Best Joystick for Flight Mechanics

[Joomba]

I intend to purchase a joystick to aid in my flight in PS2. I would like to know what you feel are the best joysticks for the job, and what joysticks you intend to use in Planetside 2.

[emondsfield]

Basically the best joystick is the one that suits your playstyle and budget. The more you spend the better your joystick (if by better you mean more buttons) will theoretically be. That being said, Planetside 2 is not a flight simulator so playing with a joystick is not a must.. but depending on your play style it might give you a flying edge.

I have a Saitek AV8R-01 which i have used for a number of years, which i would say is a decent starting joystick.. or you could jump up to a more advance X52. I've used both of these depending on the game I am playing at the moment.

[Pepsi]

If you're right handed you can't go wrong with a Logitech 3D Pro.

[Joomba]

I can't imagine PS2 requiring a ton of buttons.

I suppose I need at least a few buttons for things like ejection, abilities, turbo, firing, etc. Just enough buttons.

I just want something that works well, but I'm not looking to break the bank either. I was unable to pilot in PS1 without a joystick, but it broke. Mouse controls are too crazy for me to handle.

[Papscal]

Your mouse.

[Joomba]

If you're right handed you can't go wrong with a Logitech 3D Pro.

Ooh, that one looks pretty good, thanks!

[RoninOni]

That'd be my recommendation too (the logitech)

cheapest 3 axis stick with throttle and hat you'll find. (all the most key elements truly)

Link for anyone interested: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826102204

[Duskguy]

i bought one of these., its cheap and has a seperate throttle control and th buttons look like they are placed in positions i will easily get to.
http://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T-Flight-Hotas-Flight-Playstation-3/dp/B001CXYMFS/ref=pd_bxgy_vg_img_z

edit: it has 5 axes too. figure one for throttle, one for yaw, pitch, roll and strafe and then using some of the buttons on the throttle for lift and descent. (NOTE: i dont have this yet and have not tried it with PS2)

[RoninOni]

Looks cool but I dunno bout the hand placement.

It's 1 thing to have your left hand rest on the base and slide throttle with thumb

entirely another to have it gripped onto a full throttle you move your whole hand for only a few inches from your stick hand...

[WarmackAttack]

You can detach the two halves of the Thrustmaster to suit your hand placement preference.

[RoninOni]

You can detach the two halves of the Thrustmaster to suit your hand placement preference.

and give up stabalization on the stick....

It's hands down the best bang for your buck HOTAS flight stick out there.

For me, I'd need to have an arm chair type set up to use that kinda throttle, and I just don't have that kinda money.

[Trafalgar]

I would wait and see before buying anything if I were you.

[Tatwi]

I would wait until the game launches to buy a new joystick. That way you will know that it is supported.

[Reizod]

I would wait until the game launches to buy a new joystick. That way you will know that it is supported.

^^^This

Trust us! ;)

[Harasus]

I have a Logitech 3d Pro and it is pretty good.

[RoninOni]

Logitech 3D pro is a pretty safe bet.....

It's got a huge discount off original price on newegg (org $40, now $26) so it's in the range of low budget joysticks, and it has every control a pilot absolutely needs.

If you have more money and want a serious flight stick ($100+ range), then yah... I'd wait and see what's supported and there's more selection, but in the under $30 low budget accessory range there's simply no contest.

Joysticks only $6 less are missing KEY features like a hat switch (free look... possibly extra movement axis to actually) and/or rotating stick (z-axis). You'll get a throttle, sure, but you'll be down 2-4+ buttons and missing at least 1 key piloting control.

[Joomba]

I searched about PS2 joystick support, and found out that Higby uses a (regular price) $300 Logitech G940 force feedback. Lol, under $30 works fine for me! :lol:

http://www.planetside-universe.com/p-march-22nd-reddit-qa-107.htm

[Rabaan]

logitech attack3 :groovy:

[RoninOni]

logitech attack3 :groovy:

Good, but missing Z-axis & Hat-switch.

$19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826102203
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/26-102-203-S01?$S640W$


$7 more ($26) nets you both key features and even an extra button (right near the thumb rest :thumbsup: )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826102204
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/26-102-204-S01?$S640W$

Definitely a solid stick, and would have been more competitively priced before the price drop for sure, but I think the $7 is a worthy investment as a flight stick.

[Mox]

I can't imagine a joystick that works better than a mouse since PS2 is optimized for a mouse.

