Best Controls for MS Flight Sim

[rjsquirrel]

I want to try out Flight Simulator X and wonder what ppruners find are the best controls for the game. I am thinking (gasp!) of using it for fixed wing primarily, so a wheel is ok, I guess, although a stick would perhaps let me be either type.

Thoughts??

[SASless]

I have used a Microsoft Feedback 2 joy stick and find it works a treat. No need for a set of pedals.

[bladewashout]

If you're going to do rotary, you want this:
http://www.simcontrol.co.uk/newheli.htm

:}

It's very hungry software, you need 2GB RAM, a 3GHz P4 and a decent graphics card with 128-256Mb RAM to get anything like a decent experience, whatever hardware controls you use.

I've just upgraded this weekend after trying to get it working, from 1GB to 4GB RAM and from a 128MB Graphics card to a 512Mb Geforce 7900GTX, costing about 8x the cost of the FSX software... :eek:

FS2004, the old version, works a lot better on current hardware, but the rotary experience isn't as good.

BW

[Mupp]

If you're willing to settle for a ppruner missing the two p's, here's my take on it:

All of them are crap. But, as a lot of other thing, they are more or less crap. I've had a bunch of them (no Microsoft ones, so I can't say anything about them), but looking back the best one was the Saitek X36. If you want one with a little more buttons and stuff, it's the best for its price. They don't make them any more, but if you're lucky, you can find one of those. The followers, X45 and X52, are more crap, with the latter being less crappy. I guess the X52 is sort of a good buy now, being that the competition isn't all that great. I think it's too sloppy, mine gathers dust. If you want something less bulky, less buttons and such, I can't help you, I haven't tried all that many, and I didn't like the ones I tried. If you for some reason feel the need to throw money away, I'd recommend a Thrustmaster Cougar with a force mod. Then it becomes more like the F-16 side stick it aims to replicate, in that it doesn't move much at all when you jerk it around. I find it actually works great with helicopters too, contrary to all (or most) reason.

All IM very HO.

[KevinLonghurst]

This fella's got it sussed !

www.helisimsation.com

Happy New Year all

Kev

[TwinHueyMan]

I bought one of them fancy X52 setups from Saitek, plus a set of CH pedals, and the "Dodosim" bell 206 for Flight Sim 2004... mounted a piece of wood under my chair to put the stick in my crotchal region and the lever to the left, with a pull back equaling a pull up (reversed axis). Flys pretty naturally.

-Mike

[i4iq]

And there's always...

http://www.flightlink.com/

[bladewashout]

I'd love to hear from anyone who has had the chance to compare the flightlink setup and the simcontrol setup.

The simcontrol is about a third of the price, what's the comparison?

BW