Next stick and/or throttle to buy?

Jaden Capek

J
I'm using the Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X, and it's a good stick that served me well, but I'm thinking of upgrading to something a little nicer. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to flight sticks, and I'm not sure what I'm looking for specifically in a joystick/throttle other than something higher quality than the T-Flight X. I'm thinking something with more buttons/better button placement, better sensitivity, lesser deadzone, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good flight stick or HOTAS or whatever that's a step above the T-Flight HOTAS X? I play on PC.
 

Darth Wonko

Darth Wonko
The absolute best quality flight gear in the world is made by VIRPIL.

They're also fabulously expensive. It might be they make the controls out of mythical things such as unicorn horns, minotaur tears and Joe Biden's IQ.

Here's what I currently use:
They're made for desk mounting, but there are parts out there for adapting them to chair mounts or desktop.

I can't overstate the quality. They're really expensive, but worth every penny.
 

Jaden Capek

J
Darth Wonko said:
The absolute best quality flight gear in the world is made by VIRPIL.

They're also fabulously expensive. It might be they make the controls out of mythical things such as unicorn horns, minotaur tears and Joe Biden's IQ.

Here's what I currently use:
They're made for desk mounting, but there are parts out there for adapting them to chair mounts or desktop.

I can't overstate the quality. They're really expensive, but worth every penny.
Click to expand...
Those look sexy, but is there anything more in the 100 - 300 USD range for the whole setup?
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Vedmo said:
Logitech X-56 if you want a one stop shop HOTAS...
Click to expand...

I dunno if I could recommend that unreservedly.

Physically, the joystick is probably 8/10 but the software (in terms of both the software you install on your PC and, more importantly, the software/firmware baked into the joystick) is utter garbage.

People will often complain about "dodgy inputs" on the X56 and then go on to monkey around with the wiring.
Thing is, although the wiring might cause faults of it's own it ISN'T always responsible for the dodgy inputs.
The problem is that the firmware inside the joystick sends spurious signals every so often which generates "ghost" inputs.
This is definitely going to be a problem if you own an X56 and, AFAIK, there's no way to fix it.

It doesn't happen that often but it's often enough to be irritating.
I can play for hours with no problems but then I'll be, say, in a dogfight and I'll suddenly notice that my cargo-scoop is deployed or my lights/NV will have switched on or off.
It's not a showstopper but it's something you have to be aware of and be prepared to put up with.

If you really, really want a "fancy" HOTAS and you can pick up a used one, in good condition, for around £100 I'd say go for it.
If you're buying new, for the retail price of ~£220, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
 

Vedmo

Vedmo
Stealthie said:
People will often complain about "dodgy inputs" on the X56 and then go on to monkey around with the wiring.
Click to expand...
I haven't experienced that, but I also ditched the joystick some time ago, and only use the throttle now. Is this an issue from before Logitech took over production? I've heard some horror stories from the old ones. I guess the other thing to say about the joystick, whoever they designed it for had gigantic hands. I wear L or XL gloves and I had to modify the rest to make it somewhat comfortable.

Edit: did some searching, and it does appear the firmware issue you speak of is a Logitech issue, wasn't aware of that.
 
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mephisto9466

M
Jaden Capek said:
I'm using the Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X, and it's a good stick that served me well, but I'm thinking of upgrading to something a little nicer. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to flight sticks, and I'm not sure what I'm looking for specifically in a joystick/throttle other than something higher quality than the T-Flight X. I'm thinking something with more buttons/better button placement, better sensitivity, lesser deadzone, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good flight stick or HOTAS or whatever that's a step above the T-Flight HOTAS X? I play on PC.
Click to expand...
ok so if you actually want something thats affordable with lots of buttons and is actually decent, Logitech X56. I've been using mine for a long time and its serving me very very well. Your not gonna get something this nice for much cheaper, try to get it at MSRP or on sale from MSRP because obviously its gonna be a bit more expensive right now
 

gorankar

gorankar
X56 is not a quality setup. It is certainly functional, and the ghost key issue they often have can be cured by turning the lights down to the lowest setting and using a powered USB2, not 3 hub. I loved mine, when it worked, but the build quality is pretty poor for the newer Logitech version, and even worse for the the older Saitek version. I had to lube the stick to keep it from binding within the first few months of ownership for all three new ones that I have owned. Have been through 5 total including RMAs. Your current setup is better than the X56 except in button count. The X52 is better than the X56 except in button count as well in my opinion. Keeping your current setup, and buying, or building a button box, or a Streamdeck to add those buttons, is likely a better solution than buying a X56.
 

