You are Mistaken Nubarus. I Know the "THRUSTMASTER WARTHOG HOTAS" Costs around $450CDN Here while I Purchased My SECOND "THRUSTMASTER FLIGHT HOTAS X for $45CDN, But The "THRUSTMASTER FIGHT HOTAS X" Throttle and Stick THEMSELVES are Based to the CONTOURS of the REAL A-10 THUNDERBOLT II "WARTHOG" .
The TM WARTHOG HOTAS COPIES THE ACTUAL "WARTHOG" HOTAS MORE PRECISELY, INCLUDING DUAL THOTTLES.
You SHOULD Be Able to See the Similarities in the CONTOURS HERE:
THUSTMASTER "WARTHOG" HOTAS:
THRUSTMASTER FIGHT HOTAS X:
I Wish I Could JUSTIFY Spending $450 For a CONTROLLER But EM is the Only Game I Play and I've Already put $1K Into My SYSTEM..
As I Said Before, I LOVE THE TM FLIGHT HOTAS X.....Though It COULD Use Another Half-Dozen Buttons.
You didn't say contours in your initial post, and the Warthog HOTAS is an exact copy of the A10 Warthog HOTAS in the cockpit.
The same as the Cougar HOTAS from CH is an exact copy of the F16 HOTAS in the cockpit.
You can debate all you want about flight sticks and HOTAS systems with me but you won't win that debate in any way.
I have used all the HOTAS systems ever made as well as the majority of the flight sticks out there from the Arcade I joystick to the complex CH Cougar and know exactly what I am talking about regarding them.
I am a flightsim fan for over 30 years and have even flown in real combat fighter simlation systems over the years.
I never had the oppertunity to pilot a real fighter jet but that's ok with me, it was fun enough to amaze the squadron leader of my pilot abilities in the simulator as a mere civilian with no real combat training what so ever.
This is the first joystick I owned a long time ago:
I played Star Raiders as my very first space sim and Spitfire 40 was my first WWII sim and flew every fighter and space sim in between on pretty much every stick system ever build.
So to get back on your initial claim, the HOTAS X looks nothing like HOTAS system build in the A10, the HOTAS Warthog does since it's exact copy.
Also as you can clearly see in the pictures you posted the contours of the 2 HOTAS systems look nothing alike what so ever.
i use a logitech freedom 2.4 , with a g13 gamepad. the thumb stick on the g13 help inertial tons, i would suggest getting it or something similar. It really changed how i play alot. The only other flight game ive played was hawx 2 , fun game verry dependant on missles and speed.
From post: 151039, Topic: tid=847, author=Nubarus wrote:I never had the oppertunity to pilot a real fighter jet but that's ok with me, it was fun enough to amaze the squadron leader of my pilot abilities in the simulator as a mere civilian with no real combat training what so ever.
How 'bout fewer tall tales and more discussion of actual HOTAS features?
Your carrier destroyed, you drift endlessly through the void.
My point is simply that you shouldn't use self-aggrandizement and ad verecundiam to attempt to win a debate. I'm sure there are plenty of other players here who've been playing flight and space sims for decades, so you should probably stick to discussing the facts rather than bragging.
You're not going to convince people by directly telling them that you know more than they do. You have to demonstrate it.
It's your choice of course, I'm not going to press the issue any further.
[Edited on 12-9-2012 by Vainglorious]
Your carrier destroyed, you drift endlessly through the void.
I've done a fair bit of research on current HOTAS offerings—by virtue of reading numerous HOTAS reviews written by sim enthusiasts, browsing a variety of sim enthusiast forums for informal user testimonials, and reading up on the tech specs of various HOTAS setups. I've come to the conclusion that there are only a few worthwhile choices commercially if you desire a full-featured, high-quality HOTAS setup. The Logitech Flight System G940 Force Feedback is no longer in production (thus new ones are far too expensive) and is apparently problematic in that the potentiometers burn out very easily, so I've decided to discount it.
First of all, there's the Saitek X52 Pro Flight System, the least expensive option. It costs $170 on Amazon, or optionally $255 if you include a set of $85 Saitek pedals (you can use twist instead, but the twist can be locked if you prefer pedals). The main issues I've heard about it are that the spring-and-plate centering mechanism can be problematic, that the mechanism gets "loose" after a year or two of use, and that the flip-cover on the middle button looks tacky. The build quality is reportedly good, but not stellar. Other than that though, it's got a mode selector, plenty of buttons, a variety of HAT switches, and so on. The programming software apparently leaves something to be desired, but is still perfectly functional. The stick scores decently on precision tests.
Next, there's the CH Products FighterStick/Pro Throttle/Pro Pedals trio. Together, they cost right around $300 on Amazon. I've heard nothing but stellar reviews of these products. The build quality is reportedly excellent and they're said to be very tough, with bodies made from glass-injected polymer, and reportedly can withstand years of frequent punishing use without the sensors burning out or the action getting loose in any way. They're full-featured, with sophisticated programming software, and between the throttle and stick there are six four-way HATs, two eight-way HATs, a mini-joystick, and numerous buttons including a mode selector. The stick scores very well on precision tests. There's even a two-year warranty, and CH Products customer support is said to be very good. About the only negative thing I've heard about this CH Products trio is that the dual-drum gimbal system can produce "quadranting."
