10.12.2008, 12:32
All depends on what you do with your flight sims.
If this is an extension of a first person shooter existence... I guess any ole joystick will do.
For those of us that really seriously are into flight... anything LESS than separate throttle and stick will not do.
I haven't had a "joystick" since I got a computer.
My first stick set up.. was a Thrustmaster FCS with Mk II throttle.
That lasted a good 5 years till I upgraded to the FLCS.. though I kept the MK II throttle.
THen I got my Cougar a few years ago.
Nothing beats a cougar.
BUT.. you are going to have to work on it occasionally.
Ive replaced a few pots in mine. A new set of gimbals. ($15).
Ive thought about some of the aftermarket mods.. just havnt saved up the money for hal sensors or an NXT gimbal replacement.
THe software is fabulous.
But again. You WILL have to work on them. If you are not mechanically inclined, or have never used a solder iron. I suggest CH products.
Plus it weighs enough you can use it to kill anyone that breaks into your house.
Next on the list is the CH products. Id have CH gear if there was no such thing as thrustmaster.
You dont have to work on them. Thats a bright spot. Nobody I know of with CH gear has a bad word to say about them at all.
Below that.. you have Saitek. Build quality iis spotty. You could end up with a good one.. you could end up with a brick. Software is shotty.
A buddy of mine built a new machine, and decided to try their "new" version. Well it screwed up a bunch of stuff. On top of that, there was no way to uninstall it and reinstall the OLD version. Literally.. NO way.
SO he ended up having to reformat to get the old drivers in.
For the budget conscious, saitek is the way to go, but you get what you pay for.
Force Feedback is overrated.
Save that for racing games and space invaders
I see no reason to by a cheap .. SINGLE joystick...
to fly a simulator we spend $1000s on to play a game.
If I build a $3000 machine to fly on... I can spend $300 on sticks
Whatever way you go..... GET RUDDER pedals.
Twist sticks are nice..but they dont allow the precision you get with pedals.
You will see your hit % go up significantly as you will have a lot better control of your aim point.
I usually curse out loud if my rudder gets damaged cause I know I wont be hitting for S$%T the rest of the mission.
If this is an extension of a first person shooter existence... I guess any ole joystick will do.
For those of us that really seriously are into flight... anything LESS than separate throttle and stick will not do.
I haven't had a "joystick" since I got a computer.
My first stick set up.. was a Thrustmaster FCS with Mk II throttle.
That lasted a good 5 years till I upgraded to the FLCS.. though I kept the MK II throttle.
THen I got my Cougar a few years ago.
Nothing beats a cougar.
BUT.. you are going to have to work on it occasionally.
Ive replaced a few pots in mine. A new set of gimbals. ($15).
Ive thought about some of the aftermarket mods.. just havnt saved up the money for hal sensors or an NXT gimbal replacement.
THe software is fabulous.
But again. You WILL have to work on them. If you are not mechanically inclined, or have never used a solder iron. I suggest CH products.
Plus it weighs enough you can use it to kill anyone that breaks into your house.
Next on the list is the CH products. Id have CH gear if there was no such thing as thrustmaster.
You dont have to work on them. Thats a bright spot. Nobody I know of with CH gear has a bad word to say about them at all.
Below that.. you have Saitek. Build quality iis spotty. You could end up with a good one.. you could end up with a brick. Software is shotty.
A buddy of mine built a new machine, and decided to try their "new" version. Well it screwed up a bunch of stuff. On top of that, there was no way to uninstall it and reinstall the OLD version. Literally.. NO way.
SO he ended up having to reformat to get the old drivers in.
For the budget conscious, saitek is the way to go, but you get what you pay for.
Force Feedback is overrated.
Save that for racing games and space invaders
I see no reason to by a cheap .. SINGLE joystick...
to fly a simulator we spend $1000s on to play a game.
If I build a $3000 machine to fly on... I can spend $300 on sticks
Whatever way you go..... GET RUDDER pedals.
Twist sticks are nice..but they dont allow the precision you get with pedals.
You will see your hit % go up significantly as you will have a lot better control of your aim point.
I usually curse out loud if my rudder gets damaged cause I know I wont be hitting for S$%T the rest of the mission.