Something that i think nobody asked, and if somebody did i miss it:

Consideraing that each device will have its own USB cable, will Thrustmaster sell throttle and stick separately, or you will be forced to buy them together?.
It could be a good option for tight busgets to buy one device first and later on the other, if they are interested. Besides, from what i understand of T.A.R.G.E.T explained here, the software wouldn´t be an issue.

Not a chance. At that price point it'll be all or nothing. I seriously doubt they're interested in budget problems

Which would be a shame. I have a throttle that I'm perfectly happy with (can't do without those rotaries), if I could buy the stick separately I'd seriously consider it. If I'm forced to buy a throttle I don't want or need then it's a non-starter.

Well, you're really only missing 1 rotary. The wheel on the base acts like one.

If you're not interested in dual throttles, you could always use, say, the left throttle axis in place of the other rotary.

Just a thought. Don't think I'd necessarily want to do that, but you could.

This is not a budget stick for people on the fence the type of simmer that buys this kind of kit is already in over their head lol! Folks that build F-16 replica pits come to mind when thinking of this HOTAS, I mean folks with expendable income!

It may be expensive, but look at it this way-it's bound to outlast whatever PC you're using it with by many years and still retain most of its value, especially since they seem to have gone all-out on quality this time.

Chances are if I decided to sell my FCC-modded Cougar + Hall sensor-modded RCS pedals as a set, I'd get at least $400 for it still. (It may match the Saitek X-65F and possibly the TM HOTAS Warthog's price at that point and thus be a bit optimistic, but there ARE rudder pedals included, unlike those two...ones modded with something that costs around $75-80 by itself.)

No news . . . Nobody with anything to say in 7 days!!!

Are you kidding me?

I think they've all drowned in their own drool

Martin...

It's up to Thrustmaster to bring out those news. I'm still checking www.thrustmaster.com daily for a official press release but instead of Warthog, they are teasing us(I know that's not the case, but feels like it) with more Disney licensed products...

Sorry if I missed this... 3 questions about the stick:

1) Can the ~1/8" thick plate be removed from the bottom of the stick leaving just the cylindrical part of the stick? That was always an issue when using the Cougar as a center stick: The large, square base would rub the thighs when it was properly positioned.

2) Is the handle of the stick rotated CCW with respect to the base as compared to the Cougar. That was another issue with the Cougar... You could use it in the center position, but it didn't feel quote right since on a real center stick, the handle is rotated about 15°CCW so the the "right hand" feels ergonomically correct when grabbing it.

3) Still confused about the rudder pedal disappointement... Yes, it would have been nice to have rudder solution from Thrustmaster but... can't I just plug in my old Elite Rudder pedals into my PC provided it has a "gameport"? Not sure anymore... Do modern PCs have a gameport and are there adapater to go from gameport to USB?

Edit: just found 2 I think:

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Usb-Game-Port-Adapter/dp/B0009PXKZ8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F3U200-08IN..._pr_product_top

Yes the large square plate is removable, but you will have to mount it to something for stability. There are 4 screws which attach the plate.



I don't think it is, but if you are going to remove the plate and mount it separately it's an easy mater of just offsetting your mounting holes.

2)
I guess that not everyone will use it in the same way.
Some people might go for a between the knees mount, others for a sidestick.
3)
Sims today allow you to use more than one controller.
Using pedals with their own USB connection or a gameport adapter should not be a problem.

Thanks for answering...

Regarding 2... I rotated my entire Cougar CCW as veiwed from the top to use it as a center stick, but this is still not the same. Rotating the Warthog by offsetting the holes will give the same (incorrect) feel if the Warthog is not poperly designed (which I doubt, but don't know for sure). By simply rotating the entire stick, the stick will be comfortable with respect to the wrist angle, but the movement axis will be offset incorrectly as well. When one "pulls back on the stick", you'd really need to "pull back and a little right" to get elevator input only (and no aileron). This is undesireable.

In a "real" plane with a center mounted stick, the stick grip is rotated CCW (as viewed from the top) with respect to the pure axis of the stick such that pulling straight back does indeed give a pure elevator effect only... This is really the answer I'm after here: Is the Warthog handle rotated ~15-20° CCW as viewed from the top, relative to the Cougar, to compensate for the forearm of the pilot being in a different position than when the stick is on the side?

Sit in a chair and try... It feels terribly awkward to grab a center mounted stick while the wrist of the right hand is bent from the line the forearm natually makes. It's much easier and ergonomically correct to sit with a wrist that is only slightly bent when operating a center mounted stick. Surely this was not something missed by Tmaster, but you'd really need to compare a Cougar with a Warthog as viewed from the top to know... Probably noone has done that yet... Anyone???

Hmmm.

Out of the box of course, the stick is aligned with the axes.

With the lack of mechanical axes...I bet it would be fairly simple to correct this via software.

Somewhere earlier in this thread someone wrote that the warthog's shaft is mounted with a balljoint and springcentered.
At the bottom of the shaft is a magnet with a sensor under it at the bottom of the stick's housing.
Getting the desired rotation of teh stick may be as easy as mounting the stick the way you like it and then rotating the sensor to get the response you want.

Pertinent observations.

I wonder why TM would oversee such a detail.
I assume the grip is detachable from the base - just like the Cougar is - and that the connector on the base should be - ideally - able to rotate slightly.

Since the grip is attached to the shaft by means of a coupler, readjusting the grip to about 15-20deg CCW should not be a problem... provided the connector (in the shaft) can rotate along with its mating part on the grip.

If it doesn't I guess all that can be done is extend the stick slightly and make an extension of the stick. Which is consistent with the original A-10 design.
Ideally, TM should be shipping an extension. The production cost would be insignificant. And for the price tag is runs for, adding a 8-10" piece of pipe with a matching thread should not hurt Guillemot.

Also, is the grip no slightly tilted forward on the A-10?

So you'd solve that discrepancy too.

I bet the third party tweakers will come up with all sorts of after market improvements after the WH is released. Guys with CNC machines will probably make replacement stick grip shafts that are offset, just depends on how easy it is to get the PS2 connector and associated wires in and out of the shaft.

I'd like to see a new outboard panel for the throttle base that includes the other side of the flap switch guard, something about the outside edge of the flap switch being unshielded makes me imagine catching it on something and tearing the switch off. I think the sides the box are fastened together with rivets though, so probably way too much trouble.

Lets see who is still reading this thread.

Contest!

SimHQ has 10 Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog T-shirts to give away. Contest closes at 2300 GMT Sunday night. If all 10 shirts have not been given away, watch for a follow-up contest soon.

Send me an email (not a PM please) to (guod@SimHQ [dot] com):

Subject of email: HOTAS Warthog T-Shirt
Your answer to the question.
The mailing address you want it sent to.
Your SimHQ nickname (log-in name).
The size shirt you want and the alternative size if already gone (medium, large, x-large).

The question is, how many subspecies of warthogs are there? I'm referring to the animal not the beloved plane. I'm looking for a number.

Ready. Set. Go!

The contest is now closed.
Watch for the next T-shirt contest soon.

Congratulations to the following winners of the Thrustmaster HOTAS T-shirt Contest!

Cougar_ED_BT
Tbag
JAMF
Galwran
Boildown
dewey405
Muggs
LtFransky

The correct answer is 4 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/warthog
The shirts will be mailed out this coming Friday.

Crap, I somehow linked into wild boar.