I ordered the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition from B&H August 10th. It’s still not available.
What is a good alternative?
Did BH Photo ship any HOTAS at all?
My Aug order said would be shipped Oct 16 but no update yet. Now I’m having a really bad impression of that store.
I’ve seen other stores that have the same problem… no product from Thrustmaster! I’d order from another source but it appears that Thrustmaster is having issues getting this thing out the door.
Looking for something similar, similar pricing that I can order today with no backorder problems
I got one early on from Walmart but ever since Aug. they don’t seem to be available anywhere.
Alternate in the Netherlands had a new shipment two days ago, I was lucky to buy one. Didn’t know there was such a big shortage and backorder for many people until i’ve read about it on Twitter. Felt kinda bad tbh, and hope production is getting up soon.
Prices on every HOTAS are through the roof right now. I paid <$100 (US) for my original Saitek X52 many years ago. I’m glad I didn’t sell it, since it’s almost $300 with the Logitech name attached, sold direct from Amazon. Even as old as it is, thanks to the no-contact axis sensors, it still works perfectly - except for the pinkie switch. But if that’s all that’s wrong with it, I’ll live with it!
VKB Gladiator NXT looks like a good bet to me. the cost is either $120- 150 for the deluxe version. It comes with multiple springs and the handle is replaceable too.
I talked to a sales rep at B&H and (a) they have no idea about any kind of a timeframe and (b) they haven’t contacted anyone from the manufacturer or bothered to ask when a shipment could be expected. It was a very non-helpful experience, nothing like their ads 
I have been trying since August to get one. They are never in stock in the US.
There is a thread on their Twitter page with people ripping them up over lack of stock. All they can do is apologize.
I almost believe that there is just a couple of guys making these in their garage after their day jobs.
I mean seriously, China still has all their factories going in full force for all kinds of products, so they have no excuse in no stock.
Try the Thrustmaster T16000M, it’s the same joystick (same sensors etc), just a different look. Can be converted to left hand stick as well (parts are supplied in the box).
Great stick, use it myself.
Unfortunately I can’t find that joystick either.
Sorry to hear that. Guess the whole Covid situation still has an impact on manufacturing/logistics.
Happy I anticipated the rush for flightsticks/HOTAS and ordered my set 2 weeks before MSFS released.
Hope you find something suitable soon.
There is a slightly more expensive VKB Gladiator NXT that looks cool. You can change the springs for different feel. You can find it at https://vkbcontrollers.com/?product=gladiator-nxt
I got tired of waiting and bought a $40 Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick. I think it’s great. 4 buttons on top plus the hat switch are ideal for me as I like to use those for view selection/control.
Wow! Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with these excellent alternatives.
Yes the covid thing. But with B&H, I’m not asking them for unrealistic expectations. Just asking for any expectation. “Under the circumstances, when can we reasonable expect a shipment?” would be a good question for a B&H vp to ask the vp of sales from Thrustmaster.
Anyway, much appreciation. Time to do a little shopping
Worldwide shortage of a product because of a mix of high demand and low production volumes due to COVID can’t be held against a retailer. Retailers are told by the manufacturers that they’ll be getting a shipment of X units of product by a certain date, and the retailers’ online store reflects that intended delivery date. Then when the retailer only receives a small percentage of the number they were expecting, they can’t fulfil all the orders they had and you’re stuck waiting in the queue until the next shipment arrives.
If you think it’s hard getting flight sim peripherals at the moment, you haven’t seen anything. My other hobby is astrophogoraphy. Shelves in astronomy supply stores have basically looked like shelves in a Soviet-era grocery store since May or so. The only stuff that’s available is low end starter gear - much like the only flight peripherals currently available are the low end products. I’ve waited since April to get a new telescope I’ve been wanting and got it finally like 10 days ago.
The moral here: Don’t pre-order items. Then your money becomes tied up with that retailer until you get your product and if it pops up somewhere else, you’re pretty much boned. Since MSFS was launched, I’ve managed to equip myself with a Logitech X56, rudder pedals, multi-panel and switch panel (all brand new). They were hard to find at regular prices (lots of ebay and Amazon scalpers selling them for 3x the normal price though). It took constant searching of the different sites and retailers multiple times a day every day and I’d jump on something right away when it became available.
That’s not necessarily true. I preordered the Honeycomb Yolk from Sporty’s and the Bravo Throttle Quadrant from B&H and both were charged to my card (they have to ensure you have available balance) and then removed. Both also said the pending charge is temporary and will be removed from the card, which they were, and that the charge would then go through once the product ships.
So, most places don’t actually make you pay for it before it ships.
Good retailers won’t pre-charge you. They’ll do exactly as you described and do a temporary charge to ensure your card is valid and you have the available funds. But not all online sellers are equal, and quite a lot of them (like eBay, NewEgg, Amazon, any payment made with PayPal, and many others) will charge you up front for the product and then you’re stuck waiting with your money tied up.
Still it comes to a case of just not pre-ordering stuff that isn’t in stock. In my case with the telescope I mentioned, I bought from a smaller Canadian online retailer that I have a good relationship with. He contacted me letting me know that he had 2 coming in - one was already spoken for, and he was giving me dibs on the second, which I jumped on. He also said that Sky-Watcher had told him he had 15 of them coming in, but all he received was 2. So the shortages of everything are very real.
If I were you I would wait, I was lucky enough to get one in Spain and I would say they are the best thing you can get quality/price. A lot more units will be available in a couple of months.
IF you cannot wait I would suggest going for a VKB Gladiator
Too many people use COVID as an excuse. My wife is Chinese and talking with some of her friends, production of most things are still going strong over there.
I think maybe tariffs might be playing more of a role in this than COVID.
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