"As for the feel of the stick, everything, and I do mean everything, on this stick is adjustable. From head tilt to thumb length to hand size is adjustable. And for all of you skeptical lefties out there, it is fully reversible, and works exactly the same. I tested it out on my left-handed father and it is the only controller he has ever liked."

   Title: Cyborg 3D Stick by Saitek

   Format: PC

   Reviewing Monkey: Cornelius

   The Hype: "Saitek brings you the ultimate in PC control - the first fully adjustable stick. Whether you are left or right handed, whatever your hand size - the Saitek Cyborg 3D Digital Stick is designed to fit your hand perfectly." Wow, big claims, I can hear all the southpaws laughing now. Can it live up to the claims? Read on monkey faithful.

      What This Monkey Thought...

   Ergonomics: Well, here is where all the advertising dollars went to; can it put your money where its mouth is? The answer is a resounding YES. WOW! Is this a cool stick or what. First off, let me say that this joystick comes with its own tool for adjustments. Now, for all you estrogen laced geeks out there who may not understand…More tools is a very good thing. In fact a man can never have enough tools. Hell, a man’s life should be spent in a never-ending pursuit of tools. Men should make pilgrimages lasting no less than ¾ of their natural lives finding the tools that he may not have and getting duplicates of the ones he does! Okay…So it’s just an allen wrench, but a tool none the less.
As for the feel of the stick, everything, and I do mean everything, on this stick is adjustable. From head tilt to thumb length to hand size is adjustable. And for all of you skeptical lefties out there, it is fully reversible, and works exactly the same. I tested it out on my left-handed father and it is the only controller he has ever liked.
Aside from feeling cool it also looks cool too (and that’s important in case you’re trying to impress chicks with the looks of your stick). If the Terminator played video games this is the stick he would use. It has a futuristic and rugged look to it without having to resort to any cheesy translucent plastic. 5 out of 5

   Performance: A lot of the new sticks are desk hogs. The Sidewinder is one of the worst, taking up more valuable space than your girlfriend’s bathroom tackle. On the other hand has felt our pain and answered our prayers by creating a joystick that will actually fit on the stacks of pizza boxes and porn cluttering your desk Saitek (its footprint is just 6x6 ½"). When I first saw the Cyborg I was afraid that it would slide and flop around more than Karl Malone taking a jump shot. On the contrary, it held its spot without moving a bit even with hard flight combat maneuvering.
About the only disadvantage to the Cyborg is no force-feedback. Of course, lack of this feature keeps the price down, it could have made this the best stick on the market. Saitek did, however, put a really cool looking stainless steel spring around the base of the stick. This serves as more than aesthetics, as it gives you resistance as you move the stick farther from center and automatically centers the stick. A very good feature if you are looking for a great affordable flight sim stick.
The stick is also built very ruggedly, matching its chiseled good looks. I have probably put over 150 hours on mine and it shows no signs of wear. Even the rather…Unique…Activities that we Monkeys subject our sticks to didn’t phase it. Because, as you all know, it sucks to spend a butt load of cash only to have to send your toy to the factory and back. 4.5 out of 5

   Features: 26 programmable actions (10 switches, including and eight-way hat and a second function button) 4 axis (forward/back, side/side, twist and throttle) coolest looking, most space economic, sturdy, and wholly totally fully adjustable (even for lefties) stick in the world now. 4 out of 5

   Installation: Installation was an absolute snap. Support from Saitek is excellent. Their staff is knowledgeable and speedy in their response to me when I queried their help about drivers. I was impressed. I thought that they could have more downloadable button configs (they do have some) for different games so that configuring buttons would not be quite so tedious and all you would have to do it tweak it to your specs. But you can’t always have your banana and eat it too. I did have one problem in Microsoft Combat Flight Sim, the throttle was sporadically unstable, and as of yet I have not seen a patch that worked. A minor annoyance, but an annoyance none the less. 4 out of 5

   System Compatibility: The Cyborg is purported to work on anything later than Windows 95, and I have no reason not to believe Saitek. I ran it on windows 98 and had no problems whatsoever. Super easy to install and almost as easy to program. I fooled around with the programmable features for my different games with nothing but success. In fact the only reason I had to keep going back to the Cyborg control panel was to tweak the various buttons after I decided that I didn’t like the original placement. The instructions read a little like stereo instructions, dry and bland, but what were you expecting from hardware, the Penthouse Forum? Tells you everything you need to know to run the stick and its control panel.

   How it Compares: One of the most versatile sticks on the market. Works well on a variety of platforms, but definitely has a flight sim feel to it. If you’re looking for a great flight stick do not pass the Cyborg up. You will love it (especially southpaws). 4.5 out of 5

   The Verdict:

       Well worth the money. Buy this now unless you absolutely have to have a force-feedback stick (in which case, you are a namby pamby wimpy she-bitch of a Monkey). Far and away the best combined flight stick/throttle on the market.

   The Good: It’s sharp, smooth, responsive, and comprehensive. Plus, you’ll look even cooler eradicating Nazi’s from the skies over Europe and won’t develop a nasty case of carpal-tunnel in the process.

   The Bad: : I so wish this stick had force-feedback (because, after all, I am a namby pamby wimpy she-bitch of a Monkey) and it could have a bit better driver support.

   The Overall Ugly: More cost effective than a really snazzy force-feedback, and performs more functions. Rugged, mean looks and a stable base full of buttons make the Cyborg 3D my stick of the year.

   What it's Worth: Market