If you use a joystick you'll loose probably. It was the same thing in PS1.

[Joomba]

I can't imagine a joystick that works better than a mouse since PS2 is optimized for a mouse.

If you use a joystick you'll loose probably. It was the same thing in PS1.

PS2 has joystick support.

Have you watched Higby's live streams where he flies like a pro? He uses a Logitech G940 joystick.

[Mox]

Yes it supports joysticks. That doesn't mean that it is better as a mouse.

But we will see. If it works fine i may clean the dust off my Saitek Cyborg.

[Duskguy]

Yes it supports joysticks. That doesn't mean that it is better as a mouse.

But we will see. If it works fine i may clean the dust off my Saitek Cyborg.

nope, doesnt mean it is better. i hate people who fight over stick vs mouse, it's all preference. coming from playing xbox for 5 years, i think a stick will suit me better than a mouse/keyboard. and being that im used to a controller, the cheap hotas i bought will suit me fine, even without seperating the throttle from the stick.

again, it's all preference. thrustmaster has a stick much like the logitech one as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T-Flight-Stick-X-Flight-Pc/dp/B000WHFQ0K/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1344708153&sr=1-3&keywords=thrustmaster
it's ~$30 so it is a bit more than the logitech 3d pro, and i cant attest to how well it works, but it i another 30 dollar budget stick option.

[Joomba]

Exactly. If using the mouse is perfect for you, wonderful. Personally I suck at flying with the mouse. In every game. I can't fly without the joystick. At all. I'm quite good with the stick, though.

My joystick broke a while back. :cry:

I guarantee that I will extensively compare those two joysticks, though.

Edit: I was looking at the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick, and definitely need professional help in deciding which is best, especially considering each option's price difference is pretty negligible.

I also don't understand the axes bit. Someone earlier said that the Logitech was the cheapest 3-axis, but the Thrustmaster T-Flight Stick X Flight Stick says it's 4-axis, and the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick claims 5-axles (with the "l"). I don't get the difference.

[RoninOni]

If someone can fly with a mouse... and fly WELL (I mean really well) then my hat is off to you good sir cause I have no bloody idea how you can possibly manage it...

I tried flyin a jet in BF3 on my mouse... and I'm a really good pilot on 360...

holy mother of god... jets just became taxi's >.<

Helo's I can manage... mostly I let my gunner have all the fun and just focus on keeping us alive.

[emondsfield]

just putting it out there to remember that planetside is not a flight simulator. In a game like world war 2 online dogfighting with a joystick was a must.. but this is arcade, mouse and keyboard, joystick, or gamepad will all be valid control options based on your playstyle.

That being said, a keyboard does have certain disadvantages compared to a joystick, such as incremental axis, like a 0-99% throttle or flap/trim toggles. With a keyboard, controlling fine movements that aren't controlled by the mouse will be either on or off.. for example full rudder or no rudder.

To get the most out of any control scheme requiring more than 2 simultaneous control inputs a decent joystick or gamepad is required as the mouse cannot control that many axis. Although it would be interesting to see someone try with two mouses.

[Joomba]

The flight mechanics seem pretty detailed...

[BUGGER]

:love: X52 Pro.


I would wait until the game launches to buy a new joystick. That way you will know that it is supported.

This is logical.

[Joomba]

:love: X52 Pro.

This is logical.

Ouch, that joystick is probably out of my price range at this point.

Are you saying that it's logical to wait and see if they'll support joysticks, or if certain joysticks will not be supported?

Q: Will there be joystick support for aircraft when the beta goes live?

A: [Higby] Yes. I got a pretty slick Logitech G940 force feedback setup with rudders and a thrust stick the other day, it's a lot of fun to fly with.

http://www.planetside-universe.com/p-march-22nd-reddit-qa-107.htm

[Smed]

Our joystick support in PS2 isn't up to snuff yet. It's on the list of stuff to nail down before launch. Probably fairly close. Other stuff has higher priority.

Smed

[adddemon]

I have to ask, since I haven't used a joystick since i played ATF-Gold, besides the "realism" of it, what makes using a joystick better than a game-pad, two joysticks are better than one, right?

[Joomba]

Our joystick support in PS2 isn't up to snuff yet. It's on the list of stuff to nail down before launch. Probably fairly close. Other stuff has higher priority.

