Pros: Installs easily, feels good, FFB works well, configured in AH II with little difficulty

Cons: Throttle needs more weight, not enough hats, lack of center detents is unforgivable, cheap paper inserts for buttons laughable, lip on back of the rudders too shallow (for my size 11 clodhoppers)

Overall Review: I have been playing PC flight sims for quite some time now, since X-Wing was the hot, new title and this stick has helped me remain in controlled flight better than any other stick that I have tried. During the many years I have used Thrustmaster (all the way through the F-22 stick), CH, a different Logitech FFB stick, and the Saitek x45, and this has been a welcome change but the lack of detents is a big problem especially since all of the rotaries need to be calibrated and you cannot do it just by feel. Also since I have started using this instead of the CH Fighterstick I can confidently say that there are not enough hats to handle all the inputs in Aces High II that I am used to (as I hate mode states) but this HOTAS has been fun to fly with so I am probably nitpicking a few things. :)

Pros: Easy installation, digital sound very nice, added a new depth of sound in some games

Cons: Software unpolished, incompatible with too many titles, start of every sound clipped off, unable to locate newer XP drivers

Overall Review: At first I was pleased with the Xonar, it installed easily and once the software was installed ran just fine but then I started to find that it causing problems in too many of games that I run such as Aces High II where the sounds were so messed up I had to turn many of them off to play. There were even problems in UT2004 and WOW. All of this lead to a reformat to see if it would at least fix the problems in Aces High II. When it did not I removed the card and returned to my old Audigy 2 until the problems are resolved.

Pros: When it works it does a very good job at creating the labels and the price is very good. Installation was easy and the drive was up and running in minutes.

Cons: Using this as a statistical sampling the drives are good only 50% of the time. I ordered two drives and one of them is just fine, the other which has been tried in two machines cannot burn a useable label.

Pros: While it worked it sounded great and handled everything I tossed at it.

Cons: It would have been better if it had lasted more than two weeks.

Overall Review: Suddenly, without warning this card failed so completely that neither the supplied CD nor Creative's on-line updater could even find the card despite it being installed and receiving power. Fortunately I still had my old Audigy 2 card in storage and was able to make a quick swap. Wow...what kind of junk is Creative turning out these days....

Pros: Good sound, easy installation, works with everything so far

Cons: Occasional skips and cracks, nothing serious. Haven't found how to use EAX for microphones yet. A little base heavy but I haven't worked with the software yet. Sounds seem reversed in BioShock.

Overall Review: Compared to the Xonar I had so much trouble with, the X-Fi PCI-E card installed with only a small hitch due to a wire in the wrong place and has worked very well. Compared to the old Audigy 2 I took out this card sounds better with more depth to sounds and music. A feeling of great relief when WOW and Aces High 2 worked perfectly.