That being said, that does also mean you can pick them up a little cheaper. I got mine, second hand, in great condition, for about half the price of buying new. Its starting to show some fatigue, but i’ve gotten a few good years out of it and still working well. only 1 button has stopped working (and that was partially my fault)
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And… What other choice would you like to present?
As I’ve said at least 3 times in this thread, the VKB Gladiator NXT. Just the stick alone is better than the x52/56 HOTAS. The stick is your primary interface, having it be quality is more important than having a stick and throttle. It has more than enough buttons for WT and you can use the Axis on the base as a throttle. It’s also cheaper than the x56 new. I would rather throw money in the trash than buy an x52 or x56 used. Buying one new is playing the QA lottery, buying a used one is putting wear and tear on it afterwards.
I think you missed the part where we were working under a budget… If I know we were going to be schilling out on a website that takes $200-300 for the throttle alone, ignoring the $300-500 sticks, I wouldn’t recommended a full Virpil T-50CM-3 set with Foxx mounts…
Even the lowest of lows on their website, the Gladiator NXT that you stated, you need a standalone throttle for <$100 to be able to fit the budget.
Of fucking course it’ll be better, you’re pushing 3-4x the price for the same general HOTAS setup. Please note the original stipulation.
The stick isn’t your only interface, and seeing as it alone maxes out the budget… No.
The X56 is a full throttle / 3 axis stick set. It fits the $250 straight from the supplier, and used sticks go for a decent bit below.
Can you tell me what throttle you would pair with your Gladiator NXT? Can you tell me the finish price of it?
The Gladiator NXT is as low as $165. The x56 is 249 right now…
I would buy a TWCS to pair with the NXT if I couldn’t afford a STECS and had to have a throttle. Personally I would just get the stick and wait on a throttle
Go ahead and post your review of the x56 on r/HOTAS and let me know how that goes there bub
Again, am I supposed to map my throttle to my flight stick? I never knew the Gladiator NXT came in a full package!
Again, that pushes it over budget.
What’s the point in buying a HOTAS if you’re piecing it together 1 by 1?
Sorry, I’m not a rettidard like you.
Yes. There is a throttle axis on the base. You don’t really need to have buttons on the throttle for WT. I don’t care if OP thinks he needs a HOTAS. I’m telling him what is the best bang for his buck. On sale the Gladiator NXT has gone for as low as 135. My recommendation is based around getting him something actually worth his money, not a piece of junk. You clearly already bought an x56 and so feel some need to defend it? You clearly have never used an NXT or one of Virpil or VKBs premium metal systems. The NXT feels as good as the premium metal options while being 1/3 the price.
To get equipment that isn’t garbage
That… Defeats the purpose of a HOTAS.
X56? It lasts years, it has some of the best customizability for low/mid-end HOTAS sets, and it’s entirely analogue, so no $500 fix when an issue does go wrong.
I have no reason to defend it, it’s simply one of the best low-end high-functionality HOTAS sets out there. Look at the T16k, being about 2/3 the price. In comparison, it’s crude, has little to no play in button mapping, customization, and so on.
Then you have your option for a “HOTAS” set, which is a throttle with a small scroll wheel…
Tell me, what does this
Have over this
Especially in DCS, where does the former have any positive?
So your recommendation is getting him the lowest-of-low equipment from a mid-market company? Tell me how the VKB Gladiator NXT throttle, and only the throttle, can have any semblance of functionality in the F-14 in DCS.
I have? Hell, my base sims are near carbon copies of 16 42++ cockpits… Let alone a prior kit that I had to sell due to moving.
No hat boots? Exposed internals? Thermoplastic polymer build? Even the winwing F-16 throttle feels flimsy for what it is, let alone the hilariously bad build quality, cladding gaps, and so on.
Then don’t buy anything at all until you can get a high-end set.
Besides, using a small scroll wheel on the base of your flimsy flight stick is the epitome of garbage. How is that even thought of as an alternative…?
Mmm, yes, youtube video from second-rate hardware… Even worse than the joke of a video Grim Reapers posted, and I myself said that it’s mediocre and what you’d expect from a secondhand $150 used HOTAS set.
But please, go on about how its best to drive a car with nothing but a steering wheel, or walk with only your knees.
T 16000m is a better stick than the x56 junk as well, but lacks enough buttons or HATs for me to recommend it without a throttle
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The T16k is on the same level of shit as the Logitech 3D pro
The VKB Gladiator NXT. that you recommended which is only the Joystick, costs the same amount of money I paid for my X-56 which is both joystick and throttle. How is it the best bang for his buck?
Because the NXT has all the functionality needed for WT, plenty of buttons, and given the stick is the primary input for aircraft, getting one that inst fill of slop of far more important than an x56 that just throws a bunch of buttons in places and pretends it’s not just a 3D pro with more buttons. The x56 is lipstick on a pig. It’s literally a decade old, based on tech 2 decades old, and priced as if it’s hot shit. The NXT is a premium feel 300+ stick for 135 right now. If he absolutely has to have a throttle (personally he doesn’t) a TWCS is 130$ and would do the job. I would say buying just the x56 Throttle second hand for less than 60$ is also a good deal, but with the caveat, he might as well start saving for something that isn’t junk.
The t16k has better sensors and less slop than the 3D pro. Coincidentally, if you think the 3D pro is junk, how do you think the x56 isn’t? It’s the same gimbal genius.
It isn’t? Having disassembled all 3, it lacks cams, spring return, and uses nothing but a rubber boot to hold it in place.
The X56 also didn’t come straight from an Atari ad…
The T16000M uses the same ball / spring gimbal as the X56, as well.