 Great pad |
| Review Date: January 5, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. Stern, Cedar Rapids, IA United States |
I've been using this pad with a variety of games and I'm very impressed with its performance all around. It feels great and the rumble function works well in all of the games I've tried that support it. I have only a couple of minor complaints: the first is that I have to unplug the cable when playing certain games (e.g. Mage Knight Apocalypse) or strange things will happen (the camera goes nuts). This is apparently a bug with a number of Saitek peripherals, though, and not just the P2600. My second complaint has to do with the FPS button. It's placed just so that it is possible to bump it with a thumb in the throes of gaming, and when it is activated all of your controls are switched to FPS mode (i.e. they don't work anymore). This can be an issue of varying concern depending on what game you're playing. Granted, if you are able to run the configuration software you can disable the FPS mode switch and the button will function like an additional button, but as I'm running XP x64 I don't seem to be able to run the config software. Other than that, I love this gamepad a hell of a lot more than any of my console controllers... I'm contemplating plugging it in to my PS2's USB ports to see if it would even work right now.
I would NOT use this for FPS mode, but I grew up on the keyboard/mouse combo (except for Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) so using a controller seems sacreligious. |
The Gamepad Par Excellence
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| Review Date: September 22, 2008 |
| Reviewer: M.L., NYC |
An excellent gamepad all around--my weapon of choice for nearly every game (despite the fact I own several Logitech Dual-Actions).
I find that the controller size is perfect: a bit bigger than the Logitechs, they tend to sit better when I pick up the controller. Both analog sticks are right where your thumbs end up, making it very easy to accurately move them, even when you need to nudge them slight distances with great accuracy. The shoulder triggers are large and well placed-whether you use your pointer and middle fingers or whether you just use the pointer fingers, you'll find that you won't hesitate for a millisecond to find any trigger button. The fact that there are six face buttons is a dream for those arcade-style games that need them (Marvel vs. Capcom, etc).
There are two downsides that every single person will face with this controller, though they shouldn't be nearly enough to discourage you.
The first is the FPS feature activation button--it sits on the top of the controller near the face buttons and did tend to get in the way in the beginning--I never use the feature and hitting it by accident has unwelcome effects on gameplay (sometimes, your buttons won't work until you press the button again). I for one virtually never hit it anymore, but if it were still a problem for me, I wouldn't hesitate to pop out the button with a screwdriver--it's not like you would actually use the button, not ever.
The second is the Directional D-Pad (if you won't really be playing classic/emulated games, this shouldn't be an issue to you). Although it's comfortably shaped, it makes for somewhat buttery gameplay. It's tough to pull off complicated combo moves in fighting games, because your timing will be inevitably thrown off a tiny bit because the D-Pad moves too softly and gel-like. It shouldn't be a problem in more forgiving games like Mortal Kombat (and of course games like Mario will work just fine), but it took me weeks and weeks to get my super moves working every time in Marvel vs. Capcom. I persevered solely because of the six face buttons and I must say it's entirely worth it. As for the "durability" of the D-Pad: I have used the similar P990 (which is similar in every way to this gamepad, except it doesn't have the rumble feature) for years (with a fair amount of abuse) and the D-Pad is as steady as the day it arrived in the mail.
It's a shame that discussing cons takes so much longer than listing the pros, even though the pros outweigh the cons by many orders of magnitude. If you're looking for a great rumble gamepad, BUY THIS CONTROLLER! You won't be sorry. As a note, the Saitek P990 Dual Analog Game Pad will do everything this gamepad does except the rumble--I wholeheartedly recommend that controller as well.
P.S. Don't forget to install the Saitek driver. Even though Windows will automatically detect the gamepad, you still need to download and install the official Saitek driver or else some games won't recognize the controller properly. |
Saitek rocks!!!
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| Review Date: January 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. Baker, USA |
| I owned one of the first models of this controller over ten years ago. I owned the same computer for seven years and never upgraded so I never bought a new controller. I recently found a downloadable version of the couple of games I used to play on that ancient computer. Since I always used that old Saitek to play them I was very excited to see that they were still around and still selling the same type of controller/software. The controller feels the same and the programming works exactly the same! I love it. Very easy to use and works perfectly. If you are not very good at progamming, you want to go straight to gamming, or you want to see how others would set up the controller, you can go to numerous sites and download a pre-exsisting set-up. I downloaded the controls for Doom 3 to use with my old progam (Duke Nukem 3D) and it works just like when I set it up ten years ago. Buy Saitek, you won't be let down! |
Saitek P2600, The Way It's Meant To Rumble!
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| Review Date: January 3, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Hamid Reza Fakhri Ravari, Houston, TX USA |
| This is a great controller and it is high quality. I use it to play Need For Speed games such as Underground 2, Most Wanted, Carbon. |
Great Product
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| Review Date: August 6, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Pablo Perez, Santiago, Dominican Republic |
| It was exactly what I expected, the way it was designed it's really comfortable for the hands, specially the back buttons R/L. it offers great features and performance. has worked for every single game I've tried so far and I have no complaints of whatsoever. I recommend this product to anyone in search for a great gaming controller. |
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