The Sidewinder software is very streamlined and ships with dozens of preset configurations for current games. The software is also a breeze to install and use. For those who like to, you can also create your own custom profiles for the games you play. Each button lights up on the screen when you configure it and, just like last time, the force feedback test functions are entertaining for people who think games and joysticks are silly (like my dad or my wife). “But honey, this one makes it feel like a machine gun.”

The rival Logitech I-Force sticks use cables and pulleys to make the stick move and vibrate, the MS version uses gears. That's why the Logitech sticks always felt smoother and made less noise. In the FF2, Microsoft tightened up the gears and they seem to have eliminated the dead space inside the base. The result is much smoother forces, less vibration translating to the desktop and therefore, much less noise.

I tested the stick with all kinds of games. It proved perfect for Crimson Skies and X-Wing Alliance given how much a good stick adds to those games. I tried it in a 3D shooter, with Unreal Tournament specifically, and once again asked myself… why do some people use a joystick for FPS games? The hat switch can be configured for movement but the stick has a large “throw” (the range of movement from center to a contact point) making “freelook” difficult to master.

Microsoft's Combat Flight Sim 2 and Rowan's Mig Alley helped prove its mettle for serious flight sims, the stick has a twist function that is perfect for simulating the rudder on a plane. Really, a Microsoft stick is the best option for flight sims if you aren't using a yoke/rudder setup.

It's a little known fact that Need for Speed III had better force feedback than High Stakes or Porsche Unleashed. That's what I've been told anyway, I tested it with Porsche Unleashed and then with Midtown Madness 2. Personally I find a stick better than a steering wheel (again, it has to do with the “throw”) so I found the FF2 a perfect driving controller.

Best of all, the stick functions better than the original with games that don't support force feedback or with games where you don't want forces. The FF2 has a much tighter spring and a much better defined center position.