Darth Wonko

Darth Wonko
I used the Thrustmaster setup you have before I went with VIRPIL. I know VIRPIL is incredibly expensive, but its value depends on how many hours you're putting into this game (and, of course, what you can afford).

I'm currently at about 1700 hours in ED. A good portion of that was using the Thrustmaster.

I spend a couple of hours per day playing this game. I figure if I'm going to spend this much time with a hobby, I might as well invest in tools that will last for a lot longer than I will.
 

Agony_Aunt

Agony_Aunt
I used to be a fan of Thrustmaster and still have fond memories of my HOTAS X. However, less impressed with the 1600. The throttle does not move smoothly and i twist gained such drift that even with a large deadzone it was unusable.

I'm considering a new stick, but it won't be the 1600 for sure. Either i'll go budget again with the X or something with more quality.

I did have a Logitech Extreme 3D pro for a while and found it to be a decent cheap stick (no throttle though)
 

virosh

virosh
Vedmo said:
Logitech X-56 if you want a one stop shop HOTAS, but this

would be a better bang for the buck imo.

I currently use the X56 throttle with a VKB, and have no big complaints with either after years of use.
Click to expand...
Be careful with the X56 throttle. Mine X55 broke last year due to idiotic design of the cable placements inside.
It is fixable but it was too much hassle to clean it from the sticky grease Saitek where using in order to replace the cables.
I just sold mine to a guy who wanted to repair it and bought VIRPIL controllers - the same configuration as @Darth Wonko.
Best decision ever!

P.S. - I use the pedals with ED for the Yaw. For me is much easier than the twisting grip.
 

Helmut Grokenberger

Helmut Grokenberger
I would not recommend the TM 16000 stick. Apart from the terrible button placement the stick is great, as long as it works. Mine developed the infamous yaw drift after only 3 months of usage. And, again, the button placement is terrible. The TCS Throttle was terrific, though, but you have to like the linear movement of it.

I'm currently using the X52 Pro (the current Logitech version) and I am very satisfied. You can use it as is without programming it and have a fine HOTAS. But the programming software really makes it shine, and it is not as bad as people make it seem once you get your head around it.

The stick is not as precise in the center as the more expensive alternatives. If you want to fly alot of FA off and/or do PVP with it, I'd probably pass on the stick. For a (my) relaxed PVE-do-missions-go-exploring-bountyhunting playstyle it's near perfect; sometimes I look (read: drool) at the shiny stuff by VKB or Virpil, but I end up not being able to justify the investment while having a perfectly fine setup with the X52. It has more than enough buttons and axis to map everything, at least when utilizing the mode switch wheel (I play in VR and need to have everysthing hands-on; I added a stream deck for the more obscure and/or less used controls as well as music control and such).

The spring of the stick tends to get sticky in its bearings after a few months. No joke: Lubricating the spring bearings with a chap stick makes it buttery smooth and improves the feel and sensitivity of the stick tenfold.

If you want to go the X52 route, I have uploaded and described my setup here. It has changed slightly since then, but it might give you a solid baseline to work from.
 

Gleitfrosch

Gleitfrosch
Remember that currently you can't bind more than 32 buttons per device in elite. You will have to use third party tools or outdated drivers to make all buttons work.
This is a day one bug and the fix has been officially postponed around November 2021.

I had the x55/56 hotas. These can be good but you need a bit luck to get one without fabrication issues.
If you have the money and time to wait for the button fix or are willing to fiddle with e.g. joystick gremlin, you can always buy virpil. They are great.
 
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