Teej & I flew a short formation demonstration with the Warthog for the press at the preview event on Tuesday. We were there Whack, Gunner, and Panther from our team - it was a great event.
SimHQ at E3Expo 2010 - Hands-on: Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog ControllerIt was a private/invite only event, so they had us wear flight suits to add to the feel of the presentation, we don't go around in public wearing those!
Game Nexus - E3 2010: Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthoghttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/17/thrustmaster-unveils-its-perfect-replica-hotas-warthog-flight-co/SimHQ Forums: Teej's comments about the HOTAS Warthog from the preview at E3Expo 2010http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3032602/4.htmlEveryone was really scrambling to get the venue ready for the event on time. We, along with the crew from Thrustmaster and SC Simulations, spent most of Monday night and all of Tuesday getting everything setup. We encountered several, potentially show stopping technical difficulties along the way, and as a result we had very little time to practice. After Thrustmaster wrapped up their powerpoint presentation of the Warthog, they turned it over to Teej & I for our formation demo.
We did a few loops and rolls, and then a formation landing. It was a little distracting having everyone watching and the cameramen filming over my shoulder, but we flew very well and TM really liked the demo. It demonstrated the precision of the controllers - I can lock in that sight picture much easier with the Warthog. Although we only managed to get about 20 minutes of practice in the pits there, we have spent the last few weeks beta testing the Warthog, so at least we had some stick time upon arrival at the event.
It is an outstanding HOTAS right out of the box, I am extremely impressed. You can really feel the precision while flying with it. In Aces High II it really helps with gunnery and flying on the edge of the stall break. The stick has a resolution along the X and Y axis of 65,556 and 16,500 resolution on the throttle thanks to the hall sensors. I can squeeze on G's down to the 1/100th without any spiking. Since the stick doesn't have any gimbals, it has a very smooth and fluid feel throughout the range of movement. There is absolutely zero center play. There is no X / Y axis transition clunk that's found in most other sticks. The stick effort increases symmetrically in all directions, there isn't any of that odd uneven stick force you experience with a stick with gimbals as you move it around. The weighted base plate is held to the round base by 4 screws and is easily removable, very nice feature for cockpit builders.
As for the throttle, there is absolutely no "sticktion". The adjustable friction wheel works very well and you're able to make extremely fine corrections without the throttle jumping/sticking. It stays where you put it though, so you don't have to worry about it falling to the stops or creeping forward/backward, even at the lightest friction setting.
The other night I flew in the dueling arena with the Warthog, my first test with it in Aces High II. I was going head to head with Dodger and Bighorn/Texture in the P-38. I was experimenting with the dual throttle action and seeing how it might give me an edge over a '38 driver without dual throttles. I was surprised to find that it does make for some very impressive slow speed over the top hammerhead style reversals - my adversaries were impressed and I pulled off more than a few snapshots thanks to my careful management of the throttles. While it seemed to be very useful in certain situations, it was also very easy to get carried away; my mismanagement of the throttles at the wrong time sent the airplane into some wild yaw-induced departure stalls. However, with some more practice I think I'll most certainly have the edge over a pilot that doesn't have split throttles.
The whole setup just feels great to fly with, I gave it a good workout. As everyone knows, there's an impressive amount of stick and throttle work involved in those slow speed stall fights! The Warthog handled it nicely and I wasn't fatigued after the fights.
I am extremely impressed with the out of the box Warthog. I don't see any need to modify it in any way. The throttle and stