Saitek X-56 vs Thrustmaster Warthog

[NinjaGrayFox]

I've been trying to make up my mind about these two Hotas & would appreciate any advice on the decision.
Not interested in ch products even though I've heard they are of great quality, it's just from what I've seen YouTube I don't think I'll like the way they "feel". Especially that throttle.

[funkynutz]

I personally won't ever buy anything made by madcatz (saitek) ever again, as they tend to fall apart on me...

Thrustmaster on the other hand... I own 3 of their sticks, all much cheaper than the warthog... The HotasX I've recently retired after 5 years heavy use, purely because I now have 2x T1600Ms sticks (which use the same joystick sensors as the Warthog), and a dual stick setup is a lot of fun to use in combat...

If price is no concern, then I'd go for the Warthog without a doubt...

[jasonbarron]

Since the Warthog stick doesn't turn on the z axis, does that make rudder pedals mandatory? Thats the main thing holding me back from purchasing one right now. I'm not sure I like the idea of having to play while leaned back far enough in my seat to use them. Not even sure where I'd put the stick and throttle whithin reach if I did.

I'd be very curious to hear how Warthog owners are setting these beasts up at their desks to give me ideas.

[NinjaGrayFox]

Awesome, thanks.
That's the way I was leaning anyway.
The only upside of the x-56 that I could imagine was the ergonomics of the throttle & twist to yaw.
I don't plan on getting pedals(for the foreseeable future anyway), but I can always bind yaw to buttons.

[NinjaGrayFox]

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Since the Warthog stick doesn't turn on the z axis, does that make rudder pedals mandatory? Thats the main thing holding me back from purchasing one right now. I'm not sure I like the idea of having to play while leaned back far enough in my seat to use them. Not even sure where I'd put the stick and throttle whithin reach if I did.

I'd be very curious to hear how Warthog owners are setting these beasts up at their desks to give me ideas.

My plan it to bind yaw to one othe the many 4-way switches

[RaideR]

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Since the Warthog stick doesn't turn on the z axis, does that make rudder pedals mandatory? Thats the main thing holding me back from purchasing one right now. I'm not sure I like the idea of having to play while leaned back far enough in my seat to use them. Not even sure where I'd put the stick and throttle whithin reach if I did.

I'd be very curious to hear how Warthog owners are setting these beasts up at their desks to give me ideas.

Without a pedals Warthog doesnt make much sense.
And about bind some other keys for a yaw just making your life bit harder.
Pedals working so natural, its like a driving :) And your got your fingers for something more important.
If you planning to get a Warthog wich is around 500-600 bucks, well, you might go for a pedals, and you can get Saiteck for a 100 or a Thurstmasters for a 150-180, but there, not much difference.

[jasonbarron]

Originally posted by RaideR:

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Since the Warthog stick doesn't turn on the z axis, does that make rudder pedals mandatory? Thats the main thing holding me back from purchasing one right now. I'm not sure I like the idea of having to play while leaned back far enough in my seat to use them. Not even sure where I'd put the stick and throttle whithin reach if I did.

I'd be very curious to hear how Warthog owners are setting these beasts up at their desks to give me ideas.

Without a pedals Warthog doesnt make much sense.
And about bind some other keys for a yaw just making your life bit harder.
Pedals working so natural, its like a driving :) And your got your fingers for something more important.
If you planning to get a Warthog wich is around 500-600 bucks, well, you might go for a pedals, and you can get Saiteck for a 100 or a Thurstmasters for a 150-180, but there, not much difference.

Where do you put the Wartog HOTAS when you play? Do you put it right on your desk, or do you have something that pulls out like a tray to put it on?

[juanxlink]

Originally posted by RaideR:

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Since the Warthog stick doesn't turn on the z axis, does that make rudder pedals mandatory? Thats the main thing holding me back from purchasing one right now. I'm not sure I like the idea of having to play while leaned back far enough in my seat to use them. Not even sure where I'd put the stick and throttle whithin reach if I did.

I'd be very curious to hear how Warthog owners are setting these beasts up at their desks to give me ideas.

Without a pedals Warthog doesnt make much sense.
And about bind some other keys for a yaw just making your life bit harder.
Pedals working so natural, its like a driving :) And your got your fingers for something more important.
If you planning to get a Warthog wich is around 500-600 bucks, well, you might go for a pedals, and you can get Saiteck for a 100 or a Thurstmasters for a 150-180, but there, not much difference.

