" This is the new champ to beat. "

      Title: Cyborg Evo by Saitek

      Format: PC Joystick

      Reviewing Monkey: Dungapult

      The Hype: The Cyborg series has always been a favorite of Game Monkeys Magazine, but with a semi-radical redesign of this classic stick would our praise go the way of the dodo? Read on, my monkeys, and find out.

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Ergonomics: Unquestionably the highlight of the previous Cyborg sticks, the line was made by the customization available for the stick's ergonomics. So when we heard that they were redesigning these options, as well as much of the base, a collective hush-and-grumble fell across our office. Fortunately, we were worried about nothing.
          The lines historical strong point, that being the stick's ability to pivot the button head multiple directions for ideal thumb access and to raise, lower, and reverse the hand rest, are all still present but surprisingly enhanced. Still customizable to a myriad of settings for maximum comfort, the mechanism itself, formerly requiring an allen (hex) wrench, has been replaced by a simple set of streamlined thumbscrews. And the base, originally posting the throttle at the front and the buttons high on the dome, has been reversed…lowering the buttons into a more naturally accessed point and pulling the throttle to the rear of the stick for thumb or thumb and forefinger operation.
          These changes, simply put, are phenomenal. Unquestionably easy to adjust and absolutely amazing once customized, this stick has become the "Lay-Z-Boy" of controllers and is unrivaled as the most comfortable on the market. 5 out of 5

      Features: 10 buttons, an 8 way hat, and shift options to effectively double that capacity means there's more than enough room for your entire game on this stick. Added to that is a really functional throttle and you're set for any kind of simulator or fighter game. There is also a wonderfully semi-rigid spring in the base that should keep the stick from falling apart (or more importantly off center) for quite some time. 5 out of 5

      Performance: Like a brick in free fall. Nah, I'm kidding, performance from this stick is absolutely wicked (did I really just say "Wicked"? What is this, 1983?) and allows for truly precision control. Buttons, mostly because of the customizability end up right where you want them and I've never had a stick that allowed me to use it quite so blindly (that meaning: without having to look at it). 5 out of 5

      The Verdict:

Unquestionably the master of the virtual sky, the Cyborg Evo is THE joystick you should be using. I have nothing bad to say about it, and if you read my reviews regularly, you'll know that it either means I'm now on the take or that this is a truly amazing stick.

      The Good: This stick.

      The Bad: That I had to take time away from using it to write this review?

      The Overall Ugly: This is the new champ to beat.

      What it's Worth: Market without a doubt.