to any function in the game I'm playing. I HOPE that doing this will prevent the "auto-shut-down" "feature." Of course, this might not be something that can be affected by the software, and actually requires REAL button presses at least once a minute to stay "alive." If so, I can still work around this by assigning, say, the "thumb button" to do nothing, and then just keep it depressed at all times. Annoying, but doable. I knew that this would probably be an issue going in, so I'm not really upset about it, but it's a serious design defect, and one which Logitech COULD have easily avoided. A version of this which was rechargable via USB, and which had a "time out" of something more like ten minutes... and, less importantly, with the throttle moved to a better location... would be nearly the perfect wireless joystick. It's a shame Logitech killed the product rather than simply fixing the one major, glaring defect... a SOFTWARE defect no less, not a hardware one. A second generation version of this, with the "bugs fixed" would have been nice.

This product is one of the first well made wireless joysticks i have ever used. The actual joystick uses a great blend of comfort and abilities. Most good joysticks now days tend to have lots of buttons but lack in there general comfort. This stick is capable of almost all of the great features of some of the other $100-$200 sticks and still is able to make long term gaming a breeze and greatly improve not only the stick but the game its self. Now you can't forget the fact that the logitec wingman is cordless this means that when it is time to put it away for other games that don't use the joystick you are able to move it quickly with out making your clean computer area look cluttered and not having to unplug any cords. Pros/Cons: Pro's -5 star Comfort -Good stick options (including side2side turning and throttle) -It's WIRELESS Con's -Bad set up program -5th button weirdly placed GREAT JOB LOGITEC!!

If you would like a really good joystick for MS FS 2004, don't under any circumstances buy this one! I've had it for less than a month and it's already going wrong. Although the idea is a good one the joystick continually loses the wireless connection, despite the fact that I've got the transmitter sitting right next to it. You also find that the buttons fire off with out you even touching them so, as an example, you'll be flying a plane and all of a sudden the gear will descend for no reason at all. My advice is buy a USB joystick and leave this well alone.

I think this joystick is possessed - I haven't crashed a plane yet in Flight Sim X!!!!! It is kind of odd how it turns off to save power if you are in mid-flight, but it makes sense and a click of the button will turn it back on without affecting the flight. Setup is easy but I didn't get any software with it (used) so I'm not sure exactly what software I'm supposed to be using with it. I installed Logitech software but it turns out to not detect the joystick. SO, Windows 7 can use it fine with the built in drivers and calibration works, so I'd recommend against the Logitech software. This is wireless, and has it's own USB dongle - it doesn't use the universal USB dongle. I haven't had a problem with it dropping movements or button presses from 6 feet away. It uses 3x AA batteries, and I have used it for approx 10 hours without changing them so far. Time will tell!

Twist on stick does not work