Which HOTAS should I buy?
- Thread starter UniKin
- Start date
Just a note to say my 16.000 twist go crazy again. (3rd time in 4 months)
Ghost inputs are so massive that "dead zone" to 75% is not enough to get rid of it...
I need to open it AGAIN (for the third time) and see what I can do...
It's a shame because except for this problem, I find it's a great HOTAS. Now I feel it's a good cheap 1rst HOTAS to learn, and then you need to move to something with more quality...
As much as I like the twist binded yay, it's so annoying when it's not working propoerly... I'll try to find another bind scheme for the Yay to not use the twist at all and see how my muscle memory can adjust...
Ghost inputs are so massive that "dead zone" to 75% is not enough to get rid of it...
I need to open it AGAIN (for the third time) and see what I can do...
It's a shame because except for this problem, I find it's a great HOTAS. Now I feel it's a good cheap 1rst HOTAS to learn, and then you need to move to something with more quality...
As much as I like the twist binded yay, it's so annoying when it's not working propoerly... I'll try to find another bind scheme for the Yay to not use the twist at all and see how my muscle memory can adjust...
so another Twist pot failure from thrustmaster build ... All because they wont use high cost true variable resisters designs..
It happened to me all the time. I wont buy them anymore.
The joystick is junk. The throttle is ok, once you find the right lube for it, even though it's a bit limited in inputs compared to other high end ones. It's best to just bite the bullet, get a different joystick and use the throttle with that.
Actually except the twist problem, I did like this HOTAS a lot !
Joystick is very precise, throttle is great, I find there is enough buttons to bind everything so far : I managed to bind everything in a really nice way (to me) and without the base buttons, so I never have to remove my hands (wich really IS the point isn't it ?
)
I found out yesterday the twist problem in my case is even dumber because it is connected to the "mini throttle at the joystick base"...
IF I set the mini throttle to a specific position, then the twist act perfect. But If I move the mini throttle, or even if I set it in another position and let it there, then the twist goes crazy with monster ghost inputs all the time. !!???
It turns out I use the mini throttle for "absolute frequency" of the FSS. And the only mini throttle position wich don't kill the twist, is precisely the setting for ELW in the FSS. Can you believe that ?
Turns out I can use it like this, but I'll need a better long term solution anyway...
Joystick is very precise, throttle is great, I find there is enough buttons to bind everything so far : I managed to bind everything in a really nice way (to me) and without the base buttons, so I never have to remove my hands (wich really IS the point isn't it ?
)I found out yesterday the twist problem in my case is even dumber because it is connected to the "mini throttle at the joystick base"...
IF I set the mini throttle to a specific position, then the twist act perfect. But If I move the mini throttle, or even if I set it in another position and let it there, then the twist goes crazy with monster ghost inputs all the time. !!???
It turns out I use the mini throttle for "absolute frequency" of the FSS. And the only mini throttle position wich don't kill the twist, is precisely the setting for ELW in the FSS. Can you believe that ?
Turns out I can use it like this, but I'll need a better long term solution anyway...
I'd wager the pots for the twist and slider are connected in series, so problems with one can cause issues on the other axis. Both pots should be clean and their wiring checked.
Why use a HOTAS with Elite Dangerous when the keyboard with mouse control is actually better?
Note: I have a TM Warthog and I still prefer the control of keyboard with mouse control in ED better, especially once you get the mouse and thrust/throttle keys set up properly.
see:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dD7LbDOaDU
Note: I have a TM Warthog and I still prefer the control of keyboard with mouse control in ED better, especially once you get the mouse and thrust/throttle keys set up properly.
see:
Wow, that sux. Must be the newest batch. I had my last T16k for 6 months or so and it started that issue. I didn't even use it that much so I was very surprised when it started. That was the last penny I was going to spend on cheap stuff. At $50-80 dollars every time the stupid thing broke, it was a losing scenario if I was doing it every 6-10 months. Plus it had progressively worse centering issues after 3 or 4 months that I had to tweak with dead zones. With Mechwarrior 5 coming out soon, and Star Citizen ( HAHAHA ! As if ! ), I HAD to have a joystick.. It's a sad day when I'm waiting on ANOTHER one to come in.
I've gotta say I am very happy with the VKB Gladiator/SCG setup I have. It took me a while to get the buttons mapped, but now It's very intuitive ( for me at any rate ). Was it a heck of a lot more versus another T16k ? Hell yeah, in the short term. I love my space sims and mech sims, but if I am burning two T16k's a year... thats $120-$160 a year. After two years I've paid for the VKB.. Plus, the VKB is field serviceable, so I can actually FIX it with parts from VKB. AND, I can upgrade the handle to a different model if I feel like it. If I want the SCG Pro handle ? MCG ? F-14 ? All I need is the handle, the base has been upgraded to accept them.
