My first setting on the X56 was using the stick on the throttle for the thrusters but found it awkward. My old hotas was the T flight X and I used the single hat and the J5-6-7 and 8 buttons on the throttle as shifts for almost everything. J5 + hat I had set as up/down/lleft/down thrusters and used the left/right paddles on the front of that throttle for forward and reverse thrusters. Setting them in a similar fashion on the X56 makes good sense to my muscle memory.
Looking for New HOTAS advice
- Thread starter michalfoc
- Start date
I can honestly say I have used the t61600m, X52 and currently x56.
The t16000m was nice to use but fell to bits.
The x52 I used for 2 years and have in fact still got it in fair working order.
The x56 is a few months old now and I find it very well made indeed but it is expensive. Oddly I found the button layout of the x52 better, but the x56 has a better throttle. Also bear in mind the x52 is a power hungry sod and will serve better from a powered hub.
The t16000m was nice to use but fell to bits.
The x52 I used for 2 years and have in fact still got it in fair working order.
The x56 is a few months old now and I find it very well made indeed but it is expensive. Oddly I found the button layout of the x52 better, but the x56 has a better throttle. Also bear in mind the x52 is a power hungry sod and will serve better from a powered hub.
Deleted member 121570
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Or if it's really not an issue - avoid the plastic gimbal Warthog and go buy some decent gear from Virpil or VKB instead
Or if it's really not an issue - avoid the plastic gimbal Warthog and go buy some decent gear from Virpil or VKB instead
Meh - availability and support issues have me skeptical. I have a WarBRD base and it failed. Took so long to get the replacement part, I haven't been motivated to fix it. And they ain't cheap.
Warthogs are durable and easy to get. Put in the lighter springs and use some quality winch gear lube and it's good enough for years of dependable use.
You're the first person I've heard that had a broken Virpil base. However, I've seen several posts by people who've had to replace their Warthog gimbal after a few years of use.
It's a good product, but not so significantly better than the Warthog. I was disappointed after all the rave I saw about these on the forums. The joystick has a bit of overspring wobble that takes some getting used to. There were a batch that had brittle wires inside that were cracking and causing failures. They eventually sent me the replacement wire, but by then I had already replaced it with a new Warthog joystick.
It is a good product, but not so much so that it compensates for the higher costs, chronically poor inventory availability, and the long wait times getting them shipped from EU.
Both are precise Hall Effect devices. If you disassemble the Warthog joystick base and put in a set of lighter return springs then lube the ball with a high quality grease, you actually get a better result that the WarBRD base.
There's no denying the Virpil products are good, but availability, shipping time and high costs tend to outweigh any slight pluses that they may have.
HTH
I’ll say one thing about Virpil... I have an older t50 stick, and a newer CM2 version of the same t50 stick, and there is a clear difference in quality between the two.
The former is more robust, better built and uses better materials. They’re both amazing, but one is more amazing than the other. I had to order a new trigger on the CM2 right out of the box, which was replaced by Virpil extremely quickly.
Can’t speak to the warBRD bases - mine are simply awesome and bulletproof.
Just have noted differences in the grips between last gen and current gen.
The former is more robust, better built and uses better materials. They’re both amazing, but one is more amazing than the other. I had to order a new trigger on the CM2 right out of the box, which was replaced by Virpil extremely quickly.
Can’t speak to the warBRD bases - mine are simply awesome and bulletproof.
Just have noted differences in the grips between last gen and current gen.
I'm on my third t16000.
First one: lasted for ages, finally the trigger button gave out (and I'd had to up the deadzones a bit)
Second one: started getting the yaw issue after a while, and had a slightly dodgy thumb button right out of the box. Bought the third one, then found out about the yaw problem. I fixed the yaw issue and swapped the dodgy button out with the good one from my first stick, lasted a decent while longer but the trigger is now going again.
Third one: Replaced the second, was good, got yaw issues, hopefully now fixed. If it plays up again I'll probably try swapping out the potentiometer with the one from the first stick.
The timing of the yaw problems (and the fact that the first one lasted so long) suggest that it might have been changing my desk that did it, changed the way I put stress on the thing or rest my hand on it more heavily or something. Maybe the desk surface is just slightly higher up, maybe I'm just a bit more heavy-handed picking it up to swap it with the mouse as opposed to just sliding it, I dunno.
I'm seriously considering going to a VKB stick if someone can recommend one, the gladiator NXT looks pretty nice.
(one thing that gets me though - why don't I see any sticks where the curves can be programmed into the hardware so I don't have to run a virtual joystick?)
First one: lasted for ages, finally the trigger button gave out (and I'd had to up the deadzones a bit)
Second one: started getting the yaw issue after a while, and had a slightly dodgy thumb button right out of the box. Bought the third one, then found out about the yaw problem. I fixed the yaw issue and swapped the dodgy button out with the good one from my first stick, lasted a decent while longer but the trigger is now going again.
