VR Headset and HOTAS Recommendations

[Blaze]

I got this game on release, and have no financially became more stable, when I build my new rig a VR headset and HOTAS is in the mix. Anyone willing to suggest a good VR and HOTAS or what they are using and why??

[Nightwng2k]

I don't have VR, however I'm using an LG 3D TV and it looks great to me. I have HOTAS ONE, I went that route cause HOTAS one is PC and Xbox and Xbox is a Windows product. The others will work cause there's a switch to select PC. Honestly, I'm only using the Thrust portion of the HOTAS with a Star Wars arcade flight yoke.

[[MCS] Yoritomo]

Thrustmaster warthog and valve index. Then you have best available equipment. If your pc can handle it.

[Det.Bullock]

It depends a lot on where you live (even when buying stuff online) and what's available.

VKB Gladiator NXT standard for stick (for me in the EU the price is about 146 Euros) and a Thrustmaster TCWS throttle (you can buy it separately for about 90 dollars/euros) seem the better combination to me if you don't want to spend too much and have a quality setup with plenty of buttons that can be told apart by touch for shortcuts and godd precision/reliability. It will cost less than the Warthog and do the job for most spacesims. Unless you are already invested in serious flightsims like DCS the Warhog isn't worth it to me and even then it's mostly for the metal grip and the a-10 throttle which isn't as practical as other solutions for spacesims (which mostly need buttons rather than toggles or rotaries even if some do support them).

Personally I use a CH Products Combatstick and Pro Throttle but the prices have gone haywire on those since I bought them in 2015 so I don't feel like I can reccomend them at the moment. Especially considering that the Gladiator NXT standard is more or less the same type of stick as the Combatstick (or even the more high tier Fighterstick) but better in every way from what they tell me.

EDIT
Here's the Gladiator NXT (you can choose between standard and premium grip)
https://flightsimcontrols.com/product/gladiator-nxt/

And here's the Thrustmaster TCWS throttle:
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B01H6KXGDO

VKB is working on a premium throttle which will apparently have the option for a specialized spacesim grip but it won't come out before next year considering it has been delayed multiple times. The TCWS is a good option in the meanwhile if you find at a not-inflated price. The VKB stick can have availability problems (the premium version especially) but usually the price doesn't get inflated as they sell them directly.

There is also the Virpil Mongoose Throttle but it's pretty pricy.

[SEKTENGURU]

Originally posted by MCS Yoritomo:

Thrustmaster warthog and valve index. Then you have best available equipment. If your pc can handle it.

Except the thrustmaster warthog I recomend a doublejoystick setup here(2 x T.16000M ), that is defenitly better than my Cougar Fssbr2 in this game. And of course with Thrustmasters pendulars, then u are right.

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Sektenguru:

Originally posted by MCS Yoritomo:

Thrustmaster warthog and valve index. Then you have best available equipment. If your pc can handle it.

Except the thrustmaster warthog I recomend a doublejoystick setup here(2 x T.16000M ), that is defenitly better than my Cougar Fssbr2 in this game. And of course with Thrustmasters pendulars, then u are right.:DominaMurmillo::Decapitation:

Why? A double joystick is useful for 6DoF while this is an aeroplane-like, so it's best with 4 axes on a stick (pitch, yaw and roll) and the throttle.

[DM]

I'm using Quest 2 with Airlink and an Xbox Elite pad. I tried it on release with my TM Warthog HOTAS and Saitek flight pedals, and the controls were impossible to map and it was pretty much unplayable.

Using a pad isn't as immersive, but the game is now perfectly playable and pretty satisfying.

The Quest 2 has fantastic resolution and the lack of a cable is really convenient.

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Foulplay:

I'm using Quest 2 with Airlink and an Xbox Elite pad. I tried it on release with my TM Warthog HOTAS and Saitek flight pedals, and the controls were impossible to map and it was pretty much unplayable.

Impossible to map?
Have you tried disabling Steam input? It often interferes with HOTAS detection.

[Blaze]

Thanks everybody.

So I started looking at the suggestions. I like the way the Warthog sounds and it seems that its really got some weight to it which I love. My concern is 2 things with the warthog if anyone can clarify.

So with the throttle, how fast can the throttle be pushed up or down?? Seems there was some resistance to it, are you able to throttle quickly or is the amount of resistance still responsive??

Next is how would you yaw left or right with the HOTAS. I would assume that any direction to push the ship would tilt in that direction, so how is YAWing done with a hotas??

