After playing Flight Simulator and Flight Simulator X for over ten years with my trusty old Logitech joystick, it gave up the ghost. Coincidentally, I found out that there was a new simulator on the market (X Plane 11) and so I was ready to start looking for a good replacement "joystick" for the next ten years.
After reading some reviews my expectations were very high.
You will be sent a gigantic box in which you can even store your labrador. You lift the box and immediately feel an enormous weight. Ok..very curious! Unpack that trade.
First, the joystick itself. In a word; WOW!
You immediately notice the solid quality that goes together with a good and sturdy weight. The joystick itself weighs about six pounds. It stands on a relatively large but therefore stable plate that fixes the joystick in place.
You are as it were overwhelmed by all the buttons, but also certainly by the entire design of iron/aluminium. A single button is plastic, but it feels very robust and solid.
The only downside is that the joystick does not register any jaw movements. The throttle unit (about that later) has an adjustable sensor that I currently use myself for these movements and for operating your rudder, for example. For the ultimate experience, I recommend purchasing pedals.
Then you can open a second box. This is the throttle unit. This one actually takes the cake. A unit completely made of iron, except for the two "accelerator pedals" which are made of solid plastic. It weighs about 6 to 7 pounds. You are overwhelmed by buttons and switches and after plugging in the USB, the entire unit is illuminated in "military green". The throttle unit feels very nice in the hand and has many programmable buttons and switches. After two full evenings of use, I'm still not done trying to get certain actions in the right places. However, this is positive because you can set it completely to your own taste and need.
The only downside is that if you want to put the throttles in reverse, this has to be achieved with a pull upwards. This is sometimes a bit stiff, so you can lift the full 6/7 kilos if you have not secured it with screws to, for example, your desk. This happens occasionally and will probably wear out with use, which may loosen it up a bit and make it easier in the long run.
If you are looking for the cream of the crop among the current HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) then this is the combination for you. I am convinced to enjoy it for many years to come. Also, in my opinion, this joystick really fits with decent flight simulators and not so much with arcade or other types of flight games.
Are you looking for an ordinary solid joystick that you occasionally want to use for a fun game or, for example, an arcade flight shooter, then I advise you to look for a budget variant that will certainly meet your needs. to fulfil. Saves you some money ;)
