Saitek hat mit INN ein Q&A gemacht. Anbei alle Fragen und Antworten. Quelle: http://imperialnews.network/2015/08/saitek-hotas-peripherals-analysis/ SAITEK Q&A All answers provided by Mr Daniel Nuth, Product Development Manager for Mad Catz / Saitek. ARE THESE STAR CITIZEN-BRANDED VERSIONS OF EXISTING DESIGNS, OR ARE THE PRODUCTS ENTIRELY NEW? Some are brand new designs, some are existing products with upgraded features. We found that there was a lot of support and enthusiasm at CIG for Saitek products. Many of the testers and developers use our products so they were already up to speed with the products in our range. The concept images that were shown, take into account what we think space sim gamers would appreciate to improve their gameplay experience. These were just concepts though, so we expect the product and features to improve over time. CAN YOU GIVE ANY INFORMATION ON PRICING AND AVAILABILITY? Currently no. We are at a stage where features and design are pretty fluid, so it’s difficult to finalize a product cost. We have targets that have been agreed between Saitek and CIG and we are working hard to meet them. WILL THESE PRODUCTS BE SOLD IN RETAIL STORES? These products will be sold at all and any outlets that support them HOW MANY DIFFERENT SKUS ARE PLANNED, AND WHAT ARE THEY? ARE THERE VARIANTS TAILORED FOR SPECIFIC IN-GAME SHIPS OR MANUFACTURERS? CiG and Saitek want to provide a full suite of products to use with the game. Mice, keyboards, headsets and HOTAS systems will be released. In terms of ship specific variants, we think Star Citizen fans will be pleased with what will be available for them when it comes to shipping the products. CAN YOU PROVIDE US WITH PICTURES OR OTHER MEDIA OF THE PRODUCTS? At this time we sadly have nothing further which we can share! ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO DISTRIBUTE PRE-RELEASE UNITS TO THE PRESS? There is a planned beta, whether this is with press or not is TBC between CIG and Saitek. Watch this space! HOW IS THE HARDWARE CONSTRUCTED? ARE THEY MOSTLY MADE UP OF PLASTIC OR METAL? WHAT PRODUCTS (SAITEK OR OTHERWISE) WOULD THEY BE COMPARABLE TO? We are aiming to use the right material for the job. Metal provides improved structural rigidity over plastic, and also improves the cosmetic look of the product. The range will be built around premium controllers so there will be a mix of both metal and plastic in the right places to make the best product for the gamer. SOME STAR CITIZEN FANS ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT SAITEK’S BUILD QUALITY. CAN YOU SAY ANYTHING THAT WOULD ASSUAGE THEIR FEARS? We absolutely stand by the quality of the Saitek simulation range, as do millions of happy customers the world over. Saitek has been number 1 in flight simulation for nearly 2 decades , and we’d like to think that we would not be in business today if we had issues with quality or longevity of our range. We have a well-established team of designers, engineers, quality experts and Contract Manufactures who we believe to be best in class in the industry. We read the feedback from the community as we treat any such consumer feedback seriously and we can assure fans that the products are being conceived, constructed , tested and build to meet the requirements of the most ardent of gamer/simmer. WILL THE HARDWARE INCORPORATE 6 DEGREES OF FREEDOM? Yes. The concept designs will include additional analogue axes for better control of strafing whilst in space. Gamers will be able to move in any direction and in any orientation they need to. WILL THESE PRODUCTS BE PURELY INPUT OR WILL THEY INTERFACE WITH THE GAME ITSELF? FOR EXAMPLE, WILL THERE BE SCREENS THAT DISPLAY ACTUAL GAME INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE CONTROLLERS, SUCH AS WEAPON HEAT OR RADAR? So far, the plan is to have information going both ways. The best gaming experiences are those that share symbiosis between the Hardware and Software, our aim is to take simulation to the next level. Fans are going to be excited by what’s coming that’s for sure. HOW MUCH COMMUNICATION DID YOU HAVE WITH CIG ABOUT THEIR GAMEPLAY REQUIREMENTS, AND WHAT KIND OF SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS HAVE GONE INTO THE HARDWARE TO DEAL WITH STAR CITIZEN’S GAMEPLAY MECHANICS – FOR EXAMPLE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPACE AND ATMOSPHERIC FLIGHT? We have a very good working relationship with CIG. Their team visit us and vice versa, and they provided us with a broad idea of what they expected for any licensed peripherals. We also have a number of avid space sim gamers in our office, as well as people who are new to these types of games. Their game testing and feedback is crucial for the design of the new products. For example, the concept images show fully integrated trackballs on the new controller. These are critical for improving gimbaled weapon aiming above and beyond what is currently achievable. We also needed to improve the strafe control for added freedom of movement. This, we believe to be vital for complex manoeuvres during landing, take-off, docking and combat, so, we have taken steps to make this is easy as possible for the user. Finally, we wanted to present a modular range, so that customers could build and expand their ideal setup with different controllers. This is at the core of the Mad Catz and Saitek philosophy, so it makes perfect sense for these products to interface and connect with each other, enabling users to create the perfect control setup. DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE TO GO ALONG WITH THE NEW EQUIPMENT? Ideally, we want these products to be fully configurable within the game. However, we can also supply our own software so that users can create their own setup profiles if they prefer to do this. ARE THERE ANY PLANS FOR INTERCHANGEABLE GRIPS FOR LARGER / SMALLER HANDS? At this stage, we can say that adjustability is as the core of what we do, and this has been part of the discussion from day one. Some of the final products should have adjustability to some degree.