The Joystick/Controller discussion thread

[ceeldee]

Hi, I bought the CH Fighterstick and CH Throttle. There is a downloadable profile for this game which works with the supplied CH Manager Software. All functions on buttons, mini joystick on throttle for vertical sideways movement, button under right thumb on joystick for yaw, all good to make for easy operation, cheaper than the Warthog but does a great job.

 

[skazz]

While many people are happy with the T.Flight or X52/X52 Pro, I was put off those two options by talk of difficulty with precision in both cases, plus the need for deadzones to accomodate lack of absolutely precise centering with their potentiometers. I've not tried either myself but it got me nervous.

In comparison, there are 3 consumer sticks which have Hall-effect sensors (they all use the same chip), and they have no drift, no deadzone requirement and won't wear out. Those three are the Saitek X55, Thrustmaster T16000m and Warthog sticks. Of those three, the Warthog is by far the best made, but also the only one without twist function.... Personally while flight sims tend not to want to use twist on stick for yaw, I don't play flight sims. Having used a stick with twist I wouldn't want to go back to having one without it.

Now in ED precision isn't hugely important if you always use gimbaled weapons, however if you want to precisely aim a fixed laser then achieving very small precise movement with the stick is essential. [In Star Citizen when gimbals don't autoaim for you, this requirement is even more vital]


Personally within reasonable price range I'd say:
- Below $100 you either try the T.flight HOTAS or get a stick and use keyboard.
- The X52-Pro HOTAS is decent entry level, but has plenty of limitations (and the whole accuracy thing discussed above)
- X55 or T16000m and CH pro throttle combination are the most logical choices for a full HOTAS with twist for around $200.
- CH fighterstick, pro throttle and pedals as a very sturdy and complete package at around $450.
- Warthog HOTAS with rudder pedals as the $500+ premium choice.


I have the CH pro throttle with T16000m stick right now, since it appeared the most effective way of getting precision, twist and a great set of features on the throttle. Happy with it so far, despite the weak buttons on the T16000m.

 

[Ancipital]

If you don't feel like springing for something crazy like a Warthog HOTAS and set of pedals, the X55 is pretty good, and works beautifully with ED. The default profile included with the game works well, and once you get a feel for it, you have plenty of scope to add to it (lots of free controls) or tweak what's there to suit you.

I had to stick labels near the switches on the throttle (SO MANY!) on mine, to remember where things are, but I found that after the first week of flying with it, everything became quite intuitive.

The other thing I did, which made the game handle far better was to add headtracking. The different is massive. I have tried using EDTracker, FaceTrackNoIR with a modified PS3 eye and Delanclip, and finally cracked and bought an evil, overpriced TrackIR. The latter is brilliant, given how stupid wide-angle the sensor is- it's rock solid. I'm using the default TrackClip rather than the "ProClip" as the latter is rather fragile and prone to breaking.

Sorry, I digress, but the X55 is pretty decent, and adding head tracking to it makes ED a joy to play.

 

[Adept]

If you have the budget (or find them off e-bay) I recommend a full CH HOTAS including pedals.

If you are on a budget, then the T.16000M is a good pick.

 

[wstephenson]

+1 to what Adept says. CH suite all the way.

The hardware is not showy but solid as a rock, and so is the accompanying calibration and mapping/response curve tweaking/dead zone setting software. Rather than applying these changes in a flaky Windows driver, they are downloaded to the hardware and applied by its embedded microcontroller, then presented Windows as regular USB HID events. (Not sure about the scripted stuff that CH Control Manager also allows, as I haven't used these yet)

I've never regretted going straight from a gamepad to the CH rig.

 

[Charlie Mac]

Thanks to you all.

The Warthog HOTAS is a tad more than I am willing to blow on a Joystick, But as some of you recommend, the CH Fighterstick and Throttle combo seems to cover the bases. Main things are; not having to tap keys and assigning all main functions to the stick and throttle. Until then I shall continue practicing my very slow dockings and combat training sims lol.

CM

 

[izzy]

Welcome Charlie Mac
I got a Thrustmaster Hotas X, and it is good enough for playing ED

 

[Malikaia]

Well i wanted to get the x52 but due to stock issues apparently everywhere i managed to find one supplier for the x55 which should arrive before 10am tommorow .

 

[Dashel]

good choice i love my x55

 

[48kspectrum]

Out of curiosity: How do you do power management, UI, and fit 7 degrees of freedom (pitch, roll, yaw, throttle, strafe up/down, left/right, front/back) onto 4 axes?
i.e. what functions work on the controller and what do you need to lean over to the keyboard to use?

dont forget the controller has 2 sticks and the d pad.
so left and right on my d pad does strafe left/right. up and down do the 2 power thingies. which means yes i have to hit the keyboard to power up weapons. the arrow keys for power. so i only have to use keyboard for weapon pips.

pressing the blue button then either left or right d pad gets me into the UI's
works pretty well - i couldnt afford to buy joysticks
-

 

[Ancipital]

The Warthog HOTAS is a tad more than I am willing to blow on a Joystick, But as some of you recommend, the CH Fighterstick and Throttle combo seems to cover the bases.

