Reddit reviews CH Products Flight Sim Yoke USB ( 200-615 ), Black

I had a similiar issue, my old stick was naturally a little loose and hyper sensitive, so just resting my hand on it caused it to input roll because it was loose enough that the idle weight of my tiny little hands was moving it. This resulted in having to make the deadzones WAY bigger than I wanted them to be.

If you're in the market for a new controller heres some options from least to most expensive as well as amazon links for buying them.

Xbox 360 Pad: $28

• Pros: CHEAP, works, comfortable
  
• Cons: Not enough buttons
  
• I own one and have played Elite with it
  
  Steam Controller: $50
  
  
• Pros: Cheapish, works, comfortable, plenty of buttons, overly customizable software options to ensure it just works with everything!
  
• Cons: Touchpad in place of traditional D-Pad/Right Joystick can be janky in some games and some people just downright don't like this.
  
• I own one and have played Elite with it.
  
  T-Flight HOTAS X: $50
  
  
• Pros: Cheap, well made, works with PS4 if you're a PS4 commander
  
• Cons: No mini analog stick.
  
  Xbox One Controller + Wireless PC Adapter: $63
  
  
• Pros: Upgrade to the 360 version
  
• Cons: Wireless, so batteries.
  
  Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS HOTAS: $108
  
  
• Pros: Cheap for a HOTAS, well made, mini analog stick on throttle.
  
• Cons: Mini Analog stick is in a weird place (subjective)
  
• I do not own this, but I would buy it if I needed another HOTAS
  
  Xbox One Elite Controller: $140
  
  
• Pros: upgrade over the standard xbone controller
  
• Cons: paddles can't be mapped to unique button presses but instead just can be set to emulate other buttons on the controller
  
  X-52: $150
  
  
• Pros: Looks like the joystick and throttle in Elite.
  
• Cons: No ministick on throttle.
  
  Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS: $449
  
  
• Pros: All Metal Construction, very solid piece of hardware
  
• Cons: No Ministick on throttle, No Twist Yaw on the stick, HOLY SHIT BALLS EXPENSIVE, your husband/wife might be angry with you for buying this if they aren't into this kinda thing.
  
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  Okay with the all in one box stuff out of the way there are some good mix and match options from CH Products which I'll list below. My current set up is CH Fighterstick, CH Pro Throttle, CH Pro Pedals, + HTC Vive for headtracking (or ED Tracker for headtracking when I don't want VR)
  
  CH Flightstick: $75
  
  
• Pros: Solid Build Quality, Ambidextrous
  
• Cons: Ugly, not a lot of buttons, no twist yaw
  
  CH Combatstick: $94
  
  
• Pros: Solid Build Quality, thumb button.
  
• Cons: Ugly, no twist yaw
  
  CH Fighterstick: $116
  
  
• Pros: Solid Build Quality, 4-way Hat thumb switch
  
• Cons: Ugly, No twist Yaw
  
• I own this and this is my primary stick for Elite
  
  CH Flight Sim Yoke: $120
  
  
• Pros: Can double as a driving wheel!
  
• Cons: No triggers, not a lot of buttons, some players have reported yokes don't work well for twitchy flight gameplay like combat.
  
  CH Pro Pedals: $121
  
  
• Pros: Solid Build Quality, Very Responsive, doubles as gas & brake pedals for driving games!
  
• Cons: Pedals are a bit close together, some male players have reported this is uncomfortable, the springs that recenter the pedals are really strong and take getting used to.
  
• I own this and it is my primary yaw pedals.
  
  CH Pro Throttle: $123
  
  
• Pros: Solid Build Quality, very responsive throttle, mini analog stick,
  
• Cons: Throttles Physical Range is a bit short, no center indent or tension control, Kinda ugly, mini stick might require high deadzones.
  
• I own this and it is my primary throttle
  
  CH Eclipse Yoke: $201
  
  
• Pros: Good for Flying & Driving, plenty of buttons, and flappy paddles for yaw or gear shifting
  
• Cons: No triggers, might not be ideal for combat.
  
• I want one.
  
  Also note that the joysticks and throttles from the Thrustmaster FCS and Warthog can be bought separately making them worth considering as options here.
  
