It's a terrible time to want to get into Flight Sim '20 (Joysticks)

Gray2233 said:
Just before Covid hit I had a T.Flight in my basket for £38 from a competitor, I ended up not bothering as it wasn't available for delivery and I couldn't be bothered to go pick it up from a local store.

Very much regretting that now.
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Ha. I remember when supply first started to dwindle and Thrustmaster's own store had the HOTAS X for £36.99 + £8 P&P. I turned my nose up at it because... £8 P&P. Figured it would restock at Amazon or Argos or someone, for around the same price but without the P&P :D

Much regrets :p It's now £70-£80 plus postage, on the rare occasion that stock shows up.
 
McPhee said:
Ha. I remember when supply first started to dwindle and Thrustmaster's own store had the HOTAS X for £36.99 + £8 P&P. I turned my nose up at it because... £8 P&P. Figured it would restock at Amazon or Argos or someone, for around the same price but without the P&P :D

Much regrets :p It's now £70-£80 plus postage, on the rare occasion that stock shows up.
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The joys of hindsight! :p
 
CrackDown said:
Got my Airbus stick today. Great for the price and makes it so much easier to fly a plane than the keyboard numpad! Got all the buttons I need for the small prop planes I mainly fly, and use it in conjunction with the mouse for the VR menu.
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Nice. It definitely makes a big difference. Did you get the throttle as well?
 
Donka said:
Nice. It definitely makes a big difference. Did you get the throttle as well?
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No, just the stick. It has a small throttle on it anyway, and I wanted to set it up with the stick in my left hand and my mouse is in my right so I can navigate the MSFS menus and stuff (for ATC etc). Also, playing it in VR I can just look at the dials and switches and use the mouse to grab and flick/pull/push, which makes it feel a bit more realistic.
 
I’d ordered one of the Airbus sticks too. Might be tempted to add the throttle at a later date, but also quite fancying getting the clamp bracket too, as that looks like it might be handy to hang the stick off the edge of the desk.
 
The Airbus Officer Pack arrived today. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but some first thoughts vs the X52 Pro:

Stick:
  • X52's trigger is better. It feels nicer, and can be partially depressed, allowing for two fire modes.
  • X52 has more buttons and two hat switches.
  • The TCA stick layout is less cluttered and easier to hit the correct buttons.
  • The 12 buttons on the base of the TCA stick are pretty awful. Spongey, lacking uniformity. They just feel cheap. The toggle switches on the X52 are much nicer.
  • TCA stick has a built-in throttle, which the X52 doesn't have.
  • The actual stick mechanism on the TCA seems much tighter/firmer. The X52 is quite loose/easy.
  • The TCA is ambidextrous.
Throttle:

This is where the big differences are. The two throttles are designed for completely different things.

X52:
  • Ergonomic design that will be conformable to rest your hand on for long periods. Handy in combat games, where throttle control is continuous.
  • Loads of controls at your fingertips, with no need to take your hand off most of the time.
  • Built-in mouse control nib (again, helping to make sure you can keep your hand on the throttle at all times).
  • The display seems like a bit of a gimmick.
  • Not ambidextrous.
TCA:
  • Split lever design for control of two engines separately (can be locked together).
  • Detents on the throttle for easy stepped speed control (can be swapped to smooth control).
  • "Reverse" throttle function.
  • Fewer buttons than X52, and only two are accessible with your hand on the lever.
  • Design isn't ergonomic, but is ambidextrous.
In terms of build quality, the X52 feels more premium overall. But I think I prefer the TCA stick mechanism and button layout.

It's pretty clear that the TCA throttle was designed for Flight Sim, bringing features that will improve control and immersion in that game. But the flipside of that is it won't be so good in faster paced titles.

Not sure which I'll keep yet. As a leftie, I'm favouring the TCA. But I wonder if the throttle might be too much of a compromise in Squadrons, Elite, IL2 etc. and I'll wind up buying a second throttle if I keep that set.
 
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To be honest, top of the range joystick throttles and pedals have always been expensive. When I started flight sims I didnt want to pay more than £40 for a joystick. Now I own a Warthog, Crosswind pedals and a home made Leo Bodnar button box. Like most expensive things they will last and if you use them a lot then the cost per year doesnt seem so bad.
 
DD_Crash said:
To be honest, top of the range joystick throttles and pedals have always been expensive. When I started flight sims I didnt want to pay more than £40 for a joystick. Now I own a Warthog, Crosswind pedals and a home made Leo Bodnar button box. Like most expensive things they will last and if you use them a lot then the cost per year doesnt seem so bad.
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plus they hold their value pretty well
 
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