Fully programmable
So how have Saitek managed to cram all those functions into the X52 and still make it useable? Well, the answer is that after launching the X45, Saitek spent a huge amount of time listening to the feedback from the gamers and sim pilots using that stick and built the X52 from what they were hearing. The result is that as well as make those many changes to the stick from the X45 version, Saitek have given the programming software an overhaul as well.
To be perfectly honest, the last revision of the SST software worked perfectly for the X45 and it has only had some minor tweaks to take advantage of the X52’s new buttons and knobs. Other than that, its business as usual and anyone who is upgrading from the X45 to the X52 will have no trouble programming the stick for their needs.
For everyone else, they might initially find the sheer number of different functions and key slots a bit bewildering, but a quick play and a fiddle and it soon becomes clear how easy the software is to use.
On the left of the programming screen is a 3D representation of the stick and throttle, all you do is click and drag to move the view of the stick around, then click on the button you want to program, or to make it even easier, just actually push the button on the stick… either way, the software then jumps you to the appropriate slot in the table on the right. All you do then is click in the empty space and then enter the keypress you want that button to correspond to.
The trick with the Saitek software, and this is something they’ve been working on since the X35 days, is that ANY keypress can be mapped to ANY button on the stick. Further, any combination of keypresses can be mapped to any button… and even further, each button can actually be a macro of keypresses if you so fancy. Now, even Saitek will admit that the X35 had some major teething troubles as, back in the days before USB, the stick was a pass through for your keyboard and it was more an emulator than anything else. To be fair, the early versions of the programming software for the X45 threw up some weirdness now and again too, but I’m pleased to report that the software bundled with my X52 works perfectly right out of the box.
But there is a niggle here which for the life of me I can’t get my head around. Remember how many different key commands there can be for IL2? Roughly 250 for those too lazy to go back and look. Now, imagine poor me, who has spent a good deal of time programming my old X45 to be able to fly totally ‘hands off’… I’ve now upgraded to the X52 and guess what? The profiles for the X45 and the X52 aren’t compatible! Yep, I’ve got to go back and totally re-programme the stick from scratch. To be honest, this is a major bind as what I really want to do is get me and my stick up in the air and shooting stuff down, but no, I have to spend 3 hours re-programming everything. You can argue that the X52 is so different that there’s no way X45 profiles could be used by the X52, but to be honest, the X52 hasn’t actually removed any of the X45’s buttons, so why can’t there be some sort of converter to re-map all my bindings over and then just leave me to take advantage of the new features? Ah well…