  FINALLY I will leave you with a word of warning. The Saitek X-55 and X-56 might look tempting, but they have shoddy build quality and will break on you. I used to have an X-55, and I've seen the inside of the X-56 and they both have the same problems. They are a time bomb, do not buy them. Also someone will more than likely eventually comment saying they own one of these devices and have had zero issues out of them, lucky them I hope they never have an issue, but Saitek is known for terrible Quality Control and with the exception of the X-52 buying a Saitek product is not worth the gamble even though Logitech now owns them and is known for great build quality, there are too many items from when Mad Catz owned them floating around in the wild.

Mine is technically an open-world flight sim - Got a small screenshot gallery up here which should demonstrate. Bike power output is translated to aircraft throttle, and the controller's joysticks and bumpers to aircraft pitch/yaw/roll. I had originally been thinking of coming up with a way to mount a flight sim yoke to the handlebars to support all that, but testing with the controller made me realize that it's important to be able to keep your hands comfortable and where they normally are when you ride. So now I'm thinking of making little ergonomic joystick housings that snap on to the handlebars, maybe.

Your code is much more organized than mine. I want to open source mine as well, but it utilizes a few paid assets at the moment so I think I'll need to figure out how to detangle from those, first.

Since your dad is a private pilot, I would recommend Microsoft Flight Sim X or X-Plane 9. The yoke is a must (I'm also recommending the CH Products one), and their rudder pedals are a nice touch for practicing cross-wind landings. If your dad flies multi-engine planes, I'd recommend the CH throttle quadrant, so he can practice his multi-engine techniques. FSX and X-Plane both have great instrument approach realism, so they're good tools for practicing shooting an ILS.

X-Plane is huge. Six DVDs worth of scenery. Supposedly it has a better physics engine (or maybe not?), but FSX feels fairly real to me, too (I'm a private pilot, also).

Don't expect FSX to look as good as it does on the promotional videos and youtube videos from people with insane computers and third-party plugins. It runs well on modest computers as long as you have the graphics settings set up properly.

Don't discount the rudder pedals as not needed. For a real pilot, rudder pedal practice/muscle memory is important.

Bottom line, the real gift is the hardware, not the software. If I had to pick, I'd go with X-Plane 9 ($30), CH Products Flight Sim Yoke ($100), and CH Products Pro Rudder Pedals, if you can ($100).

CH makes joysticks and yokes.

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Flight-Yoke-200-615/dp/B000056SPM

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Eclipse-Yoke-Programmable/dp/B001GIOGBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1506116244&sr=1-1&keywords=ch+eclipse

The Eclipse is newer.

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Throttle-Quadrant-300-133/dp/B0002A59Z4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1506116050&sr=1-1&keywords=ch+quadrant

I took a look at Prepar3d but it was quite a bit more expensive than FSX and the amount of licenses made me nervous to buy him something that might be restrictive at all.

Do you have any of your own recommendations? The equipment section is very helpful and I'm thinking of springing for this yoke even though it'll not sit well with my bank account if it's the best option. The Eclipse version if out of the question unfortunately. He'll likely not be flying jets so I'd rather get him a yoke over a stick.

I'm sorry for all the questions and concerns. All the information and options available are a little bit daunting.

Actually if you plan on flying bigger ships this is what you'll want to get:

http://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Flight-Yoke-200-615/dp/B000056SPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420044124&sr=8-1&keywords=ch+flight+yoke

If you're after a yoke in that price range, the go-to nowadays seems to be CH Products, though they still aren't perfect.

Basic entry level yoke

"Eclipse" yoke

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You might also try asking on r/flightsim

I suggest the CH Products flight yoke and the CH Products throttle quadrant.

I made the mistake of buying the Saitek Yoke and throttle stacks. Unfortunately they feel cheaper and are cheaper. The Saitek yoke binds throughout the motion of the yoke and the throttles have lost their control axis abilities and I don't have the patience to try and work it out. I have used the CH Products and they are really worth the extra money.

What are you looking for in terms of flight control hardware? What kind of aircraft do you want to fly in? Also, what's your budged?

If you just want an inexpensive stick that covers all the basics, get a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. Sets you back only ~$26 and will probably serve you well for a long time.

