Hardware & Technical CH Combat Stick USB?

enbeekay

E
Hi.
For a while now I've been saving pennies in the piggy bank waiting for E:D to come out so I can buy a HOTAS system to play it with as my very very old Saitek X-52 joystick broke (maybe 8 years old?) and I've saved about 12000 pennies ;)

I was planning on getting the Saitek X-52 Pro which I'd see for about £120 (or 12000 pennies) and because of sods law, by the time I have the cash to actually buy it...the price jumps up to £140.

Scratching my head wondering if it's worth paying the extra £20 for quite an old design HOTAS and definitely ruling out the new X-55 (which looks awfully plasticky and not in a good way) I spotted the CH Combat Stick USB for about £78 (which actually uses a 20 year old design but hey ho it apparently has a lot of fans).

So, as far as I know the old X-52 throttle I have still works. How good a combo would the CH Combat Stick USB and old X-52 throttle be for E:D? Is it viable/good to use in the game? (I've read that the CH stick has quite a long throw and weird tension on the 2 axis compared to other "modern" sticks so I don't know as I've not used a joystick with physical calibration wheels since i played Frontier decades ago.)

So yeah...X-52 + CH Combat Stick combo or just stump up the extra for an X-52 Pro? (I've seen the E:D online store has the X-52 for cheap but...i've already broken one of those I figured I'd avoid it and go for the pro.)
Also I guess I missed the boat with the X-52 pro on the E:D store as well, sigh ;)

Thanks for any help.
 

StayFrosty

StayFrosty
The CH Products stick is definitely a much better investment than another joystick from Saitek. If the throttle still works, go for it, it'll definitely be as viable as a full X52 setup would be, and eventually once you'll have more money, the CH throttle would also be a great investment later on. As for the X52 Pro, it's pretty much the same thing as the regular X52, not really worth the extra money.

Though CH joysticks don't have twist, don't forget that. As for getting useed to how different it is, it's only when it's brand new, but after the first few days of use, it "loosens" slightly, making it just fine.
 
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enbeekay

E
twist has never really bothered me at all...I remember it was needed when playing mechwarrior 4 but other than that it's clumsy/awkward :|

Is the twist/rudder useful at all in E:D? I don't fancy spending £99 on CH rudder pedals :eek:

And I was going to edit the first post with the correct price of the Combat Stick but I can't so anyway it's £73 not 78
 

hacoo

H
Based on my experience owning a CH fighterstick (same design with a few more buttons), here's what I think:

Pros:
- High quality, durable
- Very good ergonomics. Its a replica of an actual f-16 stick so the button placement is excellent. Its beefy though, you'll probably have to reach for some buttons if your hands aren't huge.
- Super accurate response. Usually. See cons.

Cons:
- Sometimes the trim wheels seem to go out of whack and the stick will go off center. Cycling the trim wheels up and down and then resetting them fixes the issue. As far as I know this isn't a common issue.
- Yes, the spring tension is light and throws are long. It will feel weird at first, but this also lends itself to precise control.

I also have a CH throttle, which is excellent, if you don't mind attaching it to your table somehow (it slides around).

Hope that helps :)
 

hacoo

H
And in response to the twist vs. pedals thing - my preference is to make use of ED's yaw-roll button. By default my stick controls pitch and roll, but when I hold down a button on my throttle it turns into a pitch-yaw stick. Very cool feature :)
 

Non Grata

Non Grata
I think the Combatstick and Saitek throttle would work fine, albeit IMO the buttons/rotaries/sliders on the Saitek throttle aren't that usable. You could go that route and consider getting a Pro Throttle in the future.

Alternatively you could spend a bit more on the Fighterstick and use that alone, which I'd honestly rather use than the Combatstick/Saitek combination (in fact I'm currently doing just that even though I have an x52 throttle to hand).
 

enbeekay

E
taotoo said:
I think the Combatstick and Saitek throttle would work fine, albeit IMO the buttons/rotaries/sliders on the Saitek throttle aren't that usable. You could go that route and consider getting a Pro Throttle in the future.

Alternatively you could spend a bit more on the Fighterstick and use that alone, which I'd honestly rather use than the Combatstick/Saitek combination (in fact I'm currently doing just that even though I have an x52 throttle to hand).
Click to expand...

I've considered using one stick before buuuuut...
I'd prefer to have things seperate and not have TOO much going on with each hand (or just 1 hand) just to nerve damage in both hands from carpal tunnel syndrome ;) I found it easier with 2 big parts really
 

Non Grata

Non Grata
enbeekay said:
I've considered using one stick before buuuuut...
I'd prefer to have things seperate and not have TOO much going on with each hand (or just 1 hand) just to nerve damage in both hands from carpal tunnel syndrome ;) I found it easier with 2 big parts really
Click to expand...

Then I'd get a Combatstick now and if you run out of buttons consider getting a Pro Throttle in the future (which would give your left had plenty to do..).
 

enbeekay

E
Well, I've tested my X52 throttle and that works which i guess is a good start ;)

For the people who use the CH sticks...
With the longer throw does it have any negative effect when you want to make quick direction changes from one side to the other or does the light movement resistance make that a non issue?

Also with regards to weight...
If there's no suckers on the bottom like the X52 has and it's a rather light stick, does it tend to lift/rock/tilt when you're using it...enthusiastically? :) (the whole stick/base i mean off on the desk/table)

Thanks for the replies guys :cool:
 

hacoo

H
The base is very stable, it never moves around for me. If you're wailing on your stick that hard, I'd say you need a more permanent mount than suckers anyway :D

The long throws don't make your ship less responsive. It will feel weird at first, but most people find that light, long throws are good for fine control once you're used to it.
 

