September 20, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
I don’t always comment on news happening outside of the actual game titles I play. But this latest bit of news will be interesting to follow. Basically Logitech has acquired Saitek/Mad Catz. Personally, I think this is fantastic news. I’ve long been a fan of Logitech. Their quality is far superior to that of Saitek. I own/owned many Logitech products and have also purchased several Saitek items. The Logitech hardware is still running while some older Saitek pieces have long been thrown away.
It is uncertain what will happen with the Saitek Farming Simulator wheel, pedals and side panel controller which Saitek and Giants teamed up to develop. I’ve heard rumors of these controllers being in short supply and Amazon retailers telling customers they didn’t know when they would get new stock. For the record, I didn’t purchase the Farming Simulator Saitek controller. I really had no need for this as I already had the Logitech G27 and a Logitech joystick. But….But…I’ve thought more than once about purchasing the side panel.
Again, time will tell how this all plays out. Here’s a news article discussing the acquisition.
Until next time…
Jerry
June 24, 2015 / admin / 1 Comment
I recently pulled the trigger on a new Logitech G27 racing wheel and TrackIR setup to enhance my all-around game play. While I realize only a few days ago I blogged about and discussed the possibility of ordering the new Saitek Farming Simulator Hardware, I thought about it….I thought about it some more and in the mean time I also started to really enjoy Euro Truck Simulator 2 (and am looking forward to the release of American Truck Simulator) so I believe my best interest is served in going with the Logitech G27 which can be used for multiple game titles. The Saitek Farming Sim hardware only will function with Farming Simulator.
In addition to the G27 steering wheel setup, I also purchased a TrackIR. To be honest I’ve never really felt the need to purchase the TrackIR head tracking hardware. While I’ve played FSX/P3D extensively over the years, I could always get by using they top-hat button on my yoke to move my camera view around the virtual cockpit. I figured that was good enough. However, as I spend more time playing ETS2 and look forward to ATS, I figure it is time I give the TrackIR a try.
Both the Logitech G27 and TrackIR will arrive sometime tomorrow. I will most likely get the G27 setup first and see how that goes. Once I get it configured to work with ETS2 and Farming Simulator 2015, I’ll proceed to setting up the TrackIR for ETS2. While there is a mod available which allows for TrackIR to function with Farming Simulator 2015, I am not sure I’ll even try it. While I have no issue driving a truck in ETS2 from inside the cab (first person view) I can’t for the life of me do it in FS2015. I blame it on the poor mirror setup in FS2015. They really need to work on that.
Anyway…I’ll be sure to return to my blog site and tell you all about my experiences (good/bad and in-between) with my new toys.
Until next time…
Happy Simming!!!
JT
June 11, 2015 / admin / 1 Comment
As I posted yesterday, Saitek is due to announce today the pre-order process for their add-on hardware for Farming Simulator. The development effort was a team effort between GIANTS (developer of Farming Simulator) and Saitek (well known developer/manufacture of gaming equipment). Unfortunately, the news which broke yesterday from Saitek left more questions than it provided answers. There was no mention of cost or product availability. But I’m sure this information will all be provided today when the pre-order process opens up.
I wanted to share a few brief thoughts before I actually learn of the cost/availability for the product. I’m writing this article early on Thursday morning with the expectation the pre-order process will launch sometime today as Saitek indicated yesterday. So here goes…
First, I think this announcement and partnership between Saitek and GIANTS is good news for the Farming Simulator franchise. Regardless of the cost, quality etc. of the Saitek product….I don’t think Saitek would waste their time to spend $$$ in R&D (research and development) to bring a product such as this to market if they didn’t feel there would be some longevity to the Farming Simulator franchise beyond FS2015.
Second, from the picture included in yesterdays email announcement, I’m not really sure what to make of the overall quality impression that image leaves me with. To me it just doesn’t look like it will be priced in the range of say the Logitech G27 ($240 USD per Amazon). It also doesn’t appear to be of the same level of quality as the Logitech product.
Third, it most likely won’t function with other driving type games. Also, at the present time it is unclear if this is for PC only or if this device will also function with the console platforms. So again the price point can’t really be anywhere near the G27 for it to be successful.
Drum Roll Please…..
The announcement has just hit and here are the details….
The full kit (including steering wheel, pedals and vehicle side panel is $299.99. The Steering wheel and pedals only is $149.99 and the side panel only is $149.99. See the Saitek website for pre-order info. It looks like general availablilty of the product is Fall 2015 and this is ONLY for PC and Mac. You can read all the specifications here (no need for me to type it all again).
The price of this is somewhat surprising to me. But if the units are plug and play, ready to go and all truly function the way the information claims then perhaps it is justified. After all, even if you purchase the Logitech G27, you still need to purchase a joystick to get the same functionality. So this may really just be geared for the hard-core farming simulator enthusiasts who don’t tend to play other driving games or don’t mind having multiple driving setups for different driving games.
Will I buy this product? Right now the jury is still out. I’m going to think it over, spend more time reading through all the information available and also wait until after next weeks E3 Conferencein Los Angeles where Saitek states the hardware will be on display. Unfortunately, I will not be attending the conference, but hopefully there will be some coverage of this product available somewhere.
In closing, while we know a little more today than we did yesterday. At this point we’ll have to wonder just how easy or difficult the setup will be. If the setup is “plug and play” then I would say…HUGE BONUS for this product. Time will tell. Perhaps Saitek would consider sending me a demo unit to try? I’ll ask as all they can say is no. But then again, I’m not that well established in the FS2015 blogsphere. But I’ll ask anyway.
Until next time….
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
June 10, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments
I’m curious if anyone else is planning to pre-order tomorrow? I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what the pre-order price will be. But I will admit that I’m curious about this and may just pull the trigger.
What about you?
If you were not aware of this announcement, then follow this link and sign up for their email mailing list. This is all I did a few weeks ago. Hopefully you’ll receive the email tomorrow announcing the pre-order process is live.
Once I find out all the details on pricing and timeframe for availability, then I’ll post another blog posting (most likely tomorrow)
Finally, check out a brand new community geared towards all things simulation (including Farming Simulator). It’s free to join and we’d love to have you. The new community is called PC-SG. Stop by and say hello.
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
Jerry
