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Logitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless

Logitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless

Written by John Yan on 7/30/2003 for PC  
More On: Logitech Freedom 2.4 Cordless
After having great experience with Logitech’s Cordless Duo MX for gaming, I thought I would complete my wireless gaming PC setup with a flight stick. Well going back to Logitech, I decided to try out their Freedom 2.4 Cordless stick. To have a completely harmonious wireless setup for gaming would just be killer.

The funky looking Freedom 2.4 Cordless is designed to offer lagless gaming over wireless connection. The stick comes with a USB receiver and software. The receiver plugs into an available USB port and has a connect button. Other than the basics there’s nothing else that comes with the stick.

Ten buttons are available for you to program and use. Four are located at the top of the stick in a two by two configuration on either side of the hat switch. Four more buttons are on the left side of the base in various sizes and shapes. The different button shapes help a little bit in determining which button your finger is on. There’s a thumb button on the thumb groove of the stick and finally, the trigger rounds out the list of buttons. Most of the buttons offer good feedback when pressed. I would’ve preferred a little strong spring on the trigger and maybe thumb button but that’s just me.

Like most sticks nowadays, there’s a thumb throttle on this one at the base area closest to you. The throttle’s motion is smooth and offers good resistance in both directions. I was happy with the way it felt and it offered good control in both small and large movements. On top sits the hat switch for functions like padlock view or whatever you decide. I did find that buttons five and six on the top sit pretty closely to the hat and the hat will easily hinder your ability to push them without nudging the hat.

The stick features a platform to rest the ball of your hand on. It makes for a comfortable hold and the molding of the handle offers a good grip. Handle twist is also a feature of the Freedom 2.4 Cordless and will make games like Mechwarrior 4 a lot easier to control. The spring that centers the stick gives good resistance and feels very smooth. It quickly centers the stick with authority yet is soft enough to not be too hard to move.
Three large rubberized feet offer a nice base for you to set the stick on. The tripod configuration of the rubber feet offer a good amount of traction and it stayed still nicely on all the desk surfaces I tested on. Its wide base keeps the stick stable during all sorts of fast action. By taking off the bottom of the base, you insert three AA batteries to power the stick.

If you own other Logitech wireless game controllers, the receiver will look very familiar. On the front is a connection button with an LED underneath. If, for some reason the connection between the receiver and the joystick gets interrupted, you can reconnect the two by pushing the connect button and then any button on the joystick. A solid green means that you have a solid connection. If it’s blinking then you need to connect the joystick. On the joystick base there’s a clear Logitech logo that lights green when connection is made and orange when searching for the receiver.


Plugging the receiver in the USB port of my Windows XP computer, the OS had no problem recognizing the joystick and setting it up for operation. Without using any of the Logitech software, I went into the Control Panel and game controllers to see if it was operational. Sure enough, the joystick showed up correctly labeled and testing each function yielded the appropriate response. Pressing multiple buttons and performing movements with the stick and hat also showed up correctly in the test window.I do suggest installing the software though as it adds the ability to double all the buttons by assigning one as a shift button. You can also adjust the deadzone of the stick and also load profiles for certain games.

The one game I really was anxious to use this stick with was Battlefield 1942. Battlefield 1942 is a game that you really need more than one controller to truly play. With a wireless mouse and keyboard setup already, having a wireless controller for flying can really help alleviate the mess around your playing area along with being able to switch between devices without having to deal with cords. Spending a good amount of time with the game, I found flying with the Freedom 2.4 Cordless to be trouble and lag free. The stick was a bit touchy though but that was taken care of by increasing the deadzone. After I adjusted it to my liking, flying was a breeze. Having more than enough buttons to control the plane, I was soaring the skies with the greatest of ease. The controller worked out really well and I didn’t notice any delay when pressing a button or moving the stick. Playing Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries I had another solid experience using the controller. Torso twist was easily accomplished by the twisting handle and I had no problems controlling the speed of the mech with the throttle.

The Freedom 2.4 Cordless stick is one great piece of work coming from Logitech. It offers lag free gameplay with a good amount of buttons for you to program. While I do have a few minor gripes about the layout of the top, overall I really liked how the stick handled. Logitech continues to offer great cordless solutions and the Freedom 2.4 Cordless is no exception.
The Freedom 2.4 Cordless works and works well. With enough buttons to go around, you'll be flying planes or piloting mechs with no lag.

Rating: 9 Excellent

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


About Author

I've been reviewing products since 1997 and started out at Gaming Nexus. As one of the original writers, I was tapped to do action games and hardware. Nowadays, I work with a great group of folks on here to bring to you news and reviews on all things PC and consoles.

As for what I enjoy, I love action and survival games. I'm more of a PC gamer now than I used to be, but still enjoy the occasional console fair. Lately, I've been really playing a ton of retro games after building an arcade cabinet for myself and the kids. There's some old games I love to revisit and the cabinet really does a great job at bringing back that nostalgic feeling of going to the arcade.

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