Smed

Ooh, Smed posts here! I don't doubt that it's not anywhere near the most important item. I could probably fly much better with wonky joystick controls than I could with a mouse, anyway! Besides, people need to test it too. :lol:

Do you post on the official forums as well?


I have to ask, since I haven't used a joystick since i played ATF-Gold, besides the "realism" of it, what makes using a joystick better than a game-pad, two joysticks are better than one, right?


Joysticks are considerably larger than the small analog sticks on gamepads, which allows me greater flexibility over fine movement control.

[BUGGER]

Ouch, that joystick is probably out of my price range at this point.

Are you saying that it's logical to wait and see if they'll support joysticks, or if certain joysticks will not be supported?

I got the x52 (minus the Pro) for dirt money at Circut City's demise. But I wouldn't buy it for PS2, in some cases it's hard to justify for some real flight sims..

Saitek ST290
http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-ST290-Programmable-Joystick-Throttle/dp/B0000AW9RE/ref=sr_1_9?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1344743170&sr=1-9

Bang for your buck, small throttle in front for your flight sims and it's a twisty for rudder control. Friend got it for Battlefield, it's comfy, it's cute.


But again, wait till PS2 retail....or you may be dissapointed.

[RoninOni]

Newegg reviews on that Saitek aren't that hot....

[SpcFarlen]

I have a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. Link to it (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826102204)

Its pretty good, its held up so far, no squeaks and was surprisingly cheap.

There are a lot of good ones out there, just make sure to have a 3 axis one. You want this so you can easily control the "rudder", yaw, or horizontal motion by just twisting the stick. Otherwise you have to key bind it and it can get really awkward.

[Joomba]

I have a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. Link to it (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826102204)

Its pretty good, its held up so far, no squeaks and was surprisingly cheap.


Question: how do you control throttle with that stick?

[RoninOni]

Question: how do you control throttle with that stick?

It's the 'Fin' on the base.

You just tilt it forward and back (or obv anywhere in between)

EDIT: This view shows the throttle better (you can also see the extra button added right near the thumb rest... lil grey square)
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/26-102-204-S02?$S640W$

[SixShooter]

Yes it supports joysticks. That doesn't mean that it is better as a mouse.

But we will see. If it works fine i may clean the dust off my Saitek Cyborg.

I have that one too but I think that after 12 years it's probably time to get a new one. I like the looks of the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick but the only reviews I can find are at least 2 years old. It's cheap enough that I will probably go for it anyway especially with Mechwarrior Online coming soon.

[Duskguy]

I have that one too but I think that after 12 years it's probably time to get a new one. I like the looks of the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick but the only reviews I can find are at least 2 years old. It's cheap enough that I will probably go for it anyway especially with Mechwarrior Online coming soon.

look it up on amazon and go into the reviews and select newest first instead of most helpful. newest is from july 2012.
i actually just bought one of these, cat wait to try it out.

the difference betwwen joysticks and controllers is the size. being larger, the joystick can make more subtle adjustments a controller cant. i use gamestop rewards to get FPSfreak stick extenders and found my overall playing in BF3 got better. reason; i could make smaller adjustments easier.
however, while the joystick allows for more subtle movements, it isnt as precise as a mouse and keyboard when aiming. but you can keep a joystick bent to the side to continue an action vs a mouse having to lift up and return to here it started.
the controller gives a balance between the precision of a mouse's aiming while allowing continuous motions, such as constantly turning. but while it gives balance between continuous maneuvers and ease of use, the joystick's longer reach makes available more subtle movements.

if you dont want to buy a $20-$30 stick such as the thrustmaster t-flight x orthe logitch 3d pro, or even a $30-$40 stick/throttle setup like the thrustmaster hotas t-flight x, then look into stck extenders which just clip onto your controller sticks, sch as the fpsfreak ones i have. i believe they are $9 or $10, but if you use gamestop and have reward points, you may be able to get them free.

[AThreatToYou]

Best joystick for PS2 flight mechanics... hmm..

Mouse & Keyboard. Eh? Eh? They've already said that they will be trying to get the game to function best with mouse & keyboard before they put a whole lot of work into anything else. Expect relatively gimped joystick support until release or even post-release.

I have that one too but I think that after 12 years it's probably time to get a new one. I like the looks of the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick but the only reviews I can find are at least 2 years old. It's cheap enough that I will probably go for it anyway especially with Mechwarrior Online coming soon.

