The Thrustmaster T. Flight Stick X is a great and simple-to-use joystick that works for both the PC and the PlayStation 3, using plug-and-play ease.
It also is fully customizable and comes with default settings for popular games. The plug-and-play simplicity of the T. Flight Stick X is a great feature, and the choice to customize the key configurations and remap not only keys but axis make for a nice joystick.
The T. Flight Stick X is a nice comfortable flight stick with enough buttons and a throttle to have all or most of your controls for flight sim and combat flying games all on the stick. The remapping feature works well and is very easy using no external programs so to reprogram a key or axis is a simple matter.
To reprogram a key or function all you do is press a button to get the flight stick into Manual Preset mode, press the remap key and press the key or axis you want to change and then press or move the function you want to change it to. The LED that tells you what mode your currently in also tells you if the programming is working correctly after each entry so you know it’s working while programming.
The T. Flight Stick X works so very well with it’s on board throttle for a nice joystick and having the buttons that not only correspond to the SIXAXIS controller for the PlayStation 3 but the common PC ones is great. There are enough buttons on the controller, 12 in all, that you can have a good amount of common in flight commands at your fingertips as well as the one hat switch for looking around or issuing commands.
For use on the PC or PS3 you simply change the slider switch to one or the other and you’re ready to go with that system with preset common keys for games like Flight Sim X or Blazing Angels: Secret Weapons of WWII. The T. Flight Stick X works great in automatic preset mode for both PC and PlayStation 3 games but also the remapping is very easy to perform.
To remap while in PS3 mode you have to press two buttons after getting the joystick into manual preset configuration and then press or move the button or axis you want to change and then the button or axis you want to change it to. One rather odd problem I discovered with the PlayStation 3 game Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII was the engine start function while on some missions.
In the game you have some missions where you start the conflict from a runway or onboard a carrier and need to start your engine. On the SIXAXIS controller you would turn the right analog joystick but the T. Flight Stick X has no analog stick. You would turn the stick to get the rudder to turn and that is the function that engine start is tied to but it does not work the same with the joystick.
In order to start the engines the program needs a varying input from the rudder to get the propellers to turn repeatedly and the T. Flight Stick X cannot send this same type of signal out. In order to start the engines while using the T. Flight Stick X you need to use a regular controller to start the engines and then pause the game, switch the controller over to the second position and use the flight stick.
Although this is a problem and one that the Thrustmaster support could not get resolved to be able to use only the joystick to play the game you can easily use the controller in conjunction with the SIXAXIS controller. The problem is only when you start a mission and pausing the game and switching controllers is quite easy to do so it is not that big a deal. This is the only problem I have encountered with the T. Flight Stick X and for a simple plug and play controller that costs less than $30 this is easily acceptable.
The joystick works great while playing Blazing Angels and does a great job with all the buttons and controls in game and responds very well. The controller does not feel cheap at all and is very comfortable with a good contour that feels natural. I really like the rest for your hand that helps reduce fatigue and allows for a more comfortable gaming experience.
Using the T. Flight Stick X for the PC is also very easy and having the ability to change the controller assignments may not be as important as the PS3 but it is still nice. There have been games in the past that having the ability to change the controller assignments without going through the game or even Windows was a better way to play the game and control your aircraft.
The controls work well for games I played like Attack on Pearl Harbor and Flight Sim X and reassigning controls is just as easy as the PS3 remapping. The flight stick works very well for games like MechWarrior 4 as well as flying games and remapping the controls through the program or using the remapping key and doing it onboard with the controller worked equally as well.
The T. Flight Stick X not only has the unique PC and PlayStation 3 compatibility but the rudder twist can be locked so the stick does not twist at all. A small screw on the handle can be turned a quarter turn to lock or unlock the twist and not allow the Z axis to be used.
Overall the T. Flight Stick X from Thrustmaster is a really good joystick for both the PC and the PlayStation 3 and the only problem I found was the starting of engines in Blazing Angels for the PS3. At a very low cost of under $30 I highly recommend the T. Flight Stick X for the PC and PS3 for all your flight sim needs.
