Upcoming HOTAS

[Togg]

It amuses me to no end.. people buying the flash and glitz 2 times, 3 times and 5 times while i am still using the same CH HOTAS that i bought. people say the CH is too expensive, its ugly, it has no twist stick... ect ect ect.

Yes the CH is a higher investment.. a x52 pro cost $150.00 usd and my CH cost $300.00 usd. (Fighterstick, pro-throttle and pro-pedals) but i'll not have to replace, or even tinker with them for a decade(or more) where as the Saiteck buyer will spend $450.00 or more over the same time period keeping a working HOTAS on hand.

Not even Thrustmaster can make a longer life span claim. its not rocket science, its just good old fashioned quality.

 

[Witzo]

CH makes buttons and switches and control sticks for industry and military. Stuff that must last for years and stand a lot of abuse, dirt and grime.
Flight stick production is a side business for them, using the switches they are making already anyway.

 

[Rogehans]

Got an X52 pro had it a few months works a treat!

 

[lysan]

no news as far as i know, but after hotas "implementation" that SC did i don't follow that crap anymore.

probably there will be x55 pro, but maybe no, i had bad experience with x55 as well, throttle is great but stick is crappy.

i would buy warthog but it has no twitch and without twitch you can't play (pedals i use for strafe).

Twitch sucks stone pedals of nothing thank you very much ....

 

[preynolds2]

What is this twitch stuff?

 

[JamesBondage]

can still get the Saitek x45 on ebay for a good price

 

[Antmax]

There is a Russian company making some nice looking sticks. Not much info available about them in English. Reviews etc.

http://flightsimcontrols.com/

They have this 46 euro cobra

Spoiler

http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/joysticks/cobra-m5/

With a crazy looking toggle upgrade kit

Spoiler

http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/available/toggle-switch-panel-upgrade-kit/

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They also do a warthog type stick called the Black Mamba for about 300 Euro

Spoiler

http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/joysticks/vkb-fat-black-mamba-joystick-for-eu-customers/

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And some odd looking rudder pedals. I think it's the poor photographs that make them odd though.

Spoiler

http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/pedals/t-rudder-pedals-usb-eu/

I'd love to have more info and opinions on these from people that have used them

 

[JamesBondage]

hahaha got enough toggles there? do they make a throttle piece?

 

[Non Grata]

Finally a few posts in a row pointing out the benefits of CH gear.

I hope people will take them on board rather than simply going like lambs to the slaughter with the perceived wisdom of x52/55. If they don't now, I suspect they might in 12 months!

 

[Georgio]

Very happy with my warthog/saitek combat pedals combo, especially since I greased her up with some nice PTFE gunk that has given her back the silky smoothness she had at new.

I just wish someone would write a more user friendly way of programming the hog, something like the old FOXY would be perfect, the target software is just awful.

 

[Tempered]

What I find strange is what to do with the wheels on the throttle. I would much rather they put hat switches instead of useless wheels.

The wheels on the throttle are great for flight sims. I use them for things like engine mixture control, prop pitch, radiators and just about anything that will take an analog input.

 

[Camino Archer]

Like my X52pro better than my X55. I also Have A full set of CH stuff including the Quadrant. X52 buttons are just ALL in the right spots. Its what I prefer.

 

[Non Grata]

Like my X52pro better than my X55. I also Have A full set of CH stuff including the Quadrant. X52 buttons are just ALL in the right spots. Its what I prefer.

That's really very interesting - I also have CH stuff and an X52 - I find 80% of the X52's buttons to be in the WRONG place, and the CH buttons to be near perfect. My hands are fairly big - yours?

 

[Zenicetus]

There is a Russian company making some nice looking sticks. Not much info available about them in English. Reviews etc.

They have this 46 euro cobra

(snip)

With a crazy looking toggle upgrade kit

Spoiler

Uh.... looks like they forgot to translate what HOTAS stands for, you know the hands on part!


If I have to take my hands off the stick in my right hand and the throttle in my left to use a switch, it's no good to me in combat. I only have the lesser nav functions mapped to the lower base switches on my Warthog throttle. Maybe that gloriously overburdened joystick is intended for those not using a throttle quadrant?

 

[JamesBondage]

Their store doesn't have a throttle piece so.. Idk

 

[Soulside Journey]

Uh.... looks like they forgot to translate what HOTAS stands for, you know the hands on part!


If I have to take my hands off the stick in my right hand and the throttle in my left to use a switch, it's no good to me in combat. I only have the lesser nav functions mapped to the lower base switches on my Warthog throttle. Maybe that gloriously overburdened joystick is intended for those not using a throttle quadrant?

I would guess so. Why not using the bigger wheel on the left as throttle?
It certainly looks neat. Especially for that price.

 

[preynolds2]

For those of you that have the CH setup... if I don't get the pedals.. how easy would it be to use something else as rudder control since it doesn't have twist.

 

[WhosYourPappa]

For those of you that have the CH setup... if I don't get the pedals.. how easy would it be to use something else as rudder control since it doesn't have twist.

My current setup is the CH Figherstick and Pro throttle. I map the yaw axis to one of the 4-way hat-switches on the throttle. And it works brilliantly.

I used a twist stick in the late 90's, it was okay but you get a bit more control by splitting the axis of control between appendages. In other words, with my setup I control throttle and yaw with my left hand and pitch and roll with my right. And even though the Yaw-axis is digital (on the hat switch) I can easily make fine presses to make the desired adjustments during combat. I fly a viper with 4 fixed cannons so I need to have a steady aim for success.

 

[WhosYourPappa]

The management software looks and behaves straight out of '96, but at the same time you can configure the stick and throttle (or any other accessory) EXACTLY how you want it, including making macros for each switch. I expect to get another 10 years out of 'em.

LOL, yes the software is so awesome. I love 90's GUI. You launch it, program you HOTAS, then close it. And that's it! So brilliant. I don't want to add another background running application (looking at you Razor). Your job is to calibrate, config, and get out of the way.

 

[cj.wazzu]

I have the X52 Pro myself and I have no problems with how it functions in the game.

However, as the OP mentions, hopefully ED and SC and the other upcoming space sims are hugely successful and Saitek or Thrustmaster develop a HOTAS more oriented towards how our ships operate.

Specifically, I'd love a throttle that has not just the Z-axis control, but all thruster controls that operate with natural multi-dimensional control movements.

What do you Commanders think would be helpful changes or additions to the current HOTAS set ups?