Best flightstick?

[Rifter]

Looking for a good flightstick.

I havent played a flight sim since F-117A stealth fighter on my 386 so figured it would be worth a shot again to try a flight sim since i do like the type of games.

Budget $200

Thinking of using it with MS flight sim and the DCS games which i have yet to purchase.

 

[Costas Athan]

Looking for a good flightstick.

I havent played a flight sim since F-117A stealth fighter on my 386 so figured it would be worth a shot again to try a flight sim since i do like the type of games.

Budget $200

Thinking of using it with MS flight sim and the DCS games which i have yet to purchase.

Well I'm not an expert on the field (I could do better with racing wheels), but in general have a look on Saitek's site: http://www.saitek.com/

They have many parts related to flight simulation (sticks, throttles, instrument panels etc.), so you may be able to find what you want.

edit: Having a better look this ==> http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/x52pro.html must be their best stick and you can check here ==> some prices.

 

[Rifter]

Well I'm not an expert on the field (I could do better with racing wheels), but in general have a look on Saitek's site: http://www.saitek.com/

They have many parts related to flight simulation (sticks, throttles, instrument panels etc.), so you may be able to find what you want.

edit: Having a better look this ==> http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/x52pro.html must be their best stick and you can check here ==> some prices.

wow the irony, i was just reading a X52 pro review and decided to check back to this post and see if anyone had any other suggestions yet!

Looks like the X52 pro is exactly what i want but at the top of my price range. I will look into a few more models before pulling the trigger.

 

[GullyFoyle]

On the lower end...Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X

 

[Costas Athan]

wow the irony, i was just reading a X52 pro review and decided to check back to this post and see if anyone had any other suggestions yet!

Looks like the X52 pro is exactly what i want but at the top of my price range. I will look into a few more models before pulling the trigger.

Well except X52 Pro there is also the X52 with a similar design and a lower price ==> http://www.google.com/search?q=X52 ...gc.r_pw.&fp=e3902303e0b1de84&biw=1680&bih=892. Anyway regardless which model you're going to buy I think Saitek is the way to go when we are talking about flight simulation controllers.

 

[Rifter]

Well except X52 Pro there is also the X52 with a similar design and a lower price ==> http://www.google.com/search?q=X52 ...gc.r_pw.&fp=e3902303e0b1de84&biw=1680&bih=892. Anyway regardless which model you're going to buy I think Saitek is the way to go when we are talking about flight simulation controllers.

yeah after reading 10-15 reviews so far about various joysticks and looking at a few flight sim forum posts it seems the rest of the world agrees with you that saitek is the way to go.

Will most likely end up with a X52 pro.

 

[Pia]

I have been surfing and asking around about this subject. My impressions so far:
- Logitech: adequate cheap sticks
- CH: good feel and durability at mid price
- Saitek: most features at mid price
- Thrustmaster: more expensive stuff

I'm thinking of buying a CH stick myself. Haven't heard a single bad thing about them. Saitek seems the natural choice if you are going to play one of the games that have a zillion billion controls.

 

[Costas Athan]

Buying a good controller definitely worths the additional cost (of course if you can afford it). If it is a good controller and doesn't break down easily you'll stick with it for many years.

On the other hand if you buy something midrange sooner or later you may want to replace it with a better one, so at the end you spend the same amount of money (or even more).

 

[mrblotto]

I'd say you can't go wrong with the CH Products line

http://www.chproducts.com/retail/

I played the hell outa Descent I/II/III, Tie Fighter, and FreeSpace with my Flightstick Pro. It outlasted 3 computers, then I had to switch to the USB Combatstick because my next soundcard didn't have a gameport connection lol.

 

[SpunkyJones]

Another vote for Saitek, I got the X52 this summer, and its been great.

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Well, since you said best, I'd say Thrustmaster Warthog, but it is more then $200.

Hall motion sensors (no pots to go bad), replica of a real A-10 HOTAS, so if you play DCS A-10, you don't even really have to map any commands.

Saitek is good, just not as good as the Warthog.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Yeah the Warthog would be ideal, but it's quite expensive. I use a few year old X52 (not the pro) for DCS games and once ya get it setup it works very well. If you look around a bit you should be able to find some pretty good profiles for any of their sims that are at least a really good starting point.

I'd love a TM Warthog for DCS A-10C, but I can never quite justify $400-$500 for a flight stick. I will say though that TrackIR is a very worth while accessory for flight sims.

 

[MiataNC]

I have been flight-simming since the mid-1990s...

Thurstmaster = Pricey, poor support and you have to rely on the community (which is awesome) to get the most out of their gear.

Saitek = Decent but some quality issues and software issues. I personally don't like the feel of their sticks (I have had the X45, X52 and X52 Pro over the years), but that is just my opinion

Logitech = OK for lower end simple sticks, but avoid the G940. They all but abandoned the project and it has a lot of bugs/issues.

CH Products = The absolute best in my opinion. Bullet proof reliability, incredible programming software (you don't have to use it), and the best feel (in my opinion)

For $200 pick up a CH Fighterstick USB and a set of Pro Pedals USB and you will be set. Then consider adding a Pro Throttle USB or Throttle Quadrant down the road.

 

[McWatt]

I agree about CH having the best quality and feel. My CH Flightstick, purchased in the early 90s, still works perfectly and my CH Fighterstick is great too. I never liked the weird nonlinear stiffness in Saitek sticks (I owned 1 but tried a few more over the years), but then again I haven't tried one in half a dozen years. Thrustmaster has never been in my price range, but I do like the way their gear feels.