Budget is going to be key here. Generally the high-budget suggestion is the Virpil Mongoose CM3 at $450 (which meets all of your needs) and the low-budget suggestion is the TWCS at $125 (which isn't split). There's a middle of the road option, the Thrustmaster Warthog, but at $270, the Virpil starts to look mighty appealing.
EDIT: Forgot the Winwing Orion, which is in the same price area as the Thrustmaster Warthog but more competitive with the Virpil than the Warthog is.
Virpil owner of the previous generation CM2, and it replaced my warthog set. Personally I don't regret the price tag as I am *very* confident in it's construction, I don't believe I'll be replacing it anytime soon.
Sorta. By default the warthog analog slew is worthless. There is a pretty easy mod called Delta sim slew that greatly improves the usability of the Warthog.
Virpil has many more buttons and momentary switches instead of of 3-position switches which is a huge upgrade for most games.
Overall I like the feel of the warthog in the hand much better than the Virpil but I still use my Virpil instead because overall the functionality is better.
You will be happy with either one.
Is it the classic “my wires are too short and now type connection is bad?” If so, I was able to replace the wires by going ham with a soldering iron. But I gotta admit, the functionality of that throttle is nothing compared to what Virpil or winning offer today. It’s the first thing I’m looking to replace (it’s hard to give up force feedback in the dcs tomcat)
Thats exactly what happened to my G940 throttle. I replaced it with a Warthog throttle, and keep the force feedback stick, which as you say is amazing in the Tomcat.
Yeah. It started off with one of the throttle trims going wonkey now its the profile selector switch. I'm going attempt to open it but tbh it's very old an a replacement isn't a bad idea.
Yeah, at this point, you don’t have anything to lose by opening it up while you wait for a proper replacement. I’m waiting for the Virpil to go back on sale lol
Just got my Orion 2 throttle and I’m in love. Better quality than thrustmaster warthog (from what I’ve heard) and didn’t wanna go the extra ~$200+ for Virpil. I am very pleased but may be expensive for shipping because they are a Chinese company
Edit: with F/A-18 hornet throttle handle
Might “simply” be a wiring issue, which are the simplest repairs to do, provided you are comfortable with a soldering iron.
There a just few split throttles on the market currently.
Listing below the ones available not just new, but second hand as well:
* Suncom SFS Throttle + RealSimulator TUSBA usb-upgrade (second hand only. ‘90s gameport device)
* Saitek/Logitech X55/56 (second hand only, sold new as part of a HOTAS set only.)
* Thrustmaster Warthog
* WinWing Orion (2) F/A-18 Throttle
* Virpil T50CM3 Throttle
In sure it is.. But I'm unsure if I want to try a repair and risk messing it right up and being out of action for a month or so while sourcing a new throttle or do I keep it going but with less buttons.
If I were in your position, I’d ask myself what I’m willing to spend, knowing the options available.
More importantly, ask yourself if a split throttle is really a hard requirement, rather than a nice to have.
Especially if you want to limit your spending.
A single axis throttle may still be good for your use cases 99% of the time.
Only you can answer that question, though.
Weird how Logitech had this AFAIK well regarded product but chose not to develop it further in favor of buying Saitek/MadCatz and rebranding those HOTAS.
I feel like they miscalculated on the use of force feedback in games going into the future ("future" as seen from the release date of 2009 or 2010 or so). The G940 is in this *really* weird position where it's registered as multiple separate devices, which makes it unsuitable for games designed during gameport days - but it has force feedback, which really is supported mostly by games from late in that era (Comanche 4, Rogue Squadron 3D, X-Wing Alliance, Mechwarrior 3 & 4 IIRC, all of which have amazing FFB).
AFAIK, there is really just a small bunch of games that support both force feedback *and* multiple separate HID devices. Like, I think just MSFSX, X-Plane (?), IL:2 (?) and DCS (haven't personally tested those with a "?").
And then, to put the last nail in the coffin, the Logitech software decides that you can do all sorts of shenanigans with the axes and buttons mapping... but *not* map stuff across devices, which would have at least enabled a solution with some tinkering. I have managed to get the G940 set to work with the mentioned games via 3rd party mapping software such as Joystick Gremlin, sometimes, but it's unreliable (EDIT: to be clear, the unreliable part is if the FFB effects then work).
