Opinions on the best PC joysticks can be somewhat polarizing. They either make you feel like Luke Skywalker or a giant tool that's just spent a ton of money on a controller that you can only use for very specific types of games. But it's really not about looking cool so much as it is about feeling cool.
While there are plenty of budget options available that still capture the basic dogfighting feel, like the aged Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick, spending more on a flight stick can really drive home the experience. While the price is certainly a determining factor, you also need to consider the kind of space you're working with. Some of these models wouldn't look out of place in a government rated flight simulator, so it's understandable if your desk doesn't have that kind of real estate.
This once fairly ubiquitous peripheral seen in the PC gaming arena has fallen out of fashion with all but the most die-hard simulator fans. But with more mainstream conventional and space flight sims gaining popularity, like Rebel Galaxy Outlaw and Elite Dangerous, it's more temping to grab a flight stick of your own these days. We understand there are boutique flight stick manufacturers like Virpil and VKB that cater to the die-hard stick and rudder fans out there, but while these vendors certainly offer quality, instrument-rated designs, these models are incredibly expensive and occasionally require some advanced technical knowledge for assembly and use.
For our guide, we've collected our favorites for hitting the runway right out of the box. Some of them definitely toe the line in terms of their price, we can attest that the experience they provide is excellent.
An update to the aging X-55, the Logitech X-56 HOTAS is an improvement on nearly every aspect of the older design, but it still has many of the same features that made its predecessor great. The throttle can be unlocked to provide inputs for left and right engines individually, and the throttle panel also plays host to an entire series of metal switches and knobs that feel absolutely awesome.
I was a bit disappointed to find out that the metal top plate on both the flight stick and throttle don't extend to the base, and that both the stick and throttle are composed mostly of plastic. The hardware still feels incredibly sturdy, but the seam running along the handle of the joystick is a bit jarring given the quality present on the rest of the build.
The entire setup for the X-56 is deceptively light. While it does come with suction cups that can be attached to the base for increased stability, without them I found the stick and throttle far too eager to slip around on my desk. However, for those inclined to make this indulgence a more permanent part of their setup, the X-56 has holes present in its bases to allow you to affix it to nearly any surface with the appropriate hardware.
Logitech has decidedly done away with the yellow hazard stripe highlights and instead now allows you to control the colors for virtually every input and highlight on the stick and throttle using their 3rd party software.
Featuring adjustable stick tension and over 180 programmable controls, this throttle and joystick combo is any flight enthusiast's dream. If your'e ready to kick tires and light fires, the X-56 is the way to go.
Essentially the little brother to the X-56, the X-52 Professional retains much of the same functionality and feel while paring down the number of inputs to something a little more sensible for casual fans. The quality of the hardware is a bit inconsistent, but still offers plenty of switches and knobs to play with.
Just like X-56, this slightly smaller version shares some of the same issues, while having a couple of original problems as well. The stick and throttle quality remains the same hardened plastic with the same ugly seam running down the back of the joystick itself. Unfortunately, the metal plates of the X-56 have been replaced with brushed aluminum surfaces instead. This makes the X-52 even lighter than its deceptively slim successor. Unless you're using the included suction cups or affixing the X-52 to your desk permanently, it has a terrible tendency to move around whatever surface you put it on.
While it doesn't have all the metallic switches like the X-56, the X-52 does feature an LED multi-function display that can be programmed to show a flight clock, selected profiles, or other information using Logitech's 3rd party software. Apart from letting you remap controls and assign profiles, this software also lets you customize the colors of lights and other buttons on the stick and throttle.
Its less than stellar build quality may not earn a spot at the top of the heap, especially given its fairly steep price point. But, this is still an excellent way to take your first steps into a larger world without going full throttle.
This has been my toughest challenge yet in trying to figure out an overall winner. Usually, I've got benchmark metrics to back up any value assessment I make, but with the top two controllers in these pages—the Thrustmaster Warthog and Saitek X-55 Rhino—it's entirely subjective and agonizingly close.
The Warthog is by far the more expensive, but as soon as you start the glorious unboxing process you know you haven't been short-changed. The sheer weight of the device is incredible, mostly because Thrustmaster has used a metal casing for everything from the throttle base to the stick itself. And that stick weighs over a kilogram on its own. The weight not only adds a certain air of robustness but also means you're not going to be wrenching it off your desk in the heat of battle.
The design matches the build quality, although Thrustmaster cannot take all the credit there as the Warthog is an almost perfect recreation of the controls of the real-life A-10C Thunderbolt II fighter-bomber. That legacy leaves it with more buttons than you have fingers, but also makes it one of the most beautiful controllers you'll ever plug into your PC. Both stick and throttle have an abundance of hat-switches and the throttle base is festooned with flick-switches too.
Sadly that devotion to perfect replication means there's no Z-axis rotation on the stick, one of the very few minus points. With all those additional controls though, it's easy to map rudder control to any number of them.
The action on both flight stick and throttle is impeccable. The stick moves smoothly in all directions and the translation in-game is excellent too. There's enough resistance to stop it feeling loose, but it never feels overly stiff either. The throttle unit gives you the option to change its resistance on the fly if you want, enabling you to create more or less friction to its travel. There isn't a huge amount of difference, but for my tastes it already moves quite beautifully and the distance it can shift adds granularity to speed—perfect for docking in those tricky space stations.
It might seem crazy to be recommending such an expensive item, but if you're serious about sims—or Elite: Dangerous—this stick is the very best money can buy.
The Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS X is a testament to the fact that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good stick. It's of a much cheaper build and design than the Warthog, but for a tenth of the ticket price you can forgive the use of plastic and lack of buttons and hats.
The key elements are there. The detachable throttle is probably the neatest feature: given that you're going to need easy access to your keyboard for its extra buttons, being able to split these components around it is a definite advantage.
It's also got the much-needed Z-axis rotation for rudder control, although the press of a switch will enable you to operate the rudder via a rocker on the front of the throttle grip. You get plenty of programmable buttons too, but they feel very much the sort you'd expect to find on a budget controller.
The action on the stick and throttle aren't great either, and you'll likely notice some grunching plastic noises as you push and pull the controller around. But it's still robust and feels solid on the desk. If you can't convince yourself an X-55 or Warthog is a sensible purchase, then this extremely good-value offering from Thrustmaster is not a bad option at all.
