Hi,

I’m new to Avsim. Been flying FSX with a Saitek yoke and throttle for several years now. Looking to start upgrading the hardware to a much more realistic rig. Started with online shopping for MCP, throttles, etc. I realize the high end setups have to run some interface software but I haven’t found a good source of info to figure out what that part is all about. In fact, some hardware seems to indicate it is USB as if it can plug into the PC direct without any other software?

is there a comprehensive online resource that can help me understand how these system work and are connected?

Thanks!

You might be overthinking this.

Modern controllers connect to the PC via USB interface. Windows recognises these devices as a standard Game Controller and if the flightsimulator has a default configuration for this it will be applied but you can always make your own assignments of axes and buttons.
Drivers are often optional but they can enable features on the device that the native Windows driver does not support. Sometimes there is a plugin/driver for a specific flightsim as well.

More complex devices like (parts of) cockpits and instruments like a GPS do require drivers and probably also a plugin for the flightsim you are using it with.

A few require extra interface software but these are not many and it should be mentioned on their website. Often they will work with SPAD.next, FSUIPC or Axis and Ohs which are generic software interfaces that can support a whole range of devices.