Hotas/Flight Stick Recommendations?

[CMDR D Noize]

Hey guys and gals...

I’ve recently bought myself a shiny new PC in anticipation of the console transfer next month and I’m looking for recommendations on decent Hotas set ups.

I’m already more than familiar with the tragically designed Hotas One for the Xbox (seriously I had to open, clean & re-solder the whole thing to get it working properly), so pretty much anything would be a step up

 

[ubermick]

Like everything else in PC world, it depends on what you want to spend.

The “official” HOTAS for Elite (at least when it was released) is the X52, or the more expensive bigger brother, the X56. However both have quality issues, and its hit or miss as to whether or not you get a good one, it seems. (FWIW, I had a “good one”, my X52 lasted until about a year and a half ago. Which I replaced with an X56 that turned out to be… a bad one)

Up from there, you have the Warthog. Heftier, and considerably more expensive. Also lots of toggle switches rather than momentary ones - which Elite doesn’t like.

Then you cross into the realm of VKB and Virpil, and suddenly you’re spending as much on your HOTAS as you did on your PC.

I’d personally steer clear of the X52 and X56. VKB makes a ”budget“ stick called the Gladiator SCG which is fantastic. Pair that with a cheaper throttle like the Thrustmaster TWCS. And if you’re feeling frisky, add a button box for extra controls (or build your own!)

 

[madmattnz]

Well despite some stories of doom that you might come across, when I moved across from PS4 to PC I invested in an X52 Pro when it was on sale. At first I didn’t like the ergonomics (coming form my Thursutmaster T.Flight 4) but really enjoyed the much better build quality/feel and extra buttons and no creaking!. I did 3D print off a mod at work which increases the stiffness of the stick. It also took a while to re-train my muscle memory and I still don't think I am as fast on the controls as my T.Flight but otherwise I am really happy. I couldn't afford or justify anything more expensive, but I am sure there will be more responses about Warthogs, Virpils and VKB’s, which reminds there is this great video from CMDR Exigeous.

Source: https://youtu.be/g28Zjxtvol0

 

[nemolomen]

I'm working with the poor man's HOTAS or HOKAS...

I use a Logitech Extreme 3D PRO joystick and a mechanical keyboard as the throttle. There is a little throttle on the back of the joystick that I use in combat. But its not a proper throttle.

The quality is good and I've been using it for almost 2 years. But this one was purchased back on 2001 so I'm not sure how the quality is these days. (I had to dig it out of the closet in 2020 when I bought into ED)

I long for the time when I can afford to add a proper throttle to my setup...and I don't want to just buy a cheap one, based on everything I've read in these forums.

Just giving some perspective on the low end of the market here...

 

[CMDR Ylion]

i got the cheapest hotas back when my old saitek cyborg 3d broke, and am rather happy with it.
bought it as a temporary sloution and as a test to see if i would like the feeling of a throttle, but never felt the need to buy something better.
i guess it really depends on luck with these things. i´ve heard so much bad things, but never had a problem myself.

it is the t.flight hotas x
the unloved, all plastic, "why did they put red stripes on it" hotas x
six years, and i still think it´s ugly

 

[Tividar]

T.16000m throttle is dying, there is an X52 Pro available in my area, do it?

Hello CMDR’s, I am facing yet another hardware failure on my Thrustmaster T.16000m. I am so-so about the stick overall, the button placement on the stick itself isn’t great. The one thing that really works well on this HOTAS though is the analog joystick on the front of the throttle which I...

forums.frontier.co.uk

I should add that while the Thrustmaster and X5# sticks are certainly a lot less expensive, I ended up going through 4 T16000 's in as many years. In the end the Virpil sticks have been much better values.

 

[Vingtetun]

X52 Pro all day long. Had mine since the good old days of Alpha and is a great stick.

Given the flight hours, I will excuse it having broken a yaw spring once which I replaced.

Having 3 modes which can be configured as you want (I have it set to change between combat, flight and docking) and with the buttons fully customisable is a great piece of kit.

 

[BL1P]

If you like to fly FA-OFF there is always the dual stick option.
Myself I use Dual VKB NXT sticks and a set of VKB pedals.
Previously I used the Thrustmaster T1600 FCS Hotas, but I went through 3 Joysticks, which all broke on the yaw axis. Even so its a very good set and some people dont have any problems with the yaw breaking.

 

[Riverside]

The Thrustmaster t16000 stick is a pretty good upgrade on a hotas-X, the t16000 has higher resolution pots of the more premium sticks but it's still pretty toy-like. Ergonomically it's heavily compromised by being designed to be used with either hand. The Thrustmaster TWCS throttle is excellent ergonomically, among the best but it's still a bit fragile & has no zero throttle detent.

I went through a few t16000s, mostly the yaw broke on them, eventually I bought a VKB Gladiator (the cheaper VKB gimbal) with the spacesim grip & it's been excellent, it really doesn't feel like the cheap option & is a real quality build (still plastic). VKB sell left & right handed grips, make sure you choose the correct one.

I use it with a TWCS throttle, they last maybe 1000 hours & I just buy replacements every so often. I just like the ergonomics of the thing.

Changing to a different stick obviously can take some getting used to. IME changing stick is not so bad, but changing throttle is harder to adjust to.

