I once had a Thrustmaster âTop Gunâ joystick. Best one I ever had. Got me through 2.5 X-Wing games after Iâd broken four on the first one. This new one, though, is a lot nicer.
Itâs called the HOTAS WARTHOG (Thrustmasterâs caps, not ours), and is touted as a âfull replicaâ of the flight stick and throttle of a real A-10 Warthog, an aircraft that despite its age is still about the meanest-looking thing in the sky.
Most of the thing is made of metal, and it weighs in at a hefty 14lbs. All those buttons work, too; there are 55 programmable buttons in all, with a further two âhatâ switches as well.
This is all sounding great for those of you who still play flight sims, so let me temper your excitement with word that the HOTAS costs USD$500. That ought to weed out the casual bystanders among you.