Yahoo Finance The 5 Best PC Joysticks for Flying on Your PC
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The 9 Best PC Joysticks for Flying on Your PC
People everywhere are booting up their computers and taking to the skies. With the huge launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2020, alongside the grounding of most real world travel, the desire to fly free is stronger than ever. With games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, along with Elite Dangerous and Star War: Squadrons, flying a real Boeing 747 or TIE Fighter has never been more fun.
But if you want to feel like a real, skilled pilot, you’ll need a dedicated flight controller.
What to Consider
Like flight simulators, the world of flight controllers is nuanced and complex. For a first-time buyer, it can get overwhelming quickly. The most important thing to consider is your individual need. Are you looking to simulate flying a real-life Cessna 172? Or are you more interested in arcade style combat games like in Star Wars: Squadrons and Ace Combat 7? Your answer will decide which controller is best for you.
For anyone new to flight simulation, the most popular control system is called a hands-on throttle-and-stick, or HOTAS. HOTAS systems include a flight stick for maneuvering your aircraft and a throttle for controlling your engine(s).
Low Joystick Supply in 2021
Due to the large influx of new flyers, demand for flight controllers has far outweighed supply, leading to some serious price gouging on some third party storefronts. We recommend you check the product’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to avoid being up-charged.
How We Selected
We strive to rigorously test every product we recommend. For those products we can’t test ourselves, we perform intensive research, review content from expert sources like PC Gamer, GamesRadar, PCGamesN, Polygon, and others, as well as thousands of consumer reviews from online storefronts on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. As for the products themselves, we evaluated them on functionality, precision, design, and cost.
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1) Thrustmaster T.16000M HOTAS
THRUSTMASTER
amazon.com
$211.95
The Thrustmaster T.16000M Hotas is a great entry-level pick for folks who have caught the flight bug, and want more precision, flexibility, and customization. With more programmable buttons and hat switches between the stick and throttle, you can really customize your aircraft control without costing a fortune.
It also has a few standout features that set it above the entry-level crowd. The stick is ambidextrous, with the buttons all central and symmetrical, and the stick grips swappable to either side of the stick. The throttle also includes a rotary knob, allowing for easy adjustment to trim during flight. This model supports Z-axis rotation.
amazon.com - 3/6
2) Logitech X56 Hotas
Logitech
amazon.com
$371.00
If you're already dedicated to flight controllers and flight simulation, the Logitech X56 is an amazing system offering a sleek design, great precision, a plethora of programmable inputs, and easy to use software.
What puts it above the competition is its precision and input options. Both the stick and the throttle have a ton of programmable hats, triggers, joysticks, rotaries, switches, and dials, which make this system especially great for space and combat simulators.
Control on the X56 feels great, with the stick and throttle offering much more precision and accuracy compared to other systems. Tension on the stick and throttle can be adjusted, with multiple included springs for the stick.
One strike against the X56 is its weight: The bases are too light compared to the tension of the stick and throttle. Without rubber grips or mounting, the X56 will slide around your desk a lot.
amazon.com - 4/6
3) Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog
Thrustmaster
amazon.com
$719.00
If you are looking for a premium, ultra-realistic, fully immersive HOTAS, especially for combat-based simulation, the Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog can’t be beat. Licensed by the U.S. Air Force, the Warthog is a replica system, faithfully recreating the stick and throttle used in the actual A-10C attack aircraft. The end result is a system with incredible quality, precision, and feel throughout.
Weighing in at over 15 pounds, the build quality on the Warthog is extraordinary, with solid metal bases, metal housing, sturdy materials, and detailed input labeling everywhere. In terms of feel (and cost), it makes every other system listed look like a toy.
Like other HOTAS systems in this premium category, the Warthog has all the buttons, switches, hats, rotaries, rudders, and joysticks you could ask for.
amazon.com - 5/6
4) Logitech Pro Flight Yoke System
Logitech
amazon.com
$169.99
If you’ve been spending time in simulators like Microsoft Flight Simulator, you may have noticed that a wide variety of planes don’t actually use a HOTAS system. Instead you’ll find something that looks a lot more like a steering wheel, called a yoke. If you’re specifically seeking accurate simulation for popular, real-life planes like Cessna civilian planes or Boeing jetliners, a yoke controller is the perfect fit.
A great starting yoke is the Logitech Pro Flight Yoke System. The steel yoke shaft ensures that controlling pitch and roll feels great, with smooth action and resistance. Together with the included three lever throttle controls, flying through the sky feels a lot more real.
amazon.com - 6/6
5) Thrustmaster Hotas X
THRUSTMASTER
amazon.com
$129.99
If you are trying a HOTAS controller for the very first time, the Thrustmaster Hotas X is the best way to test the skies. Like most HOTAS, it plugs in via USB, and comes with a flight stick and throttle controller that can be used locked together or separated at your desk. Even this entry-level, budget system will give you a feel for the kind of immersion and precision a dedicated flight system can offer.
The whole package is plastic and basic, but comes with all the necessary buttons, triggers, hat switches and rockers to get started. The stick does include Z-axis rotation, and the throttle has a left-right rudder control, both of which are great additions for controlling your aircraft's yaw.
amazon.com
