Greetings,
You did your homework purchasing the powered USB hub resolving the amperage requirements of the X-56. Some computers in the past divided the available amperage among the system board USB ports which caused problems.
There is an X-56 grey and blue. The grey is Logitech's latest release which supposedly resolved previous issues with the blue and Saitek's X-55 version in the past. Having used all 3 over the years I can say that the switches are solid while the hats get 'loose' over time. The change was so slow I didn't notice it until after 3 years I replaced an X-55 with the X-56 blue. The throttle is always stiff (too much grease?) but it works fine after wearing it in. The joystick on any model has YAW centering problems even the grey was supposed to fix which didn't last long. Recalibration is regularly needed to keep it useful.
The good news. When it comes to Elite Dangerous bindings this HOTAS was made for them. All those double throw toggle switches on the throttle are perfect for all the many commands in the game. That's 2 commands for each switch. The 2 hats on the throttle and the 3 on the joystick cover all the bases with look around, PIPs, thrusters, next/previous targeting etc. The blue and grey also have a unique analog thumb stick on the throttle and on the thumb secondary fire on the joystick. This provides awesome thruster controls when manually scooping up materials and my throttle stick makes using the Full Spectrum Scanner very fast. My best time was a 48 planet system in about 4 minutes. The engineers really nailed the game interface design. Pick your favorite flight simulator (I'm X-Plane 11) and you are all set.
Now if the hardware guys would work out the quality and ergonomics. It's all plastic but if it works I don't care. Actually I like it versus a Warthog metal joystick as it is always COLD to my hand. Over time the X-56 joystick gets 'loose' and letting go of the stick does not guarantee that you are not going to be making a turn with FA on. It gets worse with FA off. The base of the joystick can stick and creep so I keep a small jar of Vaseline to keep the moving parts lubricated. The joystick is BIG and medium/small hands are going to have issues. Logitech provides a snap-on plate to the palm base but it is a joke. Maybe someone should design a set of stick-on pads to this plate to adjust for different hand sizes.
One could replace the joystick with all it's issues with the Warthog or European versions with
Virpil or
VKB on a waiting list but keep the throttle. The Warthog less the analog thumb stick matches the X-56 but needs pedals for yaw issues.
But the biggest problem for me is how the prices for HOTAS have exploded over the past year. I bought all mine for less than $250.00 sometimes on sale and now even an X-56 blue goes for $400.00 - $560.00. The Warthog throttle and joystick averaging $800.00. This is absolutely nuts. Bring a Elite fan I bought all the Thrust master toys including the pedals to test them so I may have to go to them when my X-56 grey dies. Maybe I should smuggle in Chinese versions to the USA crossing the border from Mexico...
Meanwhile Odyssey is coming on March 29th. What additional bindings will we need while walking around in spiffy space suits? Luckily you own an X-56 throttle with 3 modes to dial them in.
Anyway there are many bindings you can find on google with the X-55/56 series.. Other than 2 analog thumb switches with the X-56 blue and grey not much has changed.
UPDATE: My X-56 grey joystick is wearing out and I can replace it with the blue joystick in-game (ED doesn't notice ) but it doesn't help. Calibrating in Windows see the analog thumb stick and not the XYZ of the joystick! So I ordered the VKB Gladiator NXT from China to replace it keeping the X-56 throttle. We'll see.
Regards
