T16000M FCS Flight Pack (Compatible with PC)

I just wanted to leave a review for this as there currently aren't very many. This is part review for this stick, and part comparison of it between other sticks. For reference, I've extensively used the following sticks: Saitek X52 and X52 pro, Logitech 3D Extreme Pro, old FCS, Warthog, and now this. Also, I play pretty much every type of flight game, including DCS, IL-2 back in the day, SWG back in the day, E:D, and SC. So with that out of the way, this is my favorite stick. It feels weird to say that when I own a warthog, and the build quality and general feel is definitely better on the warthog. The button layout is also much better on the hog. However, once you factor in the price difference and the twist axis, this stick is my daily driver. Another big advantage this stick has over the hog, to me, is the lighter springs. The hog is great for flying an old warplane or something that's really slow, but not so great when dogfighting in a space sim, or when needing to do really precise movements. I just overall find this stick to be easier to use for space sims in general. The new model doesn't seem like a massive upgrade from the old one. I'm not sure what's up with the orange coloring, but I digress. The main difference is that the buttons on the base now have textured markings (which is a life saver in VR or if you just don't want to be looking down), most of the buttons now are textured and more ergonomical, and it seems that the spring makes a lot less noise and is of slightly higher quality. Although that could just be because it's new and my old FCS is old. One thing to note, expanding on textured buttons, is that if you are playing in VR, the warthog throttle is actually a pretty terrible experience. The switches are all over the place and you won't have any way to see them. I hope that all sticks in the future follow the trend of having unique textures on the buttons, so you can feel your way around what you're doing. Definitely a major plus if you're playing in VR. If you're new to Thrustmaster in general, another thing to note is that the T.A.R.G.E.T. scripting software is second to none as far as allowing you to get really in depth with customizing how you want your stick to act, as well as how it's programmed. It's not exactly user-friendly, but you can do pretty much anything you want with it. This stick's biggest weakness is the lack of buttons on the handle. There are plenty on the base, but I really find myself just wanting more on the handle. I picked up two of the cougar MFD's, and find those easier to use than the buttons on the base. Still, next time around, get some more buttons on this thing's handle Thrustmaster. I really wish that this stick and the warthog could make a baby. I'd love to have the metal sticks with the great button layouts, while also having the ability to use it ambidextrously, having a twist axis, and having the lightweight handling that this one does. Unfortunately, that's not really an option. So given that, this stick is my recommendation. The warthog is technically superior, but this stick offers more than enough bang for the buck, and I'm actually probably going to sell my hog soon since it doesn't have a twist axis. The extra handle buttons on the hog are really nice, but the lack of a twist axis just makes it almost useless in a space sim. And you can make up for a lack of buttons with VoiceAttack. The bottom line is that whether you're a new pilot or a seasoned veteran, this stick can do it all pretty well. I've been flying in PC games since I was a kid, and I've used a lot of sticks. This one is my favorite. I think you'd be hard pressed to prove that a warthog is going to give any real-world combat advantage, so the only reason I see to fork over the extra cash is if you really want that metal handle (which does feel nice...). My current setup is using two of these, two MFD's, and a throttle on my left side. I have rudder pedals, but I have no need for them with this setup. The two sticks provide full 6DOF freedom in space sims, and the throttle still allows me to fly regular planes (or long haul flights in space sims) without awkwardly trying to use two sticks. Then the MFD's fill the need for a near infinite amount of buttons. You can slap all of that on a board with some velcro, sit in an office chair, and rival the setups of the biggest and baddest simpits out there for less than what you'd pay for just a warthog stick in some places. Just buy two of these and you won't regret it, seriously. That's my .02, hopefully it helps someone. Happy flying, o7

what's not to love about these sticks. They are very sturdy, extremely responsive in game and have 32 buttons that can be mapped out to any key you want. I found them easy to customize in star citizen. They make flying so much more fun and they give you a level of control, you can't get from a keyboard and mouse. If you are looking for a starter set of sticks that won't break the bank these are it. I've tried a cheaper set and it only lasted a few days. These ones are very sturdy and well built. I expect them to last for a long time. They are setup one for each hand when you get them although it comes with the adapters so you can change them around and have two right or two left handed ones, if you wanted to share with someone instead of using two sticks at once. I will say there is a little bit of a learning curve going from keyboard and mouse to joysticks. That said, it doesn't take long to get used to them and all the buttons. They are so customizable, you don't have to use anything else while in flight mode. I don't recommend for running around on foot but they weren't meant for that. I do however, recommend them for flying.

