hotas recommendation

[viper3two]

Hi folks

As we are eagerly awaiting BS's arrival....

I have not flown in several years, been taking up driving for a while with racing sims. Now I am going to get back to good ol' flying. I have been around since the Falcon Gold days....a long time.

I have an old trusty Microsoft Sidewinder 2 stick that does rather good still, still works and has no drift in it.

I am in search of a setup that would have rudder pedals, a throttle and a stick. What is everybody using these days for a hotas system? Just need a little advise, probably going to purchase something in the next month or so...

Thanks

Tony

[SuperKungFu]

This would also depend on your price range

 

A lot of people have Saitek X-52

I think its the best bang for the buck, the original one is less than 100 dollars and it has stick throttle and a twist rudder as pedals. Personally I didn't see the need to upgrade to the X-52 pro version since its price didn't really justify the improvements such as more metal constructions, better screen, lights...etc.

 

Next which probably most people would recommend are CH products. This is in case you don't like the "arcadish, star-wars" look of the X-52. It looks fairly more accurate and it last very long. However, its usually sold individually like stick 100, throttle 100, pedals 100. Those are not the exact prices but its an estimate. So that's a hefty price.

 

Third would be the all realistic look and feel which is the cougar joystick. I always wanted to get one of those, however, it doesn't have a pedal so you would have to buy that separately. And I heard you need to modify a bit to be really good. Of course, it works fine out of the box, but some people has complained it doesn't last long. I can't speak from experience on this.

[hannibal]

Thrustmaster Cougar does not support Windows XP 64Bit...it supporter on XP vista 32bit, and vista 64bit..

 

i own CH Products, and there awesome

[RedTiger]

 

Next which probably most people would recommend are CH products. This is in case you don't like the "arcadish, star-wars" look of the X-52. It looks fairly more accurate and it last very long. However, its usually sold individually like stick 100, throttle 100, pedals 100. Those are not the exact prices but its an estimate. So that's a hefty price.

 

No, 100 USD for each is actually accurate as long as you know where to buy. Google Provantage, they're a store in North Canton Ohio. They have some good deals on all CH products. ;)

 

I'd say get an x52 first. You can't go wrong with that for a starter HOTAS. You'll get your feet wet and decide if you want to move up to the better stuff. You can save money on the rudder pedals in the mean time, and you can always use any rudder pedals you buy with the x52.

[Weta43]

Throttle from X-52, MSFFB stick (+ pedals if spare cash about).

FFB works very nicely in DCS.BS - apparently very much as for RL

[Peyoteros]

Weta43 please stop talking about how nice is in the BS... please :D

[zakobi]

Any links to CH's website? Google don't help much... (try searching after the letter "A"... WTF???)

[159th_Viper]

Cougar FTW :)

[Poncho]

Here: http://www.chproducts.com/

[viper3two]

Thanks all for the replies, gonna give them a look! :thumbup:

Tony

[PoleCat]

Thrustmaster Cougar does not support Windows XP 64Bit...it supporter on XP vista 32bit, and vista 64bit..

 

i own CH Products, and there awesome

 

I think there are Beta Cougar drivers for Windows_XP_64 in fact.

 

I own Cougars and they ROCK! as well.

 

Check them out before purchasing.

 

Out

Edited August 27, 2008 by PoleCat

[RedTiger]

Thanks all for the replies, gonna give them a look! :thumbup:

Tony

 

I'm not sure where you're located, but if you are in the US, you can get CH products a lot cheaper elsewhere than directly from CH. Try these:

 

http://www.newegg.com

http://www.provantage.com

 

Provantage has the best deals I've ever see on CH stuff, but I really doubt they ship international. However, Newegg might.

[S77th-konkussion]

Yep. www.provantage.com .

[Cowboy10uk]

Hey mate, I started out with the X52, amazing Hotas, I'm currently using a Cougar though that said, while it is amazing for F16 sims, I think I may prefere the X52 for DCS, Though only time will tell, certainly the X52 is more user friendly, I find the Cougar a major hassle to program. Oh yes as to Rudders, I currently have the Saitek Pedals, Best pedals on the market I think and a very very good price.

[Prophet]

Thrustmaster Cougar does not support Windows XP 64Bit...it supporter on XP vista 32bit, and vista 64bit..

 

i own CH Products, and there awesome

 

False.

 

I own a Cougar and run Vista x64, and I use the official drivers.

[multiviper]

the cougar is a nice solid HOTAS, had mine for 3 years and not a single problem.. the weight of it is excellent it stays put...

 

and you should check ebay for prices on peddles

[Ramstein]

aall Saitek

:thumbup:

[531-Ghost]

Well, I've used my CH Products for going on 6+ years now. Not a bit of trouble. For what it's worth. At the end of the road, be happy and fly what you like.

[hannibal]

I think there are Beta Cougar drivers for Windows64 in fact.

 

I own Cougars and they ROCK! as well.

 

Check them out before purchasing.

 

Out

 

Windows 64 what?

 

64Bit XP, or 64Bit Vista?

the thrustmaster site says that 64Bit XP is NOT SUPPORTED....64bit vista, yes

 

SO PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG..ONCE AGAIN, I AM TALKING ABOUT 64bit XP (NOT VISTA)

[Weta43]

I don't think Yo-Yo will mind being quoted:

Now with FFB it looks like real stick behavior I remember after trying several big simulators with real cockpits and controls. Resembles real mechanics very close.

[Pilotasso]

If your going for X52 the first time I advise the Pro version. Alot of people complains the original X52 sticks looseness. The Pro is slighly heavier.

[Revvin]

I have used plenty of other brands over the years but its the CH HOTAS I have now and have used for the last 5 years that has never let me down and feels just as it did the day I unpacked them and plugged them in for the first time. In that time the software has continually evolved in terms of features and the operating systems it supports including 32Bit & 64Bit versions of Windows XP and Vista. When the times comes to upgrade I know my CH Products HOTAS will be supported.

[Axion]

Tried Cougar, did not like. Bought CH and did like. Both very different indeed. Have not tried X52. If possible get your hands dirty and try the different setups.

[SuperKungFu]

Depending on where you live, you could go down to a local store and feel out the joysticks. For example, I live in California, and I would go to Fry's electronics. they have the X-52, Ch products all lined up. The only one missing is the Cougar. The only store that I know of that sells it is CompUSA and that's going out of business.

[Ramstein]

not sure where who lives, but you can get a good price on place slike www.gogamer.com ., I got mine there a while back...

Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System $149.90

 

Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals

The pedals have been dropping in price where can snag new ones for $99.90

Edited August 20, 2008 by Ramstein