Do NOT buy a joystick for MechWarrior Online. I can tell you from experience. You will be gimping yourself very harshly even if you have years of experience using joystick on past MechWarrior titles and went to leagues and won all using a joystick. Plus MWO is a terrible game why would you buy anything for it?

[Comet]

So what do you do if you have to transition from joystick to mouse/keyboard if you leave your craft? Just toss the joystick out of the way? lol. Or do you reach around it and try your best to use the keys effectively, despite looking like you're hugging a tree.

[RoninOni]

So what do you do if you have to transition from joystick to mouse/keyboard if you leave your craft? Just toss the joystick out of the way? lol. Or do you reach around it and try your best to use the keys effectively, despite looking like you're hugging a tree.

I set the joystick down to my right... keyboard mouse is always in front of me.

I never set the joystick down on the table... I hold it in my lap.

I could even leave it in my lap for a minute for emergency Infantry M/K control if I bailed out into direct combat.

Anyways, Rolling an aircraft with the mouse is probably the single most unintuitive control mechanism I've ever tried.

If roll can be mapped to keyboard and mouse x-axis to rudder, then maybe I can do alright.

[Kipper]

Anyways, Rolling an aircraft with the mouse is probably the single most unintuitive control mechanism I've ever tried.

This... Anyone decent with a joystick ought to beat anyone decent with a mouse every time on a game with regular flight dynamics. You just can't do long, smooth, sweeping turns with a mouse the way you can with a stick.

BF2 was the last time I dusted off my joystick and the difference was like night and day in terms of kills, length of time staying alive, and being able to hit targets without smashing into the floor, land etc.

This is presumably why real aircraft use yokes or sticks, and don't have a mouse in the cockpit :)

By the same token - driving is more intuitive with a wheel, which is why cars have those - but I think that's overkill for anything but hardcore racing games - I love a bit of GT5 with wheel and pedals, but I wouldn't consider it for PS2/or any shooter.

[RoninOni]

yah driving isn't as big a deal, and a wheel/pedal setup would most certainly get in the way of your infantry controls.

I could def see a nice flight setup with a left armchair throttle, right armchair stick, and pedals at my feet for the rudder control....

but I just don't have that kinda money.... so Logitech 3D Pro it is :D

[Rivenshield]

So what do you do if you have to transition from joystick to mouse/keyboard if you leave your craft? Just toss the joystick out of the way? lol. Or do you reach around it and try your best to use the keys effectively, despite looking like you're hugging a tree.

There's gotta be a setup out there that lets you put a joystick on one side of your keyboard/mouse pad and a throttle on the other. And that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

[Duskguy]

So what do you do if you have to transition from joystick to mouse/keyboard if you leave your craft? Just toss the joystick out of the way? lol. Or do you reach around it and try your best to use the keys effectively, despite looking like you're hugging a tree.

if you get a stick with a throttle in the base, all you need is room for the stick off to the side.

the thrustmaster hotas t-flight x, the stick with throttle can disconnect. the wire isnt too long, but it is long enough to run under your keyboard and be placed on either side of it. so you could have, from left to right: throttle, keyboard, stick, mouse. and unless your monitor is too low/ you are too short, seeing over the stick shouldnt be a problem.

if you have the money, you can buy chairs specialized to go with flight controls or race controls. they are expensive, and you might as well spend the money on a bigger, better stick set, but its an option. there is a link to a chair company on logitech's website when you look up wheels or joysticks.

but again, unless your desk is tiny/ cramped, there should be a way to easily reach both stick and keyboard/mouse. hell, put the stick on your lap if you have to.

[SixShooter]

Do NOT buy a joystick for MechWarrior Online. I can tell you from experience. You will be gimping yourself very harshly even if you have years of experience using joystick on past MechWarrior titles and went to leagues and won all using a joystick. Plus MWO is a terrible game why would you buy anything for it?

I would definitly be buying it more for PS2 than anything and having it available for other games as well. Not that there will really be any time for other games since PS2 will be consuming my life for the foreseeable future. I also can't really imagine playing a Mechwarrior game without one.

Anyways, Rolling an aircraft with the mouse is probably the single most unintuitive control mechanism I've ever tried.


This^^^

This... Anyone decent with a joystick ought to beat anyone decent with a mouse every time on a game with regular flight dynamics. You just can't do long, smooth, sweeping turns with a mouse the way you can with a stick.


