20 Best Hotas For Elite Dangerous (2023 Updated)

I bought this to use to fly jets in MSFS 2020 and it works well. Setup is automatic in MSFS but you will need to understand how to use the control option settings in MSFS at some point. For example, the TWCS throttle and the throttle on the joystick can interfere with each other, so I find it best to remove the throttle setting for the joystick.

The T. A. R. G. E. T. software is not necessary to understand or even use unless you are deep into gaming. I don’t plan to pursue that at all but it’s there if you want to. I was using the Logitech Extreme 3D joystick to fly before and wanted a better throttle.

With this bundle, getting the throttle along with the joystick is only slightly more expensive than getting just the throttle alone, so I opted for the joystick combo. To make things even simpler in MSFS, I basically turned off all the assorted buttons on the throttle to avoid conflicts and only re-added button 1 to activate afterburners in MSFS F-18 jet.

As I get more familiar with the settings, I might add some buttons back. Otherwise, I remapped flaps, parking brake, trim, and int/ext view to the left buttons on the joystick base because I use the stick right-handed and don’t want to remove my hand from the joystick to change settings while flying or reach around with my left hand.

I set the landing gear and spoilers to the right/left buttons on the top of the stick respectively, similiar to the setup I used on the Logitech settings. Overall, I don’t have any issuesto report but can’t comment on the long term durability since I have only been using it now for a week or so.

Since I also use the Thrustmaster rudder pedals, I wish the twist on the joystick could be prevented, but that is only possible on the Airbus version. Lastly, I did loosen the slide of the throttle a little by adjusting the tension screw to make it work more smoothly.

As I recall, you need to put the throttle in the full power position to see the screw from the underside. That was a bit confusing in the instructions. The nice thing about this setup and MSFS is that you can reset everything on the throttle/joystick to default settings if you mess things up too much.

I mostly fly using VR goggles, so it will take some time to remember the button assignments and find them by feel, but I am happy with the setup and the flying experience in VR is simply amazing.

These things were made to fit with Elite Dangerous in their color choices. Tons of buttons, but I understand the criticism in reviews on physical placement of the hat switch on the top and the buttons on the base can be awkward to find your way around.

I frequently have to look at it in order to know which one I am pressing, which was fine-ish with the first one I got which didn’t get super bright until you floored it in one direction. Unfortunately mine developed some issues with drift and return to neutral.

I kept increasing the deadzone to try and compensate, but eventually had to touch base with Thrustmaster. The service was meh, but they did replace it under warranty and send me a new joystick at no charge.

Which is where I touch on the dumb lights at the base of the joystick. the replacement model they sent me doesn’t have the issues with drift, but Thrustmaster at some point replaced the correlative lighting with a very, very bright constant light.

You will find complaints about that feature all over the internet and I keep meaning to snip the wires because it’s very distracting when you’re playing something dark like Elite Dangerous and keep having to look right into that light to determine which base button you’re ambiguously about to push.

All in all very solid though, it was a massive upgrade from the T-Flight and works great with the Monstertech chair mounts, even if those will drive you to bankruptcy. Most of the buttons and trigger feel fine, but some of the hat choices on the throttle seem silly.

You get used to it though.

One of the BEST Flight Systems you can buy! Although, there are not many options available at the time of writing this as many of these Flight Sets are becoming more and more difficult to purchase in New or Unused conditions.

Many models are being discontinued and unavailable anywhere for purchase. which leaves limited options. However, This set is a more up-to-date model in keeping up with current technology. The T. 16000M FCS features 4 independent axes, including twist rudder (controlled by rotating the stick), 16 action buttons with “braille”-style physical button identification, one 8-way Point of View (PoV) hat switch and an ergonomic trigger.

