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Choosing my first controller

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Choosing my first controller

Postby elgaton » Sat Dec 10, 2016 3:54 pm

I'm going to buy my first controller in the upcoming weeks; however, I am not fully sure about what I should buy (even after reading the relevant Wiki pages). Could you fellow simmers help me decide, please?

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!
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby wkitty42 » Sat Dec 10, 2016 4:25 pm

i have had my thrustmaster t.16000m for almost a year now... i've enjoyed flying in FGFS a lot more since i got it but i still use the keyboard from time to time... one thing i have to watch out for, which may be an OS thing, is that when i reboot my machine, i need to wiggle the joystick before starting FGFS... if i do not, it is flipping and rotating the craft all over the place... this is easily seen with the UFO in which the wiggle causes the UFO to right itself properly but it may no longer be facing the proper heading... it might be that i just need to unplug it when doing a restart... i don't know... it isn't that much of a bother, really, as one wiggled, it works fine until the next reboot which may be weeks later...
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby Catalanoic » Sat Dec 10, 2016 4:43 pm

I'm also considering to get one, its something difficult to decide because FG is not officially supported or cited on commercial hardware. From the experience of the FG users we can obtain some clear points.
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby stuart » Sat Dec 10, 2016 6:00 pm

One thing you should consider is how much space you have available. I'm fortunate enough to have both a CH Products stick and pedals and a Saitek yoke and pedals. Most of the time I use the stick rather than the yoke because I can easily put it to the side and use the keyboard comfortably for coding. If I use the yoke, I can't easily use the keyboard. That's fine for when I'm spending all my time flying, but inconvenient if I'm switching between tasks.

To address this, Durk mounted his yoke underneath his table by cutting out space.

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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby PINTO » Sat Dec 10, 2016 7:34 pm

I currently own the Sidewinder (using an X52 right now though). It has lasted me some 15 years, and it's still going strong. Even after some abuse by my 4 year old. Definitely would feel okay purchasing another.

That said, my next purchase will be Saitek Pro Flight Yoke.
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby Richard » Sun Dec 11, 2016 4:11 pm

In my experience the accuracy and calibration of all the potentiometer sticks varies with time, temperature and humidity. For this reason I'd prefer a hall effect (magnetic) based stick.

Force feedback is something I'd only buy with the intention of developing better support from within FG - even within FSX force feedback is, in my opinion, of questionable quality.

At the moment, out of my entire collection (Logitech-Extreme-3D-Pro, Mad-Catz-V1-Stick, Saitek-ST290-Pro, SL-6640-SBK-BLACK-WIDOW-Flightstick) I'm flying with the black widow, mainly because the rudder is on the throttle and although still hard to control the rudder accurately compared with pedals it's much easier than the twisty ones; however this stick is a nightmare for drifting out of calibration.
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby elgaton » Tue Feb 07, 2017 10:27 pm

A quick update - after some searches and a few buying attempts that did not go well (in one case the seller did not reply to my e-mails, in another one the controller was already sold), I've managed to buy a used CH Flight Sim Yoke. I have only had time to test it once, but I can already say I'm quite happy with it - I just need to remap some keys and do some practice.
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby PINTO » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:39 am

Congrats!
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby Catalanoic » Mon Jun 12, 2017 3:12 pm

Anyone here have experience using Saitek Pro Flight system hardware on FG?
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby Clive2670 » Mon Jun 12, 2017 7:40 pm

I have a Thrustmaster Hotas X for nearly a year now, It has made flightgear much more enjoyable, as really trying to fly on the keyboard is a complete nightmare if not near on impossible!! ( I do use one or two keys though during flight) I have had no issues with it, it is responsive and does exactly what I ask of it. It is "Plug & Play" But it is worth mentioning that it is advisable to download the drivers for it, as this will make it more responsive for some unknown reason!
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby Catalanoic » Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:30 pm

Thanks, if people report their experiences, some others can have a better idea
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby hamzaalloush » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:28 am

Catalanoic wrote in Mon Jun 12, 2017 3:12 pm:Anyone here have experience using Saitek Pro Flight system hardware on FG?


I did, if precise control is important then i don't recommend it, i found the centered position of the Y-axis (Pitch) had lots of play until any input is registered(this is a design issue where the board does not read small input from the potentiometer, leading to oscillations, i replaced the board to verify), plus you cannot use the throttle quadrant as a standalone since it doesn't have its own interface board inside, you're required to connect the throttles to the yoke via a PS/2 interface for it to function at all,

Saying that, it is plug and play with Flightgear.
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby Catalanoic » Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:31 pm

Thanks hamzaalloush to share your experience, and what about adding some instruments or modules, like multipanel or radio?
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby hamzaalloush » Wed Jun 14, 2017 11:49 pm

Hello Catalonic, i think you'd use the Yoke as a hub for the other Saitek accessories, since the Yoke has three (IIRC) PS/2 ports on the back you can plug devices in, unfortunately i don't have experience with these other accessories, nor if you'd be able to connect direct to motherboard with USB, or if they are plug and play for FG or not.
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Re: Choosing my first controller

Postby flycanarias » Fri Jun 23, 2017 10:33 pm

I can report my experiences with the Saitek Pro Flight Yoke that I use for half a year now.
Coming from a Logitech Attack 3 Joystick, I can say flying with a yoke is way more precise and the feeling is more natural. The yoke is well made, stable, and very good to handle.
It works well out of the box, for further "special" control setups, you need to be creative, ore code it.
I can totally recommend this yoke.
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