Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog Flight Stick, Throttle and Control Panel for Flight Simulation, Official Replica of the U.S Air Force A-10C Aircraft (Compatible with PC)

(Update 1 year later: My Master Exterior Light Switch has failed. That's the pinky switch on the throttle, sticking out of the left side. Be careful with that switch, as it is the most vulnerable to snags and such. I'm not sure if mine broke or failed due to a defect, but all other switches are holding up just fine.)((Update 2: I contacted Thrustmaster about my issue. I initially just wanted to know the specifications for the switch so I could replace it, but they offered to send me one for free! It took a bit of back and forth (TM is a French company I guess?) and even though my warantee had ended during our back and forth, they decided to honor it, which is great. The new switch was easy to install (soldering and hot-glue required) and all is fine again! Their customer service is a bit rough around the edges, but they did the right thing in my case, so this product maintains its five start status.))Just about everything has already been covered, but I wanted to add another glowing review just in case you're still on the fence about this stick.Construction:This thing is made of metal and very high grade plastics, and it is metal where it counts. The joystick casing, locking ring and sensor base are all metal, while the buttons are plastic as they would be on the real deal. The meticulously designed switches are solid, and provide enough tactile feedback to resonate through gloves (as the real stick was designed). The throttle base is weighted, and feels extremely solid. I've used real military equipment that wasn't half as sturdy as this.Accuracy and sensors:This stick uses a proper hall sensor, not the low quality kind you'll find in an X-52 (which must be modified in order to be useful). I find that not only does the stick center flawlessly, but it is extremely responsive to slight movements, while being stiff enough to resist accidental input. The only issue I've had so far is with the slider, which I will go into below.Switches and extras:This HOTAS includes a replica of the A-10C's throttle quadrant, complete with APU switch, engine flow switches, and even your Autopilot mini-quadrent. Most importantly, the throttle has all the hats and switches you need to use a HOTAS as intended, with your hands on the throttle and stick. It is a short reach from the throttle to the accurately modeled flaps switch. I have mapped gear up and down to the L/G WRN silence (normally used to silence the caution alarm that plays while your gear is in transition) allowing me to take off and land without ever taking my hands off the HOTAS.Use in DCS A-10:While you don't NEED to have this stick to play DCS A-10C, it makes the game many times better. Once you learn what each hat is named, you can easily follow the tutorial or another pilots instructions to do just about anything. It really does make learning the game easier, and playing it a lot more fun.Use with other sims:The A-10s upgrade to C included updating the joystick with one nearly straight out of the F-16. This means you have a somewhat standardized stick arrangement that will work with other jets. Any twin engine aircraft can be flown easily, and you can link the throttles if you're flying a single engine. The included software will allow you to map the switches to whatever controls you want, even if your sim doesn't recognize them natively. The one thing to be aware of is that some games do not recognize more than one joystick at a time, and the throttle and joystick of this HOTAS are each their own 'joystick' according to windows. This means you'll need to use special software to tie them both into one emulated joystick.The Slider:My biggest complaint is relatively small. There is a linear slider on the throttle. I have it assigned as zoom view. Because it is analogue, or due to a lack of filtering, this slider sends a signal that varies ever so slightly. When it is assigned to zoom your view, this means that anything other than fully zoomed out, fully zoomed in or 50% has a slight in and out shake to it. I had this same issue with my X52 and I was hoping this HOTAS wouldn't do it too.Pros:-Incredible build quality-Shockingly accurate-Very accurate to its namesake-Compatible with previous Thrustmaster systemsCons:-Slider sends shaky signal, making it useless for zoom view-Throttle and Joystick are on their own USB port and read as two input devicesI do not consider the price to be a con, as you will see that the build quality accounts for what you pay. You're not paying for the name, you're paying for the engineering. I highly recommend this HOTAS.

I've had the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog stick and throttle for over a year now, and I purposely deferred my review for two reasons: First, I wanted to make sure I didn't have a 'bum steer' as is sometimes the case with products of this nature. Second, I didn't want to do a 'honeymoon phase' review where I'm singing its praises without really knowing its strengths and weaknesses. So, with a year's worth of experience under the belt, here we go:TLDR: A must buy. Just buy it. It's worth every penny. For more detail, read on.This was by no means an impulse buy on my part: I deliberated long and hard between this and the Saitek X55, which had only been out a few months. The X55 was less than half the price, but it was getting lukewarm reviews and appeared to suffer from serious QA problems. (Unfortunately its successor, the X56, seems to be suffering the same fate). It came down to this: Do I want to spend $200 on a $50 piece o' junk that might last a couple of years *if I'm lucky* or do I want to plunk down twice that much on a product that--provided I don't get a 'bum steer'--will probably last a lifetime?I took the plunge on the Warthog and I am pleased to report I am not disappointed. Unless your pockets are deep enough to get into GoFlight or Yoko The Yoke territory, and until Saitek gets their act together and stops building mediocre junk, the Thrustmaster HOTAS is, in my opinion, the only viable choice for a premium joystick and throttle.I have never had controllers that are so smooth and precise. I concur with other reviewers that the stick has a more 'heavy duty' feel than the throttles, but by no means did Thrustmaster cut corners on the throttles. They have no 'play' and do not feel 'mushy,' plus they have a longer throw than any other throttles I've ever owned, which makes precise adjustments (absolutely critical when flying the Majestic Q400 on final) easier than ever. In fact, it was only after I purchased the Warthog that I was able to fully tame the Q400. The switches on the throttle handles are not quite as stiff as those on the base of the throttle, but I'd be willing to bet this was done to minimize torsion on the throttles and make them easy for single digit control. They do have a much better feel than the 'plasticky' switches on my old controller (Saitek X52).I also concur with other reviewers that the firm spring on the stick takes some getting used to, but after a few months of break-in it's not quite so stiff, and your arm will have built up sufficient strength to operate it without fatigue. Now that I am used to it I doubt I could ever go back to a flimsy stick that fails to provide the same level of precision and control. I do wish the stick was rubberized--instead it is hard and rather slick, which does make it somewhat difficult for me to grip firmly. Note also that the stick is X/Y only, there is no 'twist' to control the Z axis. This is one of the reasons Saitek held my interest, but now I'm convinced that a 'twist' stick is not a good thing. Now I use the rightmost slider on the throttle for rudder control, which took a little getting used to but is now second nature (due to mobility issues I am not able to use foot controllers).Two last remarks: First, if you are using this with FSX, get FSUIPC and LINDA as they take 90% of the headache out of configuring this beast. Second, I also purchased a Logitech G13 gaming controller and moved all of my EZCA views off the stick and onto the G13. This makes it possible to program the hats and switches to do true hands-on-the-stick (and almost completely off the mouse) flying.To sum up, the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog has exceeded my expectations in every way. Even a year later I'm have absolutely no regret for making this purchase. Rarely do I consider expenditures on entertainment products an 'investment' but in this case I'll gladly make an exception. Its quality is worth the price, it has taken my enjoyment flight simulation to new heights, and shows no sign of 'going bad' or wearing out. In fact, it will most likely outlive its owner.