4.0 out of 5 stars

Excellent product for its price point.

Ok I bought this as a replacement for my thrust master X. It goes beyond that system. For the price point it is a well built mid level to beginner hotas. If you are an avid flight simmer and want realism you will want more. I will review each section so you can make an informed decision. Buy this for a beginner.I purchased a WINWING F16, shark collective, take off panel, combat ready panel, and the bases a week after delivery. I needed realism and functions. You will too if you want realism and true flight deck functions.The stick and throttle base ergonomics and feel. 4 out of 5 starsProsGreat quality solid, lights work and looks great. The spring functions well. Perfect for a beginner.Cons:Too thick of a baseThe buttons are too close together.The throttle adjustment even with a tensioner is still very stiff making it hard for constant adjustment when aerial refueling.The toggle buttons should have been three position not spring to center. Function on/off function.Needs more knob sliders for lights.The mini joysticks were hard to program.The software. 1 out of 5.Hardest thing to program effectively. Wanted it too do more. It might be able to but I didn’t want to spend the time. I want functional programming out of the box.For the engineers and developers. Take an F18 and F16 Hotas as a model and stick to that model. Use those buttons for the stick. Space them for adult human hands and stay consistent. A realistic Hotas is not undoable for this all the off the shelf functions are of the same quality.Throttle. Three position toggles more light controls more toggles across the top. Mini knobs for radios across the front. All affordable and easy for such a thick base setup.

5 people found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Solid beginner hotas

It’s solid for a first set. All I’ve played is warthunder on it which has you aggressively pushing and pulling. After 35 hrs in game, something in the throttle snapped. It’s clunky and clicks when I use it but it still reads perfect 0-100% throttle despite the resistance is shot now. With the damage, the “wot” or 105-110% is iffy (wt players will get it). It flickers between wot and 100%. I’ll be replacing it now but for $200, it was a great beginner bundle and I had tons of fun, just can’t give it more than 3 stars for the longevity. Overall performance is good, once you get into higher tiers in warthunder, the stick buttons are lacking, I’m struggling to find where to put everything but still, great for beginners.

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great flight HOTAS for multi-purpose involved sims