Its striking orange accents and backlighting bring gamers’ immersion to a whole new level. T. 16000M FCS flight stick Exclusive precision: H. E. A. R. T* HallEffect AccuRate Technology™! 3D (Hall Effect) magnetic sensors located on the stick (*US patent: US08471815) Precision levels 256 times greater than current systems (16-bit resolution: 16000 x 16000 values!) Magnets ensure friction-free action for razor-sharp precision that won’t decrease over time Helical spring (0.

1” / 2. 8 mm in diameter) inside the stick providing firm, linear and smooth tension Fully ambidextrous joystick! 3 removable components allow the joystick to be perfectly tailored for left-handed or right-handed use Piloting with a joystick in each hand is now possible in all games compatible with two joysticks 16 action buttons with “braille”-style physical button identification! 12 on the base and 4 on the stick + one 8-way Point of View hat switch Switch allowing users to configure the 12 buttons located on the base in a left- or right-handed position 4 independent axes, including twist rudder (controlled by rotating the stick) Ergonomic trigger for brake (civilian flight) or rapid fire (military flight, space simulation) control Multidirectional hat switch (for panoramic view) Ergonomic design for optimum comfort Wide hand rest for reduced stress Weighted base for enhanced stability TWCS throttle TWCS (Thrustmaster Weapon Control System) throttle: use your left hand to increase your combat speed and manage your spaceship or jet fighter.

The TWCS throttle’s lower positioning compared to quadrant-based systems provides unrivalled comfort. To give simmers complete control, the TWCS throttle includes 14 buttons and one 8-way-PoV hat switch that are added to those of the joystick.

In total, this provides gamers with 9 axes, 30 buttons and two 8-way PoVs – plus 3 extra axes via the optional TFRP rudder*. The TWCS throttle features 5 axes and a rear RJ12 connector offering 3 additional axes via the external optional TFRP rudder* from Thrustmaster’s flight product ecosystem.

*Sold separately. Which this set includes. T. A. R. G. E. T programming software: program up to 256 buttons on the joystick (buttons merged from keyboard and mouse) Thrustmaster Advanced pRogramming Graphical EdiTor software: combine with other Thrustmaster devices (so that they are recognized as a single USB device), and load or create specific mapping profiles for each game This product is not distributed under license from and is in no way endorsed by Microsoft Corporation.

The Thrustmaster TFRP (T. Flight Rudder Pedals) First rudder ever to feature the S. M. A. R. T (Sliding Motion Advanced Rail Track) slide rails system! Capitalizes on the brand’s 25 years of expertise and leadership.

Is the device most highly requested by members of the flight sim community. S. M. A. R. T (Sliding Motion Advanced Rail Track) slide rails rudder System of 4 slide rails crafted of industrial-grade aluminium for perfectly smooth sliding motion Self-centering rudder axis: the perfect balance between smoothness and resistance for re-centering Long range of travel on rudder axis for precise maneuvers 10-inch/25-centimeter footrest (12/45 shoe size) for rudder function Versatile ergonomic design suitable for all types of flight (aerial combat, space adventure, civil flight, etc.

) With the heel-rest removed, you can control the rudder using the ball of your foot, with your heel on the floor With the heel-rest in place, you can rest 100% of your foot on the pedal Large base and inclined design combining comfort with stability Two differential brake pedals Large differential brake pedals: 10 inches/25 centimeters (12/45 shoe size) Rounded central pivot with central grip, on the differential brake’s axis Pivot angle with a 15° range of travel: on an incline for deliberate activation, avoiding inadvertent activation when using the rudder.

This product is absolute garbage. Seems great for 1st 3 months, and then it becomes worthless. I’d expect a little more for the price. Thinking maybe a fluke I got a second one being rated so well. Same thing within 3 months.

This time I was able to return and replace. Same thing another 3 months later. Wow. Cannot be a coincidence. Not sure how this is rated so well as it seems like a con. What’s wrong with it? At about that 3 month mark flight control starts to produce a slight drift becoming more pronounced.

No amount of tightening, loosening and calibration helps resolve the issue unless you feel like taking a new product apart to use. I don’t. I want something of better quality that I pay for. Needless to say maybe.

