Pro Flight Rudder Pedals Score: 89% Developer: Saitek Device Type: Controller

Function: The Pro Flight Rudder Pedals are Saitek's newest controller to complement their already successful Cyborg series of joysticks. The Rudder Pedals consist of a large base with two pads (one for each foot) and a large dial about three inches in diameter placed between them. The pedals are connected and structured in such a way so that when you push one foot forward, the other moves back. The dial adjusts the tension between the pedals, and thus the amount of effort required to move them. Each foot pedal also has the ability to rock forward providing yet another layer of control that you can leverage with the Saitek Smart Technology (SST).

Performance: Since Pro Flight Rudder Pedals seemed to be geared more towards the hardcore flight-sim player, I hooked the pedals up while I played games like a slightly outdated version of MS Flight Sim, and X-Plane 7. When in the simulation environment, the pedals really help to give you more of a realistic feel. Where I found the pedals were less than enjoyable was when I loaded up a more arcade-like game where the environment and game were not trying to be quite as realistic. I found myself having far too many controls to worry about.

Features: Pedal tension adjustment allows you to choose as much or as little resistance to suit the way you fly 3 stage pedal length adjustment to suit your foot size, so your feet remain firmly planted on the pedals Self-centering pedals glide smoothly Personalize the rudder pedal settings to suit your tastes with the Advanced Saitek Smart Technology (SST) programming software

Drawbacks & Problems:: Pro Flight Rudder Pedals are all about a simple design going a long way to provide fairly solid performance. There were only a couple of issues with the Rudder Pedals that really stood out as aggravating. Since my apartment has wall-to-wall carpeting, the pedals tended to slide around as I used them. There are rubber pads on the bottom of the Pro Flight that would easily prevent this issue had I been on tile, linoleum or wood, but unfortunately it is an issue on carpet. To make matters worse, the higher the tension, the more the pedals slide around. The only other issue I had was more of a personal problem. I was fumbling over myself with trying to get my feet to do what my hands usually controlled. All-in-all, gamers looking for that "as authentic as possible" experience while playing Microsoft Flight Sim or X-Plane should definitly pick up these pedals, because they really lend well to the realistic feel of those sims.. But if you are more of the flight-combat person, then the addition of the Pedals might be a bit much for you.

-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer

Minimum System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, XP64   Test System: Windows XP Professional Ed., AMD Athlon XP 2400+ 2GHz, 2 GB RAM, DVD-RW, Radeon 9800 Pro, DirectX 9.0c.