Rekrul wrote on 2026-05-04, 02:51:

I just found a Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold USB joystick in the trash. Everything seems to work, the stick, throttle, all the buttons, […]
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I just found a Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold USB joystick in the trash. Everything seems to work, the stick, throttle, all the buttons, etc. However there are some physical features of the stick that I'm unsure what they do, and would really like to have a copy of the manual. Unfortunately Saitek/Logitec's support for older products royally sucks.

A Google search managed to find a one-page sheet on the Saitek site which basically just tells you to install their Saitek Gaming Extensions software to program the stick. I can't find that on their site. In fact, I can't even find the one-page PDF that Google linked to, by going through their site. They list the Cyborg 3D Force, and Cyborg 3D Rumble, but not the Cyborg 3D Gold.

I did find a manual for Saitek Gaming Extensions, but the only download I can find for the program is on dodgy websites.

I know I can use it as-is, but I'd like to have the option of installing the software if I choose. The manual mentions being able to do things like define one button as a shift function, thereby doubling the number of buttons you can have.

As for the physical features, it has a hex-head screw on the side at the top that apparently lets you adjust the angle of the top unit, but there's also a screw directly in the back, and what looks like three different adjustment holes on the other side. Strangely, that back one is a different size than the one on the side. The stick also has an adjustable hand rest that also uses a different sized hex screw from the one on the side. They must be metric because none of the Imperial bits I have will fit those two screws. On the front of the stick, there's an allen wrench that I assume fits the screws, but I can't figure out how to free it. It's half under a plastic piece that doesn't seem to want to come loose, and I don't want to force it and break it.

There are also three prominent screws in the top of the case, two on either side and one in the back, which are the same size as the screw in the side of the stick. I assume these just hold the case together, but it seems strange to me that they have the same size heads as the side screw that you're meant to be able to adjust. Normally, screws like these would be a different size to prevent people from using the included tool to mess with them. Actually, it's strange that the screw holding the hand rest is a different size, as it would make more sense to make all the user adjustable parts have the same size screw.

Anyway, does anyone know where I can find a copy of the manual for this stick, or a reliable place to download the Saitek Gaming Extensions software?

Does this manual make things clearer...

The combined driver and programming software packages can be found here (on the Saitek ftp archive) -

98/ME 2K/XP : https://web.archive.org/web/20170530170846/ft … _0_18master.exe

NT : https://web.archive.org/web/20170530170852/ft … _0_18master.exe

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2026-05-04, 06:58:

Does this manual make things clearer...

The attachment cy3d2.pdf is no longer available

Thanks, but not really. That's the same sheet I found with Google. It really doesn't explain anything.

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2026-05-04, 06:58:

The combined driver and programming software packages can be found here (on the Saitek ftp archive) -

Thanks.

I actually found a version 4.3.3.1727 of the "SD" installer, listed as being for the Cyborg 3D Gold on the French driver site that I keep forgetting about;

https://www.touslesdrivers.com/index.php?v_pa … 2&v_code=709#19

One of the two files is marked as "Drivers", so that makes it clear as mud... I mean, do I need to install drivers for the stick for the Gaming Extension software to work?

On newer systems, this thing apparently sort of works, but control functionality is not complete enough to make it useful. On older systems, you have to have the driver and config software installed to use it and program the buttons for games that don't have that in their settings. This is one of those instances where the community needs to step in and write their own code, if there's enough demand. I don't know if it works at all on Linux, but sometimes such ancient things work fine.

I did some digging and apparently, the Saitek Gaming Extensions software isn't required to use the stick, just to program it on the odd instance where it's needed. The driver and software seems to be the same one used for the regular Cyborg 3D USB stick, which explains why there is diddly-squat for the exact name of the product, in what's left of Saitek's support information. People have claimed to have gotten it working fine on modern Windows, by using the Joystick control panel config (joy.cpl), though the Saitek sticks are notoriously buggy all the same.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2026-05-04, 11:14:

On newer systems, this thing apparently sort of works, but control functionality is not complete enough to make it useful. On older systems, you have to have the driver and config software installed to use it and program the buttons for games that don't have that in their settings. This is one of those instances where the community needs to step in and write their own code, if there's enough demand. I don't know if it works at all on Linux, but sometimes such ancient things work fine.

I have an old system, running an old version of Windows. I don't know how to tell if a controller is Direct Input, or XInput. All I know is that I plugged it in, Windows said it was installing the drivers, and when I go to Game Controllers, it's listed, and the generic properties window allows me to test all the different functions.

