Upgrade from x52 to Warthog - worth it?

[R1Lawsy]

mate, all of the hype around being there is really true. I'm a much better pilot for it and have never been interested in just flying until i got the rift.

If you were in Syd, i'd sponsor a beer and a fly and let you use my internet to order yours straight away... you really would...

[sze5003]

mate, all of the hype around being there is really true. I'm a much better pilot for it and have never been interested in just flying until i got the rift.

If you were in Syd, i'd sponsor a beer and a fly and let you use my internet to order yours straight away... you really would...

Haha appreciate it. Well I have some time to think about it until it's off of Newegg Tonite or tomorrow. For the price they are offering I don't think it would be a mistake even if I didn't like it.

 

The controllers are $100 by themselves and the headset $500 on its own. Pretty sure I could sell it for $400 if I didn't like it.

 

Either way, didn't mean to hijack the thread. OP will enjoy the warthog. Very solid device so far but I've only had it two weeks. Reason I stopped studying this sim 6 years ago was due to always having to mess with my x52 for settings and mappings, trying different user profiles, etc. No more of that now.

 

One thing to be aware of though, if you have wrist pain or arthritis, it may not be for you because the throttle and stick are heavy and moving it, flying missions for 2 hours or so can get tiring but you also have autopilot for those long sorties.

 

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[dburne]

Seriously anyone that is lingering on the fence on getting a Rift, should jump all over this sale!

Of course, after first running the compatibility checker to insure your system meets all the requirements.

 

IMHO, Oculus Rift plus TM Warthog = Sim Nirvana!

[sze5003]

Seriously anyone that is lingering on the fence on getting a Rift, should jump all over this sale!

Of course, after first running the compatibility checker to insure your system meets all the requirements.

 

IMHO, Oculus Rift plus TM Warthog = Sim Nirvana!

I think I'm half way talked into it. Soon as I get back from the gym I'll see if it's still available for that price.

 

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[BigDuke6ixx]

Seriously anyone that is lingering on the fence on getting a Rift, should jump all over this sale!

Of course, after first running the compatibility checker to insure your system meets all the requirements.

 

IMHO, Oculus Rift plus TM Warthog = Sim Nirvana!

 

Don't forget the JetSeat, it makes the whole thing come alive, especially when you BRRRRRRRRRRT :)

[R1Lawsy]

Now you got me googling jetseats ;)

[remi]

I think I'm half way talked into it. Soon as I get back from the gym I'll see if it's still available for that price.

 

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Just wait for the next version.

 

DCS would benefit greatly from higher resolution screens.

[sze5003]

Just wait for the next version.

 

DCS would benefit greatly from higher resolution screens.

I agree but it looks like I can see everything so far in this video of someone using it. Everyone else had videos of vr but they all looked zoomed out.

 

https://youtu.be/kDzZErom35s

 

He is a horrible pilot but it was pretty funny to see his reaction.

 

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[hansangb]

I think I'm half way talked into it. Soon as I get back from the gym I'll see if it's still available for that price.

 

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Immersion is incredible. And next gen HMDs are at least a year or more out (for Rift, per Oculus). At this point, I could never fly DCS w/o VR.

[Mr_Burns]

It wouldn't bother me if I went back to my X-52 from the Warthog, sure it's a nice stick and throttle but I liked my x52. I just took it apart to make a cyclic!

[Joni]

I would check for VKB ones first. If you had the x52 pro, then there's a chance you wont like the stiffness of the Warthog stick unless you extend it from the floor.

 

Hope it helps.

[smallberries]

Personally, I'd suggest going VKB.

[CoBlue]

I dunno, after reading this it kinda putt me off wanting the Warthog: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=189425&highlight=GRIPES

[BigDuke6ixx]

I dunno, after reading this it kinda putt me off wanting the Warthog: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=189425&highlight=GRIPES

 

He doesn't sound very capable. He didn't even think to use a degreaser and managed to break something. Mine has been fine from day one.

[some1]

I would check for VKB ones first. If you had the x52 pro, then there's a chance you wont like the stiffness of the Warthog stick unless you extend it from the floor.

 

Hope it helps.

