I can only speak directly to CH controls. They are completely capable of controlling the sim once you manually set up the bindings. The “disconnect” between setting up the bindings and the actual aircraft control is something else. Sorry that I don’t know what is causing your specific problem so I can’t offer an exact answer. Here are a few things to try that might help. (BTW this really applies to almost all peripherals that are recognized by the sim but don’t have default bindings set up.)
- In the Controls screen, do you have a custom Profile set up for each Controller? Under the controller, it shouldn’t say “Default”. The first time you create a custom binding and apply it, it should prompt to save the custom Profile. Make sure it hasn’t reverted back to Default. This only applies if you have created custom or manual bindings.
- Are you running any external controller software (CH Control Manager, etc.)? This has caused problems for some users. I run with no external control software or vendor specific drivers.
- Sometimes it takes restarting the game (or rebooting the PC) to get the custom bindings to start working the first time. This should not be necessary every time you use the sim - it’s just sometimes necessary to get the bindings to stick.
- As discussed in the online Tutorials and Guides, it is critical that you are binding to the correct commands for “linear” (proportional) inputs like control surfaces, engine controls, etc. You have to use the “Axis” commands - not any simple “on/off”, “up/down”, “left/right” Commands.
- Even if your controller has a default set of bindings, you should still check them carefully!
- There have been a few isolated issues with specific USB ports.
Here are the places to start to get a solid grasp on the Controls setup system in the sim:
MSFS Controls Guide: [HOW TO] Use the Interface to Configure Your Controllers