Also I've looked at everything everyone suggested and it would seem that I will go with the valve index. Thank you for the suggestions everyone much obliged.

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by Blaze:

Thanks everybody.

So I started looking at the suggestions. I like the way the Warthog sounds and it seems that its really got some weight to it which I love. My concern is 2 things with the warthog if anyone can clarify.

So with the throttle, how fast can the throttle be pushed up or down?? Seems there was some resistance to it, are you able to throttle quickly or is the amount of resistance still responsive??

Next is how would you yaw left or right with the HOTAS. I would assume that any direction to push the ship would tilt in that direction, so how is YAWing done with a hotas??

Also I've looked at everything everyone suggested and it would seem that I will go with the valve index. Thank you for the suggestions everyone much obliged.

The problem with the Warthog is that while it isn't as hilariously bad as Logitech/Saitek HOTAS devices (the 3D pro is actually fine for the price) it has issues because the gimbal is largely plastic and not super good plastic at that which can cause issues in the long run (the stick is technically compatible with the full metal bases Virpil makes that can be bought separately when the time comes though). If you can afford something high-end Virpil and VKB are better choices, the Virpil throttle is at the moment the best all-purpose throttle on the market.

Usually the third movement axis is with pedals or stick twist if available (personally I use the ministick on my throttle).
HOWEVER: in classic spacesims except Elite usually you primarily pitch and yaw with roll relegated to twist or pedals if available at all (X-wing games only allowed a separate rudder axis with the last game in the series, X-wing Alliance, all others required you to keep a button pushed to roll) and Squadrons is made with that kind of game in mind because you need primarily to aim over other concerns.
Also canonically the pedals on the X-wing are used for roll not for yaw.

I have a throttle with little to no resistance and that can actually be a bit of a problem with games that have "sweet spot" mechanics and don't allow for native digital detents. The resistance on high end throttles is usually adjustable but of course arc throttles usually give inherently more resistance than simple slide throttles like mine.

[WHYRYWHY]

Get the warthog and some rudder pedals. I use Oculus for the VR, the experience is solid gold.

[jojt45]

I am using a Thrustmaster Hotas and Oculus Quest 2 airlinked and it's great!

[temps]

T16000M flight pack (HOTAS) and Valve Index. This is what I'm currently using and I love it.

You might also consider the Vive Pro 2, which is also a newer SteamVR headset with base station tracking. It has some advantages and disadvantages when compared with the Valve Index:
*Higher resolution (good)
*Lower FOV (bad)
*Higher price (bad)
*Compatible with Knuckles controllers (good)
*IIRC it ships with Vive controllers instead of the much better Knuckles controllers
*Bad mic (especially compared with the awesome Index mic)
*Bad audio (especially compared with the awesome Index audio)
*PCVR wireless adapter (very good thing the Index doesn't have)

So it's hard to say really. No headset is objectively "best" right now and which one you "should" get just depends on your preferences. For me personally, the most important aspect of VR that needs to be improved at this point is the FOV, and the Valve Index has the best FOV of all the popular headsets.

If you want some much cheaper options, you might consider the Oculus Quest 2 or HP Reverb G2, but these headsets have too many flaws for me to consider buying them.

The Index Knuckles won't do anything for you in Star Wars: Squadrons, but I love them for the many other great VR games out there.

[temps]

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

Originally posted by Foulplay:

I'm using Quest 2 with Airlink and an Xbox Elite pad. I tried it on release with my TM Warthog HOTAS and Saitek flight pedals, and the controls were impossible to map and it was pretty much unplayable.

Impossible to map?
Have you tried disabling Steam input? It often interferes with HOTAS detection.

Isn't the game supposed to detect it? Seems like it detected my Thrustmaster T16000M. Didn't do anything special with Steam either, but had some hiccups with my throttle not seeming to work right at first until I mapped the accelerate/decelerate to the forward/backward movement of the throttle.

[Nightwng2k]

temps, is there an on off button on your HOTAS? mine has an XBOX button , if it's off my roll left and right won't work.

[temps]

Originally posted by Nightwng98:

temps, is there an on off button on your HOTAS? mine has an XBOX button , if it's off my roll left and right won't work.

Just checked... I am not noticing an on/off button on it anywhere. I think it is pretty much just on whenever it is plugged into the USB ports.

I'm using the T16000M Flight Pack, but haven't plugged in the foot pedals yet. Haven't seen a use for them yet.