Immersion factor - x52 pro vs x55

djbordie

D
I know i know, there are 10 million comparisons...and they are all about 50/50

But here is what im contemplating on order today

X52 pro - $160 (price matched a sale, usual price of the 52 pro is near the rhino...which is silly)
X55 rhino - $210

A: is it worth the extra $50?

B: from an immersion perspective, which do you prefer?

C: extra thoughts, perspectives?
 

Draxxen

Draxxen
The button positions on the Rhino are perfect, and I use all the switches on the throttle unit. The 52 does not have as much to offer.
I also found a way to map all thrusters to my thumb on the Rhino throttle, making combat maneuvering very good.
For me, the buttons and their positions, and looks was well worth the extra money.
 

djbordie

D
excellent input, thank you.

see that makes me lean for dk2/immersion towards the x55

but build quality and price towards the x52, i think the $50 is enough to sway me...or maybe it shouldnt...
its a hard desc.
 

Ancipital

Ancipital
One thing, if you're going to use the X55 in VR..

The throttle has lots of switches- which is great. They're very "generic" so it's easy to think of ways to map it.. that's all good. However, it can be a bit bothersome to find speciifc switches by touch in a hurry. What I did with mine was mark the two most time-critical base switches by adding a specifically-shaped blob of Sugru to the top. This works really well- it only takes a couple of minutes to do, and sets nicely overnight. If you aren't sure what Sugru is, then google it.. magical stuff, very handy.

As to the original question, I'd take the X55 over the X52/52pro every time. The build quality is much nicer, and the array of crazy switches comes in handy. You can suffer some creaky graunchy scraping on the stick (on the yaw twist, and moving the stick from center), but I worked out how to remedy this. If it affects you, drop me a PM or something (so I notice it) and I will bore you with the details- it's an easy fix.
 
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Draxxen

Draxxen
djbordie said:
excellent input, thank you.

see that makes me lean for dk2/immersion towards the x55

but build quality and price towards the x52, i think the $50 is enough to sway me...or maybe it shouldnt...
its a hard desc.
Click to expand...

Although the Rhino is a plastic product (the Warthog @ $400 being the only metal alternative), it feels more real than any other stick I have ever had. And the bases are large, heavy and solid; The top plates on the bases feels "real", and the rails separating the front switches on the throttle are metal. It is just a solid product, and you can see they have spent some effort making this product worth the money.
If you have just a tiny fraction of a gut feel for the Rhino, you should get it or regret it. Or that would be me. I was in the same position, then followed my gut feeling telling me I would be more satisfied with the Rhino, and I have no regrets, starting from the moment I unpacked this great HOTAS. I fully support all the reviews saying the Rhino is far above all the rest with exception of the Warthog at twice the cost.
 

Ancipital

Ancipital
djbordie said:
thanks again, that sugru sounds a lot like my automotive goop or shoe goop.
Good idea for its use.

I guess the last question is all that worth $50?
Click to expand...

Yeah, exactly- it's a polymer putty that sets like a hard rubber substance. Really cool.

As to the cost- the cheaper sticks increase the danger of wanting to replace them with something more sturdy. I am not a fan of the 52/52 pro, having used them- had I bought either, I'd probably have wanted to replace it. I'm doing OK with the X55, it ticks enough of the boxes at the price. Everything is a tradeoff- maybe if I was buying today, I'd get a CH stick and throttle, but at the time, CH distribution in the UK was very shady, and they were hard to get hold of. However, now I have tamed my X55, I'm pretty happy with it, and have logged many hours without incident.
 

Deathbane

Deathbane
Same as the above - the throttle and stick look like they were even modeled with references to the standard X52. Either stick is good though - ou can see both of them been raved about on many places across the internet.

X52, X55, Logitech Extreme 3D for the low end, Warthog for the High end seems to b the general gist.
 

CylonSurfer

CylonSurfer
X55 all the way in my opinion. It's a very nice HOTAS indeed. Plenty of buttons, switches and sliders for every function you could think of. Some of mine are still not mapped to anything... The throttle action is so smooth it's untrue.
 

djbordie

D
well jesus the x55 arrived within 20 hours of ordering!

how the F am i going to set this up with my DX chair? anyone have something like this? im thinking ill have to build custom arm rests
 

Thoemse

T
I wanted to buy the warthog and only went for the rhino because of the twisty stick z axis. I got pedals from my wheel below my desk and don't want to exchange them. Too many cables around as it is!
I almost did not buy it because of quality issues i read about.
Mine has no issues. The twisty stick squeaked a bit but i cured that with silicon spray. That being said there have been sold tons of rhinos since elite and star citizen are the new hype and there are no threads where masses complain wich means they got the problems under control.

I never had a x52 pro but i suggest you get the x55 because of the throttle unit. It is incredibly good and the hats for your thumb mean you can control everything thrust related with your left hand. In my opinion that is a huge advantage. Especially in VR all those buttons are very useful too. I have no need to use my keyboard besides from typing text.
The adjustable stick stiffness (4 springs included) are a neat feature too. I think they offer an impressive hotas for the money. I never thought of getting a warthog since.
 

djbordie

D
very happy with the x55, its a bit over whelming though!
its going to take a year to setup to my taste.

instead of chair mounted. ive decided on custom swivel trays from the desk. will post some pics, its about a $20 home depot build.
 

Khaldur

K
Thoemse said:
I
I never had a x52 pro but i suggest you get the x55 because of the throttle unit. It is incredibly good and the hats for your thumb mean you can control everything thrust related with your left hand. In my opinion that is a huge advantage.
Click to expand...
Actually you can do that in similar fashion with the X52 throttle unit, too. But the throttle hat is at your index finger instead of the thumb.
 
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