Thrustmaster - TMSTR T-Flight Hotas One Joystick officially licensed for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC

REVIEW: THRUSTMASTER - TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE JOYSTICK OFFICIALLY LICENSED FOR XBOX SERIES X|S, XBOX ONE AND PC Model:4460168 GREAT “STARTER” HOTAS FLIGHT STICK AND THROTTLE Without totally breaking the bank, the TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE (Hands On Throttle And Stick) creates a very immersive experience. I primarily purchased it for “Star Wars Squadron” on the PC and have thoroughly enjoyed using it. I’ve never really got the hang of console controllers on the PC, and mouse and keyboards for games like this take too much muscle memory for every obscure function. The TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE just feels right for these kinds of games. I was glad to see it also works on the XBOX which I’ve not tried yet, but plan to soon. Updating the Firmware is difficult, but a must, and you must install the software BEFORE YOU PLUG IN THE CONTROLLER. The previous THRUSTMASTER sticks I have purchased in the 1990’s were junk and broke quickly (which kept me from buying this brand for the past 25 years), but I felt more comfortable after reading the reviews that this investment would last for a while. BEST FEATURES - Stick and Throttle can be combined or detached - Good Seeming Build Quality - All Buttons are clearly labeled making setup easier on games - Long enough (for me) connector to the PC USB port - Manually Adjustable Resistance (on the stick) - Included Allen Wrench for combining Stick and Throttle (under stick) SETUP PAY ATTENTION TO THE DIRECTIONS, which tell you to load the software drivers first, and then when instructed connect the stick to the computer. Of course, I did not and it took me about 2 hours to dig the drivers out and start over again. I had a real hard time getting the firmware to install (maybe because of not installing the drivers correctly). I found the firmware update tool would not see the TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE unless I unplugged and re-plugged it in while it was searching. It took a few times repeating (plug / unplug) before the firmware installed fully. I was not expecting to have to “map” most of the buttons manually on Squadrons, but there are plenty of hints you can search out online. I could not understand why my ship would not accelerate, then I realized I had to do the mappings. Once I got the buttons mapped and printed out a map, I was blasting rebels with ease. OVERALL IMPRESSION I call the TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE a starter stick, but that is not a knock. You won’t find flashing lights, or vibration feedback or automatic resistance as on some higher end sticks. But it also not $300 either. It has a good weight but is plastic not metal. There are no clamps, so it could more on a slippery desk. None of these things detract from what it is. The TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE is a good basic, but advanced enough stick for casual use. It does not pretend to be any more than what it is. SUMMARY / CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATION I would recommend the TMSTR T-FLIGHT HOTAS ONE for anyone just getting started with this type of controller, or for anyone who does not want to spend an arm and a leg on something more advanced (and more complicated to operate). I think youth and adults will be equally happy with the overall experience this stick provides.

Very well made. I’ve been playing Star Wars Squadrons with these joysticks and it is so much more fun. Agreed that Velcro helps keep them mounted, however, I found that I didn’t have an issue with any slippage when I played before I put it on (only reason I put it on was to mount them to a lap desk so I could play from the couch) 10/10 would buy again.

Well constructed. Nicely weighted, but some may find the need to use Velcro to secure the bases to some surfaces. Very nice and user friendly features; stick tension adjustments, dual rudder use with a stick rudder lock, etc. Fits a nice size keyboard between the throttle and stick when extended, but the separation is juuuuust a tad too short to fit a Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum keyboard. That’s fine, though, it’s a massive one. I have spares that I can use. The buttons on this thing are nice and tactile, and most of them have a hard, audible click. A few of them have soft presses, like the Y button (which is meant to be pressed with the heel of your thumb, so makes sense to be soft for comfort), and the ‘previous/next’ buttons on the throttle base. I use this thing with Elite Dangerous on Xbox One mainly, and I’m having a hard time finding anything negative about it. There were some issues with the first gen/batch of these, but they seem to have been fixed from all accounts I’ve heard. You can tell if you get a first gen by the plastic it’s made from; its slick and shiny, and the throttle falls forward on its own quite easily. These first gen sets usually end up having a slight leftward yaw drift or some other small issues, from the experiences of others I know that use these. Second gens are made from a slightly textured, more rigid plastic, and the throttle stays where it’s put when you let it go. I have pretty big hands, guitar/piano hands, and this setup is very very comfortable under the palms. All in all, I love it. It’s an absolute game changer for anything it’s compatible with.

Great joystick for the price. I was concerned about when I'd receive it since I saw this joystick was 'out of stock' nearly everywhere. I came to find it's because the new Microsoft Flight Sim recently released and these were the best 'budget' sticks available. I wish there were more keys available to map to; I purchased this for Star Wars Squadrons and would prefer to customize the controls further than what's available. However, I was able to plug-n-play with this one right out of the box and there are certainly enough buttons to get the job done (the game WAS made to be playable with a regular xBox controller...) This joystick will likely result in the purchase of more flight sims for the xBox and PC... Of note: I saw this joystick listed for twice the price on Amazon (from 3rd party sellers) that seemed to capitalize on the scarcity... I ordered from Best Buy with a standard shipping option and though they quoted 28 Dec for arrival, it was delivered Christmas Eve! Don't overpay!

For the price, this is very good. It works as advertised, setup is easy, buttons are easy. Don't pay for more than the retail. They seem to be in shortage and people everywhere charge twice as much as they should. Buy it from Best Buy. I use it for Star Wars: Squadron and it works great.

Oh if only they had included a longer connecting cable or allowed you to use your own USB cable to lengthen the space between the throttle and joystick, it would have been perfect. Like many logitech products, you can't beat the bang for the buck, HOTAS are very expensive and this is a full featured setup for the price, the only issue I have with it is that the cable that runs between the units is not long enough so that I can put one half on each side of my gargantuan g910 logitech keyboard. If you have a keyboard that doesn't have the extra molding around the sides or is tenkeyless, you won't have a problem and this thing is perfect.

Very nice joystick stick with adjustable friction lock. Nice throttle BUT woth no friction lock. Way to easy to move. Wiping the pivot of the throttleto remove some of the lubricant helps but still to easy to move. Exp;orimg other means of stiffening up the throttle.

Purchased as a Christmas gift for my adult son. Package arrived without exterior box (in original packing), but otherwise as described. Son is pleased and has been enjoying this item. I'm not a gamer, but he is and this was a special request. He has been enjoying it, says it's "just what he wanted" and it is getting a lot of use during his down-time during COVID.