 

Didn't take me much time to get used to it.

 

As I said, neither VKB nor Virpil are a proper replacement, at least not yet. VKB has only the basic stick sorted out, without any advanced grip currently available. And you will need the most expensive MCG Pro to get the functionality needed for A-10 HOTAS. Virpil has very limited production and their stick is modelled after russian planes, does not match western hotas systems well. Neither of them offers any proper throttle.

[hansangb]

I dunno, after reading this it kinda putt me off wanting the Warthog: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=189425&highlight=GRIPES

 

 

My guess is, for everyone having issues, there are 100X more who are not. If you read up on issues people have with any mobile phone, who would ever think to buy one?

 

But there are two recommendations I can make.

 

1) If you fly choppers, the

is well worth the effort. Takes a 10 min to do and is quite easy. You don't have to, but it's easier on your wrists for chopper flying.

 

2) Get extensions (which negates #1) if you can. Milan of MFG makes them, as does Sahaj (just google it)

 

Love my Warthog. Yes, the wiring could be better, but other than that I have no complaints. And there is the the F18 grip that'll be coming out soon.

[dburne]

I dunno, after reading this it kinda putt me off wanting the Warthog: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=189425&highlight=GRIPES

 

I got my Warthog shortly after release, 2010 IIRC.

 

My gimbal has always been smooth as can be, and still is to this day.

I added a 7.5 cm extension to it about a year and a half ago, and really like using it.

[Magnanimous]

As always, I'm with dburne. I have the TMWH with the 7.5 extension and the monstertech desk mounts. Additionally, I have the simshaker jetseat and really couldn't be more satisfied in my Rift. It is an amazing experience. Of course we would all like the resolution to be a bit higher but real VR is here now and it is very worth jumping on it! I am one of the many who would never go back to a flat screen after flying this way.

 

 

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[sze5003]

As always, I'm with dburne. I have the TMWH with the 7.5 extension and the monstertech desk mounts. Additionally, I have the simshaker jetseat and really couldn't be more satisfied in my Rift. It is an amazing experience. Of course we would all like the resolution to be a bit higher but real VR is here now and it is very worth jumping on it! I am one of the many who would never go back to a flat screen after flying this way.

 

 

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The resolution doesn't seem that bad from some videos I've seen. Most people said they could see the switches and dials. I'm kinda worried about this going from a 1440p monitor.

 

I ordered a rift this morning while it was on sale. Will be getting it next week so I'm curious how it will turn out.

 

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[Magnanimous]

The resolution doesn't seem that bad from some videos I've seen. Most people said they could see the switches and dials. I'm kinda worried about this going from a 1440p monitor.

 

I ordered a rift this morning while it was on sale. Will be getting it next week so I'm curious how it will turn out.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

 

 

You are going to love it! Enjoy!

 

 

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[dburne]

The resolution doesn't seem that bad from some videos I've seen. Most people said they could see the switches and dials. I'm kinda worried about this going from a 1440p monitor.

 

I ordered a rift this morning while it was on sale. Will be getting it next week so I'm curious how it will turn out.

 

 

:thumbup:

 

Congrats, you are in for a treat!

[Headwarp]

He doesn't sound very capable. He didn't even think to use a degreaser and managed to break something. Mine has been fine from day one.

 

The question is should I have had to take my $500 joystick apart in the first place? (ok ok..i'm including shipping and exaggerating very slightly.. and talking only the stick.. it's not that price but still.. a very expensive stick.)

 

No.. i shouldn't have.

 

My stick is working fine now by the way.. but i wouldn't have had the problem in the first place if TM had quality control worth a crap.

 

THere was no lube on the pegs in the balljoint and the grease they used had turned into sticky slop, that clinged to the material I wiped it away with.

 

Stiction is pretty common in the warthog. I'm glad your stick has been fine from day one but lol many peoples have not been. Mine was showing stiction OUT OF THE BOX. YOu know who doesn't sound very capable to me? A company selling a $500 product that needs your average consumer to take it apart and correct their manufacturing flaws. Last I checked it didn't take an engineering or technician's degree to be a consumer expecting a product representing the pricetag. If the product or manufacturing process WEREN'T faulty.. all any consumer would have to do is plug the thing in and have FUN. Instead.. there are tons of forum posts similar to my experience throughout the simming world. Instead you have "Oh just buy or make an aftermarket extension!"

