Logitech Freedom 2.4 GHz Cordless Joystick

The Freedom 2.4 is compatible with computers running Windows 98, 2000, Me, or XP, or Macintosh OS 8.6 and Input Sprockets 1.7 (not included) or later. An available USB port is also required. The Logitech Freedom 2.4 comes with a one-year warranty.

Product Description
With the Freedom 2.4 Cordless Joystick, you've got a way to escape to confines of your controller cord! Three AA batteries provide more than 50 hours of gameplay Also comes with pager-sized receiver with status indicator and USB connector

There were no reviews on Amazon.com, so I was a bit uncertain about this joystick, and went with Microsoftys joystick. I came across a review on the yLogitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless Joysticky in Maximum PC magazine. The only drawback for this joystick was the fact that it relied on AA batteries (because it is cordless), which do not provide enough juice for the force feedback effects. So if youyre not into that much force feedback, then this is the joystick for you. I thought that Iyd post a review for this joystick for people to decide whether or not to get this joystick over some of the other ones. Here is the review from the magazine:

yLogitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless Joystick: Sturdy, agile, cordless y itys simply the best. Odds are that every Maximum PC reader has the same problem: thanks to all the gamepads, mice, keyboards, digital cameras, speakers, MP3 players, and networking equipment youyve got hooked up, thereys a ratys nest of wires behind your PC. Wireless peripherals are the obvious solution, but no hardcore gamer would trust his online reputation to a flaky wireless joystick, would he?

But what if the stick wasnyt flaky? Weyve been using the Logitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless Joystick for about a month now, and from a reliability standpoint, itys virtually indistinguishable from a weird joystick. Its 2.4GHz wireless connection to your PC is every bit as responsive and sensitive as the cable that gets wrapped around your chair and trips you when you stand up.

Because itys wireless, the Freedom 2.4 relies on three AA batteries for power y and they donyt provide enough juice for force feedback effects, so you can cross that feature off your list (a non-issue for the many people who just donyt care for force feedback). The good news is that the batteries provide a sturdy ballast for the base and prevent it from sliding around on most desks.

We were especially impressed with the three-axis stick itself. It sports six buttons, including the trigger and an eight-way hat switch. All the buttons are easily accessible, even for a gamer with unusual hands (large, small, it doesnyt matter). Along with an analog throttle, there are four more buttons on the stickys base.

This is the perfect stick for the casual joystick gamer. Anyone who likes to hop into a Spitfire in yBattlefield 1942y, play an occasional round of yCrimson Skiesy, or enjoy space-based slaughter in yIndependence Wary will find this stick to be perfectly suitable. That said, Flight-Sim fanatics will be better served by picking up a more yrealisticy controller with more buttons and hat switches.y

Pros: A great wireless joystick with more than enough options for any arcade-style flyer.

Cons: Wireless design precludes force feedback. Not optimal for hardcore flight sims.


WIRELESS DREAM!   April 23, 2003
Nathan (Chicago, Il United States)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

This product is one of the first well made wireless joysticks i have ever used. The actual joystick uses a great blend of comfort and abilities. Most good joysticks now days tend to have lots of buttons but lack in there general comfort. This stick is capable of almost all of the great features of some of the other $100-$200 sticks and still is able to make long term gaming a breeze and greatly improve not only the stick but the game its self. Now you can't forget the fact that the logitec wingman is cordless this means that when it is time to put it away for other games that don't use the joystick you are able to move it quickly with out making your clean computer area look cluttered and not having to unplug any cords.

Pros/Cons:

Pro's
-5 star Comfort
-Good stick options (including side2side turning and throttle)
-It's WIRELESS

Con's
-Bad set up program
-5th button weirdly placed

GREAT JOB LOGITEC!!


Really a pleasant surprise.   March 22, 2003
Rheumor (New Orelans)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

I am a big fan of all things cordless, and so I thought I might try a cordless joystick. My reference point has been 5 faithful years of service from a Microsoft Sidewinder Pro.
The Logitech installed easily in WinXP. I ran the included CD, plugged the tiny USB transmitter into an open USB (2.0) port on the back of my PC, and then installed the batteries (3 AAs) into the stick itself. Synchronization took 5 seconds; I pressed the button on the front of the transmitter box and then a (any) button on the stick, and it was done. I used the software to calibrate in 2 minutes and was ready to fly.
Flying in MS FS2002 was very good with this stick. The 10 buttons on the stick are a snap to program with the software.
In my other flight sim, Fighter Ace 3.5, it wasn't as smooth a result. The kinds of ACMs required by a combat sim are necessarily more precise and I've just had a difficult time getting the right amount of damping. Maybe I'll get the hang of it as time passes, but for now my kill ratio has crashed.
The stick itself is well built and quite nicely layed out (i.e. good ergonomics). It sits comfortably on my lap, is light weight without being flimsy and its base is very easy to grasp. I have every confidence it will not break easily.
Overall, I'm encouraged. I hate clutter and the lack of one more cable on my desktop makes me happy. Of course, if I keep getting lit up, it'll be back to the Sidewinder, but for now I'm working on it.


Freedom to play!   February 4, 2004
Earl P. Thayton (Kirkland, WA USA)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

I was really pleasantly surprised by the Logitech Freedom cordless joystick. The first thing I noticed--it fits your hand really well. The second thing was that it is very, very smooth. This is hard to describe, but on some sticks you have a hard time making a clean circle... it always feels like you are fighting the stick a little... or more accurately, like the resistance isn't perfectly even at all positions. Not so with the Freedom. It has a great feel, very even, and just the right amount of resistance. It takes some getting used to if you are coming from a force feedback joystick, though.

It has a load of buttons, and for the most part they are placed very well. My only quibble is with the throttle. Mine isn't loose or anything, but I don't like the position very much. I think I would have preferred having it on the side, more like a Sidewinder, but to be fair it certainly works where it is. I would have really liked two hats too, but that's more of a sim junkie feature so I am not surprised there is only one. (The one hat it is equipped with does have a great feel, it is easy to hit the diagonals.)

As to the cordless feature, well, it works perfectly. I haven't gotten interference from my Logitech MX700 mouse or my cordless phone (though it is 5.8GHz so not in the same band). To start using the stick, you just click a button. A green LED will light up on the stick for a few seconds to show it has syned up with the base. It will go to sleep after a few minutes of disuse.

If you are looking for a precise and comfortable non-force-feedback joystick, or if you just want to cut the cord, I recommend the Freedom very highly.

(Now, when will Logitech make a complete flight controller suite, with an external throttle, collective and all that good stuff?!)


A great Joystick.   August 22, 2003
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

To get it out of the way I will start out by listing my ONLY greavance with it. The throttle is very small, poorly placed, and to loose. That out of the way I am proud to say I am very happy with it. The handle is very ergonomic. Movement of the stick is smooth and just the right amount of resistance. It has two more buttons then any joystick Ive had before and they are all will placed and useful. The rubber hat switch works great and stays under your thumb and the rubber base holds it very secure on the surface, It never slides! These atributes alone make it well worth the money So the fact that its wireless is almost like a bonus. Its amazing how conveniant it is not to be on a cord. I am very happy with it and will probly purchase from logitech again.