Which Joystick do you currently own/plan on getting?

  • Black Widow

    Votes: 47 1.5%
  • Saitek AV8R-03

    Votes: 8 0.2%
  • Saitek F.L.Y. 5

    Votes: 93 2.9%
  • Saitek X52

    Votes: 381 11.9%
  • Saitek X52 Pro

    Votes: 653 20.4%
  • Saitek X55

    Votes: 455 14.2%
  • Saitek X65

    Votes: 45 1.4%
  • Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X

    Votes: 654 20.4%
  • Thrustmaster Warthog

    Votes: 364 11.4%
  • Logitech G940

    Votes: 52 1.6%
  • Other ... (Leave details on the comments)

    Votes: 690 21.5%

  • Total voters
    3,205
  • Poll closed .
Same as in real life. They don't make fighters with left handed stick/throttle arrangements neither. Left handed pilots learn to fly with a right handed stick same as everyone else...

I can't think of any single-seat fighter aircraft that has throttle on the right side of the cockpit.
 
Noob here question about joystick choices!

Hello all, having only recently discovered Elite: Dangerous I instantly fell in love. I have been forever searching for a game like this and so glad I found it.

I started my character yesterday, having only skimmed through tutorials as I like to learn on my own, I set out into the vastness of space. After doing a couple delivery missions, I was encountered by a NPC Loudon who i thought at the time to be another player! He took me out of my Frame Shift and opened fire. I was still learning to pilot my ship, trying to evade the ship as while trying to hit him diverting power to my engine, then back to system while trying to keep my weapons maxed prove chaotic. I desperately tried to send him communications pleading for my life haha. After about a 10 minute dogfight I finally bested him with my health dwindling at 42%.

I want to get a joystick tonight tempoarily until i can get an actual good one. I have two options from the looks of it, I can either buy the logitech gamepad F130 tonight or use my Xbox one controller. What do you guys suggest I do? I would rather just use my xbox one controller so I dont have to waste any money in a temporary solution, but I also don't mind buying the gamepad if its worth it. I don't even mind making either of the two a permanent choice, if it is better than mouse and keyboard. Again thank you for your suggestions, I look forward to being a part of this community.

P.S. Can anyone suggest a good way to make some money in the beginning?
 
I would highly recommend the Saitek X52 pro. Absolutely love this thing. In my opinion the only con is the s-video cable that connects the throttle to the stick because it tends to come loose, but then again I move it around alot, I just got used to making sure everything was nice and tight before I use it.
 
I've used neither but I don't see how the logitech pad is going to be a significant step over the xbox controller, so give that a whirl first.

Or try fiddling with the mouse settings - I have one friend who bought an expensive HOTAS and went back to mouse and keyboard because they preferred it. I'm on an old Microsoft Sidewinder + keyboard.

Beginning money - do missions for a bit is the best way to get a bank roll, AFAIK. It will take a while, however you do it. Trading rares is apparently OK, but I've never tried it in a sidewinder, the distances may make it slower than missions until you have a bit more hold space.
 
The Saitek X52Pro is supposedly excellent and Asmodivs said but if you can't stretch to that can I suggest a Thrustmaster HOTAS and Voice Attack (for voice commands). Works well for me and much cheaper.
 
Never tried mouse & keyboard or game controllers (I have a HoTaS), so cannot help there.

Getting going:

1) Don't worry about losing your ship - at the start you get a free one back (it costs lots later on).
2) Starting out - look for simple cargo missions on the bulletin board at a spaceport. Your problem at the moment is no cash to buy commodities with a decent profit, but cargo runs can be ones where you don;t have to buy stuff.
3) Exploring is slow but safe way to earn some credits.
4) Upgrade your ship to give more cargo room, to start making more money trading.
5) MOve away from your start system: there tend to be baddies around.
6) You don't have to fight - you can always just run away and FSD out of there
 
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Hi welcome! I would suggest the Xbox controller in the short term, don't spend money on another gamepad, save up for a HOTAS (joystick, throttle, and/or pedals) A lot of people recommend the Saitek X-52 or the CH products. Personally I have a full CH set. Do the searching on these forums, lots of folks have posted their recommendations. Also there a few good Youtube comparison videos out there on various HOTAS for ED and SC.

As for making money, also suggest the search on these forums. Pick up a few local missions, run some trades, build up a little capital, upgrade to carry more trade, etc...

All depends on what you find fun in ED, but trading is the fastest way to make money overall if that is your only goal and don't mind a bit of the grind.
 
