I'm still amazed my Microsoft Sidewinder Pro (not the FFB one) still works pretty much flawlessly even after having it.... I can't even remember how long. 10 years? My x45 lasted 2 I think but I'm looking for a HOTAS now and am in the same dilemma the OP is in - what to get. They all cost a lot and I don't know anywhere I can go to try them out first.
The Joystick/Controller discussion thread
X-55.First of all, I live in Hong Kong and English is not my first language, please excuse my poor English.
I can't buy things from Amazon and send it back like many player in US, so I got only one chance to choose (unless I buy it again), that's why I have spend a week to do my research about joysticks for ED/ST (reviews on many forum and Youtube channel), here is what I find and what I concern about:
Saitek:
X52 - Outdated, why not X52 Pro?
X52 Pro - screen is useless, adjustable hand rest, not bad, but why not X55?
X55 - Lot of button, looks good, I almost decide to buy it, but many owner said it is too big for some hand, I am not sure whether it is suitable for me as I can't find the length between the hand rest and the button of the stick, can anyone provide the dimensions of the stick itself so that I can measure whether it is fit for my hand? (Comments on this stick are also welcome)
Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X - Seems the quality of this product is quite good, I have think about it...but it looks too cheap and it got only few buttons....
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Too heavy and expensive and need to buy pedals, don't wanna think about it.
CH Product - Many user has mention this brand but I never heard it before in Hong Kong, the design of the stick and throttle looks like a toy, why would people suggest this brand...?
Your comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much!
I have very small hands, but I got used to it.
pros: yaw on stick, lots of buttons on the throttle too.
Just amazing.
I did'nt believe I could enjoy it so much. It took more than a week actually to get used to it coming from mouse+keyboard, but It definitely deserved my efforts. I fly much better and lateral/vertical thrusting in combat adds a lot. Not possible that easy with mouse+keyboard.
Well my x52 broke after 2 months of use. It's perfect for the job and I really liked it up until this point. I'm seeing how competent their support is. The product is designed well, just not built well.
i just wish Logitech had a hotas setup comparable to it.
or that razer or steel series would make a competitor, odd that they haven't with this game and star citizen on the horizon.
i just wish Logitech had a hotas setup comparable to it.
or that razer or steel series would make a competitor, odd that they haven't with this game and star citizen on the horizon.
i agree with this, the only issue i find is that sometimes (due to the light weight nature of the Tflight) it slides around, i just wipe the bottom,and fixed. or the fact that it has a significant dead space. but i still wreck PVP with it, so it's worth the 80$ but you get what you pay for.
if you have the money, get the warthog.
I have a X52-Pro, I love it its great, it almost feels like it was made for this game.
Now the X52 is cheaper and I don't think the difference (purely design) deserves to put more. Go for a X52.
Or if you are loaded just go for the Warthog
Now the X52 is cheaper and I don't think the difference (purely design) deserves to put more. Go for a X52.
Or if you are loaded just go for the Warthog
Force feedback joysticks.
Does Elite support them?
I currently use kb/mouse, which im perfectly content with. I don't really care for a joystick, but if the joystick gave feedback... well, i'd be very interested.
Also, are there any good force feedback joysticks out there? Most of what i find are old used sticks that aren't in production anymore.
Does Elite support them?
I currently use kb/mouse, which im perfectly content with. I don't really care for a joystick, but if the joystick gave feedback... well, i'd be very interested.
Also, are there any good force feedback joysticks out there? Most of what i find are old used sticks that aren't in production anymore.
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My X52 that I bought lost its ability to center after a couple of days. Returned it, got a completely different X52 same problem. I haven't purchased an X52 since and don't plan to. We seem to be a minority in the X52 sphere though.
well done you for being able to fly with keyboard and mouse - you should make a video of that, showing off your skills in combat etc. lots of people would be very interested to see how that works.
As far as I know, the whole force feedback stuff has been crippled by law suits and feuds. I've got an MS Sidewinder Forcefeedback 2, but it's not supported in Windows 8, and even if it was, Elite doesn't have and force feedback support as was already posted. You won't find anything new with force feedback tech because of the big stink over the legal stuff, so that's pretty much killed what was promising to be a good addition to gameplay.
If you do want some kind of feedback there are buttkicker devices out there. Those things you strap to your chair and they basically make vibrations depending on frequencies generated by soundcards - go look them up on google for more info. That's about all the feedback that you can get at the moment.
It would be fantastic if the legal stuff went away and someone bought out a new forcefeedback hotas that was as kick ass as my old sidewinder was in it's day. That would make for a very interesting experience. But frankly, I don't know if it would be good enough to become a "wow" moment - like when turning on head tracking for the first time.
As far as I know, the whole force feedback stuff has been crippled by law suits and feuds. I've got an MS Sidewinder Forcefeedback 2, but it's not supported in Windows 8, and even if it was, Elite doesn't have and force feedback support as was already posted. You won't find anything new with force feedback tech because of the big stink over the legal stuff, so that's pretty much killed what was promising to be a good addition to gameplay.
If you do want some kind of feedback there are buttkicker devices out there. Those things you strap to your chair and they basically make vibrations depending on frequencies generated by soundcards - go look them up on google for more info. That's about all the feedback that you can get at the moment.
