Well for one, in a world of joysticks that need to be calibrated weekly. That deveolop spikes and bad pots. The MS Sidewinder can go for years without calibrating. Has no problem with pots getting dirty, spiking, wearing out etc.
It doesn't take huge 6'3" gorrilla with arms like king kong to move it around.
Us little guys can run one for hours without wearing out.
Its very configuarble, isn't that hard to work on.
Its priced reasonably considering the compitetion.
Last of all, given reasonable care & consideration it will last from 4 - 7 years.
Now, balance that against the average Thrustmaster, gravis, CH stick and you'll see why most Sidewinder fans have 2 or 3 of them.
I started flying in may of 1996 with my first sidewinder 3d pro.
I have since picked up a Prec Pro, and a pair of Prec 2 USB's.
The newest one is at least 3 years old, and only the original 3d pro has been retired. It was just getting too much slop in the center. But everything still worked.
And you know what, I'm currently bidding on ebay for another just for backup.
