With black friday on the horizon I’m looking to finally upgrade my T16000 joystick. I’m looking for a premium quality joystick that I can use for MSFS (PC) only (no DCS or such). I mostly fly GA, airliners and sometimes helicopters but no warbirds. I already have the HC Alpha, the thrustmaster Boeing yoke and the Bravo throttle and the TWCS as well.
From what I read, it looks like the VKB Gladiator Evo is the best buy in that premium category. It looks a little bit too combat jet fighter ish for my taste though. I would prefer something more civilian looking. But if it’s the best of the best, then I’m fine with it.
The TM Warthog also pops up in most buying guides, scoring even more points that the Gladiator. But I’ve heard people say that one should stay away from the Warthog as it has all sorts of quality issues and not worth the money in 2024.
Turtle Beach released the Velocity One Flightdeck (Hotas) but I haven’t heard good things about Turtle Beach.
What about the Logitech G X56 HOTAS RGB?
I know this question pops up at least once every month but what would you suggest for someone who is not necessarily on a budget.
VKB with no doubt.
You can also have it with an older look (even if not a civilian one) with the WWII grip version https://flightsimcontrols.com/product/gladiator-nxt-evo-wwii-combat-edition/
But you’ll have less buttons and no ministick
The more functions you have the better it is. IMHO choose the modern look, so you can also choose the left or right hand grip.
Second this. It’s a good bridge between Logitech and something higher end like Virpil. I also have the STECS throttle and have more buttons than i know what to do with at this point (It’s a happy problem tbh)
Steer clear of Logitech and Turtle beach, there’s nothing premium about those products. TM do make some good stuff but it’s not all great. You have the yoke so that may tell you something. I have the TPR pedals and they are excellent. Probably their best bit of kit actually. The warthog has a really nice stick really solid but it’s let down by the plastic gimbal they used in the base. TM have brought out a new base that could perhaps be used in lieu of the existing base and you can partner the stick with one of the Virpil bases if you prefer the TM stick. I have a warthog that I might look to upgrade later but I replaced it with a Virpil constellation Alpha stick on a CM3 base with a 200mm extension. It’s absolutely fantastic. So I’d obviously recommend Virpil but it’s worth noting also VKB and Winwing for another couple of brands that make premium metal construction with high quality sensor sticks. Honestly you can’t really go wrong with one of those 3.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Virpil. They once were a pain to get, always out of stock and shipping costs and import taxes were so expensive. I just checked their webpage, it looks like they improved their shipping rates quite a lot and they actually ship out of Lithuania. So no import taxes for EU countries.
I am a big fan of my Virpil (aka VPC) joystick, and will be ordering their new throttle soon. The VKB stuff is outstanding as well. I had a Thrustmaster warthog HOTAS and had nothing but issues with it, mostly mechanical, and was always taking it apart and trying to fix a bunch of problems. TM’s customer service was horrible as well so I am NOT a fan of their products these days. Compared to Virpil which has excellent customer service it’s a no-brainer for me.
I’ve been real happy with my VKB Gladiator NXT Evo with the premium grip. The price is very reasonable for the quality, and it’s designed to be fully taken apart and put back together by the end user (they even include all tools), so should last a very long time. Highly recommended!
More than happy of my Winwing Orion 2 Hotas (F18 throttle with reverser which works like a charm with an A320 and F16ex Stick which has a brilliant haptic feedback rumble)
I’ve had a VKB+SEM+FSM-GA setup for a while now, replaced a defective TCA. No complaints, built solidly, very flexible, easy to configure. The FSM-GA panel gives me 95 percent of the controls I use in most GA planes.
I use a VKG joystick(I love it) with my old X52 throttle and it works really well together. Now I just need a good affordable collective and I’ll be happy.
Perhaps. It’s certainly premium in price. Haven’t seen enough of it to know that I’d recommend it just yet though. Needs more exposure. The others all have that.
Oh I knew about it alright. I purposefully did not mention it because it’s really new and has no history to speak off that would warrant a recommendation from me. If you have it and like it then by all means you recommend it. You implied I’d somehow forgot from my list but as explained that’s not the case. Some more exposure and good feedback from many sources would promote it to my list but I can’t just take the word of such a small sample size currently. Not for one minute suggesting it’s not got the potential unlike some of the other ones mentioned here.
It works great.