P2900 Support
Welcome to the P2900 support pages. Here you will find answers to commonly asked questions to help you get the most out of your P2900.
Q1: My Controller isn't working in my game, why is this?
or
My controller is not performing correctly in my game, what's happening?
A1: The first thing to check if the controller isn't working in the game is whether it is working in Game Controllers/Gaming Options in Control Panel. You can do this following the instructions in the General FAQ. If it is working okay in there then we know the controller is okay and problem has to do with the game itself.
First, make sure that the game actually supports game controllers, because some PC games just don't (if you're unsure you should contact the game publisher for more info on this).
Secondly, make sure you have correctly enabled the controller in the game's control options screen - most games have an options screen where you have to set up the controls - if this is a little unclear to you then the best people to contact this are, again, the publisher of the game as they will be more familiar with the game's inner workings.
Thirdly, the game may well need an update to correct an existing problem that the game may have shipped with. Always check the game's website to see if there are any updates for it (typically called Patches).
Q2: I'm not sure what the FPS function on the pad does. Is there a more detailed explanation than what is in the manual?
A2: The idea behind the FPS button comes from the fact that there are a few PC games that do not support game controllers, instead supporting only the keyboard and mouse. The most common type of games to have this problem are First Person Shooter (FPS) games, such as Quake 4 or Call Of Duty; basically any game where you're controlling the game from a first person point of view, usually with a gun in front of you.
Initially it might seem that you're therefore not able to use the pad in these games because they only support keyboards and mice however, with the Saitek Smart Technology programming software we can program all the different parts of the pad with keyboard and mouse commands. If we match those up with those used in the game already then we can make the pad work in the game.
Typically, most of these games use the same basic set of controls: the W,A,S and D keys for moving forwards, left, backwards and right, the mouse for aiming, the two mouse buttons for primary and secondary fire modes, etc. When you place the pad in the FPS mode, provided you have installed the programming software for the pad, this will automatically program every part of the pad with a key from the keyboard or a part of the mouse. The list of controls is found in the manual that came with your pad or you can download the manual from the manuals section of the website.
Q3: Okay, I understand the FPS mode now, but what happens if the game I'm using uses a different set of keys to those set up in the FPS mode?
A3: There's two ways around this. One of them would be to create your own profile using the programming software and program each part of the pad as you want it.
However, there's not necessarily a need to do this; remember that when the pad is in the FPS mode, those buttons on the pad are essentially the key on the keyboard that they are programmed with. So instead of creating a new profile what you can do instead is use the control configuration screen within the game that you are playing to reconfigure the controls. Usually in these games you can redefine the controls to match what you want them to do.
Example: If the walk forwards function in a game was actually set to the Up cursor key on the keyboard then in the normal FPS mode, pushing up on the left stick wouldn't make you walk forwards in the game, because in the FPS mode that part of the stick is set to be the W key. However, if we can change the walk forwards control in the options of the game from the Up cursor key to the W key then the stick on the pad would then work.
Normally the way that you would do this in a game is to go to the control configuration screen, highlight the control you want to change using the cursor keys or double click on it with the mouse, and then press the key that you want to change that control to; at this point you could either press the key on the keyboard that you want to change it to, or move/press the part of the pad that you want to assign that control to. Once you have configured all the controls as you want them you should be able to play the game with no issues.
Q4: My programming doesn't appear to be working. Is there any way I can check?
A4: There's a very easy way to see if the programming is working - as soon as you press the FPS button, try moving the right stick on the pad; it should make your mouse pointer move onscreen.
To check if the keyboard programming is working, click Start>Programs>Accessories>Notepad and then move the left stick in circles; you should see the letters W, S, A and D appearing in the Notepad window.
If either or neither of those tests works then send an email to our support address including the following information:
With the controller plugged in, open the System icon in Control Panel and then click Hardware at the top of the window that comes up and then click Device Manager. You will have a category at the bottom of the list here that is called Universal Serial Bus Controller. Click the plus sign next to it and tell me what it then says underneath it. Do the same for the following categories:
Keyboards
Mice and other pointing devices
Other Devices
Human Interface Devices
Saitek Magic Bus
Q5: Is this controller supported under Windows 98 or ME?
A5: No, I'm afraid that it is only supported under Windows 2000, XP and XP 64-bit
Q6: Can I use more than one controller?
A6: Yes, absolutely. Your PC will support as many game controllers as you have USB ports to plug them into! However, it should be noted that only some games support more than one game controller (such as EA Sports titles like FIFA or NHL, for example).