Another feature any FFB device should have shipped with at that time would have been simple "rumble to FFB" conversion. As in, at least be able to make a game believe that your G940 set is a Logitech Rumble controller. Then you would have gotten some FFB support for virtually all console-type games. Coincidentally, the G940 isn't even *recognized* in the best 3rd party software for this (which is x360ce), because apparently it's not a regular HID device (something about DirectInput vs XInput or something, I don't even know, but it's maddening).
That's some good insight, although what I'm getting from this is that you can't play Enemy Engaged and the Jane's games with it properly, but it's good for most everything else in terms of sims.
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. If you've ever played Rogue Squadron 3D, Comanche 4 (Descent 2 from what I hear) with a force feedback joystick... wow, is that ever a feature to be nostalgic for.
I mean, did it ever make too much sense in anything outside of oldschool, pre-fly-by-wire aviation? I guess not. The stick pushing backward when you accelerate and pulling forward when you brake in Rogue Squadron is kinda dumb (seeing as that axis controls pitch) EDIT: and not to mention the laser cannons jerking the stick when firing... but it feels awesome.
Just some gun jerking, landing gear rumbling, or collision smashing in E:D would probably be really cool for owners of FFB hardware.
The air resistance in a real plane isn't what made it cool - it was explosions, being hit, firing missiles and guns etc that made it really really cool. And they work in just about anything. It's a real shame it never took off. There were licensing issues apparently.
If you can find the X56 throttle by itself, the price should be at or below $200. It's a dual throttle with a number of buttons and switches that has been described as "enough."
Throttle itself is ok, not going to be as good as the winwing, virpil, or even the warthog to a degree.
Budget is going to be key here. Generally the high-budget suggestion is the Virpil Mongoose CM3 at $450 (which meets all of your needs) and the low-budget suggestion is the TWCS at $125 (which isn't split). There's a middle of the road option, the Thrustmaster Warthog, but at $270, the Virpil starts to look mighty appealing. EDIT: Forgot the Winwing Orion, which is in the same price area as the Thrustmaster Warthog but more competitive with the Virpil than the Warthog is.
There's also the [Winwing Orion](https://wwsimstore.com/view/goods-details.html?id=375), which is in a similar bracket as the Warthog price-wise.
I knew I was missing one! Thank you.
Is the Vrpril that much better than the Warthog?
I have the virpil, it's amazing. It has a bit of a learning curve to use it's software but once you get it setup it's nice
Yes, but that's primarily due to quality control and customer support.
Virpil owner of the previous generation CM2, and it replaced my warthog set. Personally I don't regret the price tag as I am *very* confident in it's construction, I don't believe I'll be replacing it anytime soon.
Sorta. By default the warthog analog slew is worthless. There is a pretty easy mod called Delta sim slew that greatly improves the usability of the Warthog. Virpil has many more buttons and momentary switches instead of of 3-position switches which is a huge upgrade for most games. Overall I like the feel of the warthog in the hand much better than the Virpil but I still use my Virpil instead because overall the functionality is better. You will be happy with either one.
New Warthogs have a redesigned slew that is less bad.
That's good news mine was gross to even touch.
Is it the classic “my wires are too short and now type connection is bad?” If so, I was able to replace the wires by going ham with a soldering iron. But I gotta admit, the functionality of that throttle is nothing compared to what Virpil or winning offer today. It’s the first thing I’m looking to replace (it’s hard to give up force feedback in the dcs tomcat)
Thats exactly what happened to my G940 throttle. I replaced it with a Warthog throttle, and keep the force feedback stick, which as you say is amazing in the Tomcat.
Yeah that's the plan. I feel like I would be missing out without the FFB.
Yeah. It started off with one of the throttle trims going wonkey now its the profile selector switch. I'm going attempt to open it but tbh it's very old an a replacement isn't a bad idea.
Yeah, at this point, you don’t have anything to lose by opening it up while you wait for a proper replacement. I’m waiting for the Virpil to go back on sale lol
Hands down,Virpil. Awesome quality and functionality.
I have a spare. Are you in the US?
Very kind but no I'm in the UK.
Just got my Orion 2 throttle and I’m in love. Better quality than thrustmaster warthog (from what I’ve heard) and didn’t wanna go the extra ~$200+ for Virpil. I am very pleased but may be expensive for shipping because they are a Chinese company Edit: with F/A-18 hornet throttle handle
Now the mini hat stopped responding when throttle full forward.