Summary: The controls and capability of this unit is unbelievable for the price. It’s a great alternative to the higher tier ones out there at a cost of plastic (this unit) vs metal.History: Coming from X52 (which I ordered in 2013 or something long time ago), X45 (even older) and much older Saitek models (mostly as gaming ports changed along with new features, none have died on me which speaks to some level of historical quality).Usage: DCS, Elite Dangerous, FSX and similar*First impression*: Extremely scared that I would have had to return item after 10 minutes. The throttle was not calibrated where mid-throttle was registering as 0% and there was no way to calibrate within windows. Turned out that there is internal calibrations. See bottom of review for the BKM on fixing this which can also be found on forums for the older version of the x56 (x55)Other than the calibrations, the unit feels solid and controls are plentiful. This is the Logitech version of the failed Saitek model which is plagued with problems according to most reviews. All buttons/actions responded as expected and fit is good. The right hand position is a bit lower than desired and not terribly adjustable like the X52. Small hands be warned!VR (since it’s a market target and selling point): Using this in VR works well *once* you can get trained where switches are. There’s so many options/spots that sometimes you can get lost on the platform switches on the throttle. Hunting around to orient was common early on but eventually figured out a pattern to find the switches quicker. I still get the knobs mixed up every now and then since they are close together. The buttons/etc on the throttle/stick are easy enough to find in VR since they are always in hand. The VR selling point likely is that there are so many options that you don’t need the keyboard for many common things anymore. A debatable selling point depending on the simulation being used.*Ergonomics*: some of the buttons are not placed well for long term usage. It’s ok if you just need to hit every minute or so, but not as a 2 minute+ toggling spree. The hat controls on both controls are placed slightly out of alignment with my hands so that constant usage starts to hurt the thumb for both hands. The throttle is a bit better placed but sometimes difficult to move the 2 smaller hats due to tight spaces. The X52 feels much more “natural”. This is my -1 reason for not being 5-starsThrottle/tension: From my non-scientific observation this uses some type of goo to dampen the slide action. This goo loosens up rapidly when warmed so that the throttle starts to slide quite easily. There is a tension knob but it’s difficult to tune correctly due to this dynamics. It does *not* have any detentes/positions to lock into so I commonly find that resting my hand slowly decreases the throttle. There are 3d-print options to fix this, but without the modification you can’t leave hand resting on throttle. In DCS I commonly found I was pulling back and loosing speed so I started to need to do hands-off throttle which contradicts the HOTAS benefit.Stick tension: The multiple springs should work with many people. There is a little play in the center but nothing that concerned me. The pivot is made of plastic which is concerning over the x52 which is part metal. Concerns about this breaking is high.Stick future: It was very curious to see the grip disconnects much like the higher cost options. May suggest that new grips can either be made or will be made for different plane likeness.Desk requirement: The bases are much larger than prior generations, likely to just provide stability/support but is hollow for the most part. People complain a lot about this online about “wasted space” but in reality it’s providing torque resistance when on a desk from the push/pull. When on a mount, yes it likely is problematic and overkill.Mounting: There are holes in the corners of each unit which can be used for mounting screws. It’s not an under-base connectivity but it’s something that I’ll be using in the near future. It’s also seemingly non-standard measurementsDCS: Perfect! assignments,likeness, and HOTAS usage works great with this sim. Overkill for buttons for P51 but excellent for A10. This mimics the warthog from thrustmaster in capability and general layout but the warthog is very specifically tuned to the A10. The two extra adjustment knobs on the throttle is very nice for P51 for trimming which does not exist for the x52. DCS was the primary reason for purchase so very happy with decision as it meet my expectations. Combine with foot rudders, I don’t really use the twist anymore but it does feel solid and did work well before foot rudders.Elite Dangerous: Works well with one exception — controlling the system bars gets very difficult due to ergo problems. The hats on the stick are placed just wrong enough that you can’t adjust quickly unlike the X52. Throttle mini hats are not much better as some directions are difficult to use to or collide with other buttons. The 2 mini analog sticks are great though for thrust control! I use the one on throttle, tried the stick but kept hitting that as it’s placement isn’t the best for where the thumb naturally rests. There’s enough button/switch control left-overs to make advanced rapid adjustments to “pre-programmed” models of sys/eng/wep balances.FSX or other sims: Likely to be overkill for most people.Recommended? Yes if budget is tight. Are there better things out there? Yes, but at min 2x price. That price bump gets mechanics that will survive the thrash of a little child, x56 will likely break under same conditions.Calibration:Clear axis calibration process for Throttle:1.Meanwhile make TGL3 down,TGL2 up(show buttons 14,17) before device power on.2.Meanwhile make TGL4 down,TGL3 up(show buttons 16,19).3.Clear calibration is completed when all lights go out.Axis calibration process for Throttle:1.Move all axes to max and min twice.2.Meanwhile make TGL4 down,TGL3 down,TGL2 up(show buttons 14,17,19).3.Calibration is completed when all lights go out

74 people found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Good for the price

Overall, its good for the price when comparing to the more real like setups out there. The throttle will need to be plugged into a very powerful hub or on a hub by its self. I have a 10 port HUB that I had the throttle, stick, mouse and keyboard plugged into and the throttle would get horrible ghost inputs. Plugged into the computer directly solved those problems.Stick is nice and moved smoothly. Over all 4 stars. I am using the spring that came on it for now but I like it. There are complaints about trying to use the stick to make small inputs but I really don’t see an issue. All the buttons work great. The entire thing does feel cheap but some how hasn’t broken yet. Only downside of the stick is that its huge. I have pretty large hands and still have to move my hand around the stick to be able to hit all the buttons. I worked fighter aircraft in the military and those sticks you could hit every button or switch without moving your hand or reaching for the button. The X56, if I want to use the pinky switch, I have to slide my hand down the stick, once done I have to slide back up to use those switches on top.The throttle is over all 3 stars. Its nice to have the dual throttle and all the buttons. My concerns are that the friction on the throttle is janky. Out of the box, the right throttle could click as you moved it forward and back. I had to loosen the friction all the way to make the clicking go away. With the friction knob all the way loose, the left throttle is still hard to move and the right throttle will move on its own. The slide switch is sticky. When I had the X45, I would use that switch for speed brakes but with how sticky this one is, I had to use another one. I did have the slide as ejection but with ghost inputs, I would randomly eject and that was not going to work. Now the switch doesn’t do anything.I got this stick because I needed one with Yaw axis since I don’t use rudder pedals right now due to room restrictions. One thing I wish this did have was a pressure sensitive button for brakes. Right now when I apply brakes using pinky switch, its just full brakes being applied and not gradual braking.Again, its good for the price if wanting something cheap to fool around with. If you’re serious about flight sims, this might not be the one for you.