Sundalo

Sundalo
enbeekay said:
Well, I've tested my X52 throttle and that works which i guess is a good start ;)

For the people who use the CH sticks...
With the longer throw does it have any negative effect when you want to make quick direction changes from one side to the other or does the light movement resistance make that a non issue?

Also with regards to weight...
If there's no suckers on the bottom like the X52 has and it's a rather light stick, does it tend to lift/rock/tilt when you're using it...enthusiastically? :) (the whole stick/base i mean off on the desk/table)

Thanks for the replies guys :cool:
Click to expand...

I own a ch combatstick and I can tell I have absolutely no problems with movement issues with the stick itself despite having a longer throw. Even though there are no suction cups at the bottom, the stick wont tilt or lift even if you death grip lol. I used to pvp a lot in evochron mercenary and I get very aggressive on the combatstick and my pedals and still no issues with centering or calibration from the abuse lol.
 

enbeekay

E
Right I'm really leaning towards the CH Combat Stick now because @ £73 and using my saitek throttle in the short term it's a lot cheaper than buying an X-52 or Pro...Yes I've spent the day trying to decide between more expensive X-52's or the CH products and leaning to CH firstly because of cost and secodnly...where a lot of people have issues with saitek sticks and mod the magnets and spring etc...99% of CH users/owners don't have a bad thing to say which is telling.

Anyways...
£73 Combat Stick vs £98 Fighter Stick...
Is the fighter stick really worth an extra £25? I know it has the mode switching but...even when my X52 worked i never actually used that functionality...and I feel that 2 4 way hats are going to be awkward compared to simple push buttons? i.e. push the hat wrong and you'll trigger something you really didnt want to...any thoughts?
 

StayFrosty

StayFrosty
enbeekay said:
Anyways...
£73 Combat Stick vs £98 Fighter Stick...
Is the fighter stick really worth an extra £25? I know it has the mode switching but...even when my X52 worked i never actually used that functionality...and I feel that 2 4 way hats are going to be awkward compared to simple push buttons? i.e. push the hat wrong and you'll trigger something you really didnt want to...any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Combatstick has enough buttons to map all the required actions to play the game. With the extra buttons of the Fighterstick and the mode switching, you could be piloting three ships at once. And then, you still have a throttle.

It's not like you ever have enough buttons anyway, the more the better, simply because it allows you to do more with each finger, and thus allows you to do more things at the same time. But that's still a luxury.

If you really want to get the cheapest one, a Combatstick will be more than enough, but be careful not to regret it ;)
 

Rog

Rog
I've owned an X52 pro and now have a CH Fighterstick and throttle. Quite happy I made the change.

There's practically no difference in the length of throw in the two sticks imo, but if you're going to get a CH, I strongly recommend going for the Fighterstick with the extra hats - they are very useful in E: D.

Fighterstick for £92.21 @ Amazon. Ignore the Mac reference - it's just USB.

Rudder control can always be mapped to one of the hats - throttle or stick.

Get a Pro throttle when the Saitek one conks out - it's really good.
 

Non Grata

Non Grata
For me, if using with the x52 throttle a Combatstick wouldn't have quite enough buttons (a Combatstick would be fine for me with a Pro Throttle though). I don't find having four hats is confusing at all - all very natural and ergonomic. £12.50 per extra hat is a bargain if you ask me - doubt you'd regret it.
 

enbeekay

E
Mmm I was scratching my head earlier wondering if there's enough buttons on there or if I'd be reaching for the keyboard every 5 seconds...I mean the stick itself has enough buttons but the X-52 had 6 toggle buttons on the base of the stick...that I actually used a fair bit...and I think I'd be missing those...ehhh damnit.

*EDIT*
And always that feeling the hats will be awkward to use with my funny shaped thumb and reach for one and push it up when i wanted to go left etc
 
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Red 5

Red 5
I just recently bought the CH Fighterstick USB and Pro Throttle USB, and am absolutely smitten with how great they work with Elite: Dangerous. I used to use the old serial versions of these way back in the day with the X-Wing series (through X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing: Alliance). They hold up really well, and with the programmable buttons, you have no end of utility. The best part is that they all work natively with Elite: Dangerous, so there's not even a need to program the buttons through the CH Control Manager (unless you're doing more complicated macros). Fantastic products that I know I'll be using for years.

So, yeah, put me down in support of picking up a full CH HOTAS suite. The Fighterstick has more hats than the Combatstick, for only marginally more in terms of cost.

Links:
CH Fighterstick USB http://amzn.com/B00006B84X
CH Pro Throttle USB http://amzn.com/B00006B84Z

Hope this helps!
 

enbeekay

E
Ok yeah I'm the most useless person on the planet.
I'd settled on getting a CH stick then trying to figure out which because of number of buttons and/or ease of use i start second guessing my second guesses and then start to wonder about just getting the cheap(er) X-52 instead which is the same price as the CH Fighter Stick and is the stick ED is basically made around and then I wouldn't have to worry about my old old X-52 throttle dying on me...
I have literally a month to make a decision on this and I don't think it's enough time! :)
 

Cliché

Cliché
I've been a big fan of CH products for 20+ years. By the time the game port went away I was out of gaming anyway. About 5 years ago I got the Elite bug and found Oolite. I picked up a Saitek ST290 Pro at the time and I like it just fine and I'll stick with it for now. I just got a new CH Pro Throttle, but haven't even plugged it in yet. I'm going to think long and hard about how to map all the buttons. The thing is, I also want to get and try Voice Attack. If I use VA for a lot of simple things - not combat intensive things - then I think I'll have more buttons than I'll need.

So if you are worried about running out of buttons, but would prefer a stick with fewer hats, then you may want to consider Voice Attack. :)
 
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