Time for my first HOTAS, advice needed

Globusdiablo

Globusdiablo
Hey all

I've been flying with a wireless 360 controller, but Horizons and the buggy have pushed me over the edge. I'll be getting myself my first HOTAS for christmas. But what to buy?

Here are some of my primary thoughts:

  • I really like the twist rudder stick on the Saiteks (are they the only ones?)
  • My price range is max Saitek Rhino
  • Does E: D auto detect HOTAS, and for which ones?
  • Most important of all, I really want something that is plug and play. I hate having to spend hours configuring bindings. So which is easiest to set up, and which has best E: D support?

I've never actually tried a HOTAS, but I've read a lot of different reviews. Things seem to be pointing towards Saitek (twist stick), but alternatives, thoughts and recommendations are very welcome.

Thanks in advance, and fly safe.

Edit/update: I went with the Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X. Very pleased with what I got, especially at the price point of approximately 40 pounds.

I'm now trying to optimise bindings and such.
 
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EUS

EUS
Can only speak about the X52, and X55 (is that the Rhino?)
Both have out of the box configurations in ED, but you'll want to tweak them.
Drivers required.
Win7 64bit.
 

LeLv30_Superbus

LeLv30_Superbus
Then get an X52. I'm using a Warthog myself but it's clearly not for you. I've flown an X52 too, back in 2003-2010 and it was good. Avoid Saitek's own drivers, just use it as a HID device if you can.
 
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Valethar

Valethar
Saitek's QC is horrible. Be prepared to have a faulty unit that will require you to jump through hoops to RMA, then wait forever to get it back.

They know the QC sucks, but they don't care. Best to perhaps save some more and get a better unit. The Warthog gets generally positive reviews, but lacks a twist rudder. The twist is likely the only reason Saitek sells any of their sticks. If the Warthog had it, I imagine Saitek would be less cocky and might actually address their defective builds.
 

EUS

EUS
Pedals required, which brings the cost to twice what the x55 hotas is (just checked newegg).
 
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Slippery Jim DiGriz

Slippery Jim DiGriz
Valethar said:
Saitek's QC is horrible.
Click to expand...

When my Logitech 3D finally died I tried the Mad Catz Cyborg Fly 5 stick, Mad Catz being a Siatek subsidiary and I was initially quite impressed, a comfortable stick with a good selection of well positioned controls, very nice.

It lasted a whole 6 days before one of the buttons broke off, well it could have been an anomaly so I took it back and got another one, that one the POV hat lost one axis after a day and a bit. Conclusion: Avoid Mad Catz, while Saitek's QC is horrible it seems Mad Catz is non-existent.

I felt sorry for the dealer I was mucking about returning stuff so I got a X52, oddly no where near as adjustable as the far cheaper Mad Catz but once configured it's nice. The build quality does leave a bit to be desired but nothings fallen off yet. The throttle detents are far too stiff so I opened it up and removed the springy things and it's a bit better but there's still some bounce back on the throttle which makes precise adjustment tricky.

If you can find a dealer and have a play around with a variety of sticks it would be time well spent.
 

Tiger Bill

Tiger Bill
I've been using the HOTAS throttle & stick since January & I have to say I love it. That said you would need to spend a little time setting up the buttons to your preferences.

I have the yaw set on a thumb controller on the throttle, it's not anywhere near as nice as an analog controller would be but it works fine. IMHO forget about the twist stick.
 

Killakiwi

K
Spend a few days on ebay and see if you can pick up a cheap used Hotas at first i have seen them go for anything from $25 and up for an X52. Then if you enjoy it invest in something once the used one breaks.
 

CMDR Kantos Kan

CMDR Kantos Kan
EUS said:
Can only speak about the X52, and X55 (is that the Rhino?)
Both have out of the box configurations in ED, but you'll want to tweak them.
Drivers required.
Win7 64bit.
Click to expand...

Same here. I highly recommend them. Works out of the box in ED. Drivers required for Windows but none for Mac OS X.
 

Bacalao

Bacalao
I would suggest this. It's cheap, it's comfortable, it's effective, it has enough buttons in sensible places. I tried an X55 and hated it, put me off HOTAS completely, a couple friends had T flight HOTAS X and recommended it so I warily gave it a try, it is excellent and you can by 5 of them for the price of an X55. Plus you can get one, try it out and see how you like a HOTAS, if you want something more....complicated....you can always "upgrade", you've only invested $40 and you have a backup HOTAS for when your Saitek breaks!
 
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nosleepdemon

nosleepdemon
I have an X52 pro and would not recommend it to anyone, despite FD plugging it. The build quality is just rubbish and after a year of extremely gentle use, the stick is generating noisey output on the roll/x axis and also on the thumb stick. The directional switch on the throttle frequently doesn't register my input, and the flip switch on the joystick broke after the very first evening of play. Avoid like the plague.
 

Bacalao

Bacalao
Globusdiablo said:
Does this HOTAS have the twist stick?
Click to expand...

Yes it does, it's very easy to set up all 6 axis on it, my only critique is that the cord connecting the two could be longer, it's just long enough to stretch across an armchair, it would be nice if it had a little more slack in it.
 

grammatonfeather

grammatonfeather
I've owned Saitek HOTAS since the days of Jane's F15. The first saitek used the old PC analog D-connector. I've been using the X-52 pro for a number of years and have no issues with it. I see no reason to upgrade. The only issue I've had isn't hardware but the Saitek drivers aren't signed which means the key-press programming won't work unless you switch windows into test-mode. It sounds dramatic but it isn't. The mad katz driver for macros and key presses is blocked without warning (windows won't tell you this when you install the drivers and profiler software).

A friend a mine bought HOTAS last week. He was going to buy the X-55 but had doubts when he read about some deadzone issues? I like the look of the X-55.

The Thrustmaster looks nice.

Saitek was purchased by MadKatz and Madkatz doesn't have a good reputation as far as I can tell. Not had any issues with X-52 though so I'm not worried.

X-52 pro version is well built. Solid. Looks and feels nice.

Love the twist rudders. Buttons, rotary dials, hat switches, dual position trigger, pinky shift switch, 3 mode selector wheel so u can have 3 different assignments for EVERY function.
 
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