6 people found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Solid, but has its problems

Been using this for over a year now, and overall I’m happy with it. Its a bit on the expensive side for what your getting, but is still a great middle ground from entry level to 1-1 sim level gear. The only grievances I have are as follows from least severe to most:- the two twistable axis knows on the throttle tend to get stuck in a state between two values causing it to jump back and forth, I use these to zoom my view and when it gets stuck my view violently zooms in and out- the 8 way hats on the throttle are extremely mushy feeling and have no clear click for when it activates the given input, it is also extremely difficult to differentiate by feel what direction your pushing them in-out of the box the mini joystick on the side of the throttle and stick will physically get stuck in the forward position, amd will periodically cut out and not send any inputs- when plugged into a USB hub both the throttle and stick will relieve “ghost” inputs and will randomly activate a button, I resolved this by dedicating two of my USB 3 ports directly on my motherboard to them. Some people even when doing this seem to still have that problem.

3 people found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

the throttle and the joy stick are on the same x and y

if you have older games it wont work or at least i could not get it to work and did not have a long time to get it there

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great, but for one headache, and one missing “nice to have”

Bought for FS2020, DCS, et al.TONS of resources online for setting them up, so will skip all of that and talk about the hardware.1. Nothing needed to download, they just worked when plugged into PC. On a laptop, needed a powered hub for consistent performance–laptop’s issue for not providing enough USB power.2. The throttle tension is HORRIBLE. No matter how “loose” the dial is turned, the throttle levers do not ‘stay’ loose. If in active use, they are nice and loose. Wait 10 seconds and they “stiffen” back up. Some tips state “tighten” the friction knob fully, then loosen and all will be well. It DID help, but they get sticky again and require repeated back/forth to loosen back up–temporarily. I may have to disassemble to lubricate or remove something to keep the throttle levers consistently loose. (I like just enough tension for a single finger’s pressure to move the throttle. Great for formation flying. But when the throttle re-sticks just because it hasn’t been moved for a moment… the entire throttle device jumps, and disrupts the whole experience.3. The toggle switches… A few single throw/sticking switches would go a long way here.4. Missing “nice-to-have” item would be USB pass-through. So I can daisy-chain the throttle to the stick to the PC, to keep cable management and USB port usage easier. Alternatively, an extra USB port on each device for quick use. These are not complaints, just wishlist/suggestion.Apart from the throttle sticking, and these being all plastic… both pieces are feature rich, perform well, and are weighted fairly well. Happy for the pre-countersunk holes for bolting these down if desired.Other than the stickiness issue, these really do help the overall simulation experience. Sadly, if I can’t sort the stickiness issue, will have to take other drastic measures and void the warranty, or junk the throttle in favor of another item.

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

You MUST use with an powered USB hub!

TL;DR – Decent value for all the features (read the rest of the review for the details!)I’ve used mine for about 150 hours in Elite Dangerous now, and overall it’s a pretty good value for the price when compared to other HOTAS sticks such as the old Thrustmaster Cougar and T-Flight HOTAS X One (which I have owned both) . Both the stick and throttle feel as if they have an rubberized surface (although it’s not really rubber) that to me feels comfortable with just enough texture to get a decent grip without being either not smooth enough to slide your hands around the controls or too smooth that you’re always having to readjust your hands. Some of the controls are in awkward positions, but overall most of the switches are easy to use without having to look at the HOTAS or stick with a little practice. Another great feature is that on both the stick and throttle bases there are 4 holes in the corners that go all the way through, and you can use some 10/24″ countersunk screws( or 10/32, M5 x 0.8, etc) to bolt it to an surface so it doesn’t slide all around.There are a couple of issues you need to be aware of, although they are not necessarily device breaking issues (although the mini stick one can be close). First issue being that you MUST use this with an powered USB hub to avoid the majority of the ‘random switch activation’ issues. I purchased one of the USB power meters (that allowed data through to let the device work) and measured the power consumption for this and my Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS X. The complete T-flight HOTAS just barely draws 100mA current , while just the Saitek X-56 stick alone draws 500mA, while the throttle draws another 400mA. (If I can find where I put the Thrustmaster Cougar i’ll measure it too and edit this later) If you look at the USB power specs this is right at the upper limit for high power devices which is why you must use the powered USB hub. It may work without the powered hub but without sufficient current to drive it any device will act weird until it gets sufficient power.The second cause for the ‘random’ switch activation (for me at least) was that I found my wrist occasionally activating the switches at the base of the throttle, it turns out that the protective ‘guards’ between the switches are just short enough that the tops of the switches protrude above them, which means if you’re not careful your wrist can trigger them. Once I realized this and was more careful about them the ‘random’ activation stopped. (To Logitech, make those guards just a touch higher….)Final issue that I have, and appears to be fairly common, is that on my throttle the little thumb joystick ‘drifts’ with no way to adjust or calibrate it out. On my stick the same thumb stick seems to work perfectly, for others the issue is either reversed from mine or both drift. Not sure what causes it but definitely there on mine. Not so bad that it’s completely unusable, but in Elite Dangerous I have to put a fairly good sized ‘deadzone’ on both of its’ axis. The position of it, and the ‘button’ function are perfect, the issue is the drift with it.As I noted at the beginning, overall I’d say it’s a great value for a HOTAS stick with all sorts of features. It does have it’s issues, but for it’s price and compared to others with similar features and capabilities I’d say this is one you ought to consider.

