x56 HOTAS upgrade, WINWING Orion2 MAX HOTAS vs WKB Gunfighter IV Ultimate.

[DejmienoPl]

Hi guys,

I own Logitech x56 HOTAS but I'm thinking about to replace it with something better, for sure for something which is not made from plastic. 

Most important is to upgrade stick, I can live with x56 throttle if upgrade is not game changer. 

Visually, I fall in love with WKB Gunfighter IV Ultimate... but it's quite expensive. With discount I can afford it for 608 EUR with shipment. In my budget I'm able to buy only stick, and leave throttle for another month. 

In the same budget in WINWING I can buy full HOTAS Orion2 MAX or buy only stick and instead of upgrading throttle just buy rudder pedals (currently I use small stick on x56 throttle to control rudder).

Any advice? Is Gunfighter really worth the price? 

I'm flying F-14 Tomcat with plans to also learn F-4 Phantom, F-16, Mig-29 Falcon and Apache.

[MAXsenna]

@DejmienoPl

If you're going to spend that much money, and you mostly fly the F-14, plan on F-4 and helicopters. You WILL regret down the line not getting a force feedback base. Even if you have to wait a little to save up more money.

The FFB bases you can consider are the FFBeast and the VPForce Rhino, which both are made by enthusiasts and can also be done as a DIY project. There is also the Moza base, which might even fit your budget. Winwing and Virpil have plans to release FFB bases in the future. They will probably be better than the Moza, while I highly doubt they will have the flexibility and telemetry of the Rhino, and the strength of the Beast. 

Cheers! 

Edited 4 hours ago by MAXsenna

[DejmienoPl]

@MAXsenna thanks for reply!

Do you think if Winwing release FFB base it will be compatible with current joysticks? In such case I could just sell ORION 2 base and buy new one. 

[MAXsenna]

@MAXsenna thanks for reply!
Do you think if Winwing release FFB base it will be compatible with current joysticks? In such case I could just sell ORION 2 base and buy new one. 

Personally, I prefer using bases/grips/extensions that are compatible with Thrustmaster connectors. (Virpil, Rhino, FFBeast, Moza and more). But yes, of course you could sell parts when you upgrade.
There are converters available for matching unmatching grips.
If I were you, I would look up the different forum threads under the Input forum to seek more advice there! Also under the "For Sale" thread, you can find kits for Rhino and FFBeast, which makes the DIY process quicker and simpler.

Cheers!

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk

[TheBiggerBass]

I had a logitech x56 Hotas, but returned it after a few weeks because I wasn't satisfied with the quality. Then I bought a TurtleBeach VelocityOne Flight Deck Hotas which I used for about 3 months. It's much better than the X56 but I was looking for top notch. Then I bought the VKB Gunfighter IV ultimate in March which elevated joystick performance to a completely different level. Die cast aluminum shell, nice tactile switch feeling, customizeable into every imagineable direction, good tutorial videos, fast and kind customer support ect. completes the overall picture. Yes, also the price is another level but I didn't regret it a single second. Highly recommended.