Product Description
An
authentic design inspired by military and commercial planes and
helicopters provides a flying experience that's more realistic and more
fun, with important controls that look, feel and work like the real
thing. The force feedback joystick allows you to control your aircfraft
with confidence as you feel its movement as well as its reaction to air
turbulence and g-forces. The dual throttle allows you to precisely
control multi-engine aircraft using the split lever. Rudder pedals with
toe brakes give you true-to-life control, especially when rudder control
is essential such as performing definsive maneuvers and crosswind
landings, or piloting helicopters. Interactive, programmable
throttle-base buttons integrate with simulation software and illuminate
red, green, amber or off to indicate the status of critical aircraft
systems, just like they would a real cockpit.
Product Details
- Color: Black
- Brand: Logitech
- Model: 942-000011
- Format: CD
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 15.87" h x 10.87" w x
16.12" l, 15.30 pounds
Features
- Authentic
design inspired by military and commercial planes and helicopters
- Force
Feedback Joystick
- Dual throttle lets you precisely control
multi-engine aircraft using the split lever
- Rudder pedals with
toe brakes
- Interactive, programmable throttle-base buttons
Editorial
Reviews
From
the Manufacturer
Logitech Flight System G940 provides
simulator-grade flying with authentic controls and realistic force
feedback. Its design is inspired by military and commercial controls for
an experience that's more realistic and more fun. Force feedback lets
you feel your aircraft react to air, turbulence, and g-forces. Plus a
dual throttle, rudder pedals, and interactive, programmable
throttle-base buttons give you the true-to-life control you want.
| | Logitech Flight
System G940—authentic controls and realistic force feedback for a
simulator-grade flying experience.
Take to the skies with
the authentic controls and realistic force feedback effects of Logitech
Flight System G940.
Designed to deliver the definitive sim flying
experience, each component is carefully crafted with realism in mind.
We looked to military and commercial planes and helicopters for
inspiration. You get an experience that's more realistic and more fun,
with important controls that look, feel, and work just like the real
thing.
Feel wind on your wings. Control engines together or
independently. And master tricky maneuvers.
Every aircraft—from an
A380 to an F/A-18 Hornet to a Comanche helicopter—behaves and feels
like the real thing. From takeoff to landing. |
Awards and Accolades
| CES 2010 Innovations Award
Honoree
in Electronic Gaming Hardware Category
November 2009 |
Key Features
| | Authentic
design inspired by military and commercial planes and helicoptersAn
authentic design inspired by military and commercial planes and
helicopters provides a flying experience that's more realistic and more
fun, with important controls that look, feel, and work just like the
real thing. |
|
| Force
feedback joystick
The force feedback joystick allows you to
control your aircraft with confidence as you feel its movement as well
as its reaction to air, turbulence, and g-forces. |
|
| Dual
throttleThe dual throttle allows you to precisely control
multi-engine aircraft using the split lever. |
|
| Rudder
pedals with toe brakes
Rudder pedals with toe brakes give
you true-to-life control, especially when rudder control is essential
such as performing defensive maneuvers and crosswind landings, or
piloting helicopters. |
|
| Interactive,
programmable throttle-base buttonsInteractive,
programmable throttle-base buttons integrate with simulation software
and illuminate red, green, amber, or off to indicate the status of
critical aircraft systems, just like they would in a real cockpit. |
Check out the G-SERIES from Logitech:
| | | | | |
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
With
interchangeable grips, customizable weights, and adjustable mouse
settings that are stored in onboard memory, the G9 Laser Mouse lets you
personalize your entire gaming experience. | Logitech
G13 Advanced Gameboard
The G13 advanced gameboard gives you
game-changing comfort and control. Naturally contoured design follows
the natural shape of your hand and fingers for increased comfort during
long sessions. | Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard
Giving
you an arsenal of advanced gaming technology, the G19 features a color
GamePanel LCD to display game stats, VOIP communication data, and many
other items. | Logitech G25 Racing Wheel
Game-changing
immersion with 7.1 surround sound powered by Dolby technology.
