So I’m in the market for a better HOTAS than my current bargain bucket one and was wondering if this one is worth it..I’ve seen many positive reviews and probably more bad ones, Is it really not worth buying bearing in mind I don’t want to fork out for a Warthog right now ? Any advice would be appreciated
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I was in the same doubt as you are… A warthog is expensive, but I don’t know how I feel about flying yet with a joystick. So I bought a 2nd hand x56 (the grey and newer version) and will hook it up to a powered usb port so no ghost presses will appear (I hope). Gonna get it tomorrow so will let you know how it works. A virpil or VKB chews a lot of money, as well as a warthog and the t16000 doesn’t have the looks… People who are positive post less than the negative ones so I’m gonna take the risk for 170€…
In my opinion the X56 is a pretty good HOTAS. I have the old blue one and I’m rather happy with the functionality.
Build quality is not on par with the Warthog but still it’s rather solid. It’s a step up from the X36 and X52.
The sheer amount of knobs, axes and wheels makes it very versatile and I use it for fighters and aircraft with a flightstick like the Savage. Also I find the joystick very precise and easy to calibrate. The changable springs make it very adaptable, especially since you can take out the spring completely if you are flying choppers.
The throttles could use a little more range though.
There will always be something better, but honestly for that price I don’t know of any alternative.
I’ve had the X52 Pro for years, and looked at an X56 last year. The problem with both is the spring on the stick, it’s just so unnatural IMHO. I still use the throttle control with all its axis which is superb,
Whatever you buy into now it’s worth noting that the upgrade from there should probably not be the Warthog.
Once you start looking to upgrade to that tier of kit then Virpil and VKB are better options with the WinWing kit also getting stronger at this level.
For your present upgrade have you looked at VKB? The VKB Gkadiator NXT is the “go to” joystick right now. It’s not a hotas but the design, components and build quality outshine everything else on the market at that tier.
VKB have also just launched their other NXT peripherals which include a throttle quadrant.
VKB will also release a proper military style “hotas” throttle - the VKB TECS - which ought to actually land är quite an interesting price..
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I would absolutely insist that you don’t waste your money on a warthog hotas. Eventually the Honeycomb stick/hotas will come out and blow the warthog out of the water and be worth every.single.penny!
Honestly I would recommend thrust master T16000 and hotas for the time being. It’s relatively cheap and gets the job done.
Why?
I can tell you about the X52…
I doubt there’s much difference in quality and feel between X52 and X56. If someone can say otherwise feel free to correct me.
I had the X52 hotas and stick first. Hotas felt very nice. Moved smoothly and has a nice grip. BUT! I feel like my hotas had a defect that didn’t play well with the TBM 930 throttle. The X52 stick was just bad. Later realized it was not just bad… but horrible after I ultimately gave up on it for the hotas/tbm problems and bought a thrustmaster stick and hotas.
With the thrustmaster system it’s reversed. The stick is absolutely fantastic! feels great and very accurate. Like I said… that’s what made me realize the X52 stick was terrible not just bad. lol.
But the thrustmaster hotas is bad with it’s sliding mechanism. It is usable and you will get over it considering how much better the stick is. But yeah.. they screwed the pooch on that thrustmaster hotas design. I tried lubricating the slides and could not get any improvement.
Enter HONEYCOMB! forked out the money for alpha yoke and bravo throttle and have never been happier. Cannot put into words how nice those two are. Of course their stick and hotas are not available yet, but when it is, I will be purchasing. Will always need a stick for aerobatics and fighter jets.
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VKB Gladiator?? man I’ve never heard of that one! Looked it up and it looks nice! Would be hesitant not knowing of any quality track record and if the stick and panels would be supported right now or anytime soon on MSFS. But it looks nice!
Will probably ultimately pass on it as the next stick and hotas I buy will be Honeycomb when it becomes available. Just received the HC yoke and throttle and I’m beyond impressed with the quality and functionality.
But I’m intrigued nonetheless as I have been pretty frustrated for the past few years with the lack… no, the “absence” of good sim flight control options in the market.
You can improve this significantly be lowering the tension on the slider. Slide the throttle full forward, turn in upside down, and adjust the screw in the middle. It will reduce the ‘stickyness’ by a lot, or eliminate it entirely.
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The quality control is significantly higher than anything manufactured by Logitech or Thrustmaster*
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If on Console then indeed compatibility issues arise because Microsoft gouge a license chip requirement from manufacturers.
If on PC no such compatibility issue exists. Yes. You have to map your own controls but otherwise it will work fine.
- Because of brand recognition and distribution channels the major manufacturers don’t really have to try very hard. Both TM and Logitech are largely pushing old designs unchanged for years, made from the cheapest components with pretty poor quality control and customer service.
Smaller manufacturers like Virpil and VKB absolutely rely on good design, good component choices and their quality control/customer service to actually sell their stuff.
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I’m using the X-56 and I rate it. There are a choice of springs for the stick and I’ve found the weakest spring to be the best choice. The throttle could be better - it has a tendency to drift up to full throttle if you’re not careful and it’s adjustment knob could function better. However, those are the only problems with it and the benefits outweigh all of those by a long way. I’ve previously owned a Honeycomb and found that to be of poor build quality compared to my expectations - the switches were akin to a children’s toy and the feel of it was very unrealistic - they must use industrial springs in those things. Each to their own though, and they have a huge fan base. I also looked at the VKB and the build quality on those looked questionable too, so I didn’t go there.
