Joystick/HOTAS Recommendations

[krant]

I know that Hardwar is best played with a joystick or HOTAS peripheral but what are your favorite joystick or HOTAS brands you would use while playing the game? Right now I'm using a ThrustMaster T.Flight HOTAS One (which is a slightly more modern version of the earlier HOTAS X but with a few more buttons) and I personally feel that this is my HOTAS peripheral of choice when playing Hardwar due to its relative simplicity, nice design, and great number of toggle-able buttons.

[Denacity]

I have a VKB stick and it's wonderful. Wish Hardwar had built in support for HOTAS.

[krant]

My HOTAS One works perfectly fine with Hardwar. HOTAS support only works with the latest UIM 6 patch, though, which is what I'm using right now. The earlier patches don't have that feature and only work for older joysticks because USB support wasn't a thing back then.

[Pilot]

I have an x55 hotas, but I tend to use a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro USB Flight Stick for Hardwar, I had one years ago when Hardwar was still young and found another one for around 20 years later and had to get it again for Hardwar.

[Denacity]

Feb 17, 2023 15:26:08 GMT -5 krant said:

My HOTAS One works perfectly fine with Hardwar. HOTAS support only works with the latest UIM 6 patch, though, which is what I'm using right now. The earlier patches don't have that feature and only work for older joysticks because USB support wasn't a thing back then.

Does your HOTAS show up as 2 different devices in Windows?

[krant]

Feb 17, 2023 19:30:16 GMT -5 Denacity said:

Feb 17, 2023 15:26:08 GMT -5 krant said:

My HOTAS One works perfectly fine with Hardwar. HOTAS support only works with the latest UIM 6 patch, though, which is what I'm using right now. The earlier patches don't have that feature and only work for older joysticks because USB support wasn't a thing back then.

Does your HOTAS show up as 2 different devices in Windows?

No, it only shows up as one device as both my joystick and throttle are registered into one device. It's not an advanced HOTAS peripheral nor is it two separate devices like the CH Products throttle and joysticks are. Anyways, my HOTAS One works fine as intended.

[Denacity]

Yeah a lot of the higher end devices show up as multiple devices. In my case my Throttle is actually a different brand from my Joystick because while VKB makes good sticks, they have yet to come out with their standalone throttle.

[Pilot]

I was wondering if that sideways one was a stick, it looks like something from a mecha game.

[m0u53r]

The Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 is my favorite. I usually play Hardwar using the U3 Beta 5 in WinXP to get the Forcefeedback support. I'm thinking about getting a Logitech Force 3D Pro since they have a little nicer driver that installs on Win10.

The newest joystick I've owned is a Thrustmaster T.16000m... I wouldn't wish that hunk of junk on my worst enemy. The rudder potentiometer failed just outside of warranty...I was able to keep it going but then the throttle failed. That was my first experience with a hall effect joystick (so yeah, the hall effect was okay but everything else was junk).

[Denacity]

Feb 19, 2023 14:16:51 GMT -5 Pilot said:

I was wondering if that sideways one was a stick, it looks like something from a mecha game.

Yeah the VKB Omni-Throttle is an add-on that puts a regular stick at a 45 degree angle, by default its still a joystick that springs back to the middle. You are supposed to be able to adjust it in such a way that it wont move when you let go of it so it can act as a regular throttle.

Of course they released that about 2 months after I bought a Thrustmaster TWCS and installed the ball bearing slider mod, so I'm just going to keep what I have.

For Hardwar I just adjust throttle using other buttons on the stick

[Pilot]

I see.