You can live with this drift and need to have constant pressure the flight stick. That brings me to going into a sub menu that shakes so bad you can make a selection or takes so long to do do you just go back to a controller.

Don’t waste your money.

This product is absolute garbage. Seems great for 1st 3 months, and then it becomes worthless. I’d expect a little more for the price. Thinking maybe a fluke I got a second one being rated so well. Same thing within 3 months.

This time I was able to return and replace. Same thing another 3 months later. Wow. Cannot be a coincidence. Not sure how this is rated so well as it seems like a con. What’s wrong with it? At about that 3 month mark flight control starts to produce a slight drift becoming more pronounced.

No amount of tightening, loosening and calibration helps resolve the issue unless you feel like taking a new product apart to use. I don’t. I want something of better quality that I pay for. Needless to say maybe.

You can live with this drift and need to have constant pressure the flight stick. That brings me to going into a sub menu that shakes so bad you can make a selection or takes so long to do do you just go back to a controller.

Don’t waste your money.

I’ve got a very complex racing wheel and pedal set for my Oculus system, but when I picked up Star Wars Squadrons for my Xbox, I wouldn’t even play it since controlling with the Xbox controller was awful.

And of course thanks to Microsoft’s Flight Sim, HOTAS units were impossible to find forever. I was randomly checking a few places every week or so and was fortunate enough to catch one in stock here at Best Buy, so I snagged it right away.

The length of the cord isn’t that great, but fortunately I had a USB extension cable from my first Oculus headset, allowing me to get a decent distance from my TV. Fired up the game, and this made ALL the difference.

It went from annoying to enjoyable instantly. Not sure how many people would play with the thrust and flight control sticks connected, but that would work. However there’s enough cord to separate them and get them comfortably distanced from each other.

For me, the bonus is that this is natively recognized by the game so I can SEE what buttons will do what, I didn’t have to remap controls or anything. I wish there was a bit more resistance on the throttle stick, but for this price, I’m pleased that it’s responsive and works.

Buttons are for the most part placed well, just some muscle memory now to train as I start to use it. All in all, for this price, it’s light years beyond using the controllers that come with a game system.

Definitely NOT worth the scalp prices you find them online, but if you wait like I did and snag it at retail price it’s worth it.

A superb stick purchased with the Warthog throttles to fly F18, F16 and Warthog in DCS world. It is a very heavy unit and has a silky smooth movement with quite a lot of resistance. Because it uses magnets to return to centre you are stuck with the resistance since their are no springs to change! Also note that this stick does not have a twist rudder feature.

If I want a rudder I’ll have to fork out for pedals. BUT modern military aircraft tend not to need rudder input for normal flight manouevres and I have allocated a HAT switch on the throttles for basic rudder during take off etc.

All switches and hats appear to be strongly built but only time will tell with these regarding reliability. I paid well over the odds for the seperate stick and throttles since I was unable to find the two bundled together without a 6 week wait.

Two days after they arrived the UK thrustmaster site was offering the bundle again! Having said that they are still just about worth the extra providing they prove as robust as they look and feel. As a bundle for £400 I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend! A friend has just got the Logitec x56 pair for £215 and after 2 weeks a hat switch is failing and the rudder twist judders so – apparently £215 isn’t enough to buy you reliability! Hopefully £400 – £500 is.

The Thrustmaster Warthog flight stick is a solidly made stick, nearly all metal – even the 2 stage trigger. Every button has a different tactile feel and feels absolutely premium. The stick can detatch from the base – allowing for an alternate stick to be used.

Overall weight is very heavy – there’s very little chance this is moving about while in use – even when not bolted down, which is an option. TARGET software didn’t play too well with my T16000m and Warthog HOSAS combo – so using JoyToKey instead.