Good luck with your decision!
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I upgraded to the X56 this summer. Mixed feelings about it. The throttle moves easily unless bolted down. The throttle also suffers from drift so moves on its own unless you make it quite stiff, but then it doesn’t feel very nice.
The joystick feels quite plastic and the twist action to use the rudder always feels like it could break at any moment.
Plus points. It’s got lots of buttons. It sits in an attractive price point if you can’t afford high end kit but want all the throttle buttons which aren’t on things like the TM T1600.
My advice is get one second hand. I got mine for £150 on eBay. That’s about what it feels like it’s worth. It’s not worth over £200.
Anyway I’m saving up for a Virpil set up.
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You won’t regret it. I’ve got a fair bit of Virpil kit but started off with just a grip and gimbal before adding throttle and pedals.
For me the upgrade to that first Virpil stick felt like a revelation. A night and day difference.
However, although I’m the happy owner of Virpil I still don’t hesitate to give a shout out to VKB. Their Gunfighter gimbal is a very nice design and the Modern Combat Grip Ultimate is great looking. If they did a left handed version of that i would buy one in a heartbeat.
Remember to budget for mounts also. Kit like this might as well be mounted properly. 
I use MonsterTech. Highly recommended.
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I was long time owner of Warthog HOTAS and if you don’t want spend 2-3 hours every few months for dissassembling whole thing and regreasing, I would not recommend it. Stiction issue is real. I end up buying Virpil base and it’s another league. Grip itself is fine for me. I didn’t have major issues with Throttle, but end up replacing it with Honeycomb and I don’t regret.
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X56 throttle moves on its own dude bad design! I got the airbus thrustmaster and never looked back. Best joystick I’ve ever used. I do have the throttle with it too.
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I have an X56 its not bad for a $250 stick, the joystick part has this inane system of springs, that range from no tension to the heaviest which after using it for a couple of days you feel like your ready for tht arm wrestling championship.
The throttle has a tension adjust and works okay, way to many hats for my liking would of rather switched them out for more dials and or switches. Which by the way you’ll never run out of.
Overall Im sorry but it just feels/looks cheap. Ive had mine about 6 months and it still works fine but it just looks cheap. But hey who the hell looks at their joystick when they’re flying right?
The market price of these is $250, if you have to pay more to get one wait…Ive had an old wingman from ps2 days lol and it still works, I also have warthog, from a year of so later and it still works (spring dampers have pretty much become useless but it still works). Looking at it I get the feel that it probably wont last more then a few years, but we’ll see already 6 months in and its still ticking with no problems.
Yeah I’ve heard similar things. I’m slowly saving up. I’ll start with getting a Virpil stick. I can live with the X56 throttle for a while yet but the poor quality of the stick really is effecting my flying enjoyment and ability (although you know what they say - a bad virtual pilot always blames their HOTAS 
)
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I’ve been using the X56 HOTAS and Throttle since monday now. I must say, for me, the step from the keyboard to a throttle is a revelation itself. So much buttons to program, so much more convencience whilst flying and its not necessary anymore to remember impossible combinations…
I’ve managed to buy a 2nd hand one for EUR 170,- and for me it was worth the price. The guy I bought it from stepped up to two VIRPIL joysticks for Elite Dangerous.
I touched the VIRPIL’s though and they feel really great as well. But… its a lot of money. For now i’m fine with the x56, all buttons are working, no ghost presses or whatever problems are being reported. I recalibrated everything and made sure to connect to a powered USB port. I like the Z-axis on the stick, I can do without a feet rudder for now.
Connected a Tobii eyetracker aswell, works great! Added NeoFly for some more purpose ingame and the GF is leaving for the weekend, a lockdown is partly in place, so this happy pilot is going to make some hours with the joystick 
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Paid about £180 for my X56, had some issues with ghost inputs which got resolved by swapping from the rear USB ports to the ones at the front. Using the default (green) spring and it feels ok, the throttle tension adjustment is handy as well. I don’t bother with the Logitech software that comes with it.
As an entry-level HOTAS I really can’t grumble about it.
Stay away from the X56! It really is a lottery to get one without the ghost button presses. I have one that has it and there is no powered hub that can fix it. When it does, one or both throttles may move its signal to full back or full forward, usually disengaging autopilot or performing an unintentional go-around when flying the FBW A320 (incredibly annoying).
Also, sometimes the stick is stuck at full forward-right position. The only way to make it work again is performing a recalibration with the bundled software, which is takes an unnecessary long time.
It has a kind of transparent varnish applied on the entire external surfaces that comes off with use on the spots you touch. If you like the “old future” look, you may like it, but it is still a defect.
In my country it is ridiculously expensive. But even if you feel it is cheap in yours, I still think it is not worthy the risk. As someone else said above, you would be better off waiting for a Honeycomb or something else better.
Ive had the X55 since it was realeased many many years ago and it was a solid workhorse for all my sims including FSX, X-Plane 10/11 and over 800 flying hours in MSFS 2020. For the price point and features i would highly recommend the X55. but now my throttle is starting too act up so ive decided to pick up the X-56 because the X-55 is no longer available…when it comes down to features and bang for your buck you cant go wrong with the X-56…