I use both on a desk, I can just slide them out of the way when I'm not using them.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

I got the HOTAS X when I was just dipping my toes into ED. It's a cheap toy. When it became clear I would keep playing ED I replaced it with the T.16000M and TWCS throttle. I liked the throttle and the precision of the stick's sensor, but the quality again was abysmal. My 16000 lasted two months or so until the infamous yaw issues started. Also, the buttons on the stick base are useless, the placement is terrible, doubly so in VR.

My next stick was the Logitech X52 Pro, which I used for the bulk of my flight hours. I think I'm around the 1500 hour mark, and I did at least 1200 of those on the X52. I had two issues with it. One, after six months the spring place became sticky and started making noises. This is easily fixed with a chap stick (yes). Greasing the friction points with a chap stick made the stick smooth as silk and eleveated the feeling of the stick to another quality level. The second issue was a broken wire in the grip that I had to resolder. If you cannot maintain the stick yourself or care about warranty issues like that might be a no-go. A third issue on my throttle starts to creep up, the softeners in the coating of the throttle have started to evaporate and it's starting to feel sticky (A problem you will have with all coated plastic at some point; my Samsung tablet has the same issue). Also, some hate it, but I really liked the programming possibilities of the three modes of the X52, although the software is a little clunky and not well maintained.

I still use the X52 throttle, but I replaced the stick with a VKB NXT Gladiator EVO (that's a mouthful) with a premium grip. It's fantastic, but has a steepish learning curve to program it. It's a really great stick well worth its price tag. Very precise, no (!) deadzone, well adjustable and lots of inputs.

The X52 Pro is a solid entry stick and will get you a long way. In my part of the world it is 150 Euro on Amazon right now, which makes it a kind of no brainer for a first HOTAS. Other than that I would second the recommendation of the VKB Gladiator NXT + TWCS throttle combination, but the premium EVO version is 220 Euro for just the stick. You still can get the older NXT version for a bit less, but they are selling of the remaining stock and it's out of production. Also, delivery takes a few weeks. Add to that the 80 Euro for the throttle and you're looking at twice the price for a X52, but with a much more quality stick.

If you go for a warthog be aware that it doesn't have a yaw axis.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

Also, there is a difference between the X52 and its pro version in the gimble mechanics. Most of the "mods" and "fixes" floating around for the older Saitek X52 (like putting magnets in the base) don't apply for the Logitech X52 Pro. If you go for it, get the Pro version. It's not just the colour.

 

[Frankymole]

Thrustmaster T-Flight X for me. The throttle half and stick half can screwbolt together or be used separately. Cost less than 50 pounds and does everything I want and more.

 

[CMDR D Noize]

Just had a little look at some of these suggestions...boy do they get expensive

The Warthog looks pretty good, but £400 is a bit pricey for me.

The X52/X56 seem a lot more affordable so might go in that direction.

Still got at least a month to decide and still have my Frankenmaster One for now.

 

[WeComeInPeace]

I bought an x52 back when I started playing ED. It's not the best build quality, and inside it's even worse. However, it has been working perfectly fine (ergonomics disregarded) for several thousand hours of gaming now. That includes ED and MSFS. Also, I remember a saying, that it takes 10 good experiences to compensate a bad one, so maybe the overall quality of the x52 is slightly underrated. Only one way to find out

 

[Cmdr. Numa]

Sadly the CH Fighterstick and throttle are no longer available anywhere. The Throttle is still arguably the best possible for ED, thanks to it's analog thumb stick. I just hope mine never ever breaks.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

If that's an important metric, the TWCS throttle has an analog stick on the back (index finger position, if I remember correctly). The paddles on the throttle are also analog (EDIT: Not so sure on that one now that I think about it).

 

[VR tazbert]

Sadly the CH Fighterstick and throttle are no longer available anywhere. The Throttle is still arguably the best possible for ED, thanks to it's analog thumb stick. I just hope mine never ever breaks.

CH stuff appears to be still available - though I had to check as mine are about 20 years old!

 

[Dragsham]

X56 you won't regret it.. get pedals too for rudder. Have the stick on rudder too (it swivels) and use pedals more. Finally wean off twist rudder and reassign it as anything you like

 

[Biff Stryker]

Ditto to the T.16000 stick yaw problem. Im on stick #2 but love the TWCS throttle. I mapped the paddle on the back of the throttle for yaw when it broke on the stick and use pedals for side to side thrust. The pedals with the flight pack are pretty good and double as pedals for a racing setup too.
Imma get a VKB Gladiator next.
My first hotas was the tflight hotasx and still have it set up and use it often.

 

[Fnord Velkor]

I have used CHPro stuff for years - the throttle is excellent for Elite but it is being sold for nearly twice the price I paid. I used the Fighterstick in Elite for ages but recently treated myself to more modern gear. I bought the VKB Gladiator EVO and I am super impressed with it - total cost £238 - I also have a Virpil Constellation alpha with WarBRD base but that cost £400 - it is really good (feels very robust) but it's dimensions mean I only fit it for flight sims.

It is very noticeable how "floppy" / "loose" the CHPro Fighterstick compares to these more expensive sticks and of course it is great to not need dead-zones any more! It is also noticeable that the cost of the Fighterstick is stupid these days, makes the VKB more attractive.

I seriously recommend the VKB EVO - it is well worth the money. Maybe couple it with the TCWS throttle which is only £90?