Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS - worth it in 2022?

Taking a look at the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS, is it worth your cash in 2021
Thurstmaster Warthog Throttle

Thrustmaster Warthog Flight Stick
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[jconradh]

I have seen many reviews of the Warthog somehow overlooking the included Target programming software- it makes this HOTAS do exactly what you want no matter what game, or software you wish to use. Target is not 3rd party software. It was originally developed by James Hallows, his Foxy software for previous TM gear such as the FCLS and the Cougar HOTAS and TM made it proprietary to their joysticks. The programming lets you change how the entire device works. It helps set the switches the almost any way you need them to, and allows for setting the scaling of the flight stick movements- good for those small precise movements you mention in your video. I cannot speak for the price, as we are now paying more than 2X just for video cards along with the Warthog. :(

[ads]

I ordered the kit the other day for £330 as I know someone who has one for DCS and they love it. I started out with plastic joysticks but they don't last long. This is the best one I have heard of from the guys I play DCS with and is about as expensive as I would go for a Joystick. Recently been trying MSFS in VR as well and needed a good stick for that as well. From the comments, it sounds like the mistake you have made is not using the software that came with the joystick which resolves the issues you highlighted regarding the switches.

[Popeii]

A review that's not a commercial. Very rare. Good job.

[quantomic]

The complaints were due to the product being too close to the real thing. So I have to give this video a thumbs down.
As someone who actually worked on the Hog, you can't get any better than this for the price. You don't buy this to play space "simulators" like Elite Dangerous. You buy it for its intended purpose which is to boost emersion when playing an A-10 simulator like DCS - it is a specialized tool. This is like buying a Ferrari and complaining that you can't go off-roading despite paying half a million for a car so you gave it a 2 star in Edmunds.

[BenDunlop]

Bought a 'broken' one for $100. Only had a broken (snapped) d-pad on the joystick. Easily fixed, and now works like new. Totally overkill for me just getting into flight sim 😅

[marshie]

your critiques are legit, and are the same shortcomings i noticed. that being said. as a hardcore flight sim enthusiast, it was worth the cost to me. definitely buy rudder pedals with it. if you're a casual simmer/arcade style player, prob steer clear of it. if youre going for quality and realism, prepare to drop the funds because it's gonna cost you. 8.8/10 from me

[startrekmike]

Having owned the X45, X52, X56, Warthog, and the Virpil HOTAS setup, I think the big thing that needs to be considered is that there is a bit of a fixation on "metal means quality" mentality that is pretty pervasive in the flight sim online community. If anything, a metal stick/throttle grip is more of a personal preference thing (some like the cooler, heavier feeling of metal stuff) because it has no real bearing on the actual quality or even durability of a setup.

The big concern really should be the internals. The money Thrustmaster put into the all metal stick and throttle grip probably should have gone into a better internal mechanism for the stick base (that can actually hold up long-term).

[billpii]

Had mine for 10 years+ now and the only thing I did was put the stick on a Virpil Base because it was too stiff to fly helicopters with, other than that, not a single issue. Matter of fact I've been looking at the newer stuff but in the end I don't need them. With that said it is an older design and they need to redo it for this day and age.

[chrmez]

If anybody is considering this in 2024 you should definitely stay clear. For almost the exact same price you can go with Winwing which is a much better option.

[James-fymq]

I've had a thrust master Hotas for 5 years still working well, quailty made value for money

[NoRegret]

Very smart guy, excellent review and points. I ordered VKB Gladiator NXT last week for DCS World and Star Citizen and the company e-mailed me with the message that the new Gladiator NXT EVO will come out and asked me if I wanted to proceed with the order or wait for it. I cancelled the order and they refunded me the money within 48 hours. I am impressed with their customer service. Now, waiting for that EVO to come out, so that I can order it.

[ooztscc]

This is the third review of this awesome Stick, where the reviewer plays Elite Dangerous which is an arcade combat game. I think that this stick and throttle is for legit sims like BMS or perhaps DCS.

[nejcmirtic]

Was looking at it since it was released, and recently I got back to flying sims and found out that the 14 year old Logitech Attack3 just won't cut it anymore.
Did a bit of research and decided that the Warthog should still be big enough upgrade to get one for this Black Friday for 360€. Was looking at VKB Gunfighter 3, but the kit with throttle from Thrustmaster would be about 750€, so decided to upgrade later on if needed. And for now I can say I really like this setup for DCS, IL-2 and MSFS.
The only thing I had to do, was risk about 2 hours and map everything with Joystick Gremlin. Now both switch positions work as X input device. Since from what I have tried TARGET uses only 32 buttons and mixes everything together. And I think it was well worth the time to set it up in Joystick Gremlin and remap all the planes to that setup.
After about 50 hours on the new setup I am still liking it, but might open it up someday to relube and add the extension to reduce how prevalent the centre spring "detent" is and further improve on the stick feel and input accuracy.

[SaG]

When it comes to throttles, the problem is that there's still a pretty large gap between entry level stuff such as my TM TWCS throttle and the WH's. Not only does the TWCS feel like a toy compared to the WH or the Virpil throttle, it's also plagued by its less than ideal design. Even after I re-lubricated mine with some fancy Teflon/silicone grease it's still not perfect when it comes to the one function a throttle should deliver perfectly (setting the throttle). It is much better than with the factory grease, but I guess there's only so much you can expect from a "plastic sliding on metal rails"-type of design.
So, I'm kinda looking to upgrade, but that's a €240 proposition at minimum and would "only" get me the WH. Which - as you've pointed out - is an ageing design and has its problems. WinWing would probably be €280 to €300 with shipping and import-duties added on and Virpil is nearly €500, so...


