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Advice good HOTAS for mixed use desk set


zepher

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I am looking to put together a DCS set-up and, am after some advice ahead of purchasing HOTAS. The set-up will be at my, work from home, desk and will need to be able to be assembled and disassembled with ease. I guess that this means either resting controls on the desk, using a desk clamp or some form of floor solution that can be moved to the side when working. Another consideration is that I would like to purchase a good quality HOTAS up-front rather than start a cycle of upgrades. And, ideally, the initial Grip would be flexible to use across a number of planes but, that said, I am fine with the notion of purchasing additional grips down the track.

 

 

 

All this sees me tossing up options such as TM Warthog, Virpil (either WarBRD base for the desk or MogoosT-50CM2 Base for desk clamp with WarBRD grip) or WinWing Super Libra | Taurus. It would be great to get advice from those who have been through the journey on the best options for this scenario of a set-up based on a mixed use desk and desire to purchase a set-up that can be retained for quite some time.

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Depends what you want to spend and what you want to fly, the Warthog is great but so expensive, The X56 is a good option if you need 2 throttles if you dont want to spend big dollars otherwise either ogf the other you suggest are good. If you are going to just fly F-16 then something like a T.1600 is a good option to get a throttle

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That said I am also using my sim pit as a WFH space and I am thinking about building some sort of wheel away pit because the set up and strip down time is just annoying.

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

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Currently I'm using a TM Warthog HOTAS on the desk and VKB rudders under the desk. I've been using the Warthog for nearly a decade and it behaved quite nicely. I had to replace the (broken) pinky switch on the throttle last year and modded the slew cursor. It'll get replaced by a VIRPIL CM2 throttle and WarBRD base in the near future, but I'll still use the Warthog grip.

 

 

 

If you get a HOTAS without rudder control, I can highly recommend the VKB rudders for use under the desk (and I've had quite a few other pedals already).

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The Warthog HOTAS is a good stick. Despite the complaints of some, I have had a Warthog going on 10 years with few issues. I open it up about once a year and clean and lube it and it just works. For Rudder Peddals, Thrustmaster TFRP Peddels are in expensive and compact.

 

The good thing about the Warthog is it gives you a good starting point for multiple aircraft.

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For desk mounting solutions check this out

https://monstertechusa.com/

I have a home office to that I convert from work to gaming and sims, these are easily demountable or you can even get a keyboard one for “work”

Very well made and they have adaptors for every kind of device. Maybe a bit expensive but worth it. Wags even endorses them!


Edited by SharpeXB

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The Warthog HOTAS is a good stick. Despite the complaints of some, I have had a Warthog going on 10 years with few issues. I open it up about once a year and clean and lube it and it just works. For Rudder Peddals, Thrustmaster TFRP Peddels are in expensive and compact.

 

The good thing about the Warthog is it gives you a good starting point for multiple aircraft.

So the included grip is good for a wide range of aircraft?

 

For desk mounting solutions check this out

https://monstertechusa.com/

I have a home office to that I convert from work to gaming and sims, these are easily demountable or you can even get a keyboard one for “work”

Very well made and they have adaptors for every kind of device. Maybe a bit expensive but worth it. Wags even endorses them!

Thanks. The mounts look perfect. Perhaps the right model might be to start with an on-desk set-up and add mounts if needed. Is the main benefit of mounts ergonomics?

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All this sees me tossing up options such as TM Warthog, Virpil (either WarBRD base for the desk or MogoosT-50CM2 Base for desk clamp with WarBRD grip) or WinWing Super Libra | Taurus. It would be great to get advice from those who have been through the journey on the best options for this scenario of a set-up based on a mixed use desk and desire to purchase a set-up that can be retained for quite some time.

 

I went from various combos, setups and kits to VKB that became my last stop. I don't see any good reasons to buy from anyone else, why I am still waiting the VKB release their throttle (three years now.... how the time flies...) that is said to be 2020 out.

 

I would say that your best option is two, VKB or Virpil. I do not see reason to go for a WingWing (especially after their shady marketing trick on Youtube as "review").

 

I would say that after you have decided which one to buy to, your main challenge is then to decide that from what manufacturer you buy the platform to mount those. You can have table clamps, floor rigs, or even do some custom ones like custom flight chair that you put aside with HOTAS attached to it.

 

I am on progress to build a own helicopter collective, as I don't think VKB will ever make one, while Virpil is in design phase for one with switchable heads. But I want more than what Virpil is offering, so even as Virpil owner I would steer to own design there.

If you want quickest full HOTAS set with pedals, it is Virpil. If you are ready to wait some time that you get throttle, VKB is great bet.

 

With the VKB MCG PRO I have no reasons to use any other grips. As i can bind almost all aircrafts like the real thing to it. It is easy to set the typical TMS/DMS hats from Warthog/Viper to it, as you can set two mini-sticks as 4-way or 8-way hats if wanted and switch between mini-stick mode with long press when changing aircrafts. You get it nicely binded for all FC3 aircrafts etc.

 

In my setup it is all VR, nothing else. No keyboard, no mouse etc. I only bind the real functions to the HOTAS and nothing else (except with the FC3 aircrafts that are not clickable for hand tracking). So if I have two hats for TMS and DMS, I get it. If it is F-14 with DLC axis, I get it. Only thing that I wouldn't get is the AH-64 gunner grips, no one would get those even with two MCG PRO together... :-D


Edited by Fri13

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Is the main benefit of mounts ergonomics?