If you want to go for a realistic experience, I'd recommend getting the following hardware (ordered by importance, obviously subjective):

• A proper controller: Depending on what you want to fly there are several high-end control systems that will allow you to control your aircraft in a more realistic way. For military aircraft, you should take a look at the CH Fighterstick and throttle, the Saitek X52 Pro or, if you're rich, the Thrustmaster Warthog. I have no experience with the CH stuff, but I've owned several X52s over the years. It's true that you will probably not find a similarly featured controller for that price, but you should know that the X52 has some serious issues. More info here. Long story short, Saitek has some serious problems with quality control and your mileage with the X52 will pretty much depend on whether you get a good unit or not.
  The Warthog is insanely good, but also insanely expensive.
  If you want to fly general aviation aircraft, I recommend looking at the CH Yoke or the Saitek Pro Flight Yoke. Both are solid, affordable yokes that will make for a pretty good experience. If you want to get serious, keep an eye on the Iris Dynamics Force Feedback Yoke. It's not out yet, but it promises to be an affordable simulation-grade yoke with realistic force feedback - Keep in mind that "affordable" means ~$800 in this case.
  
  
• Head tracker: Head tracking is an absolute game changer. It will make your sim experience magnitudes more immersive and enjoyable. TrackIR 5 is probably the easiest way to get head tracking going, but it's pretty damn expensive. Also, NaturalPoint, the company making TrackIR, is frequently coming under fire for iffy business practices and anti-consumer behavior. Read more here. If you want an alternative, take a look at FreeTrack or FaceTrackNoir.
  
  
• Rudder pedals: A twisty stick is okay, but to get precise input you will definitely need proper pedals. I own Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals and I'm very happy with them. They are pretty comfortable and adjustable. If you want to go for realism, I'd recommend the CH Pedals - they have a much steeper angle and are closer to what you'd find in a real aircraft.
  
  
• Multiple monitors: Having three monitors is a definite plus. The wider field of view will definitely help you on the immersion front (having peripheral vision in your sim is pretty great) and in combination with a head tracker you'll get an awesome visual experience from them. If you want to go crazy, add a touchscreen to your setup like this guy. Keep in mind that running a multi-monitor setup requires a beefy GPU.
  
  
  As far as addons go, I unfortunately only have experience with FSX. For FSX there are some addons that I consider essentials:
  
  
• Accu-Feel: An amazing addon that adds lots of dynamic sounds and physics. Accu-Feel makes your sim feel much more authentic and fun.
  
• EZCA: A camera plugin that adds dynamic head movements and snap views. Works very well with TrackIR. EZCA will make turbulences, g-forces and ground movements feel much better.
  
• FTX Global: A graphics addon that gives FSX good ground textures, buildings, trees and more. Makes FSX look pretty nice even without tons of scenery/shader/texture packs.
  
• Active Sky Next: A weather addon that adds realistic weather systems, cloud textures and even friggin' tornadoes! Looks and feels much better than FSX's default weather.
  
  Sorry for not being able to recommend any X-Plane addons. I haven't tried that sim and have absolutely no experience with it.
  
  I hope you found something useful in this wall of text. Anyways, welcome back to the hobby, have fun! :)
  
  
  
  Edit: Swapped out the video with one that fits better.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure. It may have been a yoke controller something like this.

Thanks for the recommendations, just what I was looking for. I'm looking at getting a CH yoke, Logitech pedals, and Logitech throttle quadrant, as per your recommendations and additional research I've done. From what I've read, there won't be any compatibility issues mixing CH and Logitech products.

Would you recommend the CH flight sim yoke, or the CH Eclipse Yoke? I'm assuming you would recommend the Eclipse, as you mentioned using the switches on the yoke for trimming, and the Eclipse has trim wheels built in.

Here are both products on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Flight-Yoke-200-615/dp/B000056SPM

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Eclipse-Yoke-Programmable/dp/B001GIOGBY

Since I'm getting a separate throttle quadrant and rudder pedals, the pseudo rudder pedals built into the Eclipse aren't appealing to me, and in fact would seem to have a less realistic feel to them. The only appeal to the Eclipse would be the trim wheels that you mentioned as a possible extra.

Thanks

I have a CH yoke and pedals I'm willing to sell if you're interested.

https://www.amazon.com/CH-Products-Flight-Yoke-200-615/dp/B000056SPM

http://www.chproducts.com/Pro-Pedals-v13-d-716.html

Reason I'm selling is I upgraded to the Brunner CLS-E yoke and pedals.

This is a platform with $80 DLC and $120 controllers, and you're worried about $2.50?