And this^^^

Flying in PS1 was pretty easy with a m/kb since the flight mechanics were pretty much just FPS mechanics in the air. The flight mechanics for PS2 look like they'll be more complicated and closer to normal flight mechanics so that's why I would opt for a flight stick. It just seems like it will be more intuitive with one rather than using a mouse.

[Toppopia]

Maybe mouse users could hope for a continuous moving action if you leave your mouse near the edge of the screen? In Black Prophecy, you had a circle which your crosshair couldn't leave (because you were flying space ships) and if you kept the mouse near the edge, you would keep moving in that direction until you pulled the mouse back to the centre of the screen. Would that be too hard or complicated for this flying?

And why is Mech Warrior Online bad? If its like Mech Warrior 4 Vengance (Only proper Mech Warrior game i have played. :( Unless you count Mechassault, but i doubt those count.) then it should be good.

[RoninOni]

There's gotta be a setup out there that lets you put a joystick on one side of your keyboard/mouse pad and a throttle on the other. And that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

They're referred to as HOTAS joysticks... and the aforementioned Thrustmaster $50 one only has a 4-6" cable connecting the 2 halves (maybe even less), so no, you couldn't do that setup.

Any other HOTAS are significantly more expensive.

Maybe mouse users could hope for a continuous moving action if you leave your mouse near the edge of the screen? In Black Prophecy, you had a circle which your crosshair couldn't leave (because you were flying space ships) and if you kept the mouse near the edge, you would keep moving in that direction until you pulled the mouse back to the centre of the screen. Would that be too hard or complicated for this flying?

And why is Mech Warrior Online bad? If its like Mech Warrior 4 Vengance (Only proper Mech Warrior game i have played. :( Unless you count Mechassault, but i doubt those count.) then it should be good.

MW4 was already well on it's way to mass consumption from previous entries.

And no, mech assault isn't even in the same league.

MW2 and MW3 are generally considered the last real MW games (depending who you ask) though I myself did personally play a lot of MW4 (and enjoyed it)

I'm highly skeptical of MWO.... but I'll certainly give it a fair shot. I'm also going to look into MechWarrior: Living Legends, which is a mod for Crysis Wars, created by fans of the long time series and supposed to be more true to the roots of MW2, and even have better inclusion and balancing of infantry and tank combat units.

[Duskguy]

Maybe mouse users could hope for a continuous moving action if you leave your mouse near the edge of the screen? In Black Prophecy, you had a circle which your crosshair couldn't leave (because you were flying space ships) and if you kept the mouse near the edge, you would keep moving in that direction until you pulled the mouse back to the centre of the screen. Would that be too hard or complicated for this flying?

And why is Mech Warrior Online bad? If its like Mech Warrior 4 Vengance (Only proper Mech Warrior game i have played. :( Unless you count Mechassault, but i doubt those count.) then it should be good.

they may end up making the mouse control like that, who knows, i mean afterall, everyone is saying they are trying to dedicate control to a mouse. it would solve the problem of having to constantly pick up the mouse, but we'll see.

[SixShooter]

They're referred to as HOTAS joysticks... and the aforementioned Thrustmaster $50 one only has a 4-6" cable connecting the 2 halves (maybe even less), so no, you couldn't do that setup.


For the price ($35), I think I'll go with the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas. As for the short cable, I might have to get a little DIY with it and make it longer.

[RoninOni]

The mouse cursor trick works by having a targeting reticule that moves around without the vehicle actually moving (or slowly for being off center, further from center faster the turn... this is the preferable mechanic) and then when the targeting cursor is at the limit of it's cone of fire then you go to max turn in that direction, no longer requiring movement of the mouse.

There's a couple issues with this however.

#1 it makes aiming in an aircraft almost too easy... honestly it does.
#2 it's style of control lends to a flight mechanic that uses HEAVY use of rudder turning, and very little of roll and pulling back on the stick.

When you move yaw to the mouse without this movement mechanic, it's usually still the same very small effect, ie; not effective.

In any case... there IS a reason jets IRL use sticks. It's a VERY small investment ($26 for a controller with all you strictly need) and any serious pilot will make it.

For the price ($35), I think I'll go with the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas. As for the short cable, I might have to get a little DIY with it and make it longer.

2nd word of warning (and easy DIY really) is that the joystick base apparently isn't braced very well for left turns when detached.

