Saitek is a designer and manufacturer of

consumer electronics Consumer electronics, also known as home electronics, are electronic devices intended for everyday household use. Consumer electronics include those used for entertainment, Communication, communications, and recreation. Historically, these prod ...

founded in 1979 by Swiss technologist Eric Winkler. They are best known for their PC gaming controllers, mice, keyboards, and their numerous analogue flight controllers such as joysticks, throttles, and rudder pedals. Most Saitek products have been rebranded as Logitech G products since their acquisition by the company.

History

Saitek (originally called SciSys until 1987) was founded in 1979 by Swiss technologist Eric Winkler as a manufacturer of electronic chess games. By the 1990s the company had distribution and design offices in the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as a factory in China. In 1994, Saitek acquired Hegner & Glaser's successful Mephisto line of chess computers. Saitek diversified into PC

peripherals A peripheral device, or simply peripheral, is an auxiliary hardware device that a computer uses to transfer information externally. A peripheral is a hardware component that is accessible to and controlled by a computer but is not a core compo ...

, focusing on

game controllers A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers in ...

for

flight simulation A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. A driver's permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met, and drivers are required to ...

and first-person gaming. Saitek has also expanded into PC peripherals, with an emphasis on input, connectivity and

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as Text (literary theory), writing, Sound, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single presentation. T ...

. In 2005, Saitek launched a

high fidelity High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...

audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

product line for PC & iPod. On November 14, 2007,

Mad Catz Mad Catz is an American manufacturing gaming brand of interactive entertainment and PC products, currently produced by Hong Kong–based company Mad Catz Global Limited. It was formerly produced by the original Chinese Mad Catz company until its ...

announced that they had purchased Saitek for $30 million. On September 15, 2016,

Logitech Logitech International S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of computer peripherals and software. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the company has offices throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. It is a component of ...

announced that they had purchased the Saitek brand and assets from

for $13 million in cash.

Products

Pro Flight Controllers

*''Pro Flight Yoke System'' *''Pro Flight Throttle Quadrant'' *''TPM System''

Pro Flight Panels

*''Pro Flight Backlit Information Panel'' *''Pro Flight Multi Panel'' *''Pro Flight Radio Panel'' *''Pro Flight Switch Panel'' *''Pro Flight Instrument Panel''

Pro Flight Sticks

*''X-56 H.O.T.A.S. System'' (2018) *''X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. System'' (2014) *''X-65F Flight Combat Control System'' (2008) *'' X52 Pro Flight Control System'' (2007) *'' X52 Flight Control System'' (2004)Saitek X52 Flight Control System
''ITRNews'', 21 December 2004 (in French) *''X45 Digital Joystick and Throttle'' (2001) *''X36 Flight Control System'' (1999), consisting of the X36F Control stick and X35T throttle

Flight Sticks

*''Aviator'' for

PS3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

and PC *''Cyborg F.L.Y.9 Wireless Flight Stick'' for

*''Cyborg F.L.Y 5 Flight Stick'' for PC *''Cyborg 2000 Flight Stick'' for PC *''Cyborg Evo Flight Stick'' for PC (2003) *''ST290 Flight Stick'' for PC

Pro Flight Rudder Pedals

*'' Pro Flight Rudder Pedals'' *''Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals'' *''Cessna Pro Flight Rudder Pedals''

Accessories

*''Pro Flight Headset''

Cessna Controllers

*''Pro Flight Cessna Yoke System'' *''Pro Flight Cessna Trim Wheel'' *''Pro Flight Cessna Rudder Pedals''

Farming Equipment

*''Heavy Equipment Bundle'' for PC *''Heavy Equipment Side Panel'' for PC

Keyboard

*''Saitek Cyborg programmable keyboard'' for PC

References

External links

Saitek
{{Logitech products Chess computers Electronics companies of Switzerland Electronics companies established in 1979 Swiss companies established in 1979 Swiss brands