Upgrading from the most basic Thrustmaster HOTAS, this is a very nice setup. Plenty of hat switches and buttons, making Elite: Dangerous very easy to manage. I find that the 6 buttons on the right side of the base of the stick are hard to hit without looking, even though there are tactile bumps on them that are supposed to make this easier. It's not a great idea to map anything critical like hard points on that side. I'll be down to 40% hull and trying to stow my weapons and jump out of a system when, Woops! I'm in the map screen instead because I can't feel the difference between the buttons when moving quickly. I struggled to give this unit 4 stars mainly due to the throttle's problem with lubrication. Only a couple of days after I began using it, it started to become a bit sticky as it slid on the rails, even after adjusting the tension to make it as loose as possible. This quickly devolved to to point where I couldn't adjust the throttle without pushing the whole base around as it wasn't sliding properly. It's easy to open up and I added a silicone based lubricant that's safe for plastics. This helped quite a bit, but making fine adjustments was still problematic as it would stutter-slide in an irritating way. I wiped the silicone lubricant, and instead switched to 'Fluid Film', which is lanolin based. I'm taking a gamble as to whether or not it will cause problems with the plastic parts, but I think the design of the tensioning system for the throttle is simply no good. It's essentially a leaf spring that presses down on metal rails inside. The silicone lube didn't last because it basically rubbed off. The fluid film should last longer, but I'm afraid it will probably need to be reapplied periodically. If this remains a problem, I'll probably take off a star and spend more money on a better HOTAS, but this is still the sweet spot as far as features/performance for the price.

I read the negative reviews for this, but all joysticks like this have bad reviews. I just got a LogiTech HOTAS and it was a piece of garbage. This is 100 times better. Better materials, better build, better feel. Very smooth and solid. I love it. It doesn't have a ton of buttons. But what it does have works perfectly.

Quality, accuracy and functionality. That is the main difference between this and every other HOTAS under $400. If you want to know why, read on but the short and sweet is, if you want the best HOTAS that gives you 6 degrees of movement under $400 this is it. You can buy the Thrustmaster Warthog and a set of high quality pedals for over $400 but the jump in price doesn’t justify the difference you get IMO but you could go that route. Now as to how we got here, Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous and DCS have revived the market for these HOTAS setups. For the longest time there weren’t any new HOTAS setups on the market because there were no games to warrant the investment by the companies that make them. This has all changed and this is the first HOTAS setup developed from the ground up for the games people want them for. The joystick is a redesign of the T.16000 that has been available but that didn’t need changing at all, while the throttle is all new and thoroughly thought out. The built quality is excellent and the size is appropriate so it can fit on your desk along with your mouse and keyboard. The weight distribution is spot on so it stays put while you’re playing and everything is pinpoint accurate. I used a X52 an X52 Pro and own a X55, they are ALL overpriced right now. If you were looking at them a year ago, they were all AT LEAST $50 cheaper than what they are now and they were overpriced THEN for the products you get. Saitek just jacked up the prices because people were starting to buy them. I put CH products in this category as well after seeing a teardown of their HOTAS; it’s higher quality than Saitek but still overpriced. With Thrustmaster you’re getting what you pay for. Bottom line, under $400 there is no competition for the quality, accuracy and functionally you get with this HOTAS.

I have a lot of things to say about this incredible piece of equipment, but here's a TLDR for people who want a quick glance at multiple reviews: it's one of the cheapest flight control sets you can find on the market that still delivers high quality performance to any game you choose, however it must be noted that the controls can easily move around if you push or pull too hard and that right-handed people will naturally feel better with the controls. Now, let's start with all of the negatives just so everyone is aware. 1. Firstly, the material that the set is composed of is relatively cheap plastic. This doesn't detract from the feel of it (at least in my opinion), as the handles have nice grips to assist you (the yoke actually has a rubber siding for your comfort, which I love). Because of this, it's not exactly the heaviest thing in the world, so you can imagine what it might be like jumping into an FA-18 Super Hornet and absolutely sending it into a steep turn. If you can't, I'll put it this way: the controls will fly, not you. They don't fall off the table, but they may raise up a little bit and disorient you. Also, the rudder pedals function the same way. Make sure you are not pushing or pulling down on them too hard or they will end up moving (and in my case that's bad because I have a foot-rest bar from one end of the bottom of my desk to the other, and you can put two and two together). Wear shoes when you're using the rudders for maximum comfort and performance. A solution to this entire problem could be to buy some clamps for the desk and floor, but I have yet to do that since the issue isn't big enough for me to throw away more money. 2. The throttle and yoke combo is made for right-handed people, so if you are left-handed like me, be mindful that holding the controls the way you'd prefer may not feel exceptional. That in no way means it isn't comfortable, however my hands begin to ache a tiny bit after long hours of gameplay because of the unnatural angle they're positioned at. This only happens after extremely long sessions, though, and all things considered, holding the controls still feels nice the wrong way. If you easily get carpal tunnel or other hand aches, be mindful of this, please. 3. Last but not least, make sure you are wary of the fact that if you're in a game and need to use your mouse for something, the controls may disconnect and require that you press a button to recalibrate them. This sometimes puts me into an immediately steep climb in Microsoft Flight Simulator and thus either a stall or an annoying gain in altitude. This issue can be avoided by retaining the position your controls were in when you paused, however, if that doesn't work, be prepared to immediately readjust your controls. Now it's time to explain how much butt this thing kicks. 1. The controls are SUPER realistic. The throttle, yoke, and rudder pedals make you feel like you are genuinely in control of a full-blown aircraft. Not much else to say on that. 2. There are tons of buttons to suit your needs. The yoke has multiple buttons on its top, and a plethora of buttons on its base. The throttle has numerous, quirky-looking buttons behind the throttle itself. While the rudder pedals don't have buttons, they don't need any. That wouldn't make much sense. The brakes and movement capabilities of them are super intricate! 3. The controls are incredibly easy to set up, but make sure you have enough USB slots. I did not, so I purchased a dongle with four USB ports so that I could connect everything at once and make my setup literally plug-and-play. Note, however, that the rudder has a specific, ethernet-looking cord that you may not have a slot for in your computer. I believe it can connect to the throttle, but I haven't seen the slot for it so don't quote me on that. I went ahead and purchased an adapter for the rudder pedals so that everything was able to go into a USB port. It's a little extra money that you might not want to spend, but I chose convenience over price and I do not regret it in the slightest. 4. For the last major plus side to this set, it feels comfortable. I'm a left-handed person, and you already know this thing is right-handed, so there is a little bit of a discrepancy in my review. However, nothing can take away from how comfortable the set feels when you're in the cockpit of an aircraft. The yoke is made extremely well for how cheap it probably is, the throttle allows your hand to rest nicely while flying, and the rudder pedals are sturdy, meaning they won't move around unless you push a little hard (it's also harder to rudder in the air, but be careful so as to not accidentally press them mid-air, or your aircraft may do things it was never meant to do. I'm so pleased with this set, and it was one of my bigger purchases for my own entertainment. So far, nothing has genuinely let me down. A few nitpicks here and there, but that is almost completely overshadowed once you actually get into the air. There's so much more I could say that I loved about the controls, but that would make my review applicable for a Harvard essay. I highly recommend this product to anyone interested in playing an aviation-based game because of its affordability and feel. Hope you found this review helpful. Throttle on!