[Duskguy]

the t-flight hotas mentioned for currently $35 has enough cable length to barely fit on either side of a normal sized keyboard, that is a keyboard with the basic buttons, not one of those specialized keyboards.

i have one set up with the pieces on either side of a keyboard and when disconnected, it really depends on how hard you are on the thing, to call it unstable. it is LESS stable on the left than the right when seperated, but it is still pretty stable.

[RoninOni]

*shrug*

I go hard left and right a lot so stability is important.

As I also said... it's not an overtly difficult DIY either.

I think that the Thrustmaster HOTAS is potentially a great deal, however bear in mind this is w/o question a budget HOTAS. Most quality HOTAS are easily over $100, and 4/5 eggs for a $35 (from another site apparently) seems certainly a great deal.

I just want to make sure people understand it might not be *perfect*. 1 user reported that the button placed for the thumb on the throttle wasn't registering on PC and only when connected to a playstation. (could have been his particular software as well, but keep it in mind). And then there are a couple complaints about the feeling of it over time but only a couple (only 24 reviews total however).

[archaonn]

Im going to use my Xbox controller.

I have a question: Anyone knows if the devs have said something about the transition between mouse/controller and viceversa? I mean, you are flying a plane with your controller and you get off, can you start using your mouse+keyboard, or you need to unplug the controller?

[Sunrock]

Im going to use my Xbox controller.



I would use the Xbox 360 controller over any joystick too.

[SeanNewBoy]

Joysticks range from cheap to expensive and simple to complex.

Saitek: Pro is generic, runs on most anything. Con is less options. Basically a decent controller for lower price.

Logitech: Pro is very user modifiable and decent cost. Con is that to really use well takes time and effort to tweak you control setups. Really good for lower price, but not for the master sim junkies.

Thrustmaster: Pro is high durability and very good individual programming setups. Con is higher prices. You can get high end setups with separate throttle and pedals for hundreds.

Personally i suggest waiting, focus on the 3 brands mentioned in this topic and pick the one that fits your price/level of interest. If your interested in just being a gal pilot, you probably wont need the higher end ones with dozens of buttons. Likewise if you just want to be a liberator gunner, dont get one that has a throttle, or maybe just use a gamepad.

[vVRedOctoberVv]

I'm using a simple SaiTek. Has six buttons, I think, throttle, twist stick, and hat. Paid twenty bucks for it several years ago. Very nice, smooth movements. I mean, I'm sure there are gaming joysticks out there like Razer and whatnot, but mine is as good as anything I've ever wanted.

[SixShooter]

Thanks for the info guys. I hope the OP got some good info out of these responses too :).

[RoninOni]

Im going to use my Xbox controller.

I have a question: Anyone knows if the devs have said something about the transition between mouse/controller and viceversa? I mean, you are flying a plane with your controller and you get off, can you start using your mouse+keyboard, or you need to unplug the controller?

Plugging in a joystick/gamepad (your controller) doesn't disable mouse and keyboard O.o

You just set your vehicle control device to the side when you want to play Infantry with your M/K....

Simplez.

Oh, and I've def considered using gamepad as well... in fact, I might actually do better with it as I've got a lot more recent practice flying w/ gamepad than joystick... but you actually get more controls without ever having to move control off movement controls with a joystick (unlike A,B,X,Y buttons and the dpad for example)

[Nemises]

end

of

story

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71wt-rS735L._AA1500_.jpg

[Rivenshield]

They're referred to as HOTAS joysticks... and the aforementioned Thrustmaster $50 one only has a 4-6" cable connecting the 2 halves (maybe even less), so no, you couldn't do that setup.

One of the reviews on Amazon.com tells me it has an 18" cable connecting the throttle and stick. So maybe that's been amended in the latest iteration of the design. It sounds perfect for what I want to do, and the price is certainly right. I just hope PS2 supports it, is all. I can't fly worth a damn with the keyboard/mouse combo in PS1 or BF2142, either one, and those are the only FPS games I have any exposure to.

(Except for BF3, which I uninstalled after an hour and a half. What an absolute un-user-friendly badly laid-out profanity-spamming turd of a game. I'm still smarting from wasting money on it. Beta can't come soon enough).

[Joomba]

Thanks all, I just bought the Thrustmaster Hotas X. I couldn't help but jump on the opportunity as it is $15 off right now, making it price competitive with the other Thrustmaster and the Logitech one.

One concern I have is that in one of the unpacking videos on Youtube where someone was playing with it I saw that the throttle springs back to rest, which would prevent me from auto-flying somewhere :(.