Finally, there's the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog, which costs a whopping $360 on Amazon (much cheaper than it used to be though), or about $470 if you add CH Products pedals (and you'll likely need/want pedals). This baby's got switches and toggles out the wazoo, plenty of buttons and HATs, a mode selector, a split throttle, more features than you can shake a "stick" at really. It's reported to have outstanding build quality, all-metal construction, and high-quality Hall effect sensors for every axis. I haven't heard much about how well it stands up to punishment over a long period of time, though. I don't know much about its programming software, either, but like Saitek's, I gather it's perfectly adequate, though perhaps not as good as CH Products'. It scores incredibly well on precision tests, a bit better than the FighterStick. The main disadvantages of the HOTAS Warthog compared to the CH trio is a lesser warranty, inferior and less responsive (not bad, just inferior) customer service, and I'm uncertain how well it stands up to years of punishment.
Oh yes, almost forgot: There's also the Saitek PRO Flight X-65F Combat Control System, which uses a force-sensing joystick (i.e. it is rigid and translates pressure into motion, rather than the stick actually moving). It's $300 on Amazon, or optionally $385 with a set of Saitek pedals (the stick does have twist if you prefer). I'm a bit dubious about the X-65F myself, not only because of the force-sensing joystick but also because I've heard there are problems with the unit's build quality and other reliability issues. Some people seem to like it well enough, but I dismissed it fairly early on and didn't research it very thoroughly.
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There are a few other options, but most are too cheap/not enough features, out of production and way too expensive, etc. I'd love to hear what other people have to say about flight sim controllers, though.
[Edited on 12-10-2012 by Vainglorious]
Your carrier destroyed, you drift endlessly through the void.
I have an "outside-the-box" way of using joysticks in this game. I use 2 joysticks.
Right joystick for standard airplane manouvers and left one for throttle control and strafing. Works well for me, although requires some getting used to.
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro + Saitek CYborg Command Unit for analog strafing and extra buttons + FreeTrack for looking around. Works pretty sweet :]
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. ~George Bernard Shaw
Incoming bump , I ditched my CH products setup and went with a dual wield stick setup with a Logitech extreme 3d pro and a thrust master tm16k and it feels great! Having two twist axes and the optional Lefty control with the tm16k feels like a glove. Not knocking on the CH effectiveness, but for some reason dual sticks feel more natural to me than stick and throttle. I can't thank you enough Vice for the multiple device control setup! Props and shout out to Sky King for persuading me to use a extreme 3d pro stick! Cheap, ergonomic and gets the job done!
Mouse and Keyboard. I have a xbox controller and a Saitek X52 but I just love the mouse and keyboard. I use the mouse direction Rev Y scheme, not the mouse point scheme. It feels VERY responsive to me and I have very accurate control. I lent my buddy my X52 so he can play Star Citizen with it because I'm not leaving my mouse.
I use a dual joystick and rudder pedals setup with a wireless head tracker similiar to EDTracker (started with that).
Thrustmaster T16000M - used for horizontal and vertical thrusters and yaw
CH Fighterstick - primary flight controls
CH Rudder Pedals - full range throttle control
This setup evolved over a couple months of testing different setups in elite dangerous. I started with the T-Flight HOTAS which was great for starting out but the analog control of thrusters and having full range throttle control on rudder pedals works amazing.
The only downside of this setup is the cost almost bringing you to the Warthog but again traditional HOTAS setups dont give you this level of control. This really excells at IDS off flying.
From post: 183361, Topic: tid=847, author=Brian Rubin wrote:I've got a wacky setup but it works great for me:
Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 stick
Saitek X52 Pro Throttle
CH Pro Pedals
Edtracker Head Tracker
I loooooooove it. The Evochron games are one of the very few space games that recognize all this gear, which makes them even more awesome.
I played around with a very similar setup before i settled on my current 2 joystick setup. I had tried to go full CH though with there throttle and modified center detents which i just didnt like. I was actually looking for a X52 throttle because it does off that. Up side of your setup is that you arent training yourself in a totally wonky setup and you can easily fire up actual flight sim games and play.
++ for the EDTracker! Those guys made an amazing product.
From post: 183685, Topic: tid=847, author=galahir950 wrote:I use a Saitek AV8R-01, a 5 button mouse, and I turned my iPad 2 into a Multi-Function Display.
Here is a picture of my setup, sorry for the mess, I had everything pushed to the side because I was typing.
Good god man. Thats a lot of buttons .
If Im in trouble I just power mash all my keyboard keys and usually something happens.
Do, or do not, there is no try.
- An Asian father.
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Let me get this straight ... you guys are having an arguement over joysticks?
