A Quick Review of the Thrustmaster Warthog Hotas!

[SniprKlr]

Hello everyone :),

 

I had decided to sell like my seemingly one hundred and first born (that being my X-52 Hotas) a week ago to acquire myself the new Thrustmaster A-10 Warthog Hotas! This gave me a nice little 35 dollar discount. I also managed to find one on Ebay for $489 with free shipping :O Thus I have decided that I would share a quick review for those of you who are considering purchasing it. This is in hopes that I can provide all of you with a good sense of how great of a product this is. So hold on to your ejection seats as you may find yourself para-shooting away from your current shot full of holes Hotas in favor of the Thrustmaster Warthog! >:)

 

 

Looks and Aesthetics:

 

So, I received it today and I just unpacked it in what I would call an orgasmic like experience. Yes, this thing is absolutely more beautiful than the most beautiful woman on Earth! I literally Gawked at it for about 20 mins, to which of course is far more attention than I have given my girlfriend over the last 20 hours, or if not the last week! The look of the Hotas appears to be very authentic in accordance to the real thing. Hence, they weren't kidding that it's nearly an exact replica! If anyone here is considering purchasing this, you will not be disappointed!

Build Quality and Feel:

 

Now I figured this part would be very important to those who might like to know how well the Thrustmaster Warthog is built, and how it feels. The first thing I noticed when I pulled each part from their Styrofoam casings was how heavy they are, and they are indeed very heavy! The Hotas is built like a tank, and feels very solid to the point where it is no question in whether or not it was built to last. The craftsmanship that went into constructing the Hotas is second to none, and I say this in the most literal and broadest sense possible when it comes to game controllers.

 

The Hotas also feels very natural and comfortable in your hands. The stick itself is incredibly comfortable, solid, with easy to reach buttons and hat switches. All the buttons have good tension, as well as a solid feel to them even though some of them are made of plastic. This is also by farthest the smoothest and accurate flight stick that I have ever experienced! But let's just say that I now know what it is like to hold and pull the stick and trigger of a real A-10 warthog! ;) The stick also has a large and solid base with rubber pads on the bottom, as well as screw holes in the four corners in case you want to bolt it down in your custom pit (should you have one, or plan to make one). The greatest thing about this is that this stick will not ever move around on you while you are in the heat of battle! :pilotfly: I could never say the same for my X-52, and that annoyed to piss out of me! :mad:

 

The Throttle control is equally as amazing as the stick, as it too is solid and very comfortable. I also love the seperate throttles for each engine. These throttles have a very smooth and solid feel to them while having the option to increase and decrease the tension to suit your own preferences in order to get that perfect feel! I can't stress enough how great of a feature that is, and how it allowed me get more comfortable with it. Moving on, the switches, hats, and buttons are equally as satisfying with their solid clicks, tensions, and presses. In fact, the only gripe I have is that the flaps switch seems a little more loose than I had expected giving how the rest of all the other buttons and switches feel (this is a very minor thing, and a non-issue). The Throttle base is also very solid, and like the stick, it will not move around on you either.

 

Accuracy:

 

Here is another area I think everyone is wondering about when it comes to the new Hotas, and that is how accurate it is. Well after installing and calibrating the Warthog Hotas, I can say that it is extremely accurate! In fact, you don't even need to assign dead zones or worry about the stick having a slightly inaccurate center point.

 

Now as far as fluidity in flight is concerned, all I can say is that it's extremely fluid and accurate! Getting the piper on target has never this easy! I would even say that this has made my gaming experience with the DCS series and Lockon 100 times better! No more over turning, pitching, yawing, or what have you! This includes under turning ect. The Thrustmaster Hotas stick is even great for racing games!

 

Programming Software:

 

I haven't gone in to deep here yet, but it seems pretty intuitive and easy to use. I will have to get back to you later on this as I spend the next few days fine tuning my button mapping to DCS A-10 :) Sorry, but I haven't had much time with it yet :( Though I may end up a single man if I'm not careful lol.

Price:

 

Expensive! However, it is more than worth the price! I would have paid $700 easy for this btw. However, keep an eye on Ebay or other places online for a good deal. Especially when considering shipping costs as some places will charge you a pretty penny to ship it to you giving how much this beast weighs.

