Trying to find a good Joystick

[Rankaze]

I would say the X-55 with rudder pedals. X-55 has more switches and knobs to map then the Warthog, and it's cheaper. You can use the difference in price to pick up some Saitek combat pedals.
Also, the X-55 uses the same Hall sensors.

Having owned an X-55 and a Warthog, I would not recommend the X-55 to anyone who wasn't dead-set on twist-yaw. I simply am not that impressed with the build quality when the Warthog is available.

Sadly the CH setup is really expensive. You will pay through the nose for it. They hold their value immensely well, too- even on ebay, they are a fair percentage of new price, often. Amazon would be a reasonable bet, if you can't find a specialist sim supplies vendor in your country who can beat them. It is, however, really good quality, and reliable. Having used their stuff, I have to say that if I knew then what I know now, I would have bought the CH kit instead of my X-55. Buy cheap, but twice.

That said, my X-55 is really nice, and I have it running smoothly now, subject to the tweaking alluded to above. I quite like the programming software, and the massive number of extra switches and things on the throttle are a godsend. It's not a terrible option. I'd be a bit wary of the X-52 and X-52 pro, which are a bit more flimsy, though. Oh, and while the X-55 stick has a yaw twist (unlike the CH stick and the Warthog), I ended up adding pedals anyway- it's just nicer.


Realistically, I'd suggest

CH stick/throttle/pedals (if money was no object)
X-55/pedals (slightly cheaper, reasonable)
Warthog/pedals (expensive, nicely built, a few niggles, but impressive. Great feel, some people go mad for it)
T1600M plus CH Pro Throttle (cheaper but usable stick, solid throttle- good slightly cheaper option)


Regarding rudder pedals (if you want some), I'd avoid the Saitek pedals. The uberpedals that simnuts love are the MFG Crosswinds. They cost a fortune and you have to pre-order and wait around for them, but people love them. Alternatively, the CH pedals look as boring as hell and Just Work(tm), like all their other stuff.. nice and sturdy.

Some good recommendations here. I wholeheartedly second the "avoid Saitek pedals!" warning. They are terrible. Mine (pro combat type) broke within a month of purchase, and i had to take them apart to fix them. The plastic gearing in a $180 product is terrible. My crosswinds cannot be ready soon enough (sadly will be a few months yet)!

 

[Poseidal]

What are the best sticks with a twist yaw? Do I have to go with Saitek?

I have a Saitek (well, Madcatz) arcade stick, and the build quality of the casing isn't amazing (compared with my HORI anyway). Joystick and buttons are fine, but then those were made by Sanwa, not Saitek/Madcatz...

 

[iRAGE]

Im on the look out for a Joystick. Thrustmaster T-flight hotas X has amazing reviews for such and affordable price, however I would rather have a throttle with resistance and that said, I didnt want to pay £100+ but being able to set cargo scoop, headlights and landing gear to one of those flick-switches is very very tempting.

This X55 Rhino is £140, does anyone have one ? Would like to know if it has throttle resistance and whether its easy to set up as there is alot of reviews about Saitek gear being a ballache to set up where as others are virtually plug n play.

 

[Luniticisi]

I have the Thrustmaster T-flight hotas X .. it's fully supported by ED and I love it .. feels strong and for the price you can't go wrong .. I have every single function that I use mapped to the joystick and throttle.. I couldn't reccomend it any higher.

 

[Wicz]

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 http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/5HUAAOSwstxU8T0b/$_35.JPG

Wow, you rate a Saitek product over the CH?

I absolutely respect your choice, I just find it incredibly difficult to believe. Especially coming from someone with as much experience as yourself.

I hope it continues to keep you happy

 

[NeoMorph WTH]

I've had Saitek joysticks in the past and liked them at the time... then I got a Warthog and realised just how bad they are.

One thing... I have seen X55's and X52's but never have I seen anyone mention the X65F force sensing one?

 

[Bacon Sarnie]

I got a 2nd hand X52 from a guy on Ebay, not had an issue with it.
Cost me £80, Im more than happy with it

 

[Sentience]

Wow, you rate a Saitek product over the CH?

I absolutely respect your choice, I just find it incredibly difficult to believe. Especially coming from someone with as much experience as yourself.

I hope it continues to keep you happy

Yep I do.
From what I've seen people either love Saitek or hate Saitek, and same with CH. In my experience CH stuff has had pieces break off / the sensors go bad.
I have never bought a Saitek product that died on me.
Maybe I'm just lucky. I don't know.

In the end it's like you said. What matters is if you enjoy what you have, and I certainly enjoy the X-55.

 

[Pure_evil]

Well, I got myself the T Flight el cheapo hotas as cheap test since I never had a joystick before and didn't really know what to look for. It's a good one for it's money but meh, lacks sensitivity, lacks buttons and recently, a couple hundred hours in, some of the buttons are starting to malfunction. So yeah, unless u're on a budget, skip this one.

