I own the Logitech 3D extreme pro. And I really like the layout of it and the way it feels in my hand but I feel like I don’t have a lot of movement and I could never find a good sensitivity that worked for every plane. The sensitivity settings that felt good to me were for the icon a5 and the Cessna CJ4 and other smaller planes.
But other planes like the Cessna longitude and the a320 felt super difficult to fly because if I didn’t fly exactly like I am supposed to or if I make small mistakes it ruins my entire flight.
I’m looking for something that like the Logitech 3D extreme pro has the thing u control the speed with on the joystick and not as a separate controller. Sorry I really don’t remember what it is called. Other than I’m ok with paying more because I want the best experience when playing but I also want something that can fit on my desk so that’s why I want everything on one the joystick. I.e I need want pedals
My old Sidewinder Precision Pro was too worn for MSFS, so I moved to the Thrustmaster TCA Airbus Sidestick that has an integrated throttle (which would suit your A320 use perfectly). However, the TCA’s rudder axis is still an old potentiometer which gets worn out and the wiring bundle gets caught on the inside of the stick.
The Gladiator VKB is a great product, but very expensive. Nonetheless, it has modern Hall Effect sensors - I bought one myself. You only need the Joystick and the grip - the base has a throttle-like control just like the Thrustmaster. Virpil is another competitor and popular brand comparable to VKB.
Just a heads up that the VKB does require some assembly when it arrives - it’s not a big Do It Yourself; they have plenty of official how-to videos to show you exactly what needs to be done, but it doesn’t come in one piece like other joysticks.
The monthly question and as always I recommend to have a look at CH Products Fighterstick or Flightstick Pro.
Not as fancy as some newer one’s but if a product is in production for almost 30 years and still able to generate sales, it can’t be that bad.
I really want to love the TCA Airbus sidestick. It has great feel for the A320 it was designed to mimic, and it works very well with all the others. However, I’ve had two critical failures on the “Z” axis with two units. Both units were well under 1 year new. The first was replaced under warranty, but as the second “new” unit doesn’t get the warranty coverage, I’m hosed and would need to purchase another. This “Z” axis twitching has been documented and shared here on the thread. While there is a fix that can be applied, it’s not a guarantee of solving the problem. It didn’t work with my first unit.
Shame, really. I still have my Saitek X52 - A classic unit that still works well at least 10 years on.
You are going to get lots of opinions. I also had the 3D Pro, in fact its back in its box. I purchased the Virpil Mongoose base and VFX grip. First, I like that it is exact copy of the F-14 stick in the real plane, which I fly a lot. Second, all the reviews I watched commented on how it feels in your hand. Yes, it is for a right-handed person. You can order it with or without twist for rudder effects. Since I do not have pedals, I opted for the twist, it can be locked off with a set screw. It’s not Cheap, close to 500 US plus you need to decide on which mounting option you want, desk mount or something else. VKB as I understand it is a similar mounting issue, but owners of those will chime in. I will say, it’s mostly all metal except the grip has some plastic, the base is all metal, same for the TM-3 95% metal, excellent quality build. Lead time is about 2 months provided Europe is stable.
Suggest you search YouTube and watch lots of those videos on various control devices to broaden out what you get here and see what other options you can have. Also, make sure what you end up with will work for your desk space if any of those limitations are present. Have heard that folks with the Velocity One BA unit have some issues. Again, reviews on all are your friend.
FWIW-I did have the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant, it took up a lot of desk space, and I did not have space to mount it in front of me on the right side to mimic the center control section of a real plane, I had to put it well away on the left. I finally sold it and got the Virpil TM-3 Throttle Unit, smaller, and fits on my desk in a great location, again on the left. Why, that is how most fighter planes are configured, not that I fly lots of them, but have always had Right-Handed JS, so it just is where it went. I posted a long time ago, how I have both of my Virpil Devices bound in this game. If you go that way, I tried to duplicate as close as possible my 3D pro layout for this sim, duplicating that for FSX and X-Plane. So, the brakes work the same in all the 3 sims for instance. Too much information, but good flight stuff is expensive so you should know as much as possible, because you will fly one way, and someone else flies another. Have fun.