Featuring swappable headband pads, customizable G keys, and on-ear audio
controls. | Logitech G35
Powered by Dolby
technology, the G35 headset delivers detailed 7.1 surround sound, and
convenient on-ear controls give you quick access to key audio features. | Logitech
G51 Surround Sound Speaker System
Bring your games to life
with 360° surround sound – for amazing audio clarity that lets you hear
your enemies sneaking up behind you. |
What's in the Box
| | Package
Contents
Logitech Flight System G940, which includes the
following components:
Force feedback joystick
Precision force feedback
2-stage metal
trigger
POV Control Switch
8-way hat switch
Six programmable
buttons
Pinkie shift button
Three analog trim controls
Contactless
X & Y positional sensor
Rubber feet with base mounting points
Dual
throttle
Split design throttle with
interlock and adjustable tension
Two 8-way hat switches
Four
programmable buttons on grip
Two rotary analog controls
Eight
programmable base buttons with independent interactive LED backlighting
and user changeable legends
3-position mode switch
Rudder
pedals
Realistic rudder pedals with
stainless steel treads
Toe brakes
Adjustable resistance control
Retractable
carpet lock
Rubber feet with base mounting points
All
buttons, switches, and axes are fully programmable
8-foot (2.4-meter) cable connector
Installation
CD
Power supply
Base button legends
User
documentation
1-year limited hardware warranty
System
Requirements
PC with Windows XP, Windows Vista or
Windows 7
CD-ROM drive
Internet connection required
for installation
25 MB of available hard drive space
USB
2.0 port
AC power connection (110-230v)
|
Customer Reviews
After the weekend
I bought this from Amazon,
took the super-saver shipping and received it two days later, on a
Thursday evening. The packaging was more than adequate and the
controller arrived without a scratch on it. I've now had an entire
weekend to play with it so these are my thoughts.
I run Windows
XP and, like other reviewers, I ignored the CD and downloaded the latest
drivers from the Logitech website. The programming software works ok,
but is nothing special. My previous stick was the Thrustmaster Cougar
and the flexibility of the Foxy software is in a different world to the
Logitech one. That being said, however, I didn't personally use the vast
majority of those features and instead downloaded other peoples'
profiles from the web. Hopefully, the community will also supply a large
number of profiles for the G940.
There is a minor nuisance with
the software in that you can't assign stick functions, program a profile
or, in fact, start the software at all without the controller plugged
in. This is inconvenient, but not a showstopper.
The stick itself
feels good in the hand and has a slightly rubbery feel to it. It has a
larger footprint on the desk than any other stick I've owned which,
presumably, is to accommodate the force feedback motors. The micro-stick
on the joystick that looks like a POV-hat isn't, and the castle switch
is instead used as the POV. Not sure that I particularly like that
choice but the micro-stick can be programmed to act as a normal hat if
needed. I've found I need to keep the dead-zone on the microstick axes
relatively high to prevent unwanted inputs in flight as the calibration
seems to drift slightly.
The throttle unit also feels decent in
the hand but isn't exactly going to win any beauty contests. The twin
throttles separate easily and also recombine easily. The action is
smooth and the friction adjustable. The lit buttons on the throttle base
also function nicely as buttons and, I'm told, will function as working
LED indicators in the future. One of my gripes with the throttle is
about the R1 and R2 rotaries. It would have been nice to have had either
a detent or at least some physical means of telling when they were
centered without having to look at the painted line on them. But if
you're picky about that you can always file a small groove into the
center-point yourself.
The pedals are lovely. Nice and solid, and
wide enough for me. I'm 6"3 and find them pretty comfortable. I've
never actually used any other sim-pedals before but I fly little single
engine planes in real life so have a pretty good idea how rudder pedals
should feel.
I've been playing IL2 and DCS Black Shark and have
been loving the force feedback. At the default settings the feedback is
nice and strong, and the force can be ramped up or down in the Logitech
software to suit your tastes. Using the trim function in Black Shark and
having the stick actually stay in the trim position is fantastic and
actually 'feeling' your warbird about to enter a stall in IL2 really
helps with both my flying and my sense of immersion in the sim.
The
3-axis trims on the stick are great in IL2 and incredibly useful. Once
again, no 'feelable' center position but you can't have everything.
One
thing I did after a few minutes of using the stick was to put a little
piece of tape over the "dead man's switch". This is a little sensor that
detects whether the user's hands are on the stick or not and turns down
the force feedback if necessary. It's a nice feature in theory but,
especially in black shark with the stick in a trimmed position, I find
the stick will jump around if I loosen my grip on the stick and no
longer cover the sensor, so I took the decision to cover it up
permanently. I just make sure to unplug the DC power to the stick if I
leave it unattended.
Overall, very happy with the product with
just a small wish-list for extra software functionality.
The Top Gun HOTAS - Dual Throttle! Force Feedback -
Perfect for FSX Acceleration & IL-2 Sturmovik 1946
Watch Video Here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2I8Q18P34UYQO The video review:
--------------------------
The
first part of the video/intro just shows some games I've used the G940
with (rather long).
If you just want to see the G940 unit in the
video, skip to 3:28
---------------------------
The retail box
with everything in it weighs: 15.4 lbs.
Joystick weighs: 2.64
lbs
Dual Throttle weighs: 2.2 lbs
Rudder Pedals weighs: 6.17 lbs
Games
I've tried this controller with:
* IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 (highly
recommend! if you're going to get this controller, then you need this
game; or if you already play this game a lot, then you need this HOTAS!)
*
Microsoft Flight Simulator X / Acceleration
* Lock On: Modern Air
Combat
* DCS: Black Shark
* Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
FORCE
FEEDBACK:
The forcefeedback will vary depending on the software; it
can get really insane or seem like a wasted potential. I find the force
feedback excellent and works best with "IL-2 Sturmovik 1946"; when I
fire my weapon, there's a nice rumble and really feels like I'm
shooting. The rumble when taking off/landing is also great in IL-2/FSX.
Now, if I set the force feedback to 150% then it'll vibrate just from
the engine/flying - but that makes my hands feel weird/tired. However,
for "DCS Black Shark" and "Lock On", the force feedback isn't as
impressive; I don't feel anything when firing missiles. If "enable
centering spring" is not checked in the Logitech Profiler, the joystick
for the game "Lock On" is really loose unless I encounter G-force or
crash.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
- Make sure the power plug is not loose
at all; I wondered why the joystick became loose and no force feedback
was going... and it was that simple mistake at times.
- The throttle
has buttons that are green LED. There is a zip file called "JoystickSDK"
on the software folder where you can mess with the LED to also
red/amber/off. Unfortunately, since the G940 has only been released
recently, there's no games that can take advantage of the color changing
LED to indicate status of your aircraft/etc. It would be nice if it
could at least make it change colors when switching modes on the
throttle (there's up to 3)
- It comes with a set of cut-out button
labels (and you can try to make your own, of course) where you can put
underneath the LEDs, in case you forget what the button does. It's a
nice touch, but since it has "P1, P2, P3... etc" printed bold right in
the center of the plastic cover, it's actually hard to read.
- The
Joystick base can get quite warm.
- The power plug, throttle, pedal
all connect directly to the joystick.
- The throttle/pedal tension
can be adjusted
- I wish there was some sort of click/lock or
indication by feel when the trim is actually being centered.
- Has
directional/hat-switch buttons on the throttle and joystick! But I
highly recommend getting TrackIR! (I absolutely love that thing! It's a
must for flying simulators and especially if you want to add more
realism on top of this controller!)
Pros:
+ Looks and feels
great; throttle and joystick handles are made out of rubber material so
you'll have good grip. (although there are plastic parts that somewhat
detract the overall quality)
+ Ergonomic joystick buttons (nice extra
button for the pinky behind the joystick)
+ Force feedback (not your
simple cheap gamepad controller vibration, but really simulates the
effect).
+ Stainless steel rudder pedals
+ Throttle has a mode
toggle switch button allowing more button configurations.
+ Love the
dual throttle! (can also lock it to be single) - feels good in the
hands.
+ Holes on the joystick/throttle for bolting it down.
Cons:
-
Setting up the controls was quite a nightmare! Spent way too many hours
trying to figure things out because button configurations could
conflict from game or the Logitech Profiler. Don't even think you can
just jump right in the cockpit and start flying with this. Would be nice
to get more detailed step-by-step on properly configure things for the
games (there is a PDF file included telling you how to set up correctly
for FSX, Lock On, Falcon, IL-2).
- Makes this strange buzzing noise
when the joystick is idle and not centered
- On old games/arcade
style, it sees the HOTAS (joystick, throttle, pedal) as the same input
device (ie: the X-Y axis for the joystick end up the same as the
throttle). The only way for me to use the G940 with a game like H.A.W.X
was to assign/emulate the keyboard buttons to the controller/assign
"zones" (you can assign/trigger keys on certain positions, "zones", on
the throttle if you'd like) to the throttle through the Logitech
Profiler.
- Games that really fully take advantage of this HOTAS is
limited (hopefully, this will change with more flying games/LED-changing
support/etc.).
Although it's not perfect, overall, I give it a 5
stars because it makes flying more enjoyable (especially in IL-2) and
it comes with all the essential parts to start flying/force feedback for
an affordable price. I'm more of a racer and own the Logitech G25
Racing Wheel, but now Logitech has brought a "G25" version -- well, a
"G940" -- to the open skies and now I've become addicted to flying. I
really hope to see more flight simulator games supporting the G940
ready-to-go; the device should only get better as time goes by with
better support just like it did with the G25. The G940 should become the
standard in all future games. Logitech is really taking over the gaming
peripherals and setting the bar for the mass consumers. Now, I hope
Logitech will give us a nice yoke add-on with this!
Nice design, poor quality
I was really looking forward
to using the new G940 and very excited about the features like a split
throttle and force feedback.
Sadly, after less than 1 month of
very light use, the rudder and toe brake axes have near constant
spiking, rendering the rudder pedals unusable. Logitech touted the
contactless design of the pots but apparently they were only refering to
the X & Y axes on the joystick.
I generally do not post
reviews of products (though I do read and appreciate them) but people
need to know my experience with this poor quality offering from
Logitech.
In addition, Logitech's support is very slow - they
promise an answer to online service requests within 24 hours, but I
didn't receive an email response until about a week later, and then all
the customer service rep asked for was the product information like
model and serial number, which I had already provided in the online form
(it was even contained in the text of the email respone to me).
I
am extremely disappointed with the G940 - I will keep updating this
review with my service experience.
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