Good joysticks for Orbiter

[sorindafabico]

I don't know if it's the right section, but, anyway...


I have zero experience with good joysticks (even in FSX, where I use a playstation-like joypad). What joystick models do you suggest to play Orbiter?

 

[Deleted Orbinaut]

I use a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. It's pretty cheap: $25-30 on Amazon, and is one of the most used flight joysticks out there, so most simulators are already pre-configured for it. It feels solid and I think makes a really nice casual user stick without requiring the major investment that a full yoke and pedal setup requires.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I'm using a Logitech Attack 3. But I only use it when I'm in atmo.

When I first got it I had to learn to fly all over again (it seemed). I'd flown by keyboard for years, so it took a while for me to get accustomed to using it.

There's a Saitek (?) that I've had my eye on, but I can't see shelling out that much money for something that I hardly use, unless I start building a simpit.

 

[blixel]

I use the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick. It's a good joystick in my opinion and I can recommend it. I got mine from Amazon for only $33.95, but the price has gone up to about $48. I tried the very expensive Saitek X52 Pro, but I absolutely hated it so I returned it. Shifty mentioned the Logitech 3D Extreme Pro ... some day I would like to try that one and compare it with the Thrustmaster. Since I only use the joystick for atmospheric flight, I think the Logitech might be preferable since it's smaller.

This topic comes up somewhat regularly so you might want to search the forums for joystick-related threads such as:

1. What joystick do you use?
2. Best joysticks for Orbiter?
3. good, low price joysticks?
4. Do you use the Thrustmaster T joystick?
5. Recommended Joystick?

...and more

 

[STS]

And based on my own experience, I don't recommend at all a joystick based on Force Feedback like the Logitech Force 3D Pro. After some 3 years of use, it becomes a nonsense vibrating and noisy off-centering stick, sending inputs that you didn't do (and I've cleaned the potentiometers and the engines like five times along lifetime). I have to fight with it most of the times I use it, and most of the times, disconnect the power cable to the force feedback because if I haven't got my hand holding the stick, it begins to vibrate.

But for orbiter, you mainly require the Joystick for atmo operations.

 

[astrosammy]

I have both a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and a Attack 3 sitting on my desk.

I'd say the 3D Pro is a good choice for its price. If you don't need rudder control the Attack 3 is also quite good.

You often can see the Extreme 3D Pro in the news here, as the German Army uses it for small UAVs .

 

[Face]

I have a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2 since about 15 years now. Still precise, still giving superb feedback. Never tried another joystick since then.

But then I'm not doing too much with it, besides training now and then with Silent Wings for RL glider flights. I seldom use it in Orbiter for the few online sessions that need precise controlling in atmosphere. Only recently I really used the full feedback sensation again in DCS, so I know it still works.

 

[N_Molson]

You often can see the Extreme 3D Pro in the news here, as the German Army uses it for small UAVs

Uh ok, the price for the whole setup, with the 4 screens and the small controller perfect for translation ?

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

I use a Logitech Attack 3 that I bought for something like 20 $ or so. Its easy to configure, and easy to use. I wouldn't recommend wasting a lot of money on an expensive joystick if you're only going to use it for Orbiter.

 

[DelRioPilot]

I have an X52, but it's kind of a bit much for Orbiter (I use it more for other flight sims). I only really use it for atmospheric landings. Otherwise my keyboard and mouse clicks suffice for whatever I need to do.

But, I do kind of wish there was a sort of translational control stick somewhere. But this is such a niche sim that it's not something you'd expect to see on the market.

 

[Ripley]

...But, I do kind of wish there was a sort of translational control stick somewhere...

There is an addon on OH for one of these "3D joysticks"
http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html

 

[Urwumpe]

There is an addon on OH for one of these "3D joysticks"
http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html

Since I had been used to this technology from robotics, I can really recommend it for Orbiter - you learn using it quickly and it is really better than any joystick. I never tried it yet, but I am sure, you could even land a spaceplane with it as precise as with a flight stick.

After all, you can smoothly steer a robot arm with this one to grab a small object.

Hmm... :hmm: ... would maybe be a good reason to experimentally test a spacecraft cockpit design with it, if it is more intuitive.


PS: And a bit of the money goes to the German Aerospace Agency...

 

[Ripley]

Here it is:
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5286"]SpaceNavigator configs[/ame]

(I was on mobile before and couldn't be more precise than that)


As far as the original question go, I have a Cougar Thrustmaster (joystick & throttle) and a Simped F16/C rudder.
All was bought back in the days of my flight-sim-junkiness.

As many Orbinauts sooner or later find, while it's nice to have buttons and switches to operate, joystick+throttle+rudder are not THAT useful, apart from pure atmospheric flight.
Orbiter's main action takes place in space, so it's more a "push this - push that" kind of workload.

Having said that, thanks to the old but extremely powerful Thrustmaster's Foxy software (thanks James Hallows), I fiddled a bit with my hardware, assigning RCS left-right translation to rudder pedals, RCS rotation to joystick, and such. It's funny, but I often find myself using the keyboard anyway.

 

[goaowonk]

I use a Logitech Attack 3 in combination to joytokey, but I'm not happy with its performance: as it's quite old (a friend who wasn't using it at all gave it to me) its potenciometers are quite fragile and I've needed to make one of them replaced as it was keeping an uncentered, unstable position.

 

[4throck]

For my any Hotas stick is important.

In atmospheric flight it's crucial to control thrust.
The same goes for hover engines and tail sitters.

And of course, you can also control your POV comfortably if you have a Hat switch.

For orbital flight the PC's numeric keypad is enough.

 

[kamaz]

Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas is pretty decent and cheap. Worked fine for me last year (my simpit equipment is currently mothballed).

As many Orbinauts sooner or later find, while it's nice to have buttons and switches to operate, joystick+throttle+rudder are not THAT useful, apart from pure atmospheric flight.

I somewhat disagree -- I have found docking with keyboard to be very frustrating. Until I got the joystick. It looks like that:

The description below uses labels from the image above.

This is a 3-axis joystick (forward/back, left/right and rotation "Rudder"), so I mapped the joystick axes to RCS rotation and KILLROT to the "Rockets" button. (I have also mapped flight control surfaces to the same axes, so everything works the same way regardless if I am in atmosphere or not). Then I have mapped RCS translation up/down/left/right to "Change view" 4-way switch, RCS forward to "Fire weapons" and RCS backward to "Target camera" -- all these switches are accessible using just forefinger and thumb. So this allowed me to control 3D rotation and translation using one hand, in a way which is completely intuitive. If you are correctly aligned with target (HUD takes care of that), the docking approach boils down to pressing the "Change view" switch in the direction shown by arrow on Docking MFD. With that setup, my girlfriend has managed to successfully dock with ISS on a first try.

I have also mapped landing gear and brake controls to switches on the throttle lever, so they can be toggled without moving hands from the controls.

Overall, a very convenient setup for a very reasonable price!

 

[DelRioPilot]

There is an addon on OH for one of these "3D joysticks"
http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacenavigator.html

That's pretty neat. I may actually buy one of those. Shame it's a bit on the pricey side though.