Hi!

Having no space for a Joystick, I am looking for a good cheap analog jaypad for Freespace 2. I heard that the Xbox 360 one is not the best and that the most suitable is the Logitech Dual Action. I also wanted to know if, in case you use Dual Action, I am still forced to use Joy2key ... Thanks!

Why not install the FreespaceOpen mod and go with mouse control?

Hi! I already use the mouse but it's not great! The maneuverability of the spaceship is limited. Especially for rotations. I was wondering if I can buy any analog pad similar to the first playstation or if Logitec is better ...

I guess the Logitech is fine, you can download Logi's profiler software so you don't need j2k.
Can't you set the mouse sensitivity higher?
And are you using FSO? Because that mod has more optimized mouse controls.

Hi! Thanks for your answer! Having the original Freespace 2 from '99, I am not interested in the opening version. However, I dont wish to raise the sensitivity of the mouse, the controls risk becoming too "slippery". But I would understand one thing: is Logitec the most accurate pad for this game? Alternatively, would any pad with analog sticks fit well?

The problem with gamepads is that you will be less acurate, it probably is still better than flying with the keyboard.
But honestly I don't know, I've only played these games with joysticks and FSO with a mouse.
Though whenever I play flying games on consoles, especially the older ones, I'm often dissappointed by how it controls.
Flying games on consoles really needed to be designed with gamepad controls in mind what more recent games mostly do better on consoles.

The Dual Action would be as good as any other similar analog gamepad.
It has the advantage of having squared axis limits (which is what joysticks have) and being DirectInput compatible, so you can always use x360ce whenever you need Xinput.

I know that the gamepad in the space shooters are not as precise as the joysticks, but for now I am fine with the gamepad / keyboard combination :) .. one last question: if I take the X360 controller, can I customize the pad directly from the game? Are there any compatibility issues with windows 10?

Not likely, Xbox 360 controllers are Xinput, older games like Freespace are DirectInput.
I know there are DirectInput emulators for Xinput controllers but I don't know if they're any good.
I don't know if their are any compatibility issues with W10, last time I played FS2, which was modded to FSO, was on W7.

Me personally, I'm a huge fan of the T1600000M HOTAS. I don't use the Throttle for Freespace (mainly have it for Elite) but the joystick itself combined with the keyboard is a fantastic method of control. The joystick has a heavy base and fantastic build. I've had mine over three years and never had a single issue. It's also a very "tight" joystick with very little play, compared to something like the X52 which I also had at one point.