 

Next time you try to discredit someone because your experience didn't prove to be a hassle like theirs maybe you should think twice on it. Guess what else I am not? Not the first person to open their warthog and find broken wires. Yep.. I broke one thin little wire that wasn't up along the side of the sensor with the rest of the ribbon.. because you know.. I have xray vision and was supposed to see it when replacing the part of the gimbal holding the sensor, as if that weren't an accident waiting to happen.. or as if there aren't other forum posts out there where people found their ribbon snapped.

 

I hope the OP enjoys his new stick.. but be aware.. if your stick is fighting you with minimal pressure and stopping every MM of movement.. you might have to grease the sucker up..and be careful of their design of feeding the wires through the connecting parts of the gimbal. Pull that ribbon up and make sure it's on the side when you put it back together. And if you want to really clean it with degreaser? Hope you have at least some knowledge of soldering, as the ground wire soldered to the circuit board will keep you from separating each peace of the gimbal for a thorough cleaning, or at least make it that much more tedious as you dance around it trying not to break a wire.

 

Hopefully - you won't have to.. but seems a lot of people have to. A guy I fly with bought one about a month and a half ago and within weeks said he noticed stiction.. he actually sent it to someone who repairs them that is a part of this simming community (not a TM employee) and the guy said it was the second worst warthog he'd ever worked on. My friend is currently flying with a Logitech extreme 3d pro waiting on it to be shipped back to him.

 

The balljoint itself in my stick had no smooth movement until after *I* greased it up. I was surprised it was only minimal pressure showing the signs, the strength of the spring was masking it.

 

It feels great when it's lubed, and nobody is really putting out a throttle that is as functional as what comes with the WH package other than saitek.. and I wouldn't wish newer saitek products on anyone. THe hog can at least be fixed without worrying about cheap plastic threads coming with the screws albeit tedious if you mess up. Hoping for the best that you don't end up having to take the stick base apart any time soon.. but you should see how the stick moves using minimal pressure to move it to decide if you will or not. After greasing I can rest my hand on my keyboard tray and move the stick with one finger, slow as I want to without it catching. Prior to that any "Fine" adjustments were near impossible.

 

And quite frankly..having solved my stick's issues with my own handy work.. I'd say I feel a little more capable than your average gamer looking to buy a gaming peripheral and game.. rather than buy a gaming peripheral that turns into the hobby of DIY projects. "Mine has been fine from day one" .. so then.. you've never taken it apart and had to deal with any of this right? It was totally my lack of capability that made the stupid thing have a defect off the shelf anyway right? I'm only thankful I didn't see any reason to bust out the sandpaper as has been shown in other videos of disassembly in these forums.

 

The general consensus from anyone who's had issues with their WH stick is that the gimbal is the weakest part of the entire design. If you have concerns that's generally what to look for.. but hopefully you end up lucky like this guy who seems to believe that a broken wire resulting from taking apart a joystick showing problems is a "lack of capability" to speak on the subject.. because his is just fine..from the day he got it. Because manufacturers don't ever make mistakes and therefore are capable where I am not because I am a consumer and I made a mistake fixing their defect. That again, I fixed myself.

 

Aside from that? Great stick. Lots of buttons. Feels great in the hands, the trigger pull is heavy and therefore intentional. I actually enjoy the tension and center detent. A dream to fly the a-10c with.. great for a sim like Faclon BMS as well and it's my go to stick for any of the FC3 modules, as well as Elite Dangerous.

 

I still use a near two decade old msffb2 that's likely never been taken apart at all and functions flawlessly for helis and prop planes.. as I don't require as many buttons, and the force feedback is lovely in those situations especially. But 15+ years.. still working fine.. built like a tank... yet plastic, ahead of its time STILL when it was discontinued.. that retailed for $90..

 

Standards have sure changed.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Headwarp

[dburne]

The question is should I have had to take my $500 joystick apart in the first place?