 

Conclusion:

 

This is an AMAZING product! And so for the only Con I can think of is the price since many people might not be willing or able to toss out 500+ on a flight controller. This put me back quite a bit, so I surely felt the pinch here. I also don't normally jump the gun on new stuff while paying the premium price. This however was an exception that I feel was well worth it. :)

 

So I hope all of you have enjoyed this quick review of the Thrustmaster Warthog Hotas :thumbup:

 

Cheers!..

 

PS,

 

If there is anything you want to know about this Hotas, feel free to ask :)

Edited November 25, 2010 by SniprKlr

[sneakypete]

Nice review SniprKlr.

 

There must have been at least half a dozen occasions in the last week when my mouse pointer has hovered over the 'Buy' button for the TM Warthog.

 

What's holding me back? I think it's mainly the quality issues I had with my cougar, along with the huge right bicep I acquired whilst using it when it was actually working!(It was from using the cougar. Honest!:lol:).

 

Having now gotten used to the very nice but fairly 'wimpy' spring force of the CH Fighterstick I guess I'm also a little concerned that the Warthog might be a tad too 'manly' for me.

 

I also spent some time with the G940 but couldn't get my head around the lack of decent support by Logitech along with what I personally thought was pretty poor in game support by game/sim developers. The killer for me though with the G940 was the fairly huge floppiness around joystick centre. Some people seem to get on ok with it but in the end for me this factor led to me letting mine go.

 

The dilemma now is do I go for The CH Throttle and pedals to go with the Fighterstick (longevity pretty much assured) or go for the Warthog and get rudder pedals at a later date? By the way, I'm liking the look of the new Saitek Combat rudder pedals which are worth checking out on their site if your looking for a rudder solution. Due for release soon I think.

 

I'm swaying toward the Warthog at the moment because I'm really enjoying the DCS A10 beta and I'm sure I'll be with it for the long haul. On the other hand I enjoy a quick spin on Rise of Flight too. Would be interesting to hear how the Warthog fares in a sim like ROF which is so different to what it is obviously designed for.

 

Thanks again SniprKlr :thumbup:

Edited November 25, 2010 by sneakypete

[brewber19]

Hi SneakyPete,

 

I was a CH Fighterstick & throttle user. I now have a TM:WH.

 

The TM:WH stick resistance is heavier than the CH, but much lighter than a stock cougar. Its actually a very comfortable stick to fly with. The throttle is clearly very different from CHs offering, but very smooth and pretty comfortable.

 

Just as important as feel, is usability. Having a TM:WH makes using DCS:WH just sooooo much easier I can't tell you. The dual-stage trigger, the proper hats etc on the hardware, really robust switches so no chance of accidentally long/short presses etc.

 

In as a few words as possible: Buy the TM:WH, you won't be disappointed. Sell your CH Fighterstick & Throttle, so you can get some CH pedals (don't get Saitek pedals, they are cheap and imprecise).

[SniprKlr]

Nice review SniprKlr.

 

There must have been at least half a dozen occasions in the last week when my mouse pointer has hovered over the 'Buy' button for the TM Warthog.

 

 

LOL, I had done the same thing several times :P It's really hard to hit a button on such a pricey item without getting your hands on it in order to get a feel for it. I usually wait a few months or even a year to see if it's as good as they say it is. And even then I tend to be iffy on whether or not to click the purchase button :)

 

What's holding me back? I think it's mainly the quality issues I had with my cougar, along with the huge right bicep I acquired whilst using it when it was actually working!(It was from using the cougar. Honest!:lol:).

 

I can say that this is nothing like the cougar, especially when it comes to it's internal workings. It's magnetic for the most part. I also find this to be built better than the cougar Hotas. You won't need a huge bicep to use this controller either :) It's heavy but fluid (easy and smooth). :)

 

Having now gotten used to the very nice but fairly 'wimpy' spring force of the CH Fighterstick I guess I'm also a little concerned that the Warthog might be a tad too 'manly' for me.