10 people found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Weakspot in Throttle

Had the X56 three times now, QC is terrible. ALL X56s WILL BREAK IN THE SAME PLACE all it takes is time. The right throttle has a SEVERE weakpoint where the throttle meets the sliding portion of the throttle. The sitck and throttle both give ghost imputs regardless of power. Its a great low cost starter stick and throttle. Otherwise this is number 3 and im at a point now where im having to look at other combos because i play a combination of star citizen and MSFS.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Stiff yaw and a tall grip

I returned mine within 24 hours. The yaw was stiff, and to my knowledge, adjusting that axis requires partial disassembly and probably a third-party spring. The grip was also 1-2 inches too tall for my hands; I couldn’t comfortably rest my hand on the base and still reach the uppermost buttons.For those with larger hands, it’s possible the yaw axis will loosen up with use, but for me, the too-tall grip was a deal breaker. The throttle was also somewhat large for my hands, though admittedly I gave up on the throttle very quickly, mostly because I couldn’t comfortably reach keyboard, mouse, throttle and joystick on my desk. That bit is probably why some players use joystick/throttle mounting systems rather than just laying them on a desk.The good aspects: it looks good, its sheer weight ensures stability (both joystick and throttle), and there are plenty of buttons and switches for control-heavy games like Elite: Dangerous. I was able to bind everything I needed. While some controls had to go to the throttle switches which aren’t on “prime” real estate (i.e. having to take your hand off the throttle), those were controls one doesn’t need while actively maneuvering. It also comes with three added springs to adjust pitch/roll stiffness.A few of the controls are admittedly awkwardly placed. The joystick has a mini-joystick exactly where the thumb would otherwise rest. While a mini-joystick is very useful for a 6-DOF game like E:D, the chance of fat-fingering that while trying to rest your thumb renders that one useless; I’d rather have a button there. Fortunately, the throttle has a more sensibly placed mini-joystick. There’s also a stiff switch near where the pinky rests on the throttle, and a weirdly place button on the far side of the joystick.The joystick base itself could also stand to have some buttons; with how large and heavy it is, it certainly has the real estate. While base-mounted buttons are no substitute for easily reached buttons on the grip itself, less crucial functions can be bound there without further cluttering the grip or throttle… assuming the X56 had any buttons there.

3.0 out of 5 stars

Poor ergonomics and build quality is low for price

Number one impression out the box is wow this thing feels cheap for 250 msrp. Every single switch, hat and dial has at least some play except the mode dial which I don’t even use. Not bad enough to make a huge difference during flight but not exactly what I would want for the price point. And the stick has a massive physical deadzone built in. Can be tuned around in sim or the control software and I get they had to find a way around accidentally inputting pitch/roll while using HOTAS controls but it would probably feel a lot better if it sat properly at the center and had a stiff spring (I put the stiffest spring on it and it only helps so much.)Number two impression is how uncomfortable it can be sometimes. I often find myself unconsciously avoiding trimming my plane properly because the trim hat is all the way up top and it can get uncomfortable after time. Also, your finger is always on the trigger, it’s flush against the stick so you can’t tuck it behind it and there’s no way to comfortable adjust your grip for trigger discipline (if you care.)Probably the only people who should buy this are folks who want to completely ignore their keyboard while flying cause yes it has a lot of buttons and they all work more or less as expected (you can turn either or both of the analog sticks into 4way hats using the bands option in the control software too which is nice.) But personally I don’t think it’s really worth this much, I think a T16000M + TWCS throttle is perfectly sufficient for most folks and you can get both PLUS the associated pedals for the price I paid for this HOTAS alone so that’s the rub. Of course if you’re dedicated you can also get into specialty brands like Virpil or CH but I digress. Long story short the middle price bracket in flight sims continues to disappoint.(Also worth noting, some folks report older models of this set can draw too much power off a single USB header and run into issues but others report the issue is fixed post-Logitech-buyout, I have them on separate headers anyways so I can’t comment, YMMV.)

