I've narrowed down my choices to the following alternatives (in order of preference).
CH Products Flight Sim Yoke
Pros: throttle controls are integrated (no need to buy a separate quadrant); no "center deadzone" (like on the Saitek yoke); more realism for airliners
Cons: slightly expensive
Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2
Pros: force feedback (I know that it's only available in FlightGear via the hapticsforfg project; however, since I've started contributing to the project, if my free time allows I might look into integrating it in the simulator, although I won't make any promises for now); widely regarded as excellent; rudder can be controlled via twist
Cons: only generic drivers are available on Windows (someone has reported that force feedback works if the XBox controller emulator is installed, though); almost 20 years old (it might be impossible to find spare parts if something breaks)
Saitek Pro Flight Yoke/another joystick, such as the Thrustmaster T.16000M
A few notes:
- I am a casual flyer (I usually code/design airports - it would just be nice to use a purpose-built controller for flying rather than the keyboard/mouse).
- I usually fly airliners and I might fly GA planes, but not military aircraft.
- All controllers I listed can be bought second hand here in Italy (the T.16000M can also be bought from Thrustmaster's Web site), and their prices (including shipping costs) are affordable.
- If possible, I would prefer my controller to last several years - the hardware should be durable. As for driver support, the controller should work under Windows 10 and Linux.
Thanks in advance!