 

Spring force sticks are terrible in comparison to this. As for manly, its heavy duty yes, but not in regards to having to use force to move the stick around. The heavyness makes it smoother and easier to control. And unlike spring force based sticks, this allows you to have far more accuracy in your subtle adjustments and movements without that springy feeling that causes you to over turn or under turn. :)

 

I also spent some time with the G940 but couldn't get my head around the lack of decent support by Logitech along with what I personally thought was pretty poor in game support by game/sim developers. The killer for me though with the G940 was the fairly huge floppiness around joystick centre. Some people seem to get on ok with it but in the end for me this factor led to me letting mine go.

 

I had my buy now cursor over that for a while as well :P However in regards to game support, I have a few games here to which I plan to test out and see how well supported it is. So far I got it to work flawlessly in Need For Speed Shift, and in DSC A-10 Beta 2 (I haven't installed beta 3). In regards to floppyness around the center, there is none :)

 

The dilemma now is do I go for The CH Throttle and pedals to go with the Fighterstick (longevity pretty much assured) or go for the Warthog and get rudder pedals at a later date? By the way, I'm liking the look of the new Saitek Combat rudder pedals which are worth checking out on their site if your looking for a rudder solution. Due for release soon I think.

 

I personally still have my Saitek Pedals, and they work just fine. I actually prefer the Saitek pedals because of the Toe Brakes :) And they work very well with this stick. But I don't see there would be a issue getting either or :)

 

I'm swaying toward the Warthog at the moment because I'm really enjoying the DCS A10 beta and I'm sure I'll be with it for the long haul. On the other hand I enjoy a quick spin on Rise of Flight too. Would be interesting to hear how the Warthog fares in a sim like ROF which is so different to what it is obviously designed for.

 

Well, I don't think you would need to just use this with DCS A-10. All the switches and buttons are programmable, and can be used in various other games such as ARMA II. I already have Ideas on how to makes the Throttle switches and hats work to my advantage in regards to giving out command orders ect vs using the keyboard :). So I will be testing her out on that game too :) Though I wish there was a place where you could get some hands on time with this Hotas as it seems like you really want to see how if feels and works before you buy :) But the best you can do for now is wait for more reviews, and info regarding it's support and compatibility in other games and in other hardware configurations :book:

 

Thanks again SniprKlr :thumbup:

 

You're very welcome sneakypete:pilotfly:

[SniprKlr]

Hi SneakyPete,

 

I was a CH Fighterstick & throttle user. I now have a TM:WH.

 

The TM:WH stick resistance is heavier than the CH, but much lighter than a stock cougar. Its actually a very comfortable stick to fly with. The throttle is clearly very different from CHs offering, but very smooth and pretty comfortable.

 

Just as important as feel, is usability. Having a TM:WH makes using DCS:WH just sooooo much easier I can't tell you. The dual-stage trigger, the proper hats etc on the hardware, really robust switches so no chance of accidentally long/short presses etc.

 

In as a few words as possible: Buy the TM:WH, you won't be disappointed. Sell your CH Fighterstick & Throttle, so you can get some CH pedals (don't get Saitek pedals, they are cheap and imprecise).

 

O.o after reading this, I might look at some CH pedals. :) I honestly never tried CH pedals :(

[WynnTTr]

Nice review. Yeah when I first opened my box, I was thinking was there any way to straddle this thing.. it was just so sexy.

 

CH pedals are rugged but they're too narrow. It's got the nickname "The nutcracker" for a reason.

 

Currently using Saitek pedals and they're nice. Wide enough with adjustable tension. Nothing imprecise about them and they've lasted quite a few tantrums when I got shot down while in a bad mood.

 

Read up on some reviews about the saiteks. They're not bad at all.

[Sticky]

Good review!

 

I think your only gripe, with the flaps, I think they made it that way so you could use it with you pinky finger if you wanted to, thats why they made it so it takes less force, the same with the pinky switch in the left throttle itself and the pinky buttons on the stick, they all take less force to use, not like the other ones, and I dont think its a coincidence, its on purpose. So I think its good, a good decision, if thats really the reason.

[Sticky]

What's holding me back? I think it's mainly the quality issues I had with my cougar, along with the huge right bicep I acquired whilst using it when it was actually working!(It was from using the cougar. Honest!:lol:).