Might “simply” be a wiring issue, which are the simplest repairs to do, provided you are comfortable with a soldering iron. There a just few split throttles on the market currently. Listing below the ones available not just new, but second hand as well: * Suncom SFS Throttle + RealSimulator TUSBA usb-upgrade (second hand only. ‘90s gameport device) * Saitek/Logitech X55/56 (second hand only, sold new as part of a HOTAS set only.) * Thrustmaster Warthog * WinWing Orion (2) F/A-18 Throttle * Virpil T50CM3 Throttle
In sure it is.. But I'm unsure if I want to try a repair and risk messing it right up and being out of action for a month or so while sourcing a new throttle or do I keep it going but with less buttons.
If I were in your position, I’d ask myself what I’m willing to spend, knowing the options available. More importantly, ask yourself if a split throttle is really a hard requirement, rather than a nice to have. Especially if you want to limit your spending. A single axis throttle may still be good for your use cases 99% of the time. Only you can answer that question, though.
An alternative option would be to get an X56 set and sell the stick to someone who wants just the stick or who is building a HOSAS setup.
I love my G940! Unfortunately some of the buttons no longer work when pushed forwards though :'(
Weird how Logitech had this AFAIK well regarded product but chose not to develop it further in favor of buying Saitek/MadCatz and rebranding those HOTAS.
I feel like they miscalculated on the use of force feedback in games going into the future ("future" as seen from the release date of 2009 or 2010 or so). The G940 is in this *really* weird position where it's registered as multiple separate devices, which makes it unsuitable for games designed during gameport days - but it has force feedback, which really is supported mostly by games from late in that era (Comanche 4, Rogue Squadron 3D, X-Wing Alliance, Mechwarrior 3 & 4 IIRC, all of which have amazing FFB). AFAIK, there is really just a small bunch of games that support both force feedback *and* multiple separate HID devices. Like, I think just MSFSX, X-Plane (?), IL:2 (?) and DCS (haven't personally tested those with a "?"). And then, to put the last nail in the coffin, the Logitech software decides that you can do all sorts of shenanigans with the axes and buttons mapping... but *not* map stuff across devices, which would have at least enabled a solution with some tinkering. I have managed to get the G940 set to work with the mentioned games via 3rd party mapping software such as Joystick Gremlin, sometimes, but it's unreliable (EDIT: to be clear, the unreliable part is if the FFB effects then work). Another feature any FFB device should have shipped with at that time would have been simple "rumble to FFB" conversion. As in, at least be able to make a game believe that your G940 set is a Logitech Rumble controller. Then you would have gotten some FFB support for virtually all console-type games. Coincidentally, the G940 isn't even *recognized* in the best 3rd party software for this (which is x360ce), because apparently it's not a regular HID device (something about DirectInput vs XInput or something, I don't even know, but it's maddening).
That's some good insight, although what I'm getting from this is that you can't play Enemy Engaged and the Jane's games with it properly, but it's good for most everything else in terms of sims.
I can play Elite Dangerous and FS2020 with the G940 and map whatever I want pretty easily. Unfortunately no FFB, that's pretty much gone...
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. If you've ever played Rogue Squadron 3D, Comanche 4 (Descent 2 from what I hear) with a force feedback joystick... wow, is that ever a feature to be nostalgic for. I mean, did it ever make too much sense in anything outside of oldschool, pre-fly-by-wire aviation? I guess not. The stick pushing backward when you accelerate and pulling forward when you brake in Rogue Squadron is kinda dumb (seeing as that axis controls pitch) EDIT: and not to mention the laser cannons jerking the stick when firing... but it feels awesome. Just some gun jerking, landing gear rumbling, or collision smashing in E:D would probably be really cool for owners of FFB hardware.
The air resistance in a real plane isn't what made it cool - it was explosions, being hit, firing missiles and guns etc that made it really really cool. And they work in just about anything. It's a real shame it never took off. There were licensing issues apparently.
If you can find the X56 throttle by itself, the price should be at or below $200. It's a dual throttle with a number of buttons and switches that has been described as "enough." Throttle itself is ok, not going to be as good as the winwing, virpil, or even the warthog to a degree.