Question good, low price joysticks?

[Izack]

are you sure? what are you using it in?, because my friend even says his plane is always tilting to the left in il-2,and hese sure its not prop torque

Oddly enough, if he has torque and gyro turned off, then the plane will always gently roll to the left, whereas it becomes much more stable with the option on. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to work that way for me. :shrug:

Personally, I have a Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick (no special name) which I've had for at least 7 years with no problems. I must be really lucky. :lol:

 

[dutchpirate]

The more I think about, the more I believe my stick prior to my Saitek Aviator was the 3D Pro as well, and yes, it was a decent stick. Still, I like the Aviator for the dual throttle levers and 24 available toggles (4 2-way toggles, 3 modes) for loading a lot of functions onto the joystick.

 

[streb2001]

I use a Logitec "Cordless Rumblepad" with the rumble motors removed. I have the atmospheric flight control surfaces and pitch/roll thrusters mapped to the right-hand thumb joystick and rudder, side and forward/back(z axis) translation thrusters mapped to the left thumb joystick. Works brilliantly. The buttons are mapped to various common functions (gear, lin/rot, killrot, F1, home, elevator trim, main engines...). I use FlyByWire to map the z-axis translation to the LH joystick otherwise Logitec profiler maps everything fine. I wouldn't consider using a desktop joystick in Orbiter now.

 

[Hielor]

Oddly enough, if he has torque and gyro turned off, then the plane will always gently roll to the left, whereas it becomes much more stable with the option on. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to work that way for me. :shrug:

The Russian planes have their props rotating the "wrong" way, and the engines will cause right-hand turning tendencies as opposed to the typical American left-hand turning tendencies. Is it possible that the airplane is trimmed to compensate for these effects, so that when you remove them it ends up with a slight left-turning tendency?

The more I think about, the more I believe my stick prior to my Saitek Aviator was the 3D Pro as well, and yes, it was a decent stick. Still, I like the Aviator for the dual throttle levers and 24 available toggles (4 2-way toggles, 3 modes) for loading a lot of functions onto the joystick.

Doesn't it get annoying to have to reach around to the front of the stick to control the throttle? That just seems a seriously odd place for it to me...

 

[zeldafan156]

ok... i think im planing on getting the saitek X52 pro, it a bit over the price range but i hope it will exceed my expectations, http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/x52pro.html

please tell me your opinion on this stick, if you have one

 

[River Crab]

I have the original X52 (not pro), and it's not only an excellent stick, it's an excellent HOTAS. As for the X52 Pro, one of our forum members (yep, Moach ) loved it so much, he imbued his original Orbiter-exclusive spaceplane, the Delta-Starliner G42, with one built into the cockpit! :lol:

So yeah, I would say go for it- it's yours, as long as you have enough monies.

 

[Unstung]

The X52 seems pretty solid and should exceed your expectations. But for a cheaper option, some here approve of the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. But, yeah, if you have the money, go for it [the X52].

 

[Evil_Onyx]

Oddly enough, if he has torque and gyro turned off, then the plane will always gently roll to the left, whereas it becomes much more stable with the option on. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to work that way for me. :shrug:

Personally, I have a Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick (no special name) which I've had for at least 7 years with no problems. I must be really lucky. :lol:

The Microsoft Sidewinder Joysticks are by far the best of the low cost joysticks, its a pitty you cant get them anymore.
Mine has lasted 8 or more years and i still use it over my X52 for its simplicity and reliability.

 

[Interceptor]

I saw two Joysticks on sale at best buy last night the logitech 3DPro,and the saitek cyborg,which one would be the best,they are both under $50 bucks.Thanks,and Happy Holidays to all.

 

[Brycesv1]

iv used the logitech extreme 3d pro for about a year now and i gotta say iv had no problems with it... i DID have to open up the console for it and make a "default" profile that gives the twist a 15% deadzone. i guess the overly sensative twist was the only problem but it was an easy fix and i dont even notice the deadzone. very accurate and responsive for the low price

 

[Linguofreak]

I've just noticed the rudder axis starting to misbehave on my eight-or-nine-year-old Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner. I've generally been happy with it, and I'd want any replacement to at least duplicate its features (throttle and rudder, hat switch, good lifetimerice ratio (it looks like it, or something very similar, is now available under the name "Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X" for $30 to $50, and it lasted me almost a decade, so that's about $3 to $5 a year), workability on Linux). The integration of throttle, rudder, and stick into one unit that I can set on my lap is also a big bonus.

My price range for a replacement is up to $100.

The Saitek Aviator looks tempting with a fairly good price and dual throttles for use with multi-engine aircraft in X-Plane, but the throttles look awkwardly placed, and it seems to do rudder control by twisting the stick, which is a flick-of-a-switch option the Top Gun Afterburner has (and could let me extend the lifetime a while longer), but one that I found really awkward when I tried it. Also, reviews seem to suggest a one-to-two year lifetime, which I find appallingly short.

I'm considering buying separate stick, throttle quadrant, and rudder pedals if there's a combination of the above within my price range that will fulfill my criteria better than any single product, though USB ports are at a premium on my laptop.

So, what recommendations can people give? First of all, can anybody vouch that the durability of the T-Flight Hotas X is on par with the Top Gun Afterburner? Second, can anybody recommend a joystick that might be a step up from the T-Flight Hotas X / Top Gun Afterburner while being durable and within my price range? Third, does anybody think that keeping my current stick and just buying separate rudder pedals is a viable option (and can anybody give recommendations on what to buy), or am I likely to see the other axes beginning to decay within a short enough timespan that it's better to buy a new stick?

 

[Unstung]

I have the T-Flight Hotas X and it has worked perfectly for a year-and-a-half (since summer 2009) so far with no problems. I'd recommend it.