Joysticks? i have a beat up old Logitech one. I have to set the deadzone in game to about 50% every time i login because it cant center very well anymore and is really touchy to control. Also, the USB hub i have it plugged into isn't exactly perfect, it sometimes randomly disconnects and i have to unplug and plug it back in again. ( now that's much more scarier than a module malfunction ) I will say the button placement is awesome on the thing though, perfect for changing power distribution on the fly.
 
The X-52 Pro is good, if you can get one without numerous defects due to the poor build/QA process. Be prepared to RMA the unit back to the retailer or Saitek if you get one of those.
 
I would highly recommend the Saitek X52 pro. Absolutely love this thing. In my opinion the only con is the s-video cable that connects the throttle to the stick because it tends to come loose, but then again I move it around alot, I just got used to making sure everything was nice and tight before I use it.

In my part of the world, the X52 is no longer available (hasn't been for many months). Might need to go for the X55, which I find is exceptional with ED! :)
 
In my part of the world, the X52 is no longer available (hasn't been for many months). Might need to go for the X55, which I find is exceptional with ED! :)

Anyone tries to steal my Warthog and I'll conk him over the head with it. It won't mind. I just love that thing. :D
 
You should be able to get a good experience out of the Xbox controller - I've been doing so for the last 9 months. There are a couple of default mappings for it in the control options.

I customised mine, as I know some others have, so Pitch & Yaw are mapped to the left stick (default is Pitch & Roll) and Vertical Thrusters & Roll are mapped to the right stick. That makes it much easier to track targets for me. Beyond that you should be able to get the bulk of controls you need mapped using the combination buttons (hold a face button to modify effect of a D-Pad button).

I did try a cheap Hotas for a while and couldn't get used to it so I'd agree that you're better off waiting until you can get a decent one and using the pad in the meantime.
 
I picked up a $20 Thrustmaster from Frys starting out to see if I could even get into it. Control isn't as fine as I had hoped, but it at least lets me get a feel for if it'd be worth it for me to invest into something that has finer control (And I can pass it off to one of my kids either way)

I use the hatswitch for my lateral thrusters, makes docking a breeze. Now I just gotta get off my ass and map the other two buttons to targetting - because reaching for them on the keyboard is starting to <edited> me off.
 
The X-52 Pro is good, if you can get one without numerous defects due to the poor build/QA process. Be prepared to RMA the unit back to the retailer or Saitek if you get one of those.

I thought I had a dud myself, turns out the X52 pro just does NOT play nicely on a USB 3.0 port. Tons of random issues all related to that.

After solving that, it works like a charm.
 
If you can spring for the Saitek X55, I'd highly recommend it for you. Actually I'd recommend it even if you can't afford it - the quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten. Not only is it a great joystick/throttle combo, but all the switches, buttons, wheels, etc. let you do pretty much whatever you want with it, AND the toggle switches, feel of the throttle, and the backlighting around many of the switches make you feel like you're truly flying a deadly ship.

Give is a shot, my friend; I don't think you'll regret it.
 
I run a Thrustmaster Warthog Hotas. Go big or go home... if your budget allows. You will need yaw pedals too though. It's not a cheap way to go.
 
Newbie Help with Extreme 3D pro joystick

Hi guys

I have been playing the game for a few weeks with mouse and keyboard and voice attack but i really wanted to try out the joystick with it. So i borrowed a Logitech Extreme 3d Pro joystick but im having a really hard time with it. My main issue is that i can fly turn roll no problem at all but when it comes to actually targeting something i can not for the life of me do the small little adjustments to narrow down and actually hit the target. Is there a way to lower the sensitivity i think mine is already fully down but it doesn't really do much when i play with the slider bars.

any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Well the sliders in the control panel of Elite control the deadzone. This causes you to turn/pull/push the joystick further from the center before movement happens. It doesn't really adjust the fidelity of the movement. Now, I use the same joystick because I am a cheep b- but I will say that fidelity of movement is not the Extreme 3D pro's strong point. What you want to do is go to the Device and Printers window in the start button (Windows 7) > Right click on the controller > Game controls settings > Properties > Settings > Calibrate. That should help. Drop (move the slider) of the deadzone in Elite control panel to the left with about 5 or 10 % of the bar left. Now go outside a station and practice controlled movement of the joystick. It does respond pretty good BUT the more expensive joysticks have more sensors for more precision (and price).
 
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