5.0 out of 5 stars

Easy Set-Up, Great feel

I got these as I didn’t want to break the bank nor did I want a cheap plastic feel. These hit that spot. Hats feel great, the throttle has adjustable resistance, and the stick has changeable coils. Got this to play Project Wingman in VR and the experience felt amazing. Tried it out with ARMA and had to manually configure each hat and axis motion; once finished, I was having a blast. I wanted something to get me immersed, keep it affordable, and not break after a year and these are still going strong. Highly recommended for entry-level and for people like me who don’t want to drop $500+ on a DCS level HOTASNote: Make sure to use a USB port that has enough power output to run these, I tried using the USB 2.0 ports on my computer case and they would sporadically lose power

4.0 out of 5 stars

Works well and adds a level of immersion

I got this for space sims, and it works really well. There is a bit of a learning curve because unlike say an xBox controller where a lot of games will map the input and show you a prompt to press “X” for example, here you map your keys and have to remember. And there are a metric butt-ton of buttons and switches.A slight “con” is the bases are a little light. So if you don’t have then secured and you go to say, increase the thrust. The whole throttle will slide or move. I have yet to buy a good stand for these, but once I do this would be a 5-star for me as a beginner with my first HOTAS.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Watch a video review I watched a lot. This is the one I chose.

Really this does everything you need it to and with the changeable spring for the tension on the throttle, it seems rather complete. The only issue is stability. The weights of the bases needs to be more. Of course you could find a way to make that happen, but I just wish the bases were heavier when you find yourself in high heart rate spaceflight you have a tendency to move quickly and sometimes the units will lift, if not mounted

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great for msfs and dcs

Good setup. Needs just a bit of finessing out of the box. Used chapstick to lube the collar on the joystick. It is butter smooth with just a bit of play on center. Opened the throttle and moved the grease back into place for a smoother throttle. The only complaints i have:- throttle creep still an issue. If you go past about 80% throttle it will move under its own weight to full throttle. Sometimes it doesnt do it.-some of the buttons(mainly the joystick hats) do not have a positve engagement feel to them. They are mushy. Makes setting trim difficult at times.Really, this should be a bit cheaper. Overall i am happy with my purchase

2 people found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Very Good HOTAS Setup

I bought this setup awhile back as I upgraded from the Thrustmaster T16000m. I play a lot of space sims and DCS World and I really like the fact that this setup has a lot of buttons to customize. This was a big step up from my previous setup.The only bad thing I discovered during its use was one of the buttons on the throttle was ghosting while playing a sim. After a lot of research I found out that this was a common issue, but it was still a headache. But I also found out when I would plug the USB into the 3.0 hub on my PC, the ghosting stopped. So I have come to conclusion that the throttle may require more output than the stick. This is my reason for giving it 4 stars.I would recommend this setup to anyone that enjoys flight sims or space sims. With that being said, if you are willing to spend over $500 for this setup, you should really look for something else that is more dependable, such as Virpil. The current price for this setup is crazy and it should not be that high. When I purchased this, it was around $200 for the complete setup. I know these are COVID prices, but this is ridiculous. The stick is not worth spending $500, even though it is a really good product.

One person found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Significant power draw on computer

The Sticks themselves are USB powered, and have the tendency to have ghost inputs if they don’t get enough power. If you have any sort of keyboards, webcams, gaming mice, lights coming off your computer, they will all be effected by this Hotas system. I tried them for a few weeks with my 850w system, but it still wasn’t enough. Maybe a powered usb splitter could be the trick, but I’m not willing to spend more money to find out. Buyer beware.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great stick and throttle is amazing!

The only problem with the stick is it’s designed for big hands. It is comfortable to use on MSF$ and DC$. Had it for over a month now and would recommend to those who are wanting a better experience. I would highly recommend a long with this either the desk mounts or a sim pit. Good bang for it’s buck. Make sure if you do get this to regrease a small dab on the ball part of the stick. The throttle is really responsive and switches are fun. It’s a lot of buttons and a lot of fun! Next best upgrade from this is either winwing or virpil. Very comfortable as well!

One person found this helpful