I recently installed DCS again and bought the F/A-18. My old joystick, a Microsoft Sidewinder which I've had since FS98, might be in need of a replacement. What I miss, is the the ability to program most of the buttons on the joystick. It will make flying the airplane a bit easier if I don't have to use the keyboard for everything. What I was looking at buying, was the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog. It has a steep price, but I figured it might be worth it. But then I saw that the joystick does not have separate rudder axis, which my old joystick does have. This means that I also have to buy rudder pedals, which might be a bit to costly for me at this point.

I have looked at the Thrustmaster T.1600M which does seem to offer a lot programmable buttons, but it is in completely different price range, so I was wondering if anyone have any experience with it? Or if someone could suggest another joystick?

Hi Marius,

I have the Thrustmaster T.16000M joystick and really like it.  I had been using a CH products yoke but the pots became very spikey (did have good service for a number of years though) making straight and level flight a challenge.  The T.16000M utilizes Hall effect sensors, the joystick really allows for fine adjustments to the pitch and roll axes.  I do have a separate set of rudder pedals so cannot comment on how well the "twist" feature works as a rudder. 

I was also a bit skeptical initially of the joystick's quality due to its price but have been using it for approximately a year and have had no issues so far.  IMHO it does not feel at all like a low priced product.  Additionally, as you mentioned, there are lots of programmable buttons so no worries there.  Hope this helps you in your decision.

I've had the T16000M (and TCS) for a little over a year and lately the twist action on the stick is malfunctioning. A slight movement, either left or right, cause the axis to move quite jerkily or spin around indiscriminately. I don't know whether it is accumulated crud or whether the actual contact points are on the blink but it has rendered the twist action unusable. I have mapped my rudder to the paddles on the TCS instead and they are working without a problem. Only issue there is that I cannot lift my hand off the throttle lever on V1 as I need it to steer. Minor point.

Other than the twist action going AWOL the joystick and TCS work well for a product at this price point.

Marius, hello

I have had my Thrustmaster 16000M for over 4 years.  Never missed a beat.

I use the 'twist action' for tiller steering and I have CH peddles for the rudder.

Can recommend the Trustmaster.

 

Cheers

I’ve had the T1600M for several years. Still running like new, never let me down, comfortable in use. Couldn’t justify higher price of hotas and never regretted buying T1600.

Another so-far unmentioned aspect of the T.16000M is the ability to change quickly to a left-hand grip, so a left-seat side stick option is doable a la Airbus or Cirrus.  The Warthog is fixed-form for right-hand stick and left-hand throttles.

The T.16000M has Hall Effect (magnetic non-contact) sensors on the pitch/bank/yaw axes, but a standard pot for the single throttle slider.  The Warthog has HE sensors on pitch/bank and both throttle axes.

The Warthog can accept a variety of stick-extenders for a more realistic long-throw action, and is mounted on a heavy metal base.

The T.16000M is a very good low-budget controller...that said, the Warthog is worth every penny in its higher-end price range as well.  You do get what you pay for.

Regards

Appreciate all your replies. I've looked a bit more, and came over the Logitech X56. Slightly more expensive than the T.1600, but how does it compare?

22 hours ago, Marius_S said:

Appreciate all your replies. I've looked a bit more, and came over the Logitech X56. Slightly more expensive than the T.1600, but how does it compare?

It doesn't seem to do too well on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saitek-X-56-Rhino-T-System/product-reviews/B01CZTSS3O

As a much better alternative to the T.16000M, why not look for a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback II joystick on eBay (avoid the mk1 version)? They may have been out of production for some years but the build quality and reliability are both excellent and you can pick up a good used one for a very reasonable price. The forces work with most games and for the others it feels just like a standard joystick.

Hmm, too bad about those reviews for the X56. I really like the amount of buttons, plus two throttle axis. As for the Sidewinder Force Feedback, it does look like a nice joystick. The drawback is that it has the same amount of buttons as the one I have, so it doesn't really help me unfortunately. I guess I might go for the T.1600 or save up for the Warthog plus rudder pedals.

But thanks for all your replies!