Thrustmaster TWCS

I'm seen a few reviews ,which appear mostly favourable to this device - also feedback on various Elite Forums.

I have one question - that analog stick - should be controlled by the thumb - but instead by the index finger.

In practice how easy is it to accurately control the stick with your index finger - i.e., vertical / lateral thrusts?

Thanks!
 
I'm seen a few reviews ,which appear mostly favourable to this device - also feedback on various Elite Forums.

I have one question - that analog stick - should be controlled by the thumb - but instead by the index finger.

In practice how easy is it to accurately control the stick with your index finger - i.e., vertical / lateral thrusts?

Thanks!

That is the weak point for me, but i have rudder pedals for lat/vert thrusters. I use the analoge stick for digital input for the thrusters, basically as a backup.
 
Got it a week ago...I have lateral and horizontal thrust as well as boost on it.
It's all a matter of practice, I was pretty bad at it a few days ago, but now I at least manage to dock in on go ;)

All in all, what I can say after one week about this hotas is that it is really awesome and deserves the good reviews.
There are only two downsides:
1. The palm-rest on the Joystick: You can remove that part/change it so it is for lefties also, however it wobbles a bit (not too much of an issue for me)
2. The Movement resistance on the Throttle is different depending on how fast you move it. Slow movements are a bit hard. This is because of the cheap lubricant they use. I have read that if you clean it and use a better one it will become perfect, so that's what I'm gonna do.
 
Last edited:
I have been using it for several months now. I switched from a G-13 Keypad on my left, to the TWCS. I use the index finger stick to control L/R, and U/D thrusters. Combined with the throttle to control my movement. I use the middle thumb rocker to, among other things, to access the 0/25/50/75% levels of thrust as in SC and regular space, and to compensate for no detentes in the stroke of the throttle. The whole thing works very well.

There was a learning curve, of course. But, in a short time it became normal, and by now it's just plain muscle memory. That's the thing. If you just commit to using it, and do some of the more simple tasks, in game, you'll have forgotten how your previous controls worked. I'm an old guy, and the TWCS has become essential to my E|D gaming.

I can comment on the high amount of resistance the slider has, especially when right out of the box. There is a screw, accessible through a hole in the bottom plate of the unit, at full throttle, that controls the amount of friction. Turning this small Philips head screw counter-clockwise will lessen the grip and allow for a freer degree of movement.
 
Last edited:
I've tried the analogue mini-stick for thrusters a couple of times and I always revert back to using the middle thumb hat for vertical thrusters and the paddle for lateral thrusters. It feels unnatural to me and the stick is super sensitive (I didn't want to use Target or Joystick Curves because reasons). I now use it for headlook when not in VR. Really wish TM had made one of the thumb hats an analogue stick.

Another vote here for re-greasing the rails with damping grease - it's like having a new, more expensive throttle, wish I'd done it earlier.
 
I used the analog stick for up/dn, left/right thrusters from the beginning. Feels natural to me. I don't use the button on that stick as I tend to press it accidentally. I might revisit that now that I'm used to the controls.

I love using it to land with... Especially at outposts.
 
Back
Top Bottom