 

No.. i shouldn't have.

 

My stick is working fine now by the way.. but i wouldn't have had the problem in the first place if TM had quality control worth a crap.

 

This...

 

I have here in my possession, two Warthog gimbals.

One is the original purchase I made in 2010, which I still use to this day. This gimbal is as smooth as it can be. Always has been. Never taken it apart.

 

The second gimbal, was on a Warthog I got off a guy on Ebay that was selling new Warthog sticks alone at a very reasonable price. I got it a few months ago for the grip, as I had a button go bad on my original grip. It certainly appeared to be new in the box.

 

The gimbal of this second Warthog, is horrible. Big time stiction, nothing like the original Warthog gimbal I am still using. I just feel a lot of roughness when moving the stick across the x and y axis. Almost like it is grinding. So I just took the grip off of it and attached it to my original gimbal.

 

So definitely something somewhere happened with the Warthog QC at TM. A real shame, obviously it is somewhat widespread as so many have reported on it. I used to wonder what all the fuss was on, till I got this second Warthog. I feel for anyone that paid this price and got a gimbal in that kind of shape.

 

If TM had of consistently sent out sticks like the one I got early on, there would not be so much distress over the problem and the need for re-greasing by so many. No way would I try flying this second Warthog gimbal I have in it's current state.

Edited July 14, 2017 by dburne

[BigDuke6ixx]

This...

 

I have here in my possession, two Warthog gimbals.

One is the original purchase I made in 2010, which I still use to this day. This gimbal is as smooth as it can be. Always has been. Never taken it apart.

 

The second gimbal, was on a Warthog I got off a guy on Ebay that was selling new Warthog sticks alone at a very reasonable price. I got it a few months ago for the grip, as I had a button go bad on my original grip. It certainly appeared to be new in the box.

 

The gimbal of this second Warthog, is horrible. Big time stiction, nothing like the original Warthog gimbal I am still using. I just feel a lot of roughness when moving the stick across the x and y axis. Almost like it is grinding. So I just took the grip off of it and attached it to my original gimbal.

 

So definitely something somewhere happened with the Warthog QC at TM. A real shame, obviously it is somewhat widespread as so many have reported on it. I used to wonder what all the fuss was on, till I got this second Warthog. I feel for anyone that paid this price and got a gimbal in that kind of shape.

 

If TM had of consistently sent out sticks like the one I got early on, there would not be so much distress over the problem and the need for re-greasing by so many. No way would I try flying this second Warthog gimbal I have in it's current state.

 

This stuff is all outsourced to small assembly plants in China so there is bound to be some variation. It's the price we pay for affordability.

[BigDuke6ixx]

The question is should I have had to take my $500 joystick apart in the first place? (ok ok..i'm including shipping and exaggerating very slightly.. and talking only the stick.. it's not that price but still.. a very expensive stick.)

 

No.. i shouldn't have.

 

My stick is working fine now by the way.. but i wouldn't have had the problem in the first place if TM had quality control worth a crap.

 

THere was no lube on the pegs in the balljoint and the grease they used had turned into sticky slop, that clinged to the material I wiped it away with.

 

Stiction is pretty common in the warthog. I'm glad your stick has been fine from day one but lol many peoples have not been. Mine was showing stiction OUT OF THE BOX. YOu know who doesn't sound very capable to me? A company selling a $500 product that needs your average consumer to take it apart and correct their manufacturing flaws. Last I checked it didn't take an engineering or technician's degree to be a consumer expecting a product representing the pricetag. If the product or manufacturing process WEREN'T faulty.. all any consumer would have to do is plug the thing in and have FUN. Instead.. there are tons of forum posts similar to my experience throughout the simming world. Instead you have "Oh just buy or make an aftermarket extension!"

 

Next time you try to discredit someone because your experience didn't prove to be a hassle like theirs maybe you should think twice on it. Guess what else I am not? Not the first person to open their warthog and find broken wires. Yep.. I broke one thin little wire that wasn't up along the side of the sensor with the rest of the ribbon.. because you know.. I have xray vision and was supposed to see it when replacing the part of the gimbal holding the sensor, as if that weren't an accident waiting to happen.. or as if there aren't other forum posts out there where people found their ribbon snapped.

