Joysticks vs HOTAS . . . do some flight sims just not need that many buttons?

Moderators, please consider this thread as not being a hardware question because I find it to be more of a gaming philosophy question.

I was recently admiring the retro-look of the Saitek (Mad Catz) Aviator joystick and considered getting it for the upcoming flight sim Battle of Stalingrad.

My Saitek X-52 is starting to show signs of aging and I will be in the market for a new stick. I am experienced in both modern (jet) and prop aircraft combat sims and understand why a HOTAS with its multitude of button combinations can be preferred over a single stick. But I am also curious as to how people who use single sticks compensate for the lack of a second control unit. Do you use the keyboard? Do you use voice command software? Other hardware?

I am so used to the X-52 that it has become second nature to me, but I am also interested in the possibility of simplifying my gaming experience with less hardware. Any input?

Why not use both. Use the throttle and the new stick, put the old one somewhere handy in case you use some of the buttons on it for something like a bomber control stick. You still have a fairly handy hotas even with the simple stick. Assuming your throttle is still usable.

Using a single stick is probably doable, but its still going to suck. Been there, done that.

I used a Saitek Cyborg X for quite some time for flying Rise of Flight (before the centering started to fritz out), and I use my Warthog for DCS. I've had an AV8R for a while too as a loaner and haven't had any issues with it. They're good to go in a pinch IMO and work great for aged airframes. DCS, not so much.

For the record yes, with the twist stick I use the keyboard for most things like a neanderthal. It has worked for years and years and will continue to do so

Wow, the input is already interesting and useful. Thanks!

I went for years before buying my first HOTAS (Which was a Saitek X36 gameport). Sadly I switched back to a Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro joystick and then a Microsoft SideWinder Precision 2 joystick when my X36 stopped functioning correctly. Now my main stick is a HOTAS Cougar with Elite pedals. I upgraded to that because I wanted something that looked more realistic and I wanted to graduate from a twist stick rudder to actual pedals. In fact I do have a Saitek AV8R also for a backup stick and for those games that do not require such a complex joystick system (like the Battlefield series). One of the key factors in getting a HOTAS was that sims were becoming more complex, and required more hands on button pressing. The keyboard was just becoming more cumbersome...

I've got the aviator that works on pc and 360. Poor quality (IMO) and a horrible layout for the buttons--some blocked by your own right hand. Didn't care too much for my X52 (base, not pro) but at least it had good buttons.
For a good but inexpensive stick, I love my Tmaster T-HOTAS X. Might even find for $20. Stick and throttle can be joined or separated, there is a tension adjustment on the stick--which isn't too tall like the Saiteks. Yaw can be twist stick or a handy rocker on the back of the throttle. You can lock the stick if you want to lose the twist. BARGAIN.

I still use my old force feedback stick

and my trusty FFB2

Both for a flight sim. A more basic flight stick would be fine for a simpler flight game. Though I think I would prefer to use a controller for simplified flying and driving games. For example, assuming a PS2-era Ace Combat style game were made on PC I would use a controller or basic flight stick. For DCS/FC I will use my X52 Pro.

It depends on what you're flying.

F-16C or A-10C? You'll be pulling your hair out without a proper HOTAS, particularly the A-10C. (And even then, you'll probably need to set a button as shift/modifier for the rest if it's anything less than the HOTAS Warthog.)

WWI/WWII planes? Even a simple MS SWFFB2 will be fine with its mere 8 buttons and a single hat switch. If anything, they're more dependent on additional analog axes for mixture, prop pitch, flaps, radiator, trim, etc., so you'd want a throttle quad of some sort to handle that.

I use the Warthog throttle at all times, but the older aircraft (and the Ka-50, and probably the UH-1H Huey and any other helicopters that wind up becoming DCS World modules) really benefit from the SWFFB2's force-feedback far more than the Warthog stick's extra switches.

My HOTAS is overkill for ROF, except the rudder pedals (which are not usable separately). For Il-2, I also could just as easily use the keyboard for most of the commands I mapped to the stick because they're not needed for combat. However, the throttle/stick/rudder I find useful for controlling the plane.

Only in modern (radar-equipped) planes do I find I need all the buttons/hats/axes, and I can't imagine using a simpler stick for them.

So if you're sticking with WWII and earlier planes, I could see not using a HOTAS and not suffering from it at all. Flying A-10C with only 6 buttons and 1 hat will have you typing like a 50s reporter trying to beat a deadline.



The Jedi Master

You better believe it. Before I ended up buying a Warthog out of necessity I had every A-10 stick and throttle 4 way control and whatnot mapped to keys and color coded keyboard diagrams so I could remember what did what. It was a massive pain in the ass and I gave up on DCS until I got the hog a couple years later.

Looks like I'll just get another X-52; familiarity is a factor.