Accuracy is great and the stick is solid enough to sit firmly centred with zero wobble so only a tiny deadzone is required depending on how steady handed you are. Downsides: No twist or analog thumbstick – you may need either rudder pedals or a second stick / throttle with analog twist, stick or paddles.

This joystick is built like a Mack Truck and should hold up. However, the software used to make it work is dated and not as intuitive as it could be. Hell, for the cost it should just automatically hook up.

Another issue I don’t like is the stick has an ever so slight twist to it. It’s NOT a twist stick (for rudder control) but it does twist somewhat which is irritating for the amount spent on this controller.

I bought this device to replace an aging CH Pro Throttle. The CH Pro was clamped firmly to my desk. I worried about securing the new throttle. Could I screw it down perhaps? All that was solved the moment the TM Warthog was unpacked.

The TM is VERY heavy, sits solidly on non-slip pads, and hasn’t move a millimetre since I placed it there. The throttle has a plethora of buttons and switches, plus a Trim lever. The throttle levers themselves are super-smooth in action, and are extremely precise.

This is truly a “Rolls Royce” of Throttles!.

Purchased this throttle as a stand in for my simpit while convert my Cougar throttle to a full size F-16 replica. It works well with sufficient switches to bind for various tasks but the slew sensor is difficult to use.

I will retask this to an A-10 lite pit after my F-16 throttle is finished for my higher fidelity 1:1 viper pit. In the meantime, this works very smoothly with no apparent glitches. So many functions available to bind.

Very pleased with this product.

This purchase was made by me as a remedy to a problem. I have DCS, STAR WARS SQUADRONS, ELITE DANGEROUS, and MSFS 2020 and without a HOTAS I was really limited in how I wanted to play and enjoy these games.

I also had purchased a QUEST 2 for the VR and hunting for buttons is NOT IT when you can’t see the keyboard. This HOTAS was honestly the ONLY one available at the time. I found that it lacks buttons and is short at least 1 hat switch for DCS WORLD.

Having to Remap a full hat switch of buttons makes DCS basically 1000X harder to play in or out of VR. When it comes to MSFS 2020 this HOTAS works beautifully. The rudder control can easily be switched to the stick for for the stick twist Rudder that I prefer.

The stick is adjustable for firmness but I find my wrist and arm actually get tired if I do too much maneuvering at high tension. This was easily fixed by loosening the tension on the bottom of the Stick control.

Believe me I know how stupid that sounds but I am serious. I would absolutely recommend this stick to anyone who needs it for any number of Flight Sims.

I bought one of these (or a slightly earlier edition) about 7 years ago. I also own or have owned about 8 other joysticks. Microsoft FF Pro, Saiteks, one or two cheapies and of course the Couger Thrustmaster HOTAS – supposedly the best you can get.

This is the one I like the most. Because of the feel. Almost all the other joysticks have over strong springs or other mechanisms (eg, MS FF drive) that control centre return. This one does it with just that perfect feel.

Not too tight, and definitely not too loose, just right. Additionally all the grips are very very comfortable. The two sections come apart (there’s a built in key to unscrew them, and if you then like, you can put them comfortably apart.

Even has an attachment to balance it out when you separate them so it doesn’t look or feel unbalanced. My only ultra slight complaint is that it doesn’t have enough buttons. But seeing as I still use it so happily I gave it the 5 stars it deserves.

I bought the “Xbox/PC” version just under two years ago and it developed a fault within a year; The yaw started glitching to the right ever so slightly making it hard to aim sometimes and making cruise impossible.

I dealt with it for a while and only just now sent it for warranty and they couldn’t replace it because they don’t sell the xbox version anymore but I got a full refund and am upgrading to an x52. I used the hotas exclusively for Elite Dangerous and it’s amazing.

All the pre-mapped controls are fairly easy to get used to within a week of occasional gameplay, and it feels great to play with a real throttle and stick. It comes in extremely handy when playing ED in VR, as it’s impossible to miss a button and it makes for an absolutely amazing experience.

