An Intro to Saitek in Under 10 Minutes

What is saitek?

Saitek is an electronics manufacturer of computer peripherals and arcade controls, best known for its line of gamepads and flight sticks. Saitek’s product line includes simpilot controls, joysticks, throttle quadrants, rudder pedals, keypads and keyboards.

Who found the company?

The company was founded by two brothers in London in 1983 as “SimThrust,” producing instrumentation for the aerospace industry. In 1999 they expanded into the recreative market with a joystick targeted at combat flight simulations; this joystick is still actively sold today. They now produce a wide range of peripherals used by gamers all over the world.

Who owns saitek?

Saitek is part of the Mad Catz group and as such is owned by a company based in San Diego, California (U.S.A). Mad Catz themselves are owned by a company called Trilobyte, who make a wide range of consumer electronics products including joysticks and keyboards.

Is there any history behind the name?

The name Saitek comes from “Software Assistance Incorporated,” which was the original corporate name chosen in 1983. The word “saitek” was derived from two words: “Software” and “Tek”. “Tek” is an abbreviation of the word “technology” (see the company’s history for full details).

Where are saitek products made?

Saitek products are designed, manufactured and tested in their facility in London (UK). The operation ranges from design to sales, warehousing and general administration. Their production facility is focused on hardware manufacturing; producing both boxed and retail packaged items for online sale.

Do any saitek employees produce flight simulators?

No, Saitek products are not designed with the explicit intention of being used in a flight simulator. However, there are a small number of Saitek products which may be connected to an existing flight simulator or software. This includes their “Saitek Pro Flight” joysticks made for Microsoft Flight Simulator X and the “Saitek Pro Flight” rudder pedals.

What is Saitek’s relationship with Microsoft?

Saitek products are not endorsed by Microsoft in any way. However, there are a limited number of “Microsoft”-branded Saitek products which may not be too dissimilar to real-world equivalents. These include the G35 racing wheel and throttle quadrant, which have much in common to the standard Microsoft flight control panel switches and buttons.

Are saitek products made specifically for flight simulators?

No. Saitek does not make any of its products with the explicit intention of being connected to a computer simulation. Many Saitek products are provided with the appropriate cables to connect to flight simulator software, but these are included for compatibility only. It is up to an individual user to ensure that these components function correctly in their hardware set-up and perform as required.

Are Saitek products available in my country?

Check the list of distributors below to check Saitek’s reach around the world. If your country is not included, there is a good chance that Saitek products are not available in your area.

Where can I get saitek support?

Saitek does not provide technical support for its products directly, but it does provide a wide range of contact addresses for this purpose (scroll down to the “Contacting Saitek” section). Of these options, “Saitek Direct” (the company’s own customer service department) is recommended as being the most helpful.

What do other Saitek users think about the product line?

Saitek’s products are widely considered to be of very high quality. There is a wide range of Saitek products available with a great deal of variety and choice. The company has a well recognised reputation for producing first rate products which work perfectly from day one and offer excellent value for money.

Advantages:

* Large range of products to choose from.

* High quality.

* Wide variety of control devices (joysticks, throttles, wheels, rudder pedals and more).

* Cheap prices.

Disadvantages:

* May require additional software to be installed on the computer in order to interact with the device in full.

* Some Saitek products are highly specific to their target market (the “iFly” joystick for example). This makes it difficult for them to be used outside their intended market.

Products:

Saitek are a brand of accessories for computers, video games and other electronic devices. “Saitek” is an acronym which stands for “Software Assistance Inc.” (which explains why the ‘Tek’ is missing from their name). The products they make include flight controls, joysticks and yokes, keyboards, mouse alternatives, mouse pads, PC gaming pads and more. They have dozens of different controllers available with many different features to suit both casual gamers and serious flight sim enthusiasts. However, Saitek products are not designed specifically for use with flight simulator software – they are compatible by design only.

Disadvantages:

* Limited range of products.

* Limited information available on Saitek’s website.

* Some products have a high price tag.

Advantages:

* Large range of products to choose from (with hundreds of options ).

* Cheap prices for most products which are not expensive.

Disadvantages:

* No online support (only phone support).

* No online customer service address (difficulty in emailing company).