 

I hope the OP enjoys his new stick.. but be aware.. if your stick is fighting you with minimal pressure and stopping every MM of movement.. you might have to grease the sucker up..and be careful of their design of feeding the wires through the connecting parts of the gimbal. Pull that ribbon up and make sure it's on the side when you put it back together. And if you want to really clean it with degreaser? Hope you have at least some knowledge of soldering, as the ground wire soldered to the circuit board will keep you from separating each peace of the gimbal for a thorough cleaning, or at least make it that much more tedious as you dance around it trying not to break a wire.

 

Hopefully - you won't have to.. but seems a lot of people have to. A guy I fly with bought one about a month and a half ago and within weeks said he noticed stiction.. he actually sent it to someone who repairs them that is a part of this simming community (not a TM employee) and the guy said it was the second worst warthog he'd ever worked on. My friend is currently flying with a Logitech extreme 3d pro waiting on it to be shipped back to him.

 

The balljoint itself in my stick had no smooth movement until after *I* greased it up. I was surprised it was only minimal pressure showing the signs, the strength of the spring was masking it.

 

It feels great when it's lubed, and nobody is really putting out a throttle that is as functional as what comes with the WH package other than saitek.. and I wouldn't wish newer saitek products on anyone. THe hog can at least be fixed without worrying about cheap plastic threads coming with the screws albeit tedious if you mess up. Hoping for the best that you don't end up having to take the stick base apart any time soon.. but you should see how the stick moves using minimal pressure to move it to decide if you will or not. After greasing I can rest my hand on my keyboard tray and move the stick with one finger, slow as I want to without it catching. Prior to that any "Fine" adjustments were near impossible.

 

And quite frankly..having solved my stick's issues with my own handy work.. I'd say I feel a little more capable than your average gamer looking to buy a gaming peripheral and game.. rather than buy a gaming peripheral that turns into the hobby of DIY projects. "Mine has been fine from day one" .. so then.. you've never taken it apart and had to deal with any of this right? It was totally my lack of capability that made the stupid thing have a defect off the shelf anyway right? I'm only thankful I didn't see any reason to bust out the sandpaper as has been shown in other videos of disassembly in these forums.

 

The general consensus from anyone who's had issues with their WH stick is that the gimbal is the weakest part of the entire design. If you have concerns that's generally what to look for.. but hopefully you end up lucky like this guy who seems to believe that a broken wire resulting from taking apart a joystick showing problems is a "lack of capability" to speak on the subject.. because his is just fine..from the day he got it. Because manufacturers don't ever make mistakes and therefore are capable where I am not because I am a consumer and I made a mistake fixing their defect. That again, I fixed myself.

 

Aside from that? Great stick. Lots of buttons. Feels great in the hands, the trigger pull is heavy and therefore intentional. I actually enjoy the tension and center detent. A dream to fly the a-10c with.. great for a sim like Faclon BMS as well and it's my go to stick for any of the FC3 modules, as well as Elite Dangerous.

 

I still use a near two decade old msffb2 that's likely never been taken apart at all and functions flawlessly for helis and prop planes.. as I don't require as many buttons, and the force feedback is lovely in those situations especially. But 15+ years.. still working fine.. built like a tank... yet plastic, ahead of its time STILL when it was discontinued.. that retailed for $90..

 

Standards have sure changed.

 

If you think you can keep going with this hobby without tinkering then you are in the wrong hobby. Things with moving parts will need maintaining from time to time and moving parts from China might need fettling out of the box. These issues are realities that won't be going away anytime soon.

 

Reading through your long post, I seems that your stiction issues were occurring when you tried to fly with the pressure of one finger? I just tried that with mine and, sure enough, there is a little bit of stiction there that I never noticed. I certainly don't notice it with one hand on the stick. Once I get my extension sorted even that minimal stiction will be gone.

 

Anyway, the glass is half full for me and I'm grateful we have access to affordable hardware like this. I'm certainly also grateful to the users who posted calm and sensible reviews laying out all the pros and cons, I'm just not overly interested in the whining.