If you like the T16k, you'll love the Gladiator. Tons of buttons ( 36+ ) and 'twist' Z axis..
My set up :
Gladiator Mk.II – VKBcontrollers.com
vkbcontrollers.com
Plus the SCG handle and upgrade kit..
VKB North America
We sell VKB Flight & Space Simulation Controllers for customers in the United States and Canada.
vkbcontrollers.com
Not everyone agrees that KBM is universally better and the video you linked doesn't show anything that isn't easily achievable with a HOTAS, or even a gamepad.
CQC is an especially poor demonstration for the key advantage (precision) that KBM has over most sticks, because all the weapons are effectively gimbaled.
To each his own but if I had to play it with a mouse and KB I wouldn't play it at all.
The point being, Keyboard and Mouse in almost all games is no contest when compared to using a stick and throttle, yet in this sim/game, Keyboard and Mouse can be a viable choice, especially if one is used to playing, FPS style games. My hat is off to the programmers for making it so.
Of course, the immersion really suffers... No argument there. AND I wouldn't use anything but my TM Warthog combo in Falcon BMS, DCS, or some other well known conventional earth bound flight sims.
Using VoiceAttack in conjunction with keyboard/mouse helps out with missing out on the button binding that would have been done with Stick/Throttle combos in ED.
Of course, the immersion really suffers... No argument there. AND I wouldn't use anything but my TM Warthog combo in Falcon BMS, DCS, or some other well known conventional earth bound flight sims.
Using VoiceAttack in conjunction with keyboard/mouse helps out with missing out on the button binding that would have been done with Stick/Throttle combos in ED.
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The video is a bit dishonest in how it portrays what you can do with a joystick and says nothing about using a hotas setup. Also, a lot of us don't play FPS's all that much, so there isn't any muscle memory for the keyboard setup he uses. With my setup, I can pitch, roll, yaw, thrust vertically, and thrust horizontally with just my right hand on the joystick and my thumb on the hat. Forward and backward thrust are done with my left hand on the throttle and I can do a myriad of other functions without moving my hand from the throttle handle. After using flight sims for years, a hotas setup is way more intuitive for me than KB and mouse.
Wow, that sux. Must be the newest batch. I had my last T16k for 6 months or so and it started that issue. I didn't even use it that much so I was very surprised when it started. That was the last penny I was going to spend on cheap stuff. At $50-80 dollars every time the stupid thing broke, it was a losing scenario if I was doing it every 6-10 months. Plus it had progressively worse centering issues after 3 or 4 months that I had to tweak with dead zones. With Mechwarrior 5 coming out soon, and Star Citizen ( HAHAHA ! As if ! ), I HAD to have a joystick.. It's a sad day when I'm waiting on ANOTHER one to come in.
I've gotta say I am very happy with the VKB Gladiator/SCG setup I have. It took me a while to get the buttons mapped, but now It's very intuitive ( for me at any rate ). Was it a heck of a lot more versus another T16k ? Hell yeah, in the short term. I love my space sims and mech sims, but if I am burning two T16k's a year... thats $120-$160 a year. After two years I've paid for the VKB.. Plus, the VKB is field serviceable, so I can actually FIX it with parts from VKB. AND, I can upgrade the handle to a different model if I feel like it. If I want the SCG Pro handle ? MCG ? F-14 ? All I need is the handle, the base has been upgraded to accept them.
If you like the T16k, you'll love the Gladiator. Tons of buttons ( 36+ ) and 'twist' Z axis..
My set up :
Gladiator Mk.II – VKBcontrollers.com
Plus the SCG handle and upgrade kit..
VKB North America
We sell VKB Flight & Space Simulation Controllers for customers in the United States and Canada.
I really like the base of the gladiator with all its buttons. Although I've got a Constellation Alpha on order, I may upgrade my Gladiator too so that it has more inputs on the stick itself. The only downside is the internal parts of the gimbal and sensors are plastic versus the metal ones in the up-scale joystick bases.
True. The gimbals aren't metal. Wish they were. But the industrial plastic is a lot better then the cheaper joysticks and I can get parts. It also dropped the price into a range where I could justify it to myself. Time will tell.
I have the Thrustmaster T16000M flight pack - Stick, Throttle and Pedals. Love them.
I put some grease on the throttle and it acts much better. You want Nyogel 767A dampening lubricant.
I put some grease on the throttle and it acts much better. You want Nyogel 767A dampening lubricant.
Nyogel is pretty much a necessity, you just probably just factor in the cost when you buy the throttle.
Well, the good news is it's expensive... and you'll only use about 1/1000th of what comes in the tube.
I wish you could buy it in smaller tubes. I can't see me ever using all of what I have, especially since I've retired the Thrustmaster throttle.