I've had this hotas setup for almost 2 years now, and for the better part of that two years, it has worked flawlessly. The action is smooth and precise and the buttons are arranged nicely. However, my biggest complaint is the material is cheap, and it feels like a toy. Sometimes the buttons on the base don't feel positive when pressed. There s no reassuring click, and the bottom row of buttons if you don't press it in the right spot, they won't actually function. I wish this was better. The buttons and trigger on the stick work fine though. I feel like if I twist the stick hard enough I could almost break it. The problem started happening sometime after about a year or maybe even 14-16 months, the RZ axis on the stick used for rudder control (the twist action) seems to pull to the left all on its own. Now you can twist it left and right and it seems to correct it, but it can cause embarrassing landing moments, or can seriously wreck your bombing runs when it happens at the wrong time. Now after doing some research on this, it seems to be a common problem with the RZ axis potentiometer that tends to break at the solder. This is most certainly a Quality control issue, which Thrustmaster should address, but they probably won't. Now, since the throttle still works, I could just buy a new stick for $60 and be back in business for who knows how long. However, I am not prepared to shell out $300 - $500 for the warthog, and the Saitek sticks are just too big for my little hands, so I am left with little choice but to purchase a new T16000m, and hope it lasts. I am disappointed with the quality of this product, but its about what you can expect for around $100 these days.

UPDATE: I am keeping the Hotas as I bought 2 Vesa clamps and added to my chair. Bumble from Youtube has a fantastic tutorial on how to mount. Made an additional step by fabricating some PlexiGlas mounting panels, screwed into platform and adhered each unit by Velcro to panels. You know what's better than having these at 13...having them at 46! Remapped gamepad and Hotas to a Custom Binding and was able to input ALL buttons / funcitons in. Mainly using gamepad for map / SRV as it feels more natural. Definatelty an awesome product...will update if unit degrades over normal use. I absolutely love this controller for Elite Dangerous! Not sure what other flight sims are out, but would like to try on X3 and Microsoft Flight X. All the buttons, toggles, and switches were used and had a pre-programmed setting. Elite is great / intuitave with a controller...it was better with this Hotas (not sure about the SRV...read one person's review that stated he used Hotas for flying and controller for SRV - I could see myself mirroring this). It did take some getting used to, and I am still not at the same proficiency as a controller. Remember boosting into a station was when you first played Elite...yeah that will happen again. The flight stick was good with a large number of buttons, but felt like other flight sticks I used in the past. I loved the throttle, slap paddles, and analog on the throttle portion - this unit added the most immersion to the game as it allowed for multiple articulating inputs to happening simutensiously. Same can be done with the controller, but when inputting the same actions using the Hotas it felt more alive (left hand was controlling throttle, left pinky / middle finger was the rudder, left index looking around with analog, right hand on flight stick, with right thumb on power allocation). Unfortunately I will need to return the unit for now as I found out I still have a few old shoulder / neck injuries and using this for too long causes aggrevation if placed on the desk. I will prepare a chair with Hotas mounts in preperation of re-purchasing this sometime in 2019 and let the good times roll. Hats off to a good product, wish your company the best! Trust me, I'm an engineer. Writing this review with the unit boxed up behind me feels like I'm saying good bye to an old friend : (