Good flight joystick?

[Modus Pwnenz]

Hello guys, I'm looking for a flight joystick with Z-axis rudder control, separate throttle bar (basically a HOTAS joystick, one without a flimsy little throttle flap like the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro), and Hall Effect Sensors for the stick.

The Thrustmaster Hotas X would be ideal but I've heard the joystick isn't very accurate and precise and I don't like how it uses potentiometers for the joystick (potentiometers wear down much faster).

Was thinking about the Thrustmaster T-16000M but the throttle flap throws me off. I've read good things about the accuracy and precision of the flight stick. Maybe I could get that joystick and buy a separate throttle?

And in regards to the throttle, I'd prefer it to be a HOTAS-type throttle with a nice "arc" to it as you move it with your left hand.

[fearlessfrog]

A nice HOTAS summary here:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/08/05/the-best-pc-joysticks/

[Modus Pwnenz]

I actually already read that in a PC Gamer magazine at an airport not too long ago, the cover was something about Battlefield Hardline

[Modus Pwnenz]

The article mentioned something about the HOTAS X alternate rudder control - a rocker on the front of the throttle grip. Sounds interesting, how does that look like and work?

[Tatsue]

Think of it like the "triggers" on an X-box, but the two are fused together so that they register as one axis only (important for rudder control), and prohibit accidently giving conflicting control commands.

[Modus Pwnenz]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Tatsue:

Think of it like the "triggers" on an X-box, but the two are fused together so that they register as one axis only (important for rudder control), and prohibit accidently giving conflicting control commands.

it sounds like if you use the rockers, the rudder control changes from being analog to discrete (kind of like 2 keys for yaw left/right, making precision yaw very hard) - so like in Ace Combat, you can only do full yaw left/right or no yaw at all?

[Modus Pwnenz]

is it possible to purchase just a separate throttle?

[El Jefe]

Potentiometers are fine and can last the life of the joystick. Or they can die in months, it just depends on their quality. I've got a buddy that has a CH Products Fighterstick from 1987. It still works, and he would use it, but gameports are obsolete. So he bought a new USB one last year. CH Products joysticks are great, accurate, and precise, and will last a good while. Don't rule them out just because they use potentiometers. Just my two cents.

[Tatsue]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Death From Above:

it sounds like if you use the rockers, the rudder control changes from being analog to discrete (kind of like 2 keys for yaw left/right, making precision yaw very hard) - so like in Ace Combat, you can only do full yaw left/right or no yaw at all?

No. I was talking about the physical action, which is what I thought you were asking about. Also, as I said:

"but the two are fused together so that they register as one axis only"

AXIS being the operative word, as opposed to a "button". :)

[Gamer 2023]

a head tracker like TrackIR or make your own with Free track is much more important that a joystick imo.

[btrue]

I just bought a CH Fighterstick and a CH Pro Throttle for about $100 each and I am very impressed with them so far. They were sold seperatly so you can just buy the throttle if you want. The Pro Throttle has a mini joystick on it, so I mapped the left-right movement of it as my rudder control and it works perfectly for my needs. You might not like how the throttle moves in a straight line and not an arc. The fighterstick has the exact same buttons as the Thrustmaster Warthog and the Pro Throttle has enough hat switches to be completly usable in this game (A-10C especially). The Thrustmaster Warthog costs about as much as a complete CH HOTAS setup and TrackIR 5.

[Tatsue]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Tom:

a head tracker like TrackIR or make your own with Free track is much more important that a joystick imo.

Or use FaceTrackNOIR, which does not require "making" anything. :) Just a regular, unmodified, webcam.

[Modus Pwnenz]

Diposting pertama kali oleh El Jefe:

Potentiometers are fine and can last the life of the joystick. Or they can die in months, it just depends on their quality. I've got a buddy that has a CH Products Fighterstick from 1987. It still works, and he would use it, but gameports are obsolete. So he bought a new USB one last year. CH Products joysticks are great, accurate, and precise, and will last a good while. Don't rule them out just because they use potentiometers. Just my two cents.

I don't want to go for potentiometer joysticks because there is physical contact between moving parts which creates mechanical wear and reduces the life of your joystick. I've heard that potentiometers have better linearity than Hall Effect sensors (good linearity means a graph plotting joystick voltage output from 1 of the 3 axis vs the angle between the upright stick position and the current stick position assuming the stick only moves along only one of the pitch/roll/yaw axis forms a straight line). With Hall Effect sensors there are no moving parts in physical contact with one another.

[Modus Pwnenz]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Tatsue:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Death From Above:

it sounds like if you use the rockers, the rudder control changes from being analog to discrete (kind of like 2 keys for yaw left/right, making precision yaw very hard) - so like in Ace Combat, you can only do full yaw left/right or no yaw at all?

No. I was talking about the physical action, which is what I thought you were asking about. Also, as I said:

"but the two are fused together so that they register as one axis only"

AXIS being the operative word, as opposed to a "button". :)

Hm I'm still not sure how that works, it kind of sounds like the D-pad on console controllers, which are meant to prevent simultaneous opposing outputs (left/right at the same time or up/down at the same time), could you show me a video or picture?

[Modus Pwnenz]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Arm4dillo:

I just bought a CH Fighterstick and a CH Pro Throttle for about $100 each and I am very impressed with them so far. They were sold seperatly so you can just buy the throttle if you want. The Pro Throttle has a mini joystick on it, so I mapped the left-right movement of it as my rudder control and it works perfectly for my needs. You might not like how the throttle moves in a straight line and not an arc. The fighterstick has the exact same buttons as the Thrustmaster Warthog and the Pro Throttle has enough hat switches to be completly usable in this game (A-10C especially). The Thrustmaster Warthog costs about as much as a complete CH HOTAS setup and TrackIR 5.

Do you know where else I can get a throttle? Perhaps one cheaper?

And how does the CH Pro Throttle work with non-CH products, like a Thrustmaster T-16000M?

[Modus Pwnenz]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Tatsue:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Tom:

a head tracker like TrackIR or make your own with Free track is much more important that a joystick imo.

Or use FaceTrackNOIR, which does not require "making" anything. :) Just a regular, unmodified, webcam.

FaceTrackNOIR sounds interesting, is it possible to make it so that like a 45 degree turn of your head results in a 90 degree turn on screen?

Reason I ask is because I wear glasses and my left is complete crap (I've got lazy eye) so if I turn my head to the right I'll be looking at the computer screen with my left eye and if I turn my head up/down too much then I won't be looking through my glasses. Seems like Oculus Rift is the best solution.

Currently I have a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and use the 8 way hat switch to look around. I prefer using the mouse to look around but it's difficult to do that when you also need to use the flight stick at the same time.