Saitek is a manufacturer of gaming accessories. Over the years they have designed a complete line of products specially designed for flight simulators. One of their most advanced products of this type is the X52 Pro Flight System. The Saitek X52 Pro offers users a very high level of control over gaming as well as many other attractive features.

I bought the Saitek X52 more than 2 years ago, so when I heard that a new version, the X52 Pro, had been introduced, I initially didn’t show much interest. Who wants the same device in a different color with alternate colored lights? BUT – I had a little money left over from Christmas and was anxious to upgrade my flight simulation control system. Excited, I handed over my money and bought the Saitek X52 Pro.

On initial inspection, Saitek replaced the brushed-aluminum fascias with metallic-colored ones, and nearly every switch and slider was refreshed. The end result is something that looks a bit more like business than the X-52. On closer inspection, the somewhat useless and gimmicky LCD screen of the X-52’s throttle unit has been upgraded and can now be used to reveal valuable information.

The changes that are most valuable to a flight simulation enthusiast like me are less obvious. First of all, Saitek has placed two centering springs in the lever, one inside the other. The result is a stick that has a noticeably stronger spring than the X-52 – much better for flight sims! The other difference is inside the stick, where Saitek has used twice as many position sensors as the old X-52 to produce even greater accuracy. These two improvements alone tell me that the X-52 Pro is worth the money. If you load up a flight simulator that requires smooth and precise control movements (for example, dogfighting in the IL-2 series), you’ll notice a definite change for the better from the old Saitek X52. Congratulations Saitec!

Is the X-52 Pro worth the extra money? If you’re a flight sim enthusiast with money burning a hole in your pocket and looking for a quality controller, then you should go for the X-52 Pro. If you’re not so concerned about things like centering springs and high-precision controls, then you should opt for the considerably cheaper X-52, which still gives you 95% of the programming capabilities and a separate throttle and stick combination.