The Joystick/Controller discussion thread

[HipToss]

Greetings Commander!

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was a wonderful game

When I first started playing the game, I used a mouse and keyboard. Played for 1 hour, drove to Microcenter and bought a HOTAS setup. Its a night and day difference.

I have a Saitek X-52 pro, which is a little on the pricier side. But I have heard from other Commanders that they enjoy the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick which seems to be a little under $30, and has joystick twist!

 

[TheDayman]

I use a wired X-Box 360 controller. I know that's not what you said in your post, but if you're struggling for options they're cheap and it works really well.

 

[CMDR Nirnroot]

Greetings Commander!

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was a wonderful game

When I first started playing the game, I used a mouse and keyboard. Played for 1 hour, drove to Microcenter and bought a HOTAS setup. Its a night and day difference.

I have a Saitek X-52 pro, which is a little on the pricier side. But I have heard from other Commanders that they enjoy the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick which seems to be a little under $30, and has joystick twist!

Same here, makes the game so much better for me. A lot of people do rate this one though http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-T-Flight-Hotas-Joystick-PS3/dp/B001CXYMFS

 

[Philip Coutts]

I think the best way to play is with a hotas set up. There are a lot of them about but I use the Thrustmaster T-flight hotas x which you can buy for around £40. It's a budget stick but excellent value for money. The best joystick for the game is probably the Saitek x52 pro which is what the controls in the ship are modelled on. One word of warning Hotas set-ups do take up a bit of space infact they are freakin' massive!

 

[Mutant]

I got me T.Flight Hotas X ... very cheap and it works very good for me.
Of course it has not as many buttons as other Hotas. If you want every function on a button it wont work.

 

[willowfan]

I thought that the X-Box pad worked really well, but then I got a Thrustmaster T Flight HOTAS and the difference in manoeuvrability is night and day. There are plenty of buttons, especially if you use one of the various multi-function mapping options that can be found on these forums.

 

[NEUTRAL]

CMDR NEUTRAL's gear

Got these for my controls.

From left to right ...

Throttle: CH Products Pro Throttle USB
Keypad: Belkin Nostromo SpeedPad n52te F8GFPC200
* Joystick: Thrustmaster T.16000M
Mouse: SteelSeries Rival

Not in picture:
Microsoft XBOX 360 Controller wired.

* The T.16000M joystick is secured to the desk with velcro from Daiso.

 

[Guyvergamingtv]

x55 owners take care atm, there seems to be some bad drivers about that are crashing pc's when you unplug the HOTAS, iv seen a good few with this problem atm as well as me. hopefully will be fixed soon with new drivers.

 

[Lucas Kell]

I've only played for a week or so, so not an expert in all things space flighty and I haven't used joysticks since the old Amiga days, but I picked myself up a Cyborg F.L.Y 5 for about £40 and it's been easy to get used to and has a whole range of controls and loads of adjustments to fit it to your posture. The base folds up too which is great for when it's not in use or if you use it for anything you don't need the throttle for.

 

[power091999]

The Logitech Extreme 3D Pro is fantastic for the money. It works like a champ for me and will work for my purposes until I can afford a nicer HOTAS setup.

http://www.cnet.com/products/logitech-extreme-3d-pro/

 

[Richard]

Another upvote for the Thrustmaster T-flight, if you're looking for an entry grade HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) setup.

I know some players still swear by keyboard and mouse, but personally, I find the T-flight to be much easier and more immersive to use. Nothing quite like having an actual throttle lever to push forward to engage your hyperdrive!

 

[acegadgets]

I concur, the Thrustmaster Hotas is the budget stick to use in this game. I also have an old pad hooked up (you can use an xbox pad) which gives me even more buttons to use for things like landing thrusters and targeting buttons.

 

[The Würzel]

I started on Keyboard and mouse and soon went for the Thrustmaster T-Flight, it is so much more fun and intuitive and the stick is really well constructed for the price

 

[Jon Jaymes]

The Thrustmaster HOTAS is an excellent joystick which is reasonably priced - £40 including delivery from Amazon, and can be got cheaper in places. What you will need to do is set up shift states so that each button becomes multi-functional. This can be done with the freeware GlovePIE application and if you search for VirtualHOTAS.pdf by the excellent Huw Thomas, he gives a sample script which you can alter to meet you requirements. I've been using this since Premium Beta.

Hats off to Huw Thomas who is also a commander here

For the Empire,
Jon Jaymes

 

[Willien]

I use a Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas, and for the price it is excellent. I use it in conjunction with Voice Attack, which for £5 odd (US$8), is well worth a look. It allows you to give voice commands for any keyboard strokes you have mapped. Makes up for any lack of buttons.

 

[willowfan]

You don't need any third party software to set up the T-Flight in E: D, the set up screen in-game can be used to set up shifted buttons, there are also a few set-ups files that have already been posted on these forums (look for joystick discussions) that just need to be put in the appropriate game directory folder. They can then be selected from the controls drop down in the setup menu.

 

[Krafter]

Hotas very helpful

I bought a Saitek X52 pro Hotas system and am very happy with it. Really changed how the game flows for me and all the extra buttons means I rarely have to take my hands off the controls. Its been on sale the last week or so at Amazon.

It is not super cheap but if you plan to play a lot you will ease a lot of frustration with a setup like that.

 

[Deleted member 56127]

Saitek X52 Pro is literally made for Elite Dangerous. Look at your cockpit design, you will see it is modeled after the Saitek X52 Pro. Get it on Amazon for $139 USD.

 

[lefty1117]

I went with a x-55 Rhino after using the xbox one pad for a while. There is no shame in using the gamepad, it works quite well and is especially good at landing and menu navigation. The hotas though is just on a better level in combat. Pretty awesome actually.

 

[Richard Voorhees]

I went with a x-55 Rhino after using the xbox one pad for a while. There is no shame in using the gamepad, it works quite well and is especially good at landing and menu navigation. The hotas though is just on a better level in combat. Pretty awesome actually.

I started off with kb & mouse, which I found pretty fiddly tbh, then graduated to a wireless xbox 360 controller which was a lot better. Tomorrow the X-55 arrives so hoping that improves the experience again.