Trying to find a good Joystick

RebellGhost

RebellGhost
Hey everyone,

I know that there already are a lot of discussions about Joysticks in the Forum, but I already read most of them and couldn't find anything that seemed to fit what I've been searching for.
I'm looking for a joystick that has a throttle control, at least 2 coolie hats, and a primary and a secondary trigger (the secondary trigger doesn't have to be at the regular position beside the primary trigger, I actually liked that setup on the T.Flight HOTAS). It would be quite nice to have a fourth axis on the joystick to control the upper and lower thrusters. Additional buttons would be perfect.
I've already tried the HOTAS T.Flight X, but didn't like it because there was no resistance when using the throttle. HOTAS Setups just don't seem to like me.
Has anyone seen a setup to what I've just described? I just can't find anything like that (especially the 4th Axis is something I can't find as most Joysticks are made for Flight Sims/Games, not for Spacesims.)

Thanks :)
 

TheMarshall

T
There isn't a lot of choice out there as you seem to have discovered. I would be interested to see if anyone suggests something I have missed in my searches too. I have the X-55 and really dislike the joystick but love the throttle.
 

quickr

quickr
Cheap solution is cyborg's FLY5. i got it and i'm pleased with it, but bare in mind there are some bad reviews out there, read them first.
 
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Hilight

Hilight
I have a Saitek Avaitor ..It's been a great stick for me for quite some time ....it has plenty of buttons on the top of the stick to assign as a second or even third trigger, but only one hat...it has dual throttles as well which is nice. but my stick is an old one from before Madcatz acquired Saitek and I hear the build quality has gone down much since then...At any rate here is a link to the stick over on Amazon.com if you're interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-Aviato...qid=1429786653&sr=1-1&keywords=saitek+aviator
 
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Insomnia

Insomnia
SCB43215-X-55-Rhino-001-lg.jpg
Nuff said.
 

CMDR NightsLong

CMDR NightsLong
CH Products Pro throttle, fighter stick and peddles (which is what I use currently), or Thrust master Warthog with CH peddles, in my humble opinion are about your only options. The saitek stuff is ok, but build quailty is rubbish. Also the 2 options I listed are of course not the budget end, you didn't specify price range.
 

RosaMaus

RosaMaus
Had a Sidewinder, and liked the feel of it, but it broke after a month. Currently using a Hotas X, which is okay, but I suspect in the longer term, I may actually build/modify something using it, a USB hub and a number keypad to get more buttons for various other keybinds
 

Insomnia

Insomnia
CMDR NightsLong said:
The saitek stuff is ok, but build quailty is rubbish.
Click to expand...

I was afraid of this before buying my X-55 but truth is the build quality is not that bad. No stickiness whatsoever and buttons feel really good. Ghosting one time but it was due to me not screwing it tight enough.
Bear in mind I'm very picky with my stuff. My 360 pad is still going strong even if I got it togehter with my console in mid 2006.
 

Wicz

Wicz
I've tried both the X52 and X52 pro and found both the quality and precision to be lacking.

I am now using a CH pro throttle with a T16000M joystick, and would recommend them both without hesitation.
 
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Ancipital

Ancipital
Bidermann said:
looks a nice set up
Click to expand...

It is, as long as you get one without factory quality control issues. You also need to pop the stick open and apply strategic lubrication, and swap the springs down one, otherwise, you will get a lot of plastic on plastic grating and creaking. Once you do that, and get it all working, it's a lovely stick, mind you, a real joy to use. I'm happy to repeat how I made mine work well, for anyone that way inclined. The stick is sometimes a little large for people with smaller hands, apparently- just as a warning.

Otherwise, the CH Fighterstick, and CH pro throttle are a killer combo- even though they lack the toybox bling of their competitors. Look boring, perform flawlessly. The CH Pro Pedals are a nice sensible compromise to go with any stick, too- again, they look boring, but are solid and precise, and can be bought easily from reputable sources.
 
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Togg

Togg
Many of the Current iterations of "Cheap" joysticks have not been used by me. i personally moved away from stand alone joysticks many years back.

In my Honest opinion, as long as price isnt your over riding concern, there are only two real options in the mass produced arena for a HOTAS.

The first is the Thrustmaster Warthog series, its a purpose built, enthusiast level HOTAS. its build consists of high quality industrial plastics wrapped in a metal shell. it has Hall effect sensors as its method of inputting signals. it has reasonably high quality buttons and switches ( and alot of them) its design is split into distinct parts ( Throttle/Joystick) and performs to a high level. the one draw back to this setup is that it lacks the ability to twist ( its a solid stick and therefor you will lose access to one axis) so you will need to add in a separate set of pedals. this will increase the price.

The second option is CH. they are an industrial company that has decades of experience in building extreme level quality joystick and HOTAS controls for real world applications ( a LOT of joystick controls you will find on industrial equipment have their controls, they also build military grade HOTAS for military applications such as unmanned drone controls) their components are sold separately, ( joystick, throttle,pedals) so you will have to actually order each part separately. they are constructed of high quality industrial grade plastics and industrial grade nylons, their main control inputs are high quality potentiometers and while they are incapable of the shear accuracy that hall effect has, their quality is at the level that very very few people will ever notice a real difference.

there is a third option,Saitek, but i honestly can not recommend them. you will find people that swear by them and have their products last many years... but you will find just as many ( and even more in circles that are dedicated sim-pilots) that have experienced their products failing in a short time. ( when you are spending $150- $200+ USD you tend to want that item to last at least a few years)

Now to the real problem you are going to face... Availability. in the last year consumers have made a run on joysticks and HOTAS setups due to the release of Elite and the run up to release of Star Citizen. the available stock today is far less than what was available just two years back. as such you will find many retailers taking advantage of that and marking the prices for stock well above what the manufacturer suggests ( i have seen CH joysticks going for as much as $300.00 USD even though they sold just 1 year ago at $98.00 USD)

Final thought. do your research, visit flight sim sites and read their reviews.. they can ( and will) go into extreme detail on the merits and faults each setup has. also research your area for availability, some products ( Like CH) are exclusively manufactured in the United States and are subject to import taxes.

i hope this has helped . good luck on finding the perfect setup and we'll see you out in the galaxy.
 

Sentience

Sentience
Wicz said:
Out of interest, which other joysticks/hotas have you owned?
Click to expand...

Microsoft Sidewinder, Logitech Wingman 3D Pro, CH Fighterstick, Saitek X-52 HOTAS, Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS, and a Thrustmaster T-16000M.
The very first stick I ever used was back in 1999 or 2000. I can't remember who made it, but it was all black with a wheel throttle and a red thumb button.
Could have been CH but I haven't found a picture of the one I had.

*edit*
I think it was this one
$_35.JPG
 
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