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It’s inconsistent and makes figuring things out harder. The big button on the top of the throttle slider, for instance, has a big “E” on it, but MFS calls it Joystick Button 8.

The buttons are labeled, but these don’t correspond with the labels used in MFS. With so many buttons at your disposal, you can handle an entire flight without using the keyboard.Īll those buttons can be confusing though. Pull the finger trigger on the back of the control stick (which usually fires a secondary weapon) and your view changes to the nearest point of interest-usually the airstrip you are trying to land on. Even the trigger gets assigned to something: Flick open the cover and press the trigger (which usually fires a missile) and your autopilot is engaged. They are all assigned to essential controls by default in MFS, and you can reassign any of them. These buttons are great for flight sims as well though. It is just at home in air or space combat games like Elite: Dangerous that rely on flying skill and reactions to defeat those pesky aliens. That trigger might make it obvious that the X52 isn’t really about just flight simulation. Flick the cover open and the trigger button underneath glows a frightening red. All of these are illuminated with LEDs, and there is also a safety cover that sits over the main weapons trigger on the stick.

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There are six buttons, two hats, three toggle switches, and a dial on the stick, plus six buttons, four dials, two hats, and a small slider on the throttle. The entirety of the X52 is covered in buttons. You really feel like you are getting things started when you slide the control forward and the engine starts to roar, and it feels much more natural to carefully throttle back when cruising or landing. The sliding throttle control definitely adds a lot to the experience. Typically, you use the stick with your right hand and the throttle with your left. It comes in two parts: a large, button-encrusted stick and an equally enbuttoned throttle slider.

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This is the idea behind the “hands-on throttle and stick” (HOTAS) approach of controllers like the Logitech G X52 Professional ( Rating: 9/10, WIRED Recommends). That’s vital in air combat or aerobatics, where throttle control is as important as the stick to maneuvering. Real pilots control a plane's throttle using a large sliding lever that makes it easier to quickly throttle up or down. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-Year Subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off).

You don’t get the same realistic feel as the more expensive models, but it's enough to give you a sense of what flying a real plane is like.īe sure to check out our other game hardware buying guides, including our favorite wired and wireless headsets, and our favorite game controllers. It's a well-built joystick with a slider on the side that works as a throttle control.

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If you are just dipping your wingtips into the flight simulator world and you want a budget pick, the Logitech G Extreme 3D ($40, frequently on sale for less) is a great choice. It costs over $200, but it is the most solidly constructed, most configurable, and most flexible controller for use with multiple types of planes in MFS and other flight simulators. There are many options for realistic flight controllers, and I looked at several that work well with MFS, including a simple joystick, a few “hands-on throttle and stick” (HOTAS) controllers like those in military jets, and a flight yoke that approximates what you would find on a small aircraft like a Cessna. One thing that can make the experience more enjoyable is flying your virtual airplane with a set of controls that mirrors the setup a real pilot might use in a real airplane.

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Mind you, MFS (available for Windows and Xbox) is not really a game but rather a realistic flight simulator, which means that staying aloft on those rippling breezes is not easy.

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Playing MFS allows us to float on gentle winds above the earth and free ourselves of those sullen bonds that bind us. The latest edition of the decades-old classic Microsoft Flight Simulator really struck a chord with those of us stuck in our living rooms in the two years (or so) since its release.