Third one: Replaced the second, was good, got yaw issues, hopefully now fixed. If it plays up again I'll probably try swapping out the potentiometer with the one from the first stick.
The timing of the yaw problems (and the fact that the first one lasted so long) suggest that it might have been changing my desk that did it, changed the way I put stress on the thing or rest my hand on it more heavily or something. Maybe the desk surface is just slightly higher up, maybe I'm just a bit more heavy-handed picking it up to swap it with the mouse as opposed to just sliding it, I dunno.
I'm seriously considering going to a VKB stick if someone can recommend one, the gladiator NXT looks pretty nice.
(one thing that gets me though - why don't I see any sticks where the curves can be programmed into the hardware so I don't have to run a virtual joystick?)
I can vouch for VKB quality vs the T16000. I had the Thrustmaster and it died within a week. OTOH, I've had two VKB Gladiators (a MkII and a K) and never had any problems with them. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either one. The problem is they're both discontinued. :/
I expect the new NXT bases will work just as well as the old Gladiator ones, although they do have fewer buttons on them. The Kosmosima grip is well made and light years ahead of the Thrustmaster one.
There should be reviews on here and youtube soon as people receive their NXTs.
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Had 3 T16K's, all three had issues after a bit. Drifting got excessive, and then the famous yaw issue. Looking at buying a 4th in 2 years, I ended up going with the VKB Gladiator MkII, and upgraded the handle to a Kosmosima. Had it just over one year now and still really happy.
I love it for a few reasons. It's a one device solution like the T16k : Throttle, buttons, everything in one small package. I can pull it out for a quick session, and put it away just as fast. I use my workstation for other things besides gaming, so I need to reclaim that space. And I need the extra buttons ( landing gear, weapons deploy, cargo scoop, targeting, side panels, etc ). The product is top notch in my book. Accurate, and once you learn the software you can program in anything you want, even simulated key presses. I am pretty sure you can program in curves with the utilities.
As far as the NXT, the handle and the action will be top notch. I wouldn't hesitate on that score. Highly accurate, feels good.
What does bother me is that VKB stripped the base of the buttons and throttle. When I have the VR rig out, I need a full HOTAS. That was a huge selling point for me. Maybe the extra add-ons will fix that. Or maybe a Streamdeck, or farm simulator peripheral, or gaming mouse with extra buttons.
I've still got the T16000 throttle, so the base throttle isn't an issue, I never used the slider on the TM stick base. It's a shame the hats on the TM throttle's thumb side aren't clickable like the VKB ones appear to be - at the moment I've got one for next enemy, previous enemy, next contact and highest threat, when what I really want is next/previous ship/enemy with a click for highest threat. Same with the wingman - wingman 1,2,3, navlock, wingman's target. Would be so handy to have a press-switch on that hat to get the fifth control in there, haha.
And yeah, I know what you mean about desk space. Right now half my desk is occupied with my work-from-home setup.
Though its placement might not suit you as well, the NXT does have a throttle. In fact there are three of them. Shame about the other buttons on the base, though.
I'd lose the 12 buttons on the base of the t16k, and gain two more hat switches, as well as at least a few buttons on the base.
Considering how much of a pain it is to use those buttons one-handed (I dread to think what it's like in VR!) I'm fine with this.
Me, too. I'm hoping that mine will ship on Monday or so.
I won't be throttling with it, though. On the T1600(s) I've just used that "throttle" to switch cockpit modes.
Actually from what I've read, it only has one analog throttle axis. The other two wheels are rotary encoders which generate button presses when you roll the wheels.
I'd recommend the Gunfighter with Kosmosima Space Grip. Definitely in terms of quality, and also the extra buttons / hats on the stick compared to the T16000m (of which I also got through three). Also worth mentioning perhaps that I found the transition from the T16000 to the Gunfighter really very easy. And I'm still using my original tcws throttle from the Thrustmaster Hotas set.
While it's not the most user friendly software, it is possible to program curves for the Gunfighter using the VKBDevCfg software without using any intermediary software, and I gather quite a lot besides, although basic curves were all I did. I'm actually of the opinion that it's quite accurate enough even without curves at least for me - and I use quite a few fixed weapons in ED.
It's also very customizable with four sets of cams and four strengths of springs provided.
It's also expensive... I paid close to $400 with delivery, but have not regretted it once and am currently using it with MSFS2020.
I got the standard tabletop base and he basic grip. The premium grip gives the option to have one of the hats and the side button as an analogue stick / hat, neither of which do I miss or feel that I would have used.
That sounds like it would be really good for fine-tuning the FSS.
Aaaand despite trimming the plastic back, that third t16k has started developing the yaw issue again. VKB are saying the Gladiator NXT isn't going to be on sale here 'til october/november.
I guess I'm going to have to find something else to use as a yaw axis in the meantime, which is gonna feel hella awkward to get used to.
I guess I'm going to have to find something else to use as a yaw axis in the meantime, which is gonna feel hella awkward to get used to.