It would be fantastic if the legal stuff went away and someone bought out a new forcefeedback hotas that was as kick ass as my old sidewinder was in it's day. That would make for a very interesting experience. But frankly, I don't know if it would be good enough to become a "wow" moment - like when turning on head tracking for the first time.
I have a CH Throttle and Joystick, and am very happy with the setup, but you should realize there is no twist stick for Yaw. That means pedals or use the yaw modifier button. You could also use the mini-joystick on the throttle, but since I have pedals, I use that for up/down/left/right traverse.
Might want to watch this CH vs. X52 comparison specific to Elite (thanks Brumster)
[video=youtube;ceOdOytgT64]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceOdOytgT64[/video]
Might want to watch this CH vs. X52 comparison specific to Elite (thanks Brumster)
[video=youtube;ceOdOytgT64]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceOdOytgT64[/video]
MSFFB2 works fine in Windows 8.1.. The motors provide the centering force, same as with any unsupported game/sim.
This may help even though the reviewer does not like mine.
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-pc-joysticks/
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-pc-joysticks/
What was the legal problem with force feedback? I missed all that going down.
I've been looking for a FF joystick for ages and wondered why nobody made them any more. I had a MS FF2 as well and it was the most wonderful thing. Saitek joysticks feel extremely shoddy and lightweight in comparison.
I've been looking for a FF joystick for ages and wondered why nobody made them any more. I had a MS FF2 as well and it was the most wonderful thing. Saitek joysticks feel extremely shoddy and lightweight in comparison.
... i don't know if you are being sarcastic or not... the rest of your post seems genuine though. Are there really not that many people that play this game with Kb/mouse setups?
I've looked into those butt kicker things. They seem cool. And that wow moment, i know all about that. I first installed the game, and started it up to make sure it was all up and good. Ran through the tutorials and what not. Then went to the graphic settings and enabled my Rift. Being able to just look around and see everything is really one of my top wow moments in the Rift.
In anywhich case though. Both of my roomates fly with sticks and throttles. I played with em, and flight assist off is a dream with a joystick, but they wern't good enough for me to want to go out and buy a joystick. The force feedback idea came up and that would have been a decision maker. Oh well. Maybe one day.
In my opinion, two joysticks are much better for Elite than a HOTAS, as I find the increased accuracy for lateral thrusters outperforms the HOTAS's accuracy on throttle. The Thrustmaster T16000M perfectly suits that, as it is both cheap and precise, plus it can be built to either be used in the right or left hand. It is also possible to use a HOTAS + a second stick, and switch your hand between them as need be. I used to combine the X52 and one T16000M that way, before I abandoned the throttle for its lack of use, especially in FAoff-mode. I simply mapped forward-thrust / backward-thrust to the left-hand stick, and it feels much better to control.
There is a company squatting on the patent for those rumble packs that were popular in the late '90's, early 2000s. They have asserted that all force feedback tech is derived from the rumble pack and have been suing manufacturers on that basis. They don't seem interested in developing new products themselves, preferring to extort license fees from others. I haven't really looked into it very deeply, though, so I probably have an incomplete understanding of the situation. I think the company that holds the patents is called Immersion.
Patent trolls are the worst. Think of all the new tech breakthroughs that have been buried under legal tape because of patent extortion. Makes me sad.
KB + Mouse or Joystick?
I'm just curious as to how many players use keyboards and mice compared to joysticks. Personally, I fly with FA off and I find joysticks to just not be precise enough to aim and move efficiently. They also don't have all the keys I need in close proximity to each other. A joystick has a stick with a trigger, a few buttons on top, a throttle and some buttons around the base. There usually aren't enough buttons around the base for me to sit my left hand in one spot and control all my thrusters - up/down, forward/backward and left/right. With a keyboard, I have all the buttons I need right there - W/S, A/D, R/F, and Q/E to roll. The stick is also a bit... bulky, and it doesn't allow me to make the small, incremental adjustments to my heading I need to keep my fixed weapons on target. I've heard of but never really looked into a HOTAS controller, though.
I'm interested to hear anything anybody has to say on the topic, so please - post away!
I'm just curious as to how many players use keyboards and mice compared to joysticks. Personally, I fly with FA off and I find joysticks to just not be precise enough to aim and move efficiently. They also don't have all the keys I need in close proximity to each other. A joystick has a stick with a trigger, a few buttons on top, a throttle and some buttons around the base. There usually aren't enough buttons around the base for me to sit my left hand in one spot and control all my thrusters - up/down, forward/backward and left/right. With a keyboard, I have all the buttons I need right there - W/S, A/D, R/F, and Q/E to roll. The stick is also a bit... bulky, and it doesn't allow me to make the small, incremental adjustments to my heading I need to keep my fixed weapons on target. I've heard of but never really looked into a HOTAS controller, though.
I'm interested to hear anything anybody has to say on the topic, so please - post away!
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HOTAS Saitek X-55 Rhino hands down . Brings true emersion to the game.
Just ordered that tonight as well. My other HOTAS didn't have enough buttons.