Relatively new to MSFS2020 and have been exclusively a keyboard flyer, but have heard peripherals are the way to go. What are recommended peripherals to start with for flying that are generally compatible and do not cause CTDs.
I like to fly a variety of planes, so would want something compatible with small props, through the turboprops, to the commuter jets, large airliners, and supersonic plane add ons.
Some of the aircraft you mention are typically flown with a yoke, some with a stick, so a first decision might be if you want to use a yoke or a stick? E.g., Boeings have yokes, Airbuses have a stick, Cessnas have a yoke, Diamonds and Cubs have a stick, military fighters all have a stick.
I would rather recommend things I have actually used, so these might not be the best, but I have been very happy with them and can recommend them.
Yoke: Honeycomb Alpha and Honeycomb Bravo are outstanding, work tremendously well with the sim, and I am super happy with them. You need both, since the Alpha does not have a throttle built in.
If those are beyond what you want to spend or if they are hard to come by, I was also quite happy with my CH Eclipse Yoke that I used before I got the Honeycomb stuff. Also compatible and worked really well, not the same great feel as the Alpha. It has a built in throttle/prop/mixture levers so you do not need a separate throttle quadrant. It also has a couple “shifter paddles” behind the yoke (c.f. high end sports cars or race cars) that can be configured as rudder pedals if you want; I have not done that but I hear it works.
Stick: I use an X56 HOTAS stick + throttle combo and it works real well (except I cannot run them through my USB hub, have to connect them directly to the PC). Really happy with it. I often use the X56 stick with the Honeycomb Bravo throttle quadrant for flying, e.g., A320 (X56 stick on the left, Bravo on the right) or the Cap 10 (vice versa). The stick has a twist grip that can be configured as a rudder input if you want.
Pedals: I use CH Pro Pedals and am reasonably happy with them, but they are a little noisy so I have to set some dead zones when I use them. They work well enough, but I am not sure if that is what I would buy again. If you go with the Honeycomb Alpha + Bravo setup you probably need pedals to be really happy, but I flew MSFS for over a decade with twist stick rudder and had a blast so it is not absolutely necessary.
Just my opinion…
Thanks for the suggestions. That’s a bit pricey for a first timer going from a keyboard. Also, while a yoke is more realistic for some planes, they are quite large and require a special mount. I will use the sim desk to work during the days, so a stick just sits on a flat surface and is easy to put away.
Is this any good - will this be compatible with the sim, be an improvement from a keyboard, and not cause CTDs:
I can’t comment on it because I have not used it myself, but I have heard others say good things about it.
Guess you can look at it both ways, start out simple and see if you like it, get something better later, or start with what gives you the best experience right away 'cuz life is short. You be the judge of what works best for you.
Certainly know where you are coming from with needing to reuse the desk, I have the same issue. I found I could mount the Alpha and the Bravo side by side on my pull out keyboard drawer by sticking a foldable table that just happened to be the right height under it to prop it up, then resting a spare shelf from a book case on top as a keyboard/mouse/wine glass shelf. That way I can reconfigure my desk from home office to flight mode in three minutes. I see others post their elaborate dedicated flight sim setups and get slightly envious, but this works for me.
A T16000M without the separate throttle is sufficient!
It’s a very precise joystick, although not as good as the Gladiator NXT which is due to the dampended movement perfectly suited for flight sims.
That setup looks awesome to me. I’m curious, what are the PC specs you’re using.
This is the cheapest HOTAS I could find:
But I’m willing to spend a little more if it is noticeable better:
Thanks. How is the throttle controlled without the separate throttle?
The T16000M has throttle slider at the base center and the Gladiator NXT a rotary throttle lever.
edit: just compared the price and I would highly recommend the Gladiator NXT!!!
By far the best joystick I ever had.
Thanks. Would you recommend the T16000M stick over this combo:
The are about the same price. Also, are other controls such as gear, flaps, spoilers, still use keyboard, or would any of the options I’ve posted allow for control of those.
I’d go for the Gladiator NXT. MUCH more realistic feel and action.
Like the T16000M it has a lot of buttons and even 2 more rotary selectors for additional controls.
I’ve even rotated the stick itself a few degrees so that it fits the hand position perfectly as IRL.
This noticeable reduces fatique.
Welcome to the club! You are wise to look at this hobby as progressive in nature. You begin with what you have and add on peripherals as you become comfortable. I agree they can be pricey…so be extra good so that Santa returns the favor every year. All the devices i describe below use USB ports.
After you have yoke/stick and pedals worked out, i found that having a good MCP Multi-control panel (aka “autopilot”) makes for a big step toward realism as you try out jet aircraft and fly IFR flight rules. It sounds like you want to do that.
A couple of simple button and switch panels will free you up from having to be keyboard-dependent for your favorite control “key” bindings. A radio panel with STBY (standby/active) switch is nice too, however many 3rd-party software include radio settings in their displays.
Good luck, you are on your way.
Thanks. I’ll definitely need to get a new PC before getting anything beyond the basics below.
I’m thinking either this:
This combo (does the separate throttle add anything to MSFS other than throttle function?):
Consider getting a gaming PC, so that you get higher mother board capacities and graphics card slots. In other words, splurge a bit on a “step up” configuration. You will be glad you did.
Or this one:
Agreed. Right now looking for $200ish stick and throttle (or throttle on the stick) to improve the flight experience. Want a decent one with good precision control. I don’t mind using the mouse/keyboard for autopilot now.
Next will be a gaming PC, probably sometime in 2022.
Gladiator NXT without a doubt.
The stick movement/dampening is a lot more aircraft like than with the T16000M.
The same goes for the realistic button placement.
I bought the T.16000M set including the ruddelpedals and they work pretty well but… the throttle slider feels very sticky and is hard to adjust rpm/thrust.
The same for rudder movement.
What I did to easy the rudder operation is spray the rods with WD40 which washes out the default factory grease.
For the throttle slider you can do the same but there are also aftermarket 3d printed brackets who will do the job.
What I did personally was using the TM stick as is and an old Saitek X52 throttle for rpm/ thrust adjustements.
The TM throttle is also connected but I use it to add functions to the buttons.
Thanks. This one is looking promising. How do you program the NXT? What all are you able to control with it?
Also, never used a stick before, so what happens in the game if your hand gets tired and you temporarily go “hands off”, assuming the plane is leveled before doing so.
You can, but you don’t need to program the NXT. Simply assign functions to the buttons etc.
I’m using the stick buttons as realistic as possible. E.g. no aircraft IRL has the landing gear handle on the stick or throttle.
You have to remove your hand from e.g. the throttle to be able to operate the gear lever.
Hence the gear up/down commands are on the keyboard.
Brakes, AP and AT disengage, speedbrake, view control and most important trim are on the stick.
With a stick or yoke you always always always trim so that you aircraft can be flown hands off, regardless if it’s during climb, level flight or descent. IRL and in the sim.
E.g. if you are flying level at 180kts perfectly trimmed and you reduce the speed to 150kts, you need to apply back pressure on the stick to keep the nose from dropping.
Once you are at 150 kts you start to trim nose up to reduce the force required to hold the stick in its off-center position. You are usually doing this in small steps until the stick is back in the center position and you can let go of the stick.
One thing worth considering is reliability.
The VKB Gkadiator NXT is the cheapest product on the market to feature good design and contactless sensors throughout and should be considered as the “go to” entry level joystick.
Everything else has some flaw or design issue but the T16000 is reasonably OK at a squeeze. It does fail (I’ve been through a few) but you can keep alive longer with regular service.
Ignore anything cheaper than the T16000, it’s simply not worth the money because the quality is so bad.
