G was the "best" stick I had for games such as Wing Commander 😀

H is an older model, it would develop loud "squeaking" noises after a while. Still a great "universal" stick for other games such as Tennis or arcade games.

I had a Logitech Wingman Extreme Digital as a kid, so I have a sweet spot for them. I even bought one NOS off of ebay to get that nostalgia back.

That's me...playing Starfleet Academy just after Christmas 1997 with the joystick on my old Compaq Presario 4808.

Just got the Gravis Firebird for 13,50 euros including shipping. Let's see how it works, can't wait!!
Really 90's design I must tell...not the most beatiful joystick design I've ever seen. But it is like those little ugly dogs....so ugly that is cute! hehe

Totally 90's indeed. Much like you, I got myself a Gravis Analog Pro after years of using the mouse and keyboard. Initially it can be a little weird, but you get the hang of it quite easily. Like Mau said, the Analog Pro is quite squeaky and feels a bit cheap and plastic, but it gets the job done and doesn't take up too much space.

I had a blast playing Wing Commander 1/2/3 with it and I will play Wing Commander 4 as soon as I get the chance 😀.

That picture shown is a MS Sidewinder FFB Pro and it is definately the one to go for as this one also has USB compatibility (unlike mine 🙁 ), also you will never have calibration problems as it uses lightsensor/spokewheels.
It's overall buildquality is the best of all joysticks shown and the only disadvantage I can think of is that it has a high profile so place it low if possible.

Come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure about its dos compatibility either.

Well I finally got the Gravis Firebird 2 because I didn't want any compatibility issues in DOS which is the main OS I'm using.
Also it seems to be a classic, and for Tie Fighter type of games it should be more than enough. The price I got it for made me not think twice.
I'll post my experiences on it as soon as I try it!

IMO, you can't have too many joysticks. My girlfriend would disagree, of course. But my point is, there's no standard joystick, and every game is different.

Hatta wrote:

IMO, you can't have too many joysticks. My girlfriend would disagree, of course.

Hatta wrote:

IMO, you can't have too many joysticks. My girlfriend would disagree, of course.

Olivia Munn playing with a joystick.

The plot thickens!

TIE Fighter and Wing Commander?

Basically you need a stick that you won't regret wearing out due to intense (ab)use. Both games are action-oriented, fast, and furious. The joystick should be sufficiently precise and stable for good aiming, especially in TIE Fighter. Stiffness is not really that important for such games, IMO. In fact, smoothness (like in CH Fighterstick) is more important than stiffness (like in Thrustmaster FLCS), because with smooth, not-so-stiff joystick, you can play the game for hours without fatigue.

I used a Saitek gameport model (the one with gray color and green button) when playing TIE Fighter in pure DOS system back in 1996. It is not really stiff, but it is quite precise. Well at least until I worn it out after months of playing.

For USB stick (when you're playing TIE Fighter and Wing Commander in DOSBOX), I would suggest Logitech Attack 3. It is not as stiff as, say, Logitech Extreme 3D, but the lack of stiffness the reason why it makes a good space sim joystick. Moreover, it doesn't wear out easily. I've been using the same Logitech Attack 3 since 2007 for games like Wing Commander Armada, Privateer 2, Descent, and Star Rangers, and the stick is still in good shape.

The Logitech Extreme 3D is, of course, more stiff, but it is quite fatiguing in fast-paced space sims like the games I've mentioned above. I mostly use the joystick for sims where stiffness is appropriate, like Crimson Skies and Pacific Strike, because propeller aircraft in the said games doesn't turn as fast as starfighters, so a good amount of stiffness is appropriate for suspension of disbelief.

I have spotted a Thrustmaster Top Gun for sale around here, the same that Pingaloka posted. Can anyone (that has tried it) tell me if it's any good? I'm looking for a stick to play some old DOS sims (F-19, F-117) as well as some Novalogic's (F-22 and Mig-29 Fulcrum). I have a Quickshot Warrior 5. which looks cool, but it's very wobbly and imprecise and I was looking for an upgrade.

How does it compare to the Thrustmaster F-16? That's what interests me the most, but I have yet to come across one.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, I thought it was unnecessary to open a new one.

a e g and h are good for tie fighter and xwing mostly because of the motion is not as rigid and stiff as b c and f, but I would go with g or e just because they have a throttle.

If you really want a good stick for these games I have to throw in my two cents and say just go with a CH Flightstick with throttle or a CH flightstick Pro. I think it's important to have the throttle control...once I played with the throttle, there was no going back.

Still have my Thrustmaster but I think I played all of Wing Commander and X-wing with a Gravis gamepad. Don't ask how, it wasn't always easy. I think I used the mouse as well for fine targeting, at least with X-Wing.

retrofanatic wrote:

a e g and h are good for tie fighter and xwing mostly because of the motion is not as rigid and stiff as b c and f, but I would go with g or e just because they have a throttle.

If you really want a good stick for these games I have to throw in my two cents and say just go with a CH Flightstick with throttle or a CH flightstick Pro. I think it's important to have the throttle control...once I played with the throttle, there was no going back.

I beg to differ. Sometimes throttle is a hindrance in space sims; that is, those space sims with "match throttle with target" function.

Some flight sims can return the throttle to the throttle device position correctly. Some others - like Privateer 2: The Darkening - simply cannot use "match throttle with target" function when a throttle device is detected.

after years of playing I still find the ms sidewinder 3d pro the best joystick. and yes I'm left-handed so there are only few options left 😀

I don't think you can go wrong with either of these - they're hard wearing, cheap, and feel right to me:

I have a CH Flightstick that I use for DOS games. It's loose enough for space sims, particularly TIE Fighter and the like, but sturdy enough to stand up to the beating it gets from these types of games. Mine is the newer version with the larger buttons though. The thumb button in particular is MUCH more comfortable being a long thing rectangle vs that nub on the one in the picture.

I have a Flightstick and Flightstick Pro too. Used them for '90s space games.

However, I've actually found that I like dual stick gamepads for these games. You get great control with two separate sticks instead of having to press and hold a button to roll and such. Plus they tend to have many more buttons in general. I have a Logitech Wingman Rumblepad which even has a throttle.