Saitek P220 Digital PC Game Pad

A unique, but unusable, feature is the center throttle button. There are four settings that can be selected by pressing it either up or down. Also, you can go for a more precise control by holding it and slowly increasing/decreasing the speed. I'm guessing it was made to give the user better control with acceleration in racing games, but it will take some time to get used to it. Your better off buying some pedals and a steering wheel.

This 8-way directional button is not as precise as it should be but this is a problem with every game pad (made specifically for PC's) that I have seen. The build quality needs some work because some buttons are looser or stick up higher than others. However, since this is the cheapest controller I could find, that was expected.

All in all, this is a good cheap controller. Setup was a snap with Windows XP, it really is plug-and-play. I've had it for almost a month and it's still working. If you're looking for a cheap controller this is the one for you. If you're looking for a hard-core controller, look elsewhere. For $, what do you expect?


A good low-priced PC game controller   October 29, 2004
KENNY NG (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

After being generally satifisfied with Saitek's P880 (a larger controller with two analog sticks like the Sony Playstation 2 controller), I bought the smaller and simpler P220 out of curiosity. I plugged the P220 into a USB port while I was in Windows XP and the controller was instantly recognized by Windows XP as "P220" (not "Saitek P220") without need of any driver installation CD (NO SUCH CD IS INCLUDED. USERS OF WINDOWS 98 (BUT NOT WINDOWS ME OR WINDOWS 2000) MAY BE REQUIRED TO USE THEIR WINDOWS 98 CD). The P220 tested well in Control Panel. All eight buttons work and the P220's directional pad (d-pad) worked fine (unlike the d-pad of controllers from Gravis and Logtech).

My first complaint, however, is with the P220's ergonomics. Unlike its larger sibling the P880, the P220 has no rubber padding and feels much less comfortable to hold.

My second complaint is with the P220's so-called "digital throttle" button. Located in the middle of the controller, this button is a toggle-like button that you can press up or press down. Above this button is a vertical row of 4 red LED lights. After plugging in the P220 into your computer, you press this button UP once and 1 of 4 red LED lights up; press the same button UP again and 2 of 4 lights up; and so on until all 4 lights are lit. Press the button DOWN to unlit one light at a time until all 4 become unlit. I still don't know what this "digital throttle" is suppose to do. It doesn't seem to have any effect on the functioning of the controller's d-pad and 8 buttons. However, I tried using the P220 when playing "Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb" and I noticed that my camera perpective/angle stays at the "bird's eye view" (i.e. I keep seeing the top of Indy's head instead of Indy's backside.) It's like moving the mouse all the way down to change to this "bird's eye" perspective and being stuck in this perspective. I fixed this problem by pressing the "digital throttle" UP (or DOWN) so that only so that 2 of 4 LED or 3 of 4 LED lights up. I also fixed the problem by simply switching to the larger P880 controller (with no "digital throttle") or switching to keyboard and mouse control and my camera perspective changed to seeing Indy's backside (as it should be). Weird.

Lastly, the P220 looks and feels cheap as expected by its low price. Further, the Saitek logo in the middle of the P220 controller does not light up with a blue glow when the controller is plugged in, whereas that of the larger P880 does glow blue when the controller is plugged in.

For the low price, you are still getting a controller with 8 buttons (shaped and arranged exactly like those of the P880 with each button marked as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 or 8) and a non-frustrating d-pad. (Buttons 7 and 8 are the trigger buttons and may be too large for some people's taste.) So far, I find the "digital throttle" button to be a useless additional feature. If the P220 is to be Saitek's "simple" and "basic" entry-level controller, then it should be kept as simple as possible without bizarre innovative features.


Saitek USB controller   May 9, 2004
MastrapollitoLumber (USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I got two of these pads after reading many reviews saying that
its not a bad controller.
That especially for the price its good.
Very cheap, got a couple for 20.00 total. Its very easy to get started with my computer. All I had to do was plug them in and they were on and working, just like console controllers. Also, they are compatible with every game I want to play.
Compatible meaning the buttons work. Thats why I give it 3 stars and not 2 or 1. But when it comes to how well the joystick works for certain games, thats where a problem starts. I play mainly 2 types of 2d games on my PC, platformers and fighting games. On the platformers this controller works good enough. On the fighting games, its not very good at all. The D-Pad is designed in an unsual way, there is a hole in the center. After playing for 5 minuites, my thumb hurts. After a couple of days you get a little used to it, but the moves are still much to hard to execute.
2-d Platformers, or any simple low intensity game: I'd give it 3 or 4 stars.
Fighing Games, or any high intensity game: Two stars.
Fighting gamers, keep looking. Any one else, make sure you test one before you buy 2!


Get a Liksang adapter and a PS1 or PS2 pad instead.   January 11, 2006
C. A Morrow (Des Moines, WA United States)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

My Saitek's were good, they weren't "great." But I got a Lik-Sang "PS1&2 to USB" connector for my birthday and I also found a free key and mouse mapping software called Joy2Key, it doesn't have a fancy graphical interface like Saitek's software but it does the same thing and without taking up nearly as much CPU.

Instead of being worried about breaking my d-pad, not having enough buttons, and sticks with barely any resistance to them I am using a Playstation pad for my emulators and PC games now.

Stop looking for a rugged PC gamepad because they simply don't exist. Controllers built for consoles will always be alot more heavy duty than the ones made for PC. And if I don't like the stock PS1 pads, I can use any other aftermarket pad that has a playstation plug on the end. I like Madcatz 58016 personally.


doesn't work at all   June 29, 2004
Slothmo (CA)
1 out of 14 found this review helpful

i have only 2 games for my PC (i'm not much of a gamer on PCs i prefer consoles over anything else) "The Sum of All Fears" and "Sonic and Knuckles Collection". I bought this thing today, because i hate having to use the keyboard and mouse. i swear i knew from the getgo, i was going to end up returning it. i should have heeded my own warning. neither game would work with it. On TSOAF game, there isn't a thing in the options to calibrate the game for a controller, it will only play using keyboard and mouse, worthless game yeah, but hey, I wanted to play it. Now on S&KC, this game was originally designed for Windows 95, but i still kept the disc anyway because i love the Sonic games, and it said on the booklet, will work with a gamepad or whatever these monsters are called.

Now I know it's most likely the fault of the games, but still, what good is a controller, if the games you have won't play with it. I am not gonna even bother buying another controller, i am done with PC gaming. End of story.