This question is asked time and again. I understand it’s a tricky choice for a first time simmer but before you jump in on anything and before anyone can truly suggest something for you it would be good to know your budget and perhaps what you expect to fly. I think most of us started out with some kind of cheap end joystick with a twist action for rudder. After using it in the sim for a while and better understanding what you want you will have a much better idea of where best to spend your money.
I don’t want to upset the folks that use certain equipment but it’s easy to say something is good if you haven’t had the exposure to something better. I’ve had a few controllers down the years and one thing is for certain the controllers predominantly of metal construction and that use contactless sensors is the way to go. These cost more but IMHO it’s better to add these slowly over time as finances allow rather than going less quality up front just so everything can be purchased in one go. That’s my experience anyhow.
Some quality brands include Fulcrum, Virtual Fly, Virpil, VKB, Winwing and some Thrustmaster stuff.
I meant specifically rather than generally. Of course if you fly twins a lot you can make good use of the full twin throttle setup. For someone starting out twin throttle is not necessary, and even if you occasionally fly a twin then you can get by in normal operations by assigning both engines to same throttle/prop/mixture/condition lever.
This fixes a major original problem with the Honeycomb yoke which was the use of potentiometers for X/Y axis sensors. Problem is that it’s now only a bit less expensive than the Thrustmaster Boeing yoke which does not use potentiometers either and on top of that improves on the mechanical design of the X/Y axes compared to Honeycomb (stiffer, progressive roll; longer pitch travel; some customization).
Well what I’ll do is take my chances with the Honeycomb version 1 Alpha Yoke & Bravo Throttle - With the Saitek rudders & Thrustmaster joy stick - If and when there are deficiencies I’ll be able to see them and understand them 100% - And work out any workarounds - And take it from there further down the line.
I’ve looked at lots of reviews on Youtube and listened to many ideas about the best controllers and it seems this group is quite good and able to do an awful lot within MSFS and maybe other titles as well -
EDIT - I’ve also made a note of the other manufacturers names to back them up for future reference
The Saitek pedals are the worst pedals you can buy. I can’t think of another set that are lower down the scale than those. Not something I would label as good.
Oops I didn’t say that well (and fixed it). My complaint with the Honeycomb Alpha is that the roll resistance is so much less than pitch, which is a deal-breaker for me.
The one thing about the Thrustmaster Boeing Yoke is that it simulates a floor mounted yoke, which one would only find in jets. By all accounts it is a great reproduction of that feel, but it won’t be realistic for GA aircraft. For me, I passed on the Thrustmaster Boeing for that reason—I wanted something that more faithfully represented what I’m licensed to fly IRL. That said, had I gone that route, I would have still paired it with a Honeycomb Bravo throttle.
Fair enough; I was thinking about what is in the sim currently, but yes you are correct. Point being, it makes sense to consider what types of aircraft one flies in making yoke decisions.
I am 2 months in with MSFS and went with Honeycomb Yoke, Brava Thrust Controls and Turtle Beach Velocity rudder pedals. They all seem very high quality components to me. I may invest in a joystick. But, I can fly anything with what I have.