Erm, no?
The twist in my loaned x52 is shot, since day 1 playing with the finger hat on the thorttle for yaw, perfect in every aspect.
You can find a warthog for under 350€ in amazon, no need to pay more.
Why would you use pedals, needing a fixed chair, making your life harder when you can just move a finger?

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Originally posted by NinjaGrayFox:

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Since the Warthog stick doesn't turn on the z axis, does that make rudder pedals mandatory? ...

My plan it to bind yaw to one othe the many 4-way switches

I have the Warthog and bind it to a little analogue knob on a throttle - it works very well, after getting used to it.
The throttle has a little too many of switches and a little too little of buttons, but you can get used to it, too.
The joystick feels a bit heavy (in every meaning of it), but it's very precise and has no dead zone - always returns to the 0 position. It's very pleasant to fly, just requires some getting used to, if you move from el-cheapo joysticks. And if you fly a Cutter with it... it feels *so* right.

P.S. Under no circumstances you should *ever* let it fall down on your feet.

[jasonbarron]

Originally posted by juanxlink:

Originally posted by RaideR:

Without a pedals Warthog doesnt make much sense.
And about bind some other keys for a yaw just making your life bit harder.
Pedals working so natural, its like a driving :) And your got your fingers for something more important.
If you planning to get a Warthog wich is around 500-600 bucks, well, you might go for a pedals, and you can get Saiteck for a 100 or a Thurstmasters for a 150-180, but there, not much difference.

Erm, no?
The twist in my loaned x52 is shot, since day 1 playing with the finger hat on the thorttle for yaw, perfect in every aspect.
You can find a warthog for under 350€ in amazon, no need to pay more.
Why would you use pedals, needing a fixed chair, making your life harder when you can just move a finger?

Interesting. It would be awfully nice to not have to use rudders. I have very limited space in my small shared office, and I can't afford to really set things up like I had a real cockpit (though I'm super envious of people who DO have that set up). with rudders, fixed chair, throttle and stick set on platforms on either side of my chair. My wife would quite simply divorce me if I tried to arrange things that way! I have to figure out to set up the warthog using very limited space, if that's even possible.

[funkynutz]

The trouble with using a hat switch for yaw is you don't get analog input, only digital... So it's not good for fine tuning your aim. Of course with the slow yaw rate it's fine for parking etc...

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Interesting. It would be awfully nice to not have to use rudders. I have very limited space in my small shared office, and I can't afford to really set things up like I had a real cockpit (though I'm super envious of people who DO have that set up). with rudders, fixed chair, throttle and stick set on platforms on either side of my chair. My wife would quite simply divorce me if I tried to arrange things that way! I have to figure out to set up the warthog using very limited space, if that's even possible.

I'm planning on doing this with my dual T1600 setup:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/12745-DIY-X52-Pro-Chair-mod?p=305712#post305712

[jasonbarron]

Originally posted by Outlander:

The trouble with using a hat switch for yaw is you don't get analog input, only digital... So it's not good for fine tuning your aim. Of course with the slow yaw rate it's fine for parking etc...

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Interesting. It would be awfully nice to not have to use rudders. I have very limited space in my small shared office, and I can't afford to really set things up like I had a real cockpit (though I'm super envious of people who DO have that set up). with rudders, fixed chair, throttle and stick set on platforms on either side of my chair. My wife would quite simply divorce me if I tried to arrange things that way! I have to figure out to set up the warthog using very limited space, if that's even possible.

I'm planning on doing this with my dual T1600 setup:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/12745-DIY-X52-Pro-Chair-mod?p=305712#post305712

Oh hell yes! Big thanks for the share! That setup looks like it would work with the Warthog, too. Where would I find the hardware to set that up?

[funkynutz]

Originally posted by jasonbarron:

Oh hell yes! Big thanks for the share! That setup looks like it would work with the Warthog, too. Where would I find the hardware to set that up?

He has links at the bottom of the original post. But you can also get them on amazon if you're not in the UK.

You could even make your own if you're handy with a saw and drill...

One thing to be aware of though, the warthog is a heavy bugger... So you might want something a bit bigger/sturdier than the vesa mounts he uses. I've just checked the weight on the warthog, you've got 4kg leeway on those mounts. So as long as you don't put a lot of force on the stick, you should be ok.

[NinjaGrayFox]

I'm planning on getting a wheel stand pro eventually.

[Ishmael]

I have the x56 and while the warthog is the better of the two... for the price the X56 wins hands down. no reason the other stick should cost that much. hell the X56 should be priced about 100 bucks lower.

[Amuro0079]

Thrustmaster Warthog isn't easy to setup for non-DCS games. Should considter the upcoming T16000m FCS instead.