What would you recommend? I used to love space sims with a stick, I'm getting nostalgic already!
Depends mainly on four things...
How much do you want to spend?
How much do you want to spend?
How much do you want to spend?
And how much do you want to spend?
There are loads of low-end models, some with full-on throttles, others with just slidey tabs.
I personally favoured a Saitek Cyborg FLY 5, although the construction is a bit flimsy.
Others would recommend the Thrustmaster or Speedlink Black Widow types, which are pretty good entry level ones.
Mid-range is pretty much dominated by Saitek. However, they are now owned by MadCatz and build quality is often a factor.
The X52 and especially X52 Pro are pretty much the benchmark models and the ones Elite's cockpit is modelled on. Pretty good and often more expensive than the newer X55.
The X55 is a lovely idea, poorly designed, poorly scaled and poorly made in very cheap plastic, with many reports of models and several subsequent replacements failing. Saitek/MadCatz have a very good repair/replacement service but the downside is that they've had lots of practice to get it thus.
The X65 is pretty much the same basic model, but with a non-tilting stick and a few extras on the throttle. Not many takers on this one and not even tried it myself.
At the top end:
Thrustmaster make THE joystick to have - The Warthog. This is an exact copy of the real A-10 controls, where every switch works. Solid build, heavy metal switches, very very good. However, costs a bomb and isn't to everyones' taste. I found it a bit OTT and the split between the two throttle sliders was very uncomfortable after a while. The stick movement is solid and smooth, though I'm not an amazing fan of the palm rest.
My personal recommendation, because this is what I ended up with, is a set of CH Products controls.
These are sold separately, but the basic setup would be a Combatstick or Fighterstick (I have the FS) along with the Pro Throttle. Some people go for the Rudder Pedals as well, although they're not neccesary.
They look weird and 80s, because they are, but the fact is that the ones people bought back in the 80s are still in use today. CH even offered a free upgrade to USB for existing owners and they're solid as a rock. They also use off-the-shelf parts, so you can even repair them yourself if you choose. They seem like lightweight, cheap plastic to the touch, yet you can still feel how precisely they were made.
No fancy lights, just very good functionality. The stick is extremely simple and lightweight, which allows for effortless precision, while the throttle is packed with features. It seems weird to begin with, but you quickly find these have every control you could want and in all the right locations - Based on trying all those above, I bought this expecting to mod the hell out of it... After a year of use, all the modding bits I bought are still sat in their packets, unopened!
I can't tell you where, but you can search online and find a CH set for under £200.
now with the lifetime expansion pass. So for a lot more money they will let preorder folk play E