I haven’t heard of anyone else having the problem that I did so I’d say I can recommend this HOTAS for anyone looking for an affordable option.

This is a great entry level HOTAS for those wanting to try one out on PC. It has good value vs performance and features and for under $70 that is a great option. Anything past this and you will be spending several hundred dollars for the next tier.

It doesn’t have the weight or feel as the high end HOTAS but it performs well enough for sure. It has pulleys and not gears for rotation so be sure to get the 2 year protection plan so when it starts to fade you can return and upgrade or decide HOTAS is not for you.

Plays great in Star Wars: Squadrons.

The joystick and throttle are very well made with metal casing and good quality switches and buttons With positive action, the joystick and particularly the throttle are heavy so do not move about on your Desk, but I would recommend using desk mounts.

One thing to be aware of is that the joystick does not have a twist function (yaw) so I had to buy a set of flight pedal from Scan (Thrustmaster TFRP rudder pedals scan code LN946031). The axis on the joystick are very slick with high tension springs To return the axis back to a neutral position.

The throttle action is smooth and you can alter the friction by a wheel on the throttle, a nice touch is The ability to set an indent that can be used as a engine full stop or engage afterburners in flight sims.

Thrustmaster use a program called TARGET to program all the many axis and buttons that are available, it can be a bit daunting at first but YouTube have lots of programming guides, in its Advance mode you can program multiple actions to one switch and have axis that have variable rates.

The Thrustmaster HOTAS is not cheap and you do need pedals but quality of both units are very good And should last many years of use.

Overall I think this is a great combo. In the scheme of things, it isn’t too expensive. Too gripes however: 1 – The friction adjustment for the throttle doesn’t seem to do much of anything despite multiple turns in either direction.

2 – (Most troubling) – the TMS switch is intermittent. I verified that when pressing to the right, it often will register as being pressed right and aft. This confuses sims like DCS and will generate odd responses.

I have a ticket into TM (which is a bit awkward in itself – involving both photographs and videos of my setup) – hopefully they will remedy the issue.

The stick and throttle are both sturdy (made almost entirely of metal) and responsive with heavy bases (about 6kg between the 2 pieces) as rubbery feet to prevent slippage when in use. Does require a small software and driver download form thrustmaster in order to get optimal performance.

I was a little disappointed to find out that the stick doesn’t have a twist for yaw function (would be nice if it was mentioned that it doesn’t have it) because I’m used to on my Thrustmaster T-flight one.

Probably not implemented to incentivise you to buy the $300+ rudder pedals. Overall it is a great HOTAS I’m just going to have to get used to not trying to twist the stick haha.

ATTENTION FSX, PC Users. I am using this with FSX Steam Ed. It took a minute to find, download and install the firmware and drivers update. Afterward I simply restarted my Win 10 PC, launched FSX SE and bingo it worked immediately.

It was also very easy to assign the buttons to my preferences. I’ve had a T Flight HOTAS before and it lasted me 12 years! I do agree with other reviewers that the throttle is too loose and cannot be adjusted.

The midway detent is annoying and I’ve never understood what it’s even for? For the money and having a good experience with an old version of this same HOTAS I’d still say it’s great and highly recommended.

You could buy something cheaper but how many times do you want to do that over the years? These things just last and last.

I purchased Squadrons VR for PS4 and attempted to use the standard PS4 controller to play it, which is rather confusing as there are A LOT of buttons, which made it not so much fun to play as most of the time was spent figuring out the controls.

With everyone being home during this pandemic, Flight Sticks are hard to find or pricey on Amazon as you don’t have much of a choice there as everyone is raising the prices. This particular flight stick is 2x the amount at Best Buy.

TWICE THE PRICE for the same product!!! Luckily, Best Buy doesn’t overcharge during these times, but stock is limited, as it took me 2 weeks to be able to purchase, but worth it. Using the flight stick made Squadrons VR a lot more intuitive.

