skeletonbow: Indeed. My buddy had a snazzy Thrustmaster HOTAS and some other gear, but all I had was some hand-me-down crappy Radio Shack carbon-pot joysticks that wonked out over time from hand heat. It was fun still but those damn joysticks, Narrrrrrghgghg! :) This time around though I have the bonus plan with the Saitek X52-Pro.
The TIE Fighters had more maneuverability, but it came at the expense of having no shields IIRC except for the bomber or something ... I forget. I aced each of the ships on both sides over time and had a blast.
I have to fight myself now to not install it right away as I have stuff to do. :)