Hardware & Technical Flightstick question.

bigtaff · Jun 24, 2015

If you want to save some money try a Saitek X45, you can get them on ebay for about £45, I've been using one since Dec 16th and have never had any problems with it.

Deathman16 · Jun 24, 2015

Well, after reading all of this, and looking around for some joys and checking again and again what i can afford, and at the very very most, i can afford an X-55 RHINO HOTAS joy/throttle, it was the one i originaly wanted for the release of ED but didnt get round to buying, ive heard alot of great things about it, and have seen alot of ED users using it. So it seems like a no brainer to me.

HoldenAces · Jun 24, 2015

Surprised no one has mentioned the T.Flight HOTAS X by Thrustmaster. Less than $50 USD on Newegg. I've had mine for a few years. Other than the paint wearing off the top button on the side of the throttle, it's been perfect!

Ralph Vargr · Jun 24, 2015

Thrustmaster Warthog here. Other joysticks just break in my defensive lineman's hands.

Cmdr Lassan · Jun 24, 2015

I fly x-55 since january and didn't have a single problem so far. That would be around 300h of usage i guess. You might want to set a bit of dead zone to the stick as it's a tiny bit shaky in central position. Apart from that issue none ever occured.
Have fun Cmdr!

Varthorne · Jun 24, 2015

HoldenAces said:
Surprised no one has mentioned the T.Flight HOTAS X by Thrustmaster. Less than $50 USD on Newegg. I've had mine for a few years. Other than the paint wearing off the top button on the side of the throttle, it's been perfect!

I too have been using this one. I don't know how it compares to some of the other ones mentioned in this thread, but I've yet to find anything wrong with it, other than the fact that the cable separating the HOTAS and stick is a tad short, so I can't find my keyboard in-between.

I did have to change most of the HOTAS buttons, because many of them were either mostly useless (to me), or felt really weird. However, I'm now very happy with my button setup, and it has significantly enhanced my enjoyment of this game. And as mentioned above, I managed to get mine on Amazon for roughly 50$.

Herik · Jun 24, 2015

HoldenAces said:
Surprised no one has mentioned the T.Flight HOTAS X by Thrustmaster. Less than $50 USD on Newegg. I've had mine for a few years. Other than the paint wearing off the top button on the side of the throttle, it's been perfect!

That's the one I use; been using it for over a year. Paid only 30 dollars for it; got it off of Amazon. Have had no problems with it; I love it.

Pul Myfinger · Jun 26, 2015

scbfromnc said:
I always spend some time reading reviews on Amazon before buying. I like a joystick that has twist action (many use that for yaw, I use it for roll). It's also important to look at the recent reviews as some of the more recently released versions of X-52 and x-55 systems seem to have quality problems. I went with Thrustmaster T16000m joystick and CH Pro Throttle. CH makes some of the best products out there, but their joystick doesn't have that twist action that's important to me.

If I was to type a reply, it would be what you said word for word.

Lobey · Jun 26, 2015

I too use the Thrustmaster T Flight Hotas x - cost me £34 - I have used the Saiteks and i wouldn't take one for free. I find it a bit weird that the cheapest on the market seems the sturdiest - also works on PS3 if you should want too.

Antmax · Jun 26, 2015

The CH Throttle is good for using with some other twist stick. The analogue thumbstick works well and with some thought the three buttons can make for good combo buttons. I Find the size a little awkward as the grip feels a little on the large side if you want to have access to every function I have to keep my hand to the right somewhat with pinkie resting on the left most button. The horizontal slide takes a bit of getting used to and is slightly harder to control than a pitched one like other sticks have. But overall I like the CH Throttle.

Twist Stick was a must for me. Partly because it feels like an extension of the controls when on the stick and also because I have three pugs who choose to sleep around and under my desk when I'm on the computer and chew pedals when I'm not

Wicz · Jun 26, 2015

Thrustmaster T-16000M And CH pro throttle user here. Very happy with both of them.

I would also strongly advise people to avoid Saitek.

Stern Winter · Jun 26, 2015

Wicz said:
Thrustmaster T-16000M And CH pro throttle user here. Very happy with both of them.

I would also strongly advise people to avoid Saitek.

I second that. The T-16000 is very precise in the X/Y axis and very sturdy. I've had mine since standard beta, and it's still as precise as day 1.
The CH Throttle is just pure joy.

Beavis Tingleball · Jun 26, 2015

the single best bang for your buck is gonna be the x52 non-pro..it has a button for EVERYTHING. the price/quality is on point and it is very comfortable for extended use. I payed $100 for a used one off amazon and never looked back. the warthog is ultra nice but a bit out of my price range atm. I would limit my choices to those two models.

passey · Jun 26, 2015

X55 here £119.99 i paid.

Make sure u have 2 usb 3.0 sockets available else u get the ghosting issue and phantom commands.

I had a fly 5 as well and died last month with the constant roll bug.

streki · Jun 26, 2015

Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X for less than 40 quid, you can't go wrong.

Had mine for over a year. If it broke, I'd buy another just like it.

passey · Jun 26, 2015

streki said:
Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X for less than 40 quid, you can't go wrong.

Had mine for over a year. If it broke, I'd buy another just like it.

This is good for cheap. I have 1 in backup just holding the trigger stops firing randomly and the stick feels weird. Dunno how to explain it.

Schmobius · Aug 24, 2015

passey said:
X55 here £119.99 i paid.

Make sure u have 2 usb 3.0 sockets available else u get the ghosting issue and phantom commands.

I had a fly 5 as well and died last month with the constant roll bug.

I see this thread is a bit old, but it came up in a search....

As someone who is getting an X-55 for a setup in my living room, I have plenty of USB 3.0 sockets on my PC, but I was going to run two long USB extension cords around the perimeter of the room, and then hook the stick, throttle, and maybe one or two other things into a USB hub behind the couch. I do have a USB 3.0 hub to use.

So I have to ask, is the important part of this to use USB 3.0, or is it that they MUST be hooked up into discrete USB ports, which are also USB 3.0?