av8orDave Posted March 1, 2023 Posted March 1, 2023 Looking for opinions here: - I currently have the Thrustmaster Warthog stick and throttle. I upgraded the spring in the stick to lower the resistance/tension. I like the setup, but the Warthog stick has a really strong "centering" action, and I'd like something that is smoother in the transition from the center outward and back. It also seems to have a very faint amount of "stiction" in certain spots. - The VKB Gunfighter options seem to get good reviews, but literally everything on their website is "sold out." What's the deal? - Any other options I should be considering?
EightyDuce Posted March 1, 2023 Posted March 1, 2023 47 minutes ago, davidrbarnette said: Looking for opinions here: - I currently have the Thrustmaster Warthog stick and throttle. I upgraded the spring in the stick to lower the resistance/tension. I like the setup, but the Warthog stick has a really strong "centering" action, and I'd like something that is smoother in the transition from the center outward and back. It also seems to have a very faint amount of "stiction" in certain spots. - The VKB Gunfighter options seem to get good reviews, but literally everything on their website is "sold out." What's the deal? - Any other options I should be considering? I can't comment on the WH as I never had one. But I have two VKB Gunfighters, latest being the Ultimate. I love them both of them. Very robust build with tons of customization between cams, spacers and springs and tons of buttons and interchangeable ministicks and 5 way switches. Have absolutely nothing but good things to say about the product. I even recently purchased their pedals which are fantastic, especially for rotary. What sucks is their availability, as you have found out. I bought my original Gunfighter at launch after which point they were unavailable for several months. Same thing with the ultimate, where full kits were available but sticks only were not. Shipping was reasonable and quick when they are in stock. Are you checking their NA store or International? 1 Windows 11 23H2| ASUS X670E-F STRIX | AMD 9800X3D@ 5.6Ghz | G.Skill 64Gb DDR5 6200 28-36-36-38 | RTX 4090 undervolted | MSI MPG A1000G PSU | VKB MCG Ultimate + VKB T-Rudders + WH Throttle | HP Reverb G2 Quest 3 + VD
av8orDave Posted March 1, 2023 Author Posted March 1, 2023 25 minutes ago, EightyDuce said: I can't comment on the WH as I never had one. But I have two VKB Gunfighters, latest being the Ultimate. I love them both of them. Very robust build with tons of customization between cams, spacers and springs and tons of buttons and interchangeable ministicks and 5 way switches. Have absolutely nothing but good things to say about the product. I even recently purchased their pedals which are fantastic, especially for rotary. What sucks is their availability, as you have found out. I bought my original Gunfighter at launch after which point they were unavailable for several months. Same thing with the ultimate, where full kits were available but sticks only were not. Shipping was reasonable and quick when they are in stock. Are you checking their NA store or International? I checked their NA store. Looks like anything with a Gunfighter base is on perpetual backorder.
Dragon1-1 Posted March 1, 2023 Posted March 1, 2023 (edited) Try Winwing, if you don't mind ordering the China. I have the Orion 1 stick and Orion 2 throttle, both very solid pieces of kit. The stick is incredibly precise, it's got a progressive force curve so that it doesn't take much to move it from the center, but you need to haul back on it if you want to deflect it fully. Very smooth center with no detent, too, can be used to fly helos or the Spitfire without any sort of extension. Orion 2 base is quite customizable, too, you can put in force sensing module or dampers instead of cams. This base works best with a desk mount, can work without if you've got a smooth desk (suction cups), although it is quite tall. I have both the stick and the throttle mounted using DIY mounts, but you can use whatever. The best thing is, Orion stick bases take TM Warthog mounts, so if you don't like the cups, you can use the baseplate from your Warthog, the screw layout is identical. Oh, and if you buy the adapter, you can also use the Warthog grip, although Winwing grips are great, and their hats have quite a bit of travel, far more than TM ones. Buttons are softer but still good. My only complaint is the trigger, which is kind of weird, like it had an extra detent, but it works great once you get used to it (basically, you can't rest your trigger on the first detent, as it clicks before you feel the resistance, this is due to how they set the leaf spring for the trigger). If you're after better precision and already own a Warthog, it might be a good investment. Edited March 1, 2023 by Dragon1-1
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