 

 

This was holding me back to, but its not like that, its not like the cougar at all and the force is perfect, I hated the cougar but I love this one. So if you are waiting because of the Cougar, and think this is like the cougar, it isnt!

If you put this high on a table, then I dont know, maybe you will get tired eventually, but I have been using it close to my knees and can go hours without feeling anything. The force is just right and it helps you aim and "balance" the pipper in the right place. Adjustments are easy and feel very natural.

[Frederf]

Hopefully they actually had access to information on how much force is required to move certain controls to replicate the real one as much as possible.

 

The only large inaccuracies I heard were:

 

1. EAC switch not solenoid-held spring-loaded.

2. A/P engage switch not push flush, push pop.

3. Throttle friction not actually the throttle friction.

[Sticky]

"solenoid-held spring-loaded" what does this mean?

[Sticky]

3. Throttle friction not actually the throttle friction.

 

But there is a throttle friction on the throttle base. So you have a real one but not where its supposed to be. And the fake one, positioned where the real one is on the real A10, can be used as anything you want.

[Nickhawk]

But there is a throttle friction on the throttle base. So you have a real one but not where its supposed to be. And the fake one, positioned where the real one is on the real A10, can be used as anything you want.

 

confirmed, real throttle friction is on the base left front, the fake friction can be used as game axis. (i use it as zoom view, perfect solution from Thrustmaster). :thumbup:

[Sticky]

confirmed, real throttle friction is on the base left front, the fake friction can be used as game axis. (i use it as zoom view, perfect solution from Thrustmaster). :thumbup:

 

Yeah I tried to use it as zoom myself, but I prefer to keep my hands on the throttle as much as possible when I fly, and since I use zoom all the time I moved it to mic switch instead. This way I can zoom as much as I want without letting go of the throttle handles. But I really use zoom alot, so for most other people the throttle friction as zoom probably works perfectly.

[brewber19]

Hi WynnTTr,

 

LOL, you're not wrong about the narrowness of the CH pedsals, I'll admit that. When I use them I just use my heels, so my toes are pointed "out"...in this way I can sit in a "John Wayne legs akimbo" kind of way, and save my delicates the abuse they'd get otherwise.

 

I liked my Saiteks for the pedal width/spread, but not the feel or use. Might be I had a bad one (one of the early batches) or may be I am spoiled by my CH gear.

 

cheers

Brewber.

 

Nice review. Yeah when I first opened my box, I was thinking was there any way to straddle this thing.. it was just so sexy.

 

CH pedals are rugged but they're too narrow. It's got the nickname "The nutcracker" for a reason.

 

Currently using Saitek pedals and they're nice. Wide enough with adjustable tension. Nothing imprecise about them and they've lasted quite a few tantrums when I got shot down while in a bad mood.

 

Read up on some reviews about the saiteks. They're not bad at all.

[Frederf]

But there is a throttle friction on the throttle base. So you have a real one but not where its supposed to be. And the fake one, positioned where the real one is on the real A10, can be used as anything you want.

 

I realize, just kind of distasteful that they chose to do it that way. It would be pretty cool to have it work as joystick friction and control the in-game axis just so the lever in the cockpit visibly would match. It's truly pedantic, no? :music_whistling:

 

"solenoid-held spring-loaded" what does this mean?

 

In the real jet there are several switches with this behavior. If you press the EAC switch to arm and the EAC is not ready to be armed then it simply flops back to off via spring when you let go. Only when the aircraft is ready for EAC arm will it "grab" the switch with an electromagnet (solenoid) to keep it in the on position when you let go.

 

You see this behavior in the game with mouse clicking the switch. If for example before you start the jet you click and hold EAC to arm it stays but when click is released it immediately flops back to off. With the TM WH having the simple switch in the on position on the controller behaves as if you're simply holding the switch in the on position with your fingers forever against the spring.

 

There's also the engine operate switches that are slightly complicated in their motion. You have to lift them over a "gate" to go to the motor position similar to the gate that exists between OFF and IDLE on the throttles.

[MTFDarkEagle]

There's also the engine operate switches that are slightly complicated in their motion. You have to lift them over a "gate" to go to the motor position ...

But that (unfortunately) is not in the tm wh..