The Joystick/Controller discussion thread
It was something I was curious about too.
Does anyone have any views on force-feedback joysticks? I am a bit confused to what they do and if its going to be useful for the game.
Also does anyone have a view about the Logitech 3d pro? I've seen it going cheap somewhere..
I have a 3d pro atm, but after 3-4 years of use its starting to die on me. 1 button only responds half the time and the top hat has become mushy from all the thruster correction that I use in Elite.
I'm thinking of buying a T Flight Hotas since it seems to have better build quality AND a proper throttle.
I could buy an x52 pro, but the reviews on it don't fill me with confidence, since it seems that the quality of Saitek products has become really sub-par. If someone could change my opinion, I'd be glad, since it looks awesome and I would really love to have it, if not for the quality concerns.
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If you're happy with the 3d Pro, I'd suggest TH X for the Throttle and a new 3d Pro for the stick; s'what I use and I think it's perfect.
logitech 3d pro here... Thank god these things have a warranty as I'm on my 3rd in as many months... Broken hat on the first one, ghost inputs near center of x axis on the second... Will see how long this newest one lasts. The stick also has a big mechanical dead zone which = yuck... For 35$ tho, not so bad.
I recently bought my CH setup and can tell you, forget everything else and get ch, everything Ving said is correct plus once you get used to the rudder pedals to yaw you might find os much much precise than a twist stick. Plus this things are tanks, they never broke, not even in 20 years according to old ownersI can't comment on the Warthog as I've never used one, but the videos that Witcherman linked have some useful info.
One reason not to mix and match with CH Products is that you will lose some functionality:
1) Multiple CH devices can appear as one device to windows, which can be useful if you are using lots of controllers (stick, throttle, rudders, head tracking, gaming keyboard etc) as E: D only supports 4 max
2) The assignable 'shift' button function works across controllers, e.g. assign shift to a pinky button on the stick or throttle, and then you have all other buttons on the stick & throttle available for shifted functions
3) Mode switching. CH Control Manager allows you to define actions for 3 different modes and then switch them with one global button on the stick or throttle (with corresponding green/red/amber light), so one button press and your whole config can be changed across all CH devices. I love this feature so much and make extensive use of the 3 different modes, which I use for 1) general flying, 2) combat, and 3) exploration / Supercruise / forum browsing (alt-tab on thumb hat/trigger ftw)
If you're the sort of person that likes to tinker you may also like the fact that the CH software allows you to program all the devices, buttons, and axes via scripting. You can also control what scripts execute based on which of the modes you are in. For instance, I have a normal throttle profile for general flying, a scaled profile for combat where 50% of the throttle throw is in the blue zone (instead of the normal 20%), and a stepped profile for exploration and Supercruise with increments of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%. I don't know of any other products where you can do that kind of crazy stuff
Hope that helps.
No love for CH Pro in the poll? Heresy I say!
I love my CH setup. The pedals could have a bit more space between them they are TOUGH.
I love my CH setup. The pedals could have a bit more space between them they are TOUGH.
Many older games would only see a single game controller. The advantage of the combined device driver implemented by CH and Thrustmaster enable multiple devices to be connected together but appear as a single device to the OS.
Modern games should be programmed to see and make use of multiple controllers (as ED does) but it's in no way guaranteed.
I.e. it always possible for a game to only make use of the primary controller, in which case separately plugged stick and throttle couldn't be used together. CH and TM can.
As I play on Xbox (CONSOLE PEASANT ALERT CONSOLE PEASANT ALERT) I dont have much of a choice, though I believe a flight-stick peripheral has become available...?
Anyway, I manage to digress in the space of a sentence: I am mostly experienced with playing with a controller, but I first tried Elite at Eurogamer last year and had the pleasure of using a flight stick, which I have to say is undeniably superior. FD did an amazing job porting the controls onto a controller (seriously, I was blown away by how well they manage it) but you just have so much more precision with a stick.
I'm going to be honest, as my stint on the stick (eeeeeeer lol) was my first ever go on Elite, I was horribad. Humiliatingly so. To compound it, David Braben himself was watching me play. I had no idea as I was also hooked up to an Oculus Rift; I could blame my poor show on that disorienting piece of kit, but I wont, I was just a straight up nubby noob haha. Even so, when I did get to shoot at my target (what I chronically struggled with was speed management and using thrusters) I found the stick very precise for aiming.
Anyway, I manage to digress in the space of a sentence: I am mostly experienced with playing with a controller, but I first tried Elite at Eurogamer last year and had the pleasure of using a flight stick, which I have to say is undeniably superior. FD did an amazing job porting the controls onto a controller (seriously, I was blown away by how well they manage it) but you just have so much more precision with a stick.
I'm going to be honest, as my stint on the stick (eeeeeeer lol) was my first ever go on Elite, I was horribad. Humiliatingly so. To compound it, David Braben himself was watching me play. I had no idea as I was also hooked up to an Oculus Rift; I could blame my poor show on that disorienting piece of kit, but I wont, I was just a straight up nubby noob haha. Even so, when I did get to shoot at my target (what I chronically struggled with was speed management and using thrusters) I found the stick very precise for aiming.
I've been using my Mad Catz fly 5 for a while and it worked super.. until I upgraded to windows 10. Now the rudder (z-axis) doesn't work correctly and Saitek won't reply to my messages.
Yes, I know, I've played most of them. Even some new games that are not meant to use a joystick, try to use it, and disable the keyboard inputs while doing so.
Are you using a USB3 port? My FLY5 stopped working completely when I bootcamped my Mac to W10 using the internal ports, but plugging it into an external powered USB2 hub made everything work as normal. It would power on, but no input whatsoever unless using a hub. I suspect MS need new chipset drivers.
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I just tried that too.. but it didn't solve my problem. But thanks for the tip.
Everything works perfect except for that when I twist the handle left (left rudder) it turns right at first and then full rudder left.. very strange.. I now use my xbox-controller until new drivers appear.
Did you disable it complitely somehow? I only know the way to disable it until next reboot.
I'm more than happy with my Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X. It doesn't look as pretty as a Saitek, but it seems pretty reliable (although I've only had it for four/five months).
I'm hoping that I'll be able to get the Thrustmaster Warthog eventually, but that thing is REALLY expensive - I'd have a hard time explaining it to my wife! I was considering getting a Saitek X-52 for a while but I've read a few horror stories and decided that the cost of it wasn't worth the risk.
I'm hoping that I'll be able to get the Thrustmaster Warthog eventually, but that thing is REALLY expensive - I'd have a hard time explaining it to my wife! I was considering getting a Saitek X-52 for a while but I've read a few horror stories and decided that the cost of it wasn't worth the risk.
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In what way has it broken?
There are known issues with the build quality control of Saitek X52s, but many of the problems - unresponsive throttle buttons, broken detents on the throttle, for example - are easily fixed at home with a screwdriver, a bit of glue and not caring about your warranty.
Unless you're going to return the stick for a refund, you could fix it yourself.
There are known issues with the build quality control of Saitek X52s, but many of the problems - unresponsive throttle buttons, broken detents on the throttle, for example - are easily fixed at home with a screwdriver, a bit of glue and not caring about your warranty.
Unless you're going to return the stick for a refund, you could fix it yourself.
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Thrustmaster Warthog will be in the High End, on the about the same level, Take a look at the Cobra Here https://flightsimcontrols.com/store/
The other option is CH Throttle and stick, pedals will be needed. About double the cost of the X52/Pro but way less than the Warthog.
The other option is CH Throttle and stick, pedals will be needed. About double the cost of the X52/Pro but way less than the Warthog.