CH.

I can only comment on three sticks I have used.

Saitek X-52 was okay, but needed a spring fix on the stick to help make it feel tighter, the initial batch had an awful Deadzone problem which was improved but not fixed in later versions.

Saitek X-52 Pro. Much better, the throttle and SST Software were fantastic and the stick was very good. The Deadzone was fixed as-was the spring tension and I used it for a good two-years without problems.

Thrustmaster Cougar Hotas with Gimbals and Hall Sensor mods. OMG! Best investment I ever made. The stick is rock solid, very heavy so no movement off desk, the programming software is excellent and there are so-many profiles and the stick has a feel that it will never fall apart, very, very sturdy.

I also have the Simped Rudder pedals and these too are outstanding.

If you have the money and you mainly fly propeller aircraft (as I understand the warthog is better for jets) this modded stick is just awesome!

So Modded Cougar and Simpeds will last you until BoB:SoW:1946 comes out at-least! ;)

Cheers, MP

Axis/button bus data isn't shown in IL2. You need a utility that shows data transfer for each data bus as decoded in the 'driver'. My x52 shows that the scroll wheel shares the same bus as one of the flight axis. My X52 Pro scrollwheel on the other hand uses the 'button' data bus.

well guys, i've ordered the hotas x.

considering some people said it was very unprecise and others said it was pretty good, i'm hoping im the last kind of person.
Some people thought it was a bad stick, but i got the feeling they were comparing it to sticks like the Warthog, which is kinda unfair.

I was just looking for a simple stick, that didnt cost over 100 euro.
however i did want a throttle lever, and the Thrustmaster hotas X had one.

Perhaps if it totally sucks, i will return it and buy the T-16000m.

thanks for all wise comments people, hopefully i've made the right choice.
now let's get back to waiting for SOW and when it comes out i will kick your iron butt with my new Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X!

Well I hope you will be content with your choise and don't end up buying sticks like some women buy shoes!

haha, yeah wel i do think the throttle from the hotas x looks a bit like the high heels from a woman :P

well, my friend, as I told you I had this joystick for a couple of months.. and this was the better circle I could draw with joytester :D. IMO IL2 require a very precise joystick... so this could be good for games like HAWX or something like that... but not for IL-2. If you compare with the also cheap AV8R, well, the AV8R (that i also have) is another world, more precise but not so comfortable like the hotas.X

But people don't believe about the t16000m precision. I will not post more joytester results. People like to believe only expensive solutions are good, some people believe nothing will ever have the precision of a MSFF2... I'm tired.

Let's peole buy all kinds of cheap joysticks without HALL and blame all the entry level-all plastic joysticks, and after go buy expensive HOTAS solutions.

Always amazes me why the joystick market don't have much good but cheap joysticks. Well, we have, the t16000m, but people don't buy it, people deserves to pay more for bad performance...

Strange! REALLY strange! IL-2 people don't believe in benchmarks and tests... LOL!

When I saw less than $50 and HALL sensor in X and Y and the good preview of Sokol1 about it, I don't think a second more: bought the plastic toy, and have great experience over a year.

Does it mean that AV8R-03 is a relatively good joy for IL2?

No, what is good is AV8R - PC only version.
AV8R-02 (XBOX & PC) or AV8R-03 (PS3 & PC), use a different - and poor USB controller. Dont buy these two, prefer Tm. T16.0000M that due to the use of HALL Sensor (same of Tm. Warthog) in X and Y axis is better.

Old review of AV8R - made by simmers (not for journalist/blogger). Notice Joytester2 curve.

http://translate.google.com/translat...r%2FAviator%2F

I think that AV8R (PC only version) was discontinued.

Sokol1