Well, I hope that you're living in one of the countries where they still have reliable distribution. There's a few to be had here again, but until recently, a lot of places (even specialist sim gear suppliers) were all out of CH products. I probably would have bought a CH Fighter Stick and Pro Throttle plus pedals (despite the stick's lack of Hall effect sensors), if there had been any available. It turned out to be quicker to pre-order the X55. The fact that CH option would have cost more than twice as much was also a concern, too.. I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to something that expensive.. Maybe if ED feels like it's going to be around a while, I will spring for something more lavish.

Here, the Warthog isn't that much more expensive than the CH option, and is much easier to find. Also, remember that the CH stick doesn't have twist yaw (nor does the Warthog)- so you may need to budget for a set of pedals to add to the mix, if you're going that way.

The CH stuff has a great rep, but go into it with your eyes open.

 

[theEmohawk]

While many people are happy with the T.Flight or X52/X52 Pro, I was put off those two options by talk of difficulty with precision in both cases, plus the need for deadzones to accomodate lack of absolutely precise centering with their potentiometers.

The X52 Pro uses Hall Effect sensors

I've been using an X52 Pro for about a month now, and I like it. I moved from an old Logitech Force 3D to the X52 Pro and it's a massive improvement in the control I have over my ship.
I've had no problems at all, it's precise and has enough buttons for me to control all the essentials without taking my hands off the controls.

The Saitek sticks do have some reliability question marks, but I'd wager for everyone that has had one break you'll find many more that have been using one reliably for years. In an ideal world there would be a well built stick with buttons in the right places, Hall Effect sensors, all metal construction, and twist for yaw. But right now you choose between the ultimate build quality (i.e. TM Warthog) and twist for yaw (i.e. it's missing from the Warthog). Quality of course comes at a price, and for me the X52 Pro at £140 was the sweet spot.

 

[CMDR Melcolm Raynolds]

I`m currently using the Thrustmaster HOTAS that I bought recently because I had the Black Widow before and that one is rather lackluster. I`m quite happy with it since it has a lot of buttons for all the important things I need to do while flying around. At some point in the future I will probably upgrade to the Warthog.

 

[LocoDiceGR]

Any low cost (good) joystick to look at boys?

 

[Cybermykl]

Logitech Extreme 3D Pro

 

[LocoDiceGR]

Logitech Extreme 3D Pro

Thanks, i will check this out!

 

[Kaburan]

Please do NOT go with the T Flight Hotas X, the deadzone is absolutely aweful. The deadzone is the small range of motion around the center position where the joystick reports no change. This makes it EXTREMELY difficult in taking accurate shots or making very minor adjustments during flight. These cheap joysticks are great for action, flight games, etc but absolutely terrible for Simulators.

I had the T Flight Hotas X before, and its a very comfortable stick, and works great for a lot of people especially for the price, but if you're OCD about accuracy and minor adjustments like myself, you will hate this stick. I got rid of it and instead got a Saitek X-55 Rhino, and the difference was absolutely night and day. With sticks, you do get what you pay for and if you're serious about ED/SC, taking the time to research and putting down money on a very nice HOTAS setup will be well worth it.

If you are going budget, get the Thrustmaster T-16000M Stick, that's really all I can recommend, but if you're serious about SC/ED please get yourself a solid HOTAS setup like X52, X55, Warthog, etc.

 

[Ancipital]

Any low cost (good) joystick to look at boys?

Thrustmaster T-16000M is probably the most accurate and reliable low-cost joystick (joystick, not HOTAS!). The buttons feel pretty awful, but it all works fine. You'd still need keybinds for throttle, or a separate throttle though, as the one on the base isn't worth using. The stick itself is sound, though.

You could always add a CH Pro Throttle to it later- though if you're trying to keep overall price down, you might just want to look at the Saitek X52 Pro HOTAS setup to start with anyway.

Logitech Extreme 3D Pro

I really wouldn't. It's prone to deadzone issues.

 

[Charlie Mac]

Well, I hope that you're living in one of the countries where they still have reliable distribution. There's a few to be had here again, but until recently, a lot of places (even specialist sim gear suppliers) were all out of CH products. I probably would have bought a CH Fighter Stick and Pro Throttle plus pedals (despite the stick's lack of Hall effect sensors), if there had been any available. It turned out to be quicker to pre-order the X55. The fact that CH option would have cost more than twice as much was also a concern, too.. I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to something that expensive.. Maybe if ED feels like it's going to be around a while, I will spring for something more lavish.

Here, the Warthog isn't that much more expensive than the CH option, and is much easier to find. Also, remember that the CH stick doesn't have twist yaw (nor does the Warthog)- so you may need to budget for a set of pedals to add to the mix, if you're going that way.

Thanks. In the end, I went for the Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X. Cost was low, and if I really get into the game, I may upgrade in the future.

 

[Zelos1983]

Any low cost (good) joystick to look at boys?

I'm playing with a Logitech Dual Action gamepad. It's perfect for E, and it's cheap and lasts forever.

I have also an X-52 Pro, but I don't use it for this game. It's also rather fragile, already had to glue it.