Recomended joystick?

[Rocky_53 1,579]

I have used, initially, the MS Sidewinder, then up until recently the Saitek X 52 pro. Now I don't wish to be disrespectful to guys who may have these controllers, but after having owned them myself I think I am qualified to offer an opinion... If you want a joystick, then save up or beg or borrow and get a Hotas Warthog, IMO there is no similarity whatsoever to any other joystick on the market. I had considered going from the x52 pro to a yoke, but after having handled the Saitek and the CP products offerings I'm afraid I found them a joke. Plasticky and built to a low price. I would have loved to have got my hands on one of the better offerings from the likes of Elite, but they really are quite out of my range money wise. As for functions on the Warthog, I have more switches and buttons than I actually need! However, unlike some of the cheaper sticks, the Warthog does not have a rudder facility built into the grip and so unless you allocate buttons to the rudder, you will need to invest in a set of rudder pedals. As I said, the Saitek does what it is supposed to do, but to be honest, the Warthog is in a league all of it's own.

[Virtualwombat 4]

+1 for the Warthog. Best stick I've owned. Previous to that I had a MS Sidewinder. If you go force feedback, get FS Force:http://www.dirks-software.ca/fs-force/download.htmCheers,Noel.

[Fozzer 1]

Good grief!..... ...!£350!.... ...!http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thrustmaster-Hotas-Warthog-Joystick-and-Throttle-PC-NEW-/300489650163That's equivalent to 3-1/2 hours flying time in my local Club's Cessna 150/152!I think I'll stick to my £35 Saitek Cyborg Evo force, and save the money for my real flights... ...!Paul....a bit reluctant to spend loadsa money... ...!

[ViperPilot 81]

What I want is an exact duplicate of the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, only basically rebuildable, with precision CNC machined steel or aluminum, ball bearing supported gimbals, replaceable, high quality pots, and a base that can be filled with lead shot or something so I don't have to hold the damn thing down with one hand while I fly with the other. I'd pay $300 for this stick if someone would just make it. Seriously I would, maybe more if I knew it was the last stick I'd ever buy, does anyone know of someone who makes custom joysticks? It seems there should be some machinist types out there that are also into FS that have or could pull this off?Jim

Jim,I don't think a creature like that exists! The closest joysticks (material, construction wise) that I've seen are either the Warthog or the Cougar; the high end sticks seem to be modeled after ones in Fighter/ Attack aircraft.I've been through a number of joysticks through the years (Suncom, Thrustmaster FCS, Logitech, Saitek)... the last one I ended up with was the Cyborg Gold USB and it worked great for me until I decided to make the jumpinto a Yoke. I chose the CH Eclipse because of the built in rudder paddles, and I like it a lot; it's smooth, and has more than enough buttons, knobs, etc. for me! Alan :(

[Rocky_53 1,579]

Good grief!..... ...!£350!.... ...!

Nope, £268 from Amazon.co.uk! I like to think that it's a bit like the guy who spends £45 on an office chair when he spends 8 hours a day, 6 days a week at his desk! I mean, ask yourself, how important is it to have a good controller?

[billg1949 0]

It may be 350 pounds but don't forget....you get FREE shipping!

[MarkW 1,491]

CH Products yoke is good. Probably better out there but for the price it's great . Mark

[ViperPilot 81]

Nope, £268 from Amazon.co.uk! I like to think that it's a bit like the guy who spends £45 on an office chair when he spends 8 hours a day, 6 days a week at his desk! I mean, ask yourself, how important is it to have a good controller?

It is important to have a good controller, but forking out almost $700.00 (including rudder pedals) is a pretty hefty chunk of change for gaming hardware... kind of like spending $850.00 for a Herman Miller office chair!Of course, if you have that type of "disposable" income... then by all means go for it!Alan

[Jim Robinson 122]

Jim,I don't think a creature like that exists!

Hi Alan, I'm afraid you're right. I've spent half the afternoon trying to google something up and haven't had any luck. I was looking at the CH site again though and I see they also make joysticks for I would assume heavy equipment/excavators and stuff too. I'm sure they aren't cheap and I suppose they'd need some type of controller to work with a PC, but they'd need to be high quality stuff for comercial use like that? A twitchy joystick could put an excavator bucket through the cab of a dump truck pretty easily. It looks like they have a 3-axis unit with a bazillion buttons on it, I don't know what you'd do for throttle, maybe one of the buttons could be a slider. Probably way out any reasonable price range for FS anyway, I suppose.I guess I'll just order up a pallet of these logitech Extreme 3D Pro sticks, there should be one amongst them that works properly I'd think :( .Jim

[GHD 21]

I've had a few Saiteks, X52 and Cyborgs, and hated them.Currently I have two MS FFs, one of which I've had for about 10 years and the other I got on ebay about a year ago. I run them both with FF turned off. I also have CH pedals on one of my machines.George

[oldbear 33]

That's equivalent to 3-1/2 hours flying time in my local Club's Cessna 150/152!

..or about 1 - 1/2 hours in a Warrior at White Waltham! You need James May's earnings to fly there. Check out the car park..I use a Logitech Extreme Pro which is pretty good, and might be worth a look. The twist grip rudder took some getting used to though. Makes it too easy to cross the controls on approach. Ian

[Kosta 122]

I love my MSFF2 which is running together with FSForce. The combo which no other joystick (to my knowledge) can surpass...

[Fozzer 1]

..or about 1 - 1/2 hours in a Warrior at White Waltham! You need James May's earnings to fly there. Check out the car park.. I use a Logitech Extreme Pro which is pretty good, and might be worth a look. The twist grip rudder took some getting used to though. Makes it too easy to cross the controls on approach. Ian

Buggar...http://www.herefordshireaeroclub.com/trial-lessons.aspThe price has gone up somewhat since the last time I flew there. Probably due to the increase in the price of AvGas.... ...!It was £100 per hour...now £135....for a C150/C152!.... ....!I like the joysticks ease of the ability to cross the controls; Ailerons+ Rudder + Elevator... ..All done one-handed!(As the Bishop said to the Actress).Paul....Saitek Cyborg Evo Force.... ..!

[Superpilotv2 2]

CH Products yoke is good. Probably better out there but for the price it's great . Mark

So you can recommend on them? I'm thinking of getting a yoke as my current one doesn't satisfy my really. It's good for its price but I'm feeling of getting something better for the NGX. Maybe Christmas will be a chance to have enough money to get a yoke.

[oldbear 33]

Buggar...http://www.herefords...ial-lessons.aspThe price has gone up somewhat since the last time I flew there. Probably due to the increase in the price of AvGas.... ...!It was £100 per hour...now £135....for a C150/C152!.... ....!

I just looked it up. Pa28-161 Warrior dual instruction is now a mere £204 per hour... Should be called the Millionaires Squadron...Ian