Why did I wait so long to buy a great joystick?

The Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro brings a whole new dimension to flying games. I purchased this joystick so I could play Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator (which I also highly recommend! Maybe I'll write a review later.) I also use it for Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. I have previously owned cheap five-dollar Kraft joysticks, never thinking that I needed a "premium" joystick. Boy, was I wrong!

There's just no way you can control 3-d movement in a game with a simple 2-axis joystick. Using supplemental keyboard controls for yaw, throttle, and weapons is cumbersome. With the Sidewinder joystick, you feel like you're in the cockpit! (All it needs to be truly convincing is force feedback, but there's no way I'm paying $100+ for a joystick)

The precision that is the joystick's namesake is remarkable. It supposedly uses a digital optical system. I don't know what that means (well, actually I do), but what I know is that the joystick has a consistent response even with low amplitude movements, with no "drift." It's a joy to use.

I should note that this joystick is designed for flying games. It's too big to be good for sports games. Purchase a separate gamepad for those.

I should also mention that I should probably be locked up in jail for being able to get this wonderful joystick for $20. Listed at 69.99 at Best Buy, I got it for $34.60 because it was an opened item. Coupled with Microsoft's $15 rebate, that brings it down under $20 plus tax. I didn't have a hard time convincing myself it was worth getting at that price :)

** To cynics: No I didn't buy it at 69.99, then return it, then buy the "opened item" for the discounted price.

** To law enforcement personnel: Nor am I suggesting that anyone do that!