The only oddities were that I had to calibrate it, as the stick, throttle, and twist functions were off-center and only registered about a third of the full range of motion, and that the hat switch not only registers on the POV display, but also as buttons 11-14.

I also have a Saitek ST290 Pro joystick. I forget if I had to calibrate it, but on that one, the hat switch only registers as the POV.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2026-05-04, 11:30:

I did some digging and apparently, the Saitek Gaming Extensions software isn't required to use the stick, just to program it on the odd instance where it's needed.

I figured that, although from skimming the manual, it seems that you can do some other things like adding multiple button mappings and switching between them. To be honest, I probably wouldn't use the software, it's kind of a case of wanting it just to have it.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2026-05-04, 11:30:

The driver and software seems to be the same one used for the regular Cyborg 3D USB stick, which explains why there is diddly-squat for the exact name of the product, in what's left of Saitek's support information.

What do you mean by "regular Cyborg 3D USB stick"? Is that the Cyborg V1?

I just checked some old snapshots of the site, and actually managed to find a copy of the manual. I had to go all the way back to 2000 to do it. It told me how to adjust the top unit on the stick, but the mystery of why I can't get the Allen wrench free still remains.

None of the driver downloads on those snapshots worked though. I have the one linked to previously, and the newer version I downloaded off the French site, but I don't know which one would be best (if I decide to use it).

I still need to give the whole stick a good cleaning, and scrub the sticky rubberized coating off the hand rest pieces.

The regular Cyborg 3D USB is what most people got. Few people apparently got the Gold version. I don't know the difference between the two, if there is one, but if you go dig up reviews, I suspect you'd find that it's just a matter of the Gold version having a bit more control options (buttons or whatever) than the regular one or maybe it has "slightly better" build. From what I've found, their sticks were never great outside of the HOTAS stuff and the ST290 I recently picked up seems as basic as can be.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2026-05-05, 15:11:

The regular Cyborg 3D USB is what most people got. Few people apparently got the Gold version. I don't know the difference between the two, if there is one, but if you go dig up reviews, I suspect you'd find that it's just a matter of the Gold version having a bit more control options (buttons or whatever) than the regular one or maybe it has "slightly better" build. From what I've found, their sticks were never great outside of the HOTAS stuff and the ST290 I recently picked up seems as basic as can be.

They're not high-end sticks, but they don't seem especially bad. I now have three of them: The Cyborg 3D Gold, my St290 that I bought complete in box from Goodwill (although I eventually threw out the box to save room, as it was quite large), and another ST290 that I found in the trash. That one is missing the hand rest pieces.

I also have a couple Microsoft joysticks, and a couple Logitech ones, all found in the trash. None of them seem like anything special. I did once buy a really fancy flight stick from Goodwill. It's big and has lots of buttons. Unfortunately, it also has a gameport connector, as well as a PS/2 passthrough connector for the keyboard. And of course it doesn't work with USB adapters. Somewhere I also have a cute little, no-frills joystick that I got for $2 at Goodwill. It had a gameport connector, but I took a gamble that it would work with a USB adapter. It didn't. And now that I'm thinking about it, I have some other joystick I found in the trash with a gameport connector that also won't work with USB adapters.

When I say "trash", I'm referring to bulk trash pickup. Twice a year my city will haul away almost anything you put on the curb for free. People use these times to clean out their attics, basements, closets, etc. They throw out all sorts of stuff. Earlier today, I found a set of Boston Digital BA735 speakers. They're digital only, but apparent they can be modded to accept analog audio as well. I found three different USB hubs, a 16GB Sandisk flash drive, mice, keyboards. In the past I've found complete computers, laptops (usually broken, always missing the power supply), monitors, even a small mechanical keyboard with about 20 different RGB effects. Not to mention my bike, my bike helmet, the chair I'm sitting in, the fans in my windows, the power strip things are plugged into, game consoles, TVs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and enough assorted cables to tie up a dinosaur.

My friend and I used to drive around to all four of the different areas, one per week throughout the month, and bring home a ton of stuff. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, and I don't drive, so I'm mostly limited to what I can lug home on my bike now, or what I can beg another friend to help me bring home. I'm also limited in how far I can go, as the two middle areas are far enough away that I'm not going to cycle there. I did a few streets in the second area today, only because I had a doctor's appointment in that area, but I only explored about 5% of it, and even then, I'm sore tonight. And I have to go to work tomorrow afternoon...

Oh, I finally figured out how to get the Allen wrench free. The whole thing slides up, and the plastic isn't just a cover, it forms a sort of handle to help you turn it.