 

[Rikk]

Im on the look out for a Joystick. Thrustmaster T-flight hotas X has amazing reviews for such and affordable price, however I would rather have a throttle with resistance and that said, I didnt want to pay £100+ but being able to set cargo scoop, headlights and landing gear to one of those flick-switches is very very tempting.

This X55 Rhino is £140, does anyone have one ? Would like to know if it has throttle resistance and whether its easy to set up as there is alot of reviews about Saitek gear being a ballache to set up where as others are virtually plug n play.

The x55 does have adjustable throttle resistance.

Mine went from almost impossible to move to impossible to move. They use a kind of friction compound smeared all over a mechanism inside and often use way too much.

I ended up just removing the mechanism completely and now get a bit more resistance than my old hotas-x but not enough that it gives me arm ache.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

I just ordered a Warthog. They sure are in short supply these days. Any suggestions on pedals? Or am I better off just assigning the 3rd axis somewhere on the joystick itself?

 

[Lord_Crazy]

Can you show a "joystick with throttle control" that's not a HOTAS set?

Yes, a lot.

 

[NeoMorph WTH]

I just ordered a Warthog. They sure are in short supply these days. Any suggestions on pedals? Or am I better off just assigning the 3rd axis somewhere on the joystick itself?

I use the hat under my index finger on the throttle for the rudder axis... at least until I can get a set of Slaw Device pedals. The only problem with using the hat is that it is either centre or 100% left or right rudder. But it is workable.

 

[Ancipital]

The x55 does have adjustable throttle resistance.

Mine went from almost impossible to move to impossible to move. They use a kind of friction compound smeared all over a mechanism inside and often use way too much.

I ended up just removing the mechanism completely and now get a bit more resistance than my old hotas-x but not enough that it gives me arm ache.

The thing about the throttle is that it's lubricated by a non-newtonian fluid- it feels stiffer if you try to force it. On the other hand, if you move it smoothly, it's so easy that you can move it with your little finger.

 

[TheMarshall]

I am sporting the Logitech G940 and while I LOVE how wonderfully precise the hall sensors are in the joystick and overall like the throttle and pedals, my throttle is starting to show the (infamous) signs of failing: IE: spiking in the R1 and R2 rotaries and some of the buttons not always responding.

I am looking for another G940 throttle, primarily so I can take it apart and use the guides I have downloaded online to fix it. Having one to use as a "How the hell does this go back together" once I have one disassembled is mandatory before I attempt the procedure.

Your post however has me thinking that if I could find just the throttle from a X55 or X52 Pro to replace mine, I would be all set. I really like the layout I have seen and your endorsement has me thinking,,,,,,,

I think I saw another post somewhere saying you couldn't get them separately, which isn't ideal for those of us who want to mix and match. You may end up buying the set and having to ebay the flight stick (or maybe you will like it and keep it).

The throttle in my opinion is wonderful, its solid and has a ton of buttons, switches, hats, rockers, axis. You could actually pilot a ship just using the throttle section of the HOTAS, I haven't tried this and don't recommend it but this does demonstrate how flexible it is. That said, others have had a bad time with the throttle, failure of components quite early on. I have had no such issues with mine, works perfectly and hope it continues to do so. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Rikk]

The thing about the throttle is that it's lubricated by a non-newtonian fluid- it feels stiffer if you try to force it. On the other hand, if you move it smoothly, it's so easy that you can move it with your little finger.

Mine wasn't

I'm glad others had a good experience but this shows how awful saitek quality control is.

 

[RosaMaus]

...The thing about the throttle is that it's lubricated by a non-newtonian fluid- it feels stiffer if you try to force it...

Custard?

 

[Saool]

I am fortunate enough to own a Thrustmaster Warthog set-up. I spent some time saving up Amazon vouchers from a work scheme, vodafone's top up scheme and birthdays to get it. They are not at all cheap at close to £300. However if you can extend to such a purchase I can say it is an absolute dream for games like this. It just feels so intuitive and natural. Docking and leaving stations really just feels like driving. Of course, it does not do anything that the X55 Rhino does not do (at half the price), but it's solid, cast metal build quality is second to non. I'm now trying to justify shelling out on a DK2 to cap off the whole experience.

 

[Dandare71]

I'm gonna get heckled for this my ch products are not very good at all, I had a throttle and stick a couple of weeks ago and the first problem was they rocked on flat surface, secondly the figher stick clunked on both axis when going past the middle, they may have been made in america at some point but no longer, they are made in mexico now, a hat on both sticks was faulty and after a couple of day the stick (x and y) gave out erratic outputs.

They went back to amazon and I stuck with the superior TM Hotas X, if you can believe that.

 

[Vacuum Cleaner]

@Rebelghost: Have you thought about using two joysticks?
You could get two Thrustmaster T.16000M's, they're great joysticks and relatively cheap and can be modified for left- and right-hand use.
I have one, which is great, but I'm thinking about buying another one.
Though to be honest I'm happy with how I'm playing my games now, which is my left hand on the keyboard and my right hand on the stick, I use keyboard throttle in most games.