Looking for a joystick upgrade

drzdeano

D
Ive been using this for years
support.thrustmaster.com

T.16000M – Thrustmaster

T.16000M -
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its been fine but if i was to complain
ive never really liked the thumb joystick thing, doesnt feel very responsive
and the layout of the buttons , find myself awkwardly trying to press buttons on both sides of the stick with my free hand while flying.

without spending too much $$$ is there some other options i can look at? i dont see myself spending more than $200-$300. Elite is the only game i would be using it for.

im not familiar with HOTAS setups, something about a separate throttle controller?

ive looked at local shops, there is not really much choice there. bit unsure to order random (modestly) expensive joysticks online without some advice. Im not looking for a replica flight controller. just a decent/mid level gaming joystick.
 
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Brammmers

Brammmers
I like the X56... Lots of features and not massive price for a first hotas.

Quality of units can vary, but once you find a good one it's decent for Elite

J
 

Clicker

Clicker
drzdeano said:
Ive been using this for years
support.thrustmaster.com

T.16000M – Thrustmaster

T.16000M -
support.thrustmaster.com support.thrustmaster.com

its been fine but if i was to complain
ive never really liked the thumb joystick thing, doesnt feel very responsive
and the layout of the buttons , find myself awkwardly trying to press buttons on both sides of the stick with my free hand while flying.

without spending too much $$$ is there some other options i can look at? i dont see myself spending more than $200-$300. Elite is the only game i would be using it for.

im not familiar with HOTAS setups, something about a separate throttle controller?

ive looked at local shops, there is not really much choice there. bit unsure to order random (modestly) expensive joysticks online without some advice. Im not looking for a replica flight controller. just a decent/mid level gaming joystick.
Click to expand...
I hear what you are saying about the buttons on the base of your joystick.

Instead of a new Joystick or HOTAS, go buy a Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle.
Then you will have a HOTAS and 4x HAT switches and 5 extra buttons!
You can use the rudder paddle on the Throttle for YAW instead of the joystick twist, which starts drifting hopelessly just after the warranty expires!

Map the buttons on the throttle and joystick handle to anything flight related and just keep the base buttons for stuff you can use when not flying around.

Shameless plug...checkout my Basic T16000 Target Script via the link in my signature.

Shameless plug number 2...I'm about to release a full featured enhanced script for the T16000/TWCSThrottle within the next couple days which has most of the bells and whistles of my WARTHOG scripts.

Cheers
Clicker
 

drzdeano

D
imo the x56 has too many little knobs and things ,the x52 looks a little more basic and more what im looking for , my thumb cant stretch that far !

given its just for elite, not sure i could justify the $500 tho!

i think i would prefer a new joy stick if i was going to get a seperate throttle thing.

saying that , i am realizing the main reason i want a new one is the thumb joystick. i busted my thumb years ago and it never quite fully recovered(95%)
i try to use my lateral thrusters as much as i can in combat, but my thumb struggles a bit to maintain constant grip for laterals and distinguish between the directions when also pulling on the joystick


i am tempted to carve some small lines into the plastic for grip
 
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Dragsham

Dragsham
Arguably the best sticks are the virpil constellation alpha primes. A pair of these, the left handed one right angled to act as a throttle, forwards backwards. It's natural detent for neutral. And strafe left n right makes it literally perfect for elite. The right stick for pitch, yaw, roll. And more buttons than you could ever use.
I locked my left sticks twist action out because its just not needed but that could be used for something.
 

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STRONTIUM DOG

STRONTIUM DOG
i have had two controllers since 2002
the first was a bog standard xbox pad found in a skip with some broken insulation which i taped up that kicked the bucket last year so i bought another:LOL:
it set me back nearly a wopping 15 quid:mad: still if i can FA off cold orbit i dont care if i used a modified grans umbrella handle tbh i spend most of the time looking at the screen to even notice what i am using really
i tried my m8ts steering wheel and peddles for his F1@brazil i was ok on it then i plugged in my xbox controller and beat his lap time he still has not beat it lol🤷‍♂️
 
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Hugh Jardon

H
X52 is perfect for ED because of the arrangement of all the buttons and hats. I used then for about 5000 hrs and was happy. When you use any sticks that long, problems occur. The main problems are the yaw spring breaks after about 2000 hrs, then the wires in the throttle start breaking. If you want to pay a bit more money, any of the other X** series are good, but they'll probably suffer from the same problems as X52. Logitch don't appear to be too good with spare parts, but you can quite easily make your own springs and fix the wires if you have any DIY ability.

I moved up to Virpils. They work better than the above, as they have more sophisticated mechanisms, but they still suffer from the same problems of broken wires and springs, but Virpil are very good with spare parts and instructions on how to fit them. I guess the same applies to any of the more expensive sticks.

If I were to figure out the best balance of cost per hour and function, I reckon X52 would win. From the functional point of view, you don't need anything more. It's nice to have something better, but you don't need it to play the game.

