Introduction

This thread is intended to help answer the basic question of "What Joystick or HOTAS should I get?"

This is not an all-inclusive list, but rather is intended to be a SELECT list of fan favorites that *are known to be good*. This list has been collected by fans over the months I've been researching Star Citizen controls and typically has at least half a dozen fans recommending it.

Gamepads

This thread is not intended to cover Gamepads, but the Trustmaster Xbox 360 controller for Windows is recommended if you insist on one. It has better sensors than a standard Microsoft controller, but you may find gamepads lacking in buttons and axis precision, due to the short sticks.

First up, the $50 and under budget series.

The cheapest is the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. This joystick has a good reputation for being cheap but durable.

If you can spare a little more, I'd suggest heading towards:

The Thrustmaster T16000m joystick. It has very accurate Hall Effect sensors, the same style the top tier Thrustmaster uses, but at an affordable price. Additionally, it is one of the few AMBIDEXTROUS joysticks and can easily be setup in a pair for Dual stick control.

Moving up to the $50 to $200 range

The CH Products joysticks are classics. They're a bit more plain compared to others, but they are known to be bulletproof and feature-rich.

The CH Products Flightstick Pro is the aged veteran of days gone by, but the second AMBIDEXTROUS stick which can be paired with another CH stick in a Dual stick control scheme.

The CH Products Combatstick is the Middle ranged stick with more buttons and less switches than the Fighterstick.

The CH Products Fighterstick is the top tier CH stick with a massive amount of buttons, switches and hats.

All CH sticks also have their own throttle **** on the base, as well as a trim for X and Y axis.

CH also has a Pro Throttle and Pro Pedals to complete the HOTAS system (hands on throttle and stick)

One nice thing about the CH Products Pro Throttle is that it has an analog thumb-stick that acts like a mini-joystick. This would make an excellent strafing control (strafing left/right/up/down) for Star Citizen.

A full HOTAS or Dual-stick setup will cost under $300 for everything.

Next is the venerable and very popular Saitek X52 and X52 Pro HOTAS systems. These combine both Throttle and Stick into one combination and are the least expensive of the serious HOTAS rigs. Many love them for their value, and even modify them to overcome some of their weaknesses. The X52 line has twist rudder support, but it also locks for use with their flight pedals. The Pro Flight Rudder Pedals and the Pro Flight COMBAT Rudder pedals

X52 to X52 Pro Differences (information from UK Saitek support staff):

1. Tri-state LEDs (which are also accessible by the SDK - also dimmable)
2. Dual spring centering mechanism - provides incremental stiffness as you move the stick away from centre
3. Dual hall effect sensors for increased accuracy of the stick axes
4. Metal shaft and centering mechanism for increased durability
5. Selected metal parts

The Pro version is a recommended upgrade.

Side-by-side comparison with the X52 and X52 Pro

X52 Pro Video review

Last, but definitely not least (and what seems to be Chris Robert's choice is the new Saitek X-55!

At around $200 this HOTAS setup packs a ton of input controls into this controller. More info coming soon.

Now, the $300 and up club.

Now, at a big step up in price..

The Thrustmaster Warthog series offers both a HOTAS set, or a solo Joystick system. The Thrustmaster Warthog Joystick alone is around $300, where the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS setup is around $450.

Both systems offer Hall effect sensors, all metal construction, and more bells and whistles than you may ever know what to do with. Designed for a realistic emulation of the A-10 Warthog plane, it may have more controls than you'll use for Star Citizen but it does look very slick.

These sticks offer high precision with a stiff, strong spring control. This stick is not for those wanting a light touch control (go CH), but you may be able to modify it if you are set on this setup.

The VKB Fat Black Mamba joystick is an all-metal joystick from a small European (Russian?) company, and has become popular in the forums among many of the high end joystick users for its all-metal gimbal and quality construction.

The MFG Crosswind Rudder Pedals are custom made pedals of very high quality, and are high-end, limited-run rudder pedals.

The Slaw rudder pedals are also custom, high quaity and limited production rudder pedals.