There are specific /recommended button configurations (which can be found on the website) to make the game you want to play (Squadrons, Combat Aces, Flight Sim). It takes some time to map it, but the 20 mins spent on button mapping is worth it, and now I enjoy playing Squadrons VR.

The flight stick comes as 2 separate pieces (connected with a cable) so you can play it in whichever way you feel comfortable, but it also comes with an allenwrench and screw to attach them together (as pictured) which makes it easy to simply put on your lap and play that way.

There are plenty of other flight sticks that can have MORE buttons, and other features, but those triple/quadruple the price of this “entry level” flight stick. I’m pretty happy with this particular flight stick, especially at the Bestbuy price point.

I bought this for a great price on a sale. If you have the space and setting for it, it can be very fun and the flying simulation can feel more realistic. I would recommend it only if you have a desk or table close to where your PS4 is.

Since I don’t have that, I have to unfold my plastic table every time I want to use it and it gets tedious. It can be a bit bulky to store as well. I only wish it had vibration or haptic feedback and it would have been perfect.

Also, do your research and look for compatible games. It won’t work with every flying game. I wish the instructions were more detailed as well. I still haven’t figured how to switch to alternate weapons in Ace Combat 7.

OK, this is an expensive bit of kit. But to be honest it is good. very good. I have owned a few HOTAS before and this is the best. be warned they are heavy. real heavy, the stick (which is interchangeable) is solid metal, well made.

the feel is brilliant. when in intense maneuvers though it does not move one inch, no matter how i wiggle. before death 🙂 the feel is solid on both stick and throttle and has all metal parts and so many buttons.

sooo many. in DCS it is brilliant in IL2 it takes a bit to sort out the configuration, but once done, it is brilliant the same for elite dangerous. the thrust master software is OK, it takes a little practice to sort out what to do and to be honest the manuals are not great.

but its obvious how to accomplish things. and to honest there are a lot of configurations out there already built for you would i recommend them, if you are a serious flyer or deep space explorer. then hell yes.

if you are casual then perhaps a cheaper option.

Overall, 9/10 on design regarding its functionality as a joystick. Its biggest winner being the two mini sticks that are very ergonomically placed on the stick and throttle. 2/10 on durability; you should plan on some sort of issue arising withing the first month.

1) If I could give it five stars I would alas I cannot. 2 )First set the throttle lost all of is tension and wouldn’t stay up on its own in 2 weeks. Shortly thereafter the Yaw spring in the stick snapped.

3) second set the throttle just kinda. came off. after a week and a half. Afterwards I hooked up the stick to see its movement on TARGET and it was like ping pong. That being said. The design itself is outstanding and allows virtually unlimited possibility.

Put the throttle on the c stick on the throttle for all I care I’m not your dad. Enjoy!.

Recently picked these up with several friends, 5 of us total and a lot of star citizen hours. Overall it’s a decent unit. joystick tension is about average, enough to provide feedback, not too little that it feels like something you’d find in an arcade.

They sit on my desk pad and surprisingly stay stable. They come with suction cups for just a flat desk. Triggers are okay, buttons supply decent feedback. Really it’s a great starter set or for someone casually playing a flyer of some kind.

A solid Toyota Corolla/10 This was my one month review between friends, we’re all of the same mindset. Looking at upgrading probably within a year but got these to see if it’s something we’d care about.

Solid investment, especially since they were on sale for 100$.

The Logitech X52 is a fantastic mid-level HOTAS, at least from a hardware perspective. The joystick has minimal dead zone, and the array of buttons are (mostly) within easy reach for me (I’d say I have about average sized hands for a guy).

Everything feels very well put-together. However. The software is completely unintuitive for someone (like myself) who has never used a HOTAS before. Buttons are not labeled the same in the software as on the actual joystick, and they are often labeled differently in games than in the software.

