Elite: Dangerous is a game that has had me hooked for weeks now. Why? I think I just love the immersion the game offers. But in the end, input devices also contribute to that immersion. Playing a spaceship with a keyboard and mouse is neither intuitive nor immersive. Thanks to MyGamepad, at least the keyboard is out of the picture. Then it occurred to me: I bought a cheap joystick about 12 years ago. It must still be around somewhere.
I searched, found it, and plugged it in. And quickly realized it wasn’t just inexpensive, it was cheap. The Cyborg V1 from Saitek (now owned by Logitech) neither feels particularly good in the hand, nor is it well-made in terms of feel and technology. As soon as I readjust my grip, the weight of my hand triggers the Z-axis. So my spaceship is always drifting to the left. Left also seems to be the preferred direction for the Y-axis, which is significantly more sensitive than the right side. On the other hand, the X-axis tends to stick, and I have to push so hard that the lightweight joystick nearly tips over. Oh, and one button has a serious loose connection, while the others creak and jam. But then again, it did spend over 10 years in a box without any maintenance and cost 25 euros back then.
But despite the combination of MyGamepad and joystick, there are two problems in Elite: Dangerous: Switching from the MyGamepad to the joystick for the throttle is annoying and disruptive. Additionally, while the MyGamepad has an integrated PlayStation 4 stick that I use to control horizontal thrust and lateral drift during landing approaches, I’m missing an axis for vertical thrust. Sure, I could control horizontal thrust purely with the throttle, but I’d have to take a hand off the controls, losing control in the process.
The alternative was to get a HOTAS or HOSAS system. HOTAS stands for Hands On Throttle And Stick, while HOSAS means Hands On Stick And Stick. With HOTAS systems, you have a joystick in one hand, just like I had, but a proper throttle in the other, like you’d find in an airplane. For a space sim, you’re still missing two axes, which are often handled by a small stick on the throttle. For flight simulators, only one axis is missing, which is then solved with rudder pedals (just like in real life). I didn’t want rudder pedals, which meant the HOTAS system was either two axes short or would be as unergonomic as my current setup, using a small controller stick.
With HOSAS, on the other hand, you have another stick instead of a throttle. This one is often not arranged vertically but in an S-shape, somewhat reminiscent of a motorcycle grip. The X-axis is then for thrust, the Y-axis for lateral drift, and twisting the “grip” for the vertical axis. Plus a bunch of buttons you can assign. With good sticks, you can dampen the Y-axis and disengage the spring, so the stick doesn’t spring back and functions like a throttle. Exactly what I’m looking for in Elite: Dangerous. This covers all the axes, gives me plenty of buttons, and I don’t have to switch my grip. Accordingly, I decided to get a HOSAS system with an angled stick on the left.
Well, with that requirement, the market becomes very small, or rather, very expensive. In the price range up to 300 euros, there are really only HOTAS systems, like the Logitech G X56 system for over 200 euros, or HOSAS with two vertical sticks like the Thrustmaster T16000M FCS Space Sim Duo for around 100 euros. Then there’s a price gap, and you land with the manufacturer VKB, which also offers the curved stick for the left hand. Even though the build quality and mechanics are clearly superior to the two previously mentioned systems, a price of over 430 euros is quite a statement. At least not something you just buy on a whim. Even on Black Friday, it’s still over 400 euros. A bit too much for me.
Nevertheless, I was eyeing them and researching the joysticks. That’s when I came across the company Winwing. Same mechanics as VKB, but the build quality is “high-quality” instead of “premium.” It was a clear Streisand effect, because there was a discussion on Reddit about whether Winwing had simply stolen VKB’s design. But what can I say? 198 euros for both sticks is 240 euros less than VKB. Identical mechanics. And the rest of the build quality would definitely surpass my Cyborg V1, I thought. Bam, ordered. Delivery time unknown, could take several weeks according to the homepage. Two days later, I got the shipping confirmation, and after some back-and-forth with DHL, the package arrived. It will be exciting to see how they perform in my daily use. But since this post is already very long, the actual review will follow in a separate post.