Carl Doherty fiddles forcefully with the incredible transforming Cyborg X flight stick from Saitek.

If first impressions do indeed count for everything, the Saitek Cyborg X flight stick is such a malleable and imposing peripheral that were your PC to inexplicably explode while you were removing the stick from its box, you’d probably still have gotten your money’s worth just from playing with the thing’s many moving parts. Not only does the Cyborg X sport a great looking design, set off by the blue light emitting from its head, but it’s a comfortable and reassuringly slick piece of tech.

The stick comes boxed in two parts, and can easily be attached or detached through a surprisingly secure screw collar lock. The Cyborg X’s legs revolve outward, not only allowing for the player to reach the separable twin throttle levers from a reasonable angle, but revealing an adjustment tool. This can be used in locking switches on the handle and head to suit the stick to your unique grip. Several consumer reviews I’ve read have criticised the trigger for digging into the middle finger when pressed, but with a few minutes spent adjusting the gadget I really do not understand how this could be a problem for anyone without freakishly large hands.

The scroll wheel and head buttons (which can also be positioned) all feel both comfortable and instinctive, thought the stick’s one downfall is that it’s clearly been designed with right handed gamers; sinistral gamers will have difficulty with the throttle unless they fold the legs in and keep it at the front.

The disk included contains Saitek’s Smart Technology programming software, which allows presets for each game, but only minimal configuration was needed without the program. I tested the Cyborg X on two games: the formidable FSX and the more action-orientated Tom Clancy’s HAWX, and it worked great on both. The spot-on dead zone and quality grips on the base and stick prevented any gripes whatsoever during my time with both games.