Yes. The typical work desk is about 30” which is a bit high for a joystick especially if it has a big base like the Warthog. A keyboard tray that’s lower is about the right height but they slide and wiggle. The mounts allow you to attach the stick wherever you like and they can be adjusted for the correct height. Plus they are extremely solid, seriously you could probably stand on them. The mouse pad attachment is excellent. They quick release and clamp down very tight. You could attach the sticks to them but I find that I don’t really need to.

The other component of my work/play desk is an adjustable monitor arm https://www.humanscale.com/products/monitor-arms/m-21

For “work” or keyboard and mouse use and other gaming, the chair raises up and I’m using the desk.

For sims, I lower the chair, mount the sticks and pull the monitor forward.

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@zepher,

 

Since you're willing to make the initial investment, I also recommend the Warthog HOTAS. I have just about every DCS module, and the Warthog is satisfactory for all of them. If you want to go the extra distance, the Thrustmaster line is fully programmable with TARGET, which is essentially programming logic to the controllers using the C programming language. You can see what I have done in the TARGET profile linked in my signature.

 

The Warthog is great, and its widespread acceptance means that it will continue to be supported and even have switch configurations catered to its throttle base. It is robust enough that you are not going to outgrow it like you might with other HOTAS solutions (like you would with the T.16000 stick). I also recommend the Cougar MFDs, though this is less important if you use VR or plan to transition to VR in the near future.

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@zepher

I'm in a similar situation (working from home, same desk for flying/working) and I've recently upgraded to a new setup so I think I might help you here.

 

 

 

Obviously it all depends on how much money you're willing to spend.

I went with this setup:

 

 

THROTTLE

 

To be completely honest I chose Warthog over WinWing because:

a) WinWing Throttle was out of stock at that time

b) delivery time of Warthog was much faster anyway

c) I've heard good things about Thrustmaster customer service while WinWing is a wild guess in that regard IMHO

After a few months of usage the only downside of TM throttle was the ministick (it's the same little "nipple" as on some laptop keyboards) but DeltaSim have an excellent mod for it. It's easy to install and works great. You have to wait for it to be shipped but I highly recommend it anyway.

 

 

STICK

For me it was a match between Virpil and TM, because they have interchangeable grips. Virpil is apparently a better one (more smooth, no "stiction"), but they rarely have them in stock, so you need to wait for them to be ready for shipment. That's why I went for TM base. It's still way better than any cheaper joystick.

As for the grip, it depends what aircraft you're most interested in. If it's F-16/A-10, go for the Warthog grip, if it's Hornet/Harrier or the future F-15E, go for the Hornet. One thing to add is that while the Hornet stick has technically the same amount of buttons as the Warthog, the latter has more Hats, so I think it would be easier to use the Warthog stick for the Hornet than the Hornet stick for the A-10. I went for the Hornet because that's what I fly the most.

 

I also strongly recommend buying the extension. I went for the 15cm one. Bought a "cheap" one from AliExpress but there are some more trustworthy (but slightly more expensive) alternatives, like Sahaj.

 

 

MOUNTS

If you have the space I recommend WheelStandPro. The good thing is that you can mount your HOTAS on it and just move the whole thing out of the way when you don't need it. It's also very robust and adjustable. The downsides are:

a) it's heavy

b) as I've said before you need some space to put it away

I can send some pictures later if you're interested.

 

 

RUDDER

As for the rudder I went with TPR as it's one of the best out there. It's expensive, but if you're planning on flying helicopters I think it pays off. If not IMHO you could go for a cheaper one like the TM T.Flight pedals or Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals (I've had the second one for around 8 years and was fairly happy with them).

 

One more thing: technically, WheelStandPro doesn't support TPR pedals, however mine came with drilled holes that fit perfectly, so I didn't have to do anything to make it work.

 

 

 

 

Hope that helps.

Cheers

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@zepher

...

If you have the space I recommend WheelStandPro. The good thing is that you can mount your HOTAS on it and just move the whole thing out of the way when you don't need it. It's also very robust and adjustable. The downsides are:

a) it's heavy

b) as I've said before you need some space to put it away

I can send some pictures later if you're interested.

...

 

 

 

I guestimate 30kg for the whole setup?

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After owning both the TM Warthog and Virpil Mongoos (Stick and throttle), I'm now a Winwing convert. Throttle is magnificent with the stick also up there with the others.

 

 

If however your budget can't stretch very far then the Warthog would be your best starting point imho.


Edited by MustangSally

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After owning both the TM Warthog and Virpil Mongoos (Stick and throttle), I'm now a Winwing convert. Throttle is magnificent with the stick also up there with the others.

 

 

How are the Winwing mounts?

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How are the Winwing mounts?

 

 

For me absolutely rock solid. They may not look as good as the Monstertech mounts but they do the job.

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TM Warhog Hotas

Monstertech mounts.

They also do chair mounts too. Both products here are high quality and will last. I have been through most of the lower end/budget ones and just to you some time .... go big for DCS ! There’s some really good stuff coming down the pipe .

Take Care


Edited by Burt

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Also, I waited 4 months for my Warthog ! It’s terrible these days with covid. But my monstertech mounts only took 8 days from Germany. The packaging was the best I have ever seen a company do. And the warthog and DCS are married, hassle free keybinding and really don’t need the thrustmaster Target program. I love simplicity !


Edited by Burt

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