This looks like a good deal if you're in the UK:

IIRC X52 default settings for ED are a bit weird re lateral thrusters, so I put mine on the throttle forefinger hat, which is much better, and the pips on the right stick hat.
 
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Lhorndra

Lhorndra
A lot of people around here, including me, use two VKB Nxt Evo Gladiators in a dual stick setup. I think they have the best value for money right now: you can get one in North America for $ 135,-. It's also possible to upgrade the standard model to the premium model later on. You can also convert the standard stick to an "omni throttle" hybrid yourself. So, a lot of possibilities without spending all the money for one single thing you might not like.

Clicker said:
Instead of a new Joystick or HOTAS, go buy a Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle.
Then you will have a HOTAS and 4x HAT switches and 5 extra buttons!
You can use the rudder paddle on the Throttle for YAW instead of the joystick twist, which starts drifting hopelessly just after the warranty expires!
Click to expand...
Yes! That's good and affordable advice, I used this combination when I started playing ED. I was much more dissatisfied with the jittering joystick than with the TWCS. I just found that a proper throttle didn't suit my style of playing, but YMMV.

Dragsham said:
Arguably the best sticks are the virpil constellation alpha primes. A pair of these, the left handed one right angled to act as a throttle, forwards backwards. It's natural detent for neutral. And strafe left n right makes it literally perfect for elite. The right stick for pitch, yaw, roll. And more buttons than you could ever use.
I locked my left sticks twist action out because its just not needed but that could be used for something.
Click to expand...
Probably very true, but they are way beyond OP's budget.
 

Bill Clement

Bill Clement
I'm a big fan of the X-56 HOTAS, but that's not what I fly with these days.

VKB have a range of modular controllers. They're very high quality and you can add to your setup as money allows.

I'd start with a Gladiator NXT Evo 'Space Edition':
1736113980627.png

It's on their US website for $135 plus shipping. It's got a twist grip, the central rotary on the base can be set up as your throttle and the hat above the red button on the stick is very light, which might help with your thumb if you want to keep on trying to fly that way.

The next addition I'd consider is adding a throttle quadrant. The GNX THQ (catchy names, these things!) is ideal at $70 plus shipping:
1736114325630.png

The good bit is you can connect the two together into a single unit, or keep them separated if you prefer, depending on what your desk set up is and what feels best to you.
1736114724714.png

They've got a youtube channel showing how to connect all their kit and how to use their (excellent) software.

I use something very similar myself. The Evo is my left hand stick, with the throttle attached to it's right hand side. I use a centre mounted Gunfighter as my main control stick.

There are an insane number of combinations and different modules you could use though.
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
The Ursa Minor has a light and responsive analogue stick on the crown. I use it for headlook, but it could easily serve for X and Z axis thruster control.

It's $115. I've never used the VKB sticks it's clearly based on (and in competition with). I've had one for six months and find it to be excellent value and a great stick overall.

It also has four digital hats and more buttons than I know what to do with. It's great.

1736118950627.png
 

STRONTIUM DOG

STRONTIUM DOG
looks very much like the two found on an x box controller apart from the grey non slip rubber cap
i think those type of analogue mini thumb sticks are unbeatable if pressed down it also acts as a button too and as long as not heavy handed they can last 20 years
and yea can easily serve as any main xy axsis i can vouch for that if they are in fact the same type that is
 
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metatheurgist

metatheurgist
The reason I like the x52 is I can control pitch, roll, yaw, thrust, boost and lats while still firing primary and secondary simultaneously. This is primarily because of the middle finger hat switch on the throttle, the only way it would be better if it was analog. If had to do lats on a thumb hat on the stick, I'd be losing something.
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
metatheurgist said:
The reason I like the x52 is I can control pitch, roll, yaw, thrust, boost and lats while still firing primary and secondary simultaneously. This is primarily because of the middle finger hat switch on the throttle, the only way it would be better if it was analog. If had to do lats on a thumb hat on the stick, I'd be losing something.
Click to expand...
Sure, but no one with a single stick  only uses the stick. The OP expressed a preference for translation thrusters on the stick.
 

CMDR Daiyus

CMDR Daiyus
Dragsham said:
Arguably the best sticks are the virpil constellation alpha primes. A pair of these, the left handed one right angled to act as a throttle, forwards backwards. It's natural detent for neutral. And strafe left n right makes it literally perfect for elite. The right stick for pitch, yaw, roll. And more buttons than you could ever use.
I locked my left sticks twist action out because its just not needed but that could be used for something.
Click to expand...
I really wish I could justify the cost for a setup like this. I think my limit is the VKB dual stick solution, with the omnithrottle in the left hand. A shame because my office would look a lot better with the minimal gunfighter bases and desk mounts, rather than the chunkier ones that come with the EVO line, but gunfighter bases are also far too rich for my blood at the moment.
 
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