Don't get me wrong: The TWCS at €80 is a pretty good deal and it gets the job done - sort of. I just wish there was something in-between at, say, €150 to €200 with modern sensors, a smoother throttle action, more switches/buttons and, most of all, without a pot. So far, the TM hasn't gone wrong after 3 months of daily use, but I remember how soon after purchase my (otherwise pretty excellent) CH Pro Throttle developed problems with its pot, so I'm not sure how long the TM will last. I know VKB are working on something to fill the gap, but that thing has been in development for three years now and they're not any closer to a release date AFAIK. I OTOH am pretty close to giving in and just ordering the WH, but I'm just not sure if I shouldn't take the hit in price and hassle/waiting time and go for the WinWing F-18 instead. First World problems, ey? :)

[bobbyboygaming]

Good video, very thoughtful. It shows that you actually spent time configuring the device, rather than just looking at it and feeling the build quality

[claybomb]

I have the Worthog for DCS in VR. I love it. Modding it with and extension on the stick made it even better.

[rodris]

I am a real airline pilot flying the A380, I bought the Hotas base to use with an Airbus sidestick replica, I can tell that the amount of strenght and forces required to be applied are alost identical to the ones on the real sidestick..so I would say this is very much spot on for the price point..

[faelwolf]

I own a first production run TMWH, and 13 years later, it's still looking and working like new. It was designed specifically for the DCS A10C, so some of the switches seem odd for people flying other sims. The 3 position switches for the flaps, lights (throttle pinky switch) etc. are on-off-on switches, making it harder to use for other sims, even other aircraft modules now available for DCS. Back when this HOTAS was designed, DCS only had the A10C and the Blackshark as high fidelity modules. And at the time, it was the best HOTAS available. TM had announced plans to make dedicated HOTAS for other aircraft, but other than the very recent F-16 stick, none were made.

It can be configured for other sims/modules using the software that comes with it. However, these days, if I were looking for a general HOTAS for space sims, etc., I would look at Virpl to be honest. But if you are a dedicated A10C pilot, it's 5 stars. For other games, I agree with this video's assessment. If you want to put the stick on a Virpl base, you can buy just the stick and save some money. Frankly, many A10C pilots in DCS have mounted the stick on a Virpl base, which is an upgrade over the stock base in the TMWH set. The plastic ball gimbal in the WH is it's weak point.

[piotrwieremiejczyk]

I saw you use joystick and throttle mounts mounted on the front of the desk top. Did you buy them from a store or did you order them? Can you recommend something?

[EbonySeraphim]

I like this review and think all of the critique offered is quite fair. I might bump an overall score to 4/5 because this device for sure elevated the game for everyone when no one else was.

The throttle base switch implementation choices feel weird, but ultimately I find it very workable. First, it is isn't a problem with this device, but is actually a "no win" situation for any device maker. Flaps should be a control you can feel your device and know the correct position, and speed brakes as well. Those necessitate a constant state associated with input, and leaving that state should also translate to the simulator. While flaps is pretty well covered across all brands, I think speed brake is not well covered on other devices. It is very optimally a momentary actuation in one direction (extend airspeed brake), and stuck in the other direction until deactivated (retracted speed brake). In many jets it is not possible to visibly confirm the state of your speed brake and for such a basic thing it should be trivial to set it in a way that you know it's off or going to be there soon enough. The TM Warthog isn't a smooth fit for any other aircraft, but it is a usable fit even without TM's software. I think this is a good critique because I genuinely do not use those two engine override switches for any module. I don't even know what they do in A-10C either.

Usage strain: this complaint is interesting and shows that TM Warthog is really meant for DCS rather than space sims. In DCS you do NOT fire weapons very often at all and you certainly don't do it on reaction. Outside of a close proximity dogfight, if you shoot something you knew you were likely to take that shot at least 60 seconds prior, and probably even 3+ minutes ago. You spend a whole lot more time flying, identifying, and marking targets, then setting up weapons delivery than you do shooting. The stick and throttle controls are designed around what is most frequently used and useful and those controls are not tiring at all to use repeated. The DMS and TMS switches, china hat, boat switch, communication switch etc are all as comfortable as they should be for how often you use it.

Weight: the weight of the throttle is great for not sliding along my desk and allowing the lift mechanics to work.


TDC slew stick: this is definitely a weakness. It is very usable though and a great improvement over not having one at all or trying to use a hat-switch. I just upgraded mine after 11 years and wish I had done it sooner. A-10C module is pretty well tuned, but trying to use this slew stick on the Ka-50 is a challenge.

What Thrustmaster did in 2010 when they came out with this HOTAS was game changing though. They didn't require you have a sim-pit to have a premium and _flexible_ HOTAS experience. These two products can sit on a regular rectangle desktop -- though a left side return is more ideal for throttle placement. You can place the stick on your chair between your legs or up on your desk to the side or center. You can very easily add their stuff to a sim-pit as it has the requisite mounting capability. They allow you to swap out the stick which they've followed through with on the F/A-18C. The throttle grip is more than sufficient for Flaming Cliffs, A-10C, and Ka-50 for me for years and I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. I have the AB detent option if I start to fly the F/A-18 far more frequently (A-10C and Ka-50 do not want AB detents). I am eagerly awaiting Winwing Orion2+F16EX to arrive so I can experience the Viper's throttle more accurately as it is very different than any others. The F16EX stick my replace my TM stick because it looks like a complete superset in terms of capability.