This all assumes that you even manage to download the software. As of when I received my HOTAS, Logitech’s website only provided 32-bit software downloads, which refuse to install on 64-bit systems. I ended up having to find the download from a 3rd party site (same version #, just a 64-bit binary).

This side of the process could really be streamlined a lot. Overall, I’m thoroughly enjoying this HOTAS, though. It’s a dream in MS Flight Sim 2020, and good fun in Star Wars Squadrons. I’m looking forward to trying it in Elite: Dangerous soon.

I have been suckered into to buying 5 each of these Thrustmaster T-flight sticks (being gifts to family members and friends) BEWARE they are defective products. The sliders fail in a matter of a few hours of use, then they go totally inoperative.

Thrustmaster will send you some software claiming it’s a software problem. However all they do is “mask over” the existing Microsoft joy stick software (so your not really getting anything that will correct the defective joystick) also when that fails they suggest their calibration software (because obviously they already knew masking over the Microsoft joy.

cpl won’t fix the defect problem) and here Microsoft rejected and refused to install their calibration software. Mostly do the fact their software is outdated and totally useless, and they seem to know this as well.

I said “suckered into buying” thinking this would make a nice gift for a reasonable price and provide hours of entertainment; but it only provided aggravation and disappointment coupled with a waste of good monies for what is simply a “defective product” being sold.

Made in China “dirt cheap” and sold to the American public for whatever price they can bleed you for, here some outlets are asking for $80 dollars, but most outlets sell these very same flight sticks for $30 dollars.

I would not only NOT RECOMMEND this product; I will WARN YOU that you are wasting your money. The idea they make a pathetic attempt to say it’s a software problem, does not hide the fact; that all 5 joysticks purchased had the very same problem, being a defective slider (throttle) which of course renders the entire joystick totally useless.

BUYER BEWARE and hope you heed the advice and don’t waste your hard earned money.

Because this flight stick (joystick) does NOT include any software please check to make sure that it will work with the program you are interested in. For playing a game such as WoW you will need a Joystick/Gamepad to Keyboard mapping program, such as xPadder.

Other games, like PS2, support non-keyboard controllers, yet you need to check the configuration window and do a manual set-up. This joystick uses the generic drivers that Microsoft released back in 2006, so it doesn’t need to supply it’s own, nor does it.

I have used a joystick in the past that would tilt off of my keyboard try just because it was a light-weight unit. This has some size and heft to it, and it has not raised off of the desk surface yet.

The key/button placement around the base is a bit strange. You raise the index finger of your right hand to press up on button 3 – strange at best, awkward at worst. While my right hand is on the joystick my left hand could be resting on the base, with my thumb operation the throttle, ring finger on button 5, middle finger on #6, and index finger on #7, and stretching to reach button 8.

That leaves buttons 9 through 12 without a finger to operate without taking your hand(s) out of their resting place. Also, I keep my left hand on a keyboard, so buttons 5 – 12 really don’t do me any good.

I do think they got button #2 and the PoV (Point of View) hat switch, yet it works. Again, check the game(s) you want to use this joystick with to make sure it is supported. If it is not then you will need to invest a few more dollars in a software program that can map the actions of the joystick, and it’s buttons, to the keyboard, and mouse.

And because of the rudder action of the hand grip you will want to make sure that the program supports that as well. Because of the lack of a way to map the joystick to a keyboard/mouse I can not recommend this flight stick.

Other manufactures include software to program their sticks, even in this price range, so having to spend another ten dollars does not seem correct. It does seem to be a good, sturdy, controller, yet I just can’t get over the lack of any real support for games that do not have an alternative controller configuration built in.

And yes, this is worth deducting one and a half eggs for (button placement is worth another half to whole egg).

This flight stick is a good solid piece of technology and material. Plug and play makes it easier to use though buttons can be reassigned to suit your game play. Its ergonomically designed with a smooth “z” axis control.

Its weight allows for its use on the platform without it moving/sliding as its being used. A good buy for flight sim. operators.