Urgent HOTAS advise required

[Zzenith]

Iam returning to flight sims and will be mainly playing the following,

 

DCS A10

DCS Black Shark 2

DCS Flaming Cliffs 3

 

My first HOTAS was a cougar but I never really liked the feel or the accuracy of it during flying even after I did the nxt upgrade I still wasn't happy with its performance, so I sold it. My second HOTAS and current is the CH Fighterstick and Pro throttle but I'm really beginning to hate the mechanical axis system. The biggest problem I have is when I'm trying to do small correctional diagonal movements the Fighterstick is always being pulled into either of the axis slots, its nigh on impossible to rotate the joystick in a smooth circle near the center without it clunking back to the middle of an axis.

 

So I've decided to buy a new system but before I dump a load of cash I need as much advise as you all can give me on the various HOTAS systems out there.

 

Truth be told I do like the look of the new Warthog and that is my current choice but as I didn't enjoy flying with the nxt cougar I'm very wary about buying it.

 

So I would very much appreciate if you have the time to post here your experiences with all the HOTAS's you have used especially if you have upgraded from a nxt cougar or a CH Hotas system to a Warthog, I'd love to hear about the differences. Please note that I'm also looking at the Saitek X65F Hotas and would love to hear how that one compares also.

 

The other thing is that I don't currently have rudder pedals and not sure as to when those would be added to my setup if at all.

 

Many thanks

[Razor5-1]

The Warthog is the best, fullstop!

Seriously it has the most accurate stick and anybody who has one swears by them!

A vast improvement over the Cougar.

[howie87]

Never had a cougar but I love my Warthog.

[Hyphara]

I have the Warthog and it's an amazing stick. If you want to fly the A10 it's simply a matter of plug&play, the sim will recognize the stick and provide you with the real HOTAS functions of an A10. Flying helos will be more difficult however. The Warthog doesn't have a twist rudder, so for the KA50, the Huey or an of the upcoming choppers you would need a pair of rudders.

 

I also tried the Saitek X65F. It's an innovative concept but personally i coudln't connect to the stick. My stick had some centering problems and the buttons on the joystick were often out of my reach. Others however report no issues at all and seem to have an amazing time. If you can, try it out and send it back, if you don't like it

[badger66]

TM Warthog is the way to go in my opinion . I had a Saitek 52 pro before ..... but with the amount of switchs and buttons , used with a modifier switch , your options are limitless with respect to the Warthog ..... feels good , looks good and is the best out there , imo . A friend of mine bought the X65 , and doesn't like it at all . He now wants a TM Warthog .

[Yellonet]

Yep, the HOTAS Warthog + pedals is the way to go.

Pedals is really a must for helicopters, and it's pretty important for the A-10 too, when taking off, landing and when aiming the gun/rockets.

[cichlidfan]

IMHO, without definite plans to buy rudder pedals, I would either get something with a twist grip or abandon the idea of flying helicopters.

 

The Warthog, no pedals, and helicopters is going to be a very poor mix.

[Speedbrake]

Go for WARTHOG!

 

Cougar was great....really used mine to the max but when a spring retaining bracket broke I went with the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS....best move I've made in simulation. You will need rudder pedals too for Black Shark, P-51 and the Huey. Seltek works great!

[Snoopy]

Warthog Hotas, pedals, Trackir are a must IMO

[Zzenith]

Thanks for the replies folks, to be honest I do drop in and out of flight sims but I always comeback and so don't mind spending the cash on the toys, I do have track ir 5 the only thing I don't have is rudder pedals.

 

Will the rudder pedals really make the difference ? and If so which ones are best paired with the Warthog

 

keep em coming folks can never get enough info regarding this topic also exactly how many controls are on the Warthog throttle I kinda liked having the four hats on the CH pro and I found all the buttons on the CH pro throttle real easy to reach and use, seeing as the Warthog throttle arcs up and down as you push it forward and back does it make reaching and pressing the buttons more awkward as your hand changes position.