The best “traditional” joystick (joystick on a base with integral throttle slider) on the market at present is the VKB Gladiator NXT, hands down, no argument.
It may seem expensive* compared to entry level products but flight sim peripherals really are a case of “buy once, cry once” but with VKB you are paying for good design, quality components and reliability. It will also retain more resale value than most other products.
*Once you factor in replacing cheaper joysticks which break or that you decide you don’t like because of poor design/ergonomics/component choices etc the total cost of ownership of the cheaper products rises and you may find you ended up spending more than it would have cost to buy a VKB Gladiator.
I personally use Virpil joystick + throttle but if I was buying a regular “traditional” joystick right now it would be the Gladiator.
To be honest, I´ve tried many Joysticks and yokes. But the best was now and at the end: Thrustmaster T16000M Hotas. I was wondering, too. But it was also the cheapest Hotas/Joystick I´ve ever had with the best feeling and control for all birds… And if you wanna go for a yoke, take the alpha yoke from honeycomb.
Users Plumbglue and somethingbrite above are spot on - the VKB Gladiator is an exceptional product. In its standard form it has a throttle built into the base as you require, and lots of other fully configurable sticks and buttons besides.
I had a Thrustmaster hotas which I wanted to replace, largely because it did not have enough controls built in, which meant too much time trying to use the keyboard and mouse as well while in flight.
I tried a friend’s T16000 and a Logitech X56 while I was looking for something new and there honestly is no comparison in feel and use, the Gladiator was superior for me in every way. As mentioned above, it is not instantly plug-and-play - you need to put the two main parts together and screw on the base, but tools are provided. It also needs to be configured and calibrated in software which is not intuitive at first, but once mastered it gives you so many more options.
I find pitch sensitivity on some aircraft in the sim makes them difficult to fly and land really smoothly, but VKB offer three different types of curve for every axis that can all be tweaked at multiple individual points, and this is completely eliminated several controllability issues for me.
Another advantage is that you can expand it as funds and experience permit with better bases and additional modules, which can either be stand alone or mounted to the Gladiator itself. I have chosen to add the VKB side extension module and throttle quadrant onto the side of my Gladiator, so I have the basic stick with 4 hats, 12 buttons and one slider plus axes for flaps, landing gear, autopilot controls, throttle, pitch and mixture sliders plus all my camera controls and multiple other buttons in one hotas unit.
There are tutorials for everything on their website and forum and it felt like a leap at first but it transformed my experience of the sim and I can’t recommend it enough.
Very nice, concise review. I may consider the Gladiator stick to replace my old Saitek/Logitech X52 stick that I have mostly for DCS flying these days. I do have the Airbus TCA Sidestick but like you said, I’ve had two failures on two different sticks. I’ll try the fix again on the second one as I like the comfort and feel of the stick, especially for the A320 it was designed for.
Which Gladiator configuration did you test? I think the F14 would be the one I’d consider.
If you deside to get the gladiator, trust me you wont regret it. In DCS I usually fly the F16, but to be honest its a quite complex one to master and without track IR or VR I come a couple of buttons short. But hey… you cant have enough buttons on a joystick anyway. I also have the F18 and F14 just for good old topgun aircraftcarrier vibes.
I dont have button setups for you because thats a very personal taste and varies per pane. My advise: keybind whatever you need or disire per mission/plane.
In MSFS i have one setup wihich i use for all the planes as well as mods like the FBW A320, the twotter, h134 and even a glider. Its just my perfect joystick and beside my mouse i dont use anything else (in MSFS as well as DCS and condor 2)
Good tips. The only concern I’d have is giving up the 18 buttons I have on the TCA which I use for pre-set views and other functions. But I’m sure I can work around that especially since I should be doing more VR flying instead of monitor flying where these view buttons aren’t needed.
i use 1 designated button in MSFS to cycle trough internal and external view. Thats actually all I need and works great for me. The rest of the views I will do by keyboard or with mouse if I get that urge. In DCS I only use cockpit during flights, and sometimes external views during replays but than I just use the keyboard.
So far I only use my laptop screen for flying, but realy would like to add VR to it in the near future. Untill than my current setup (laptop, mouse and gladiator) works just fine and gets me happy every flight.