 

thanks

[Yellonet]

Which pedals are best are really up to the user, but I'm quite happy with my Saitek Pro Flight Combat Pedals.

The pedas are made of metal and you can easily adjust tension and also the angle of the pedals.

[Yurgon]

Will the rudder pedals really make the difference ? and If so which ones are best paired with the Warthog

 

They will make a huge difference! For helicopters, I'd say pedals are almost more important than TrackIR.

 

I've had TM RCS pedals (great feel, poor quality), Saitek Pro Flight (they're okay) and totally love the Simped F-16/C. Unfortunately, DHS Elektronik went out of business last year. However, if you find a set of used ones (make sure they have the USB-connector, not the TM Cougar connector!), go for them, I can practically guarantee you won't be disappointed.

 

[...] seeing as the Warthog throttle arcs up and down as you push it forward and back does it make reaching and pressing the buttons more awkward as your hand changes position.

 

Nope, feels great all the way from idle to full power, although I actually prefer the ergonomics of the Cougar throttle, especially when being abused as collective stick for choppers. But the Warthog throttle does get the job done quite well as well. :)

 

My first HOTAS was a cougar but I never really liked the feel or the accuracy of it during flying even after I did the nxt upgrade I still wasn't happy with its performance, so I sold it.

 

Hard to tell whether that may be a problem for you. I've used an unmodded Cougar and loved it, so it doesn't come as a surprise that I like the Warthog even more. But I think the consensus is that the Warthog feels pretty much like a modded Cougar, just better.

 

The biggest problem I have is when I'm trying to do small correctional diagonal movements the Fighterstick is always being pulled into either of the axis slots, its nigh on impossible to rotate the joystick in a smooth circle near the center without it clunking back to the middle of an axis.

 

Never had any CH gear, but I don't perceive this kind of problem with the Warthog.

 

As others said, you should try it out and get your hands on one. Maybe the X65 will be the perfect fit for you, but I can also imagine that you may thoroughly enjoy the Warthog.

[Noj]

imho the TM Warthog is a good HOTAS, but I don't worship the thing as some seem to.

 

In fact, I find it can be really awkward for some sims or helicopters. I'm so pleased that I have alternatives to use for those (G940 is the HOTAS I use most - the FFB is a game changer, but have some basic ones, too, for older sims).

 

The switches on the Warthog throttle are not ideal for some sims - again, the Ka50, for which you also would have to get used to the trimming system. Some do, some don't. If you don't, you'll hate Ka50 and never touch it.

 

Just wanted to give an alternative view, as to me the Warthog has its faults, too ;)

 

(also not the only one to think this - links to such views can be provided)

[Speacy]

TM Warthog and rudder pedals... ;), perfect for BS2, A-10, P-51 and UH-1

[tintifaxl]

I can recommend the Warthog and even more after I did the spring mod making the resistance of the stick very soft and smooth. Wish we could get a Warthog Stick with extension and FFB, but I guess that one we have to make ourself ...

 

The Saitek combat pedals are very good, too.

[howie87]

It's another vote for the Saitek combat pedals from me as well. Very nice setup with the warthog. Not cheap mind, but worth the cash.

[311Gryphon]

Thanks for the replies folks, to be honest I do drop in and out of flight sims but I always comeback and so don't mind spending the cash on the toys, I do have track ir 5 the only thing I don't have is rudder pedals.

 

Will the rudder pedals really make the difference ? and If so which ones are best paired with the Warthog

 

keep em coming folks can never get enough info regarding this topic also exactly how many controls are on the Warthog throttle I kinda liked having the four hats on the CH pro and I found all the buttons on the CH pro throttle real easy to reach and use, seeing as the Warthog throttle arcs up and down as you push it forward and back does it make reaching and pressing the buttons more awkward as your hand changes position.

 

thanks

 

I'm sure it has been answered already but just on the throttle (not the entire quadrant) you have the pinky switch (lights), left throttle button (autopilot), slew control, coolie hat (4 way) and then the mic switch, brake switch, boat switch, and china hat on the ends of the right throttle. On the quadrant you've got a flaps switch, engine operating switch (cool for mid-air restart), APU start switch, a nice friction wheel that doesn't do anything that I know of so you can map it to something like zoom view, and then the autopilot and LASTE switches.

 

I was a bit skeptical about the TM Warthog because of the price. However, the more I got to looking the more I realized that I was probably not going to be very happy with anything less simply because of the apparent reliability, the fact that it isn't force sensing, and the fact that it has all the proper buttons in all the proper places for the A-10. Obviously flying other birds will not be as "cool" as flying an A-10 with it just because I'll have to map the buttons less intuitively at times. But it's nice. I bought mine used paired with a set of Saitek Pro Combat rudder pedals. I don't know much about rudder pedals but it's nice having them. The toe brakes are pretty cool. I'd say the pedals would be the lowest priority myself but I'm personally glad I have them.

 

Good luck!:joystick:

 

EDIT: I forgot to answer about hitting the buttons when you change position on the throttle. I do have some difficulty with this but not much. Mostly on the mic switch. I have UP on the mic switch mapped to my Ventrillo chat and when I have the throttle maxed I have a bit of trouble not pushing forward on it instead of up since up is actually slightly forward at that point. All of the other switches haven't given me any problems. So the ones you need most are still easy and intuitive.

Edited May 10, 2013 by 311Gryphon
Forgot information

[splash]

Mine is a CH Fighterstick + Pro Throttle and I'm very happy with them, despite I cannot reach the trim hat. Is more difficult in Hotas Warthog for average hands?

[K2mil]

I like mine saitek x65. It took me some time to figure out best pressure setting for me. The position of the stick in very important.

[Hamblue]

I love my warthog, pedals and trackir.

They even look great

[NatoBoomerang]

Noting beats the TH Warthog + CH Combat Pedals + TrackIR5, worth every penny.

[Darkwolf187]

If money wasn't an issue, I'd agree. But with limited budgets, I'm very happy with my choice of Saitek X52 Pro stick/throttle, Saitek pedals, and TrackIR5. The Warthog just costs too much to be able to justify it, great though it is. You can get a X52 Pro and TrackIR for the cost of just the Warthog. And if you're really cheap and don't want pedals, you don't _need_ them with the X52 Pro.

 

As for the Saitek models, the X65F is a real nice looking stick, but I really didn't like the idea of the force sensing stick. The X52 is very similar to the X52 Pro, but the Pro has much better build quality. The Pro is pretty great value for money.

[Hamblue]

Agree, the X52 pro is no slouch by any means. I'd recommend it anytime.

[SimHog]

I have the G940 and haven't had any issues using it in DCS or the many other flight sims I fly.

 

The FFB is a must IMO, especially for trimming in Black Shark.

 

There has been a lot of noise about them having pot spiking (edit: in the throttles) but I've never had it and I bought my on release. I could've been lucky with that but really, I've had pot spiking on every stick set I've ever owned in the past X52, Cougar, CH. It's nothing a visit to your local electronic store couldn't fix.

 

For the price you get FFB, HOTAS and Rudder Pedals, can't loose really.

 

Edit: Another benefit to the G940 over the others is that you can adjust the FFB, Spring and Dampening Strengths via the software. Thus you can make the stick as stiff as a Vigra wand or as limp as a wet noddle. Setting all the sliders to 0% it's very responsive in term of input and has very little centre play.

Edited May 13, 2013 by CoderX71

[peter]

Warthog, Saitek pro combat pedals and Track IR5 is what I use. Been simming since FS 5.0, Falcon 3.0 and Secret weapons of the Luftwaffe. Also a RL professional pilot and this is the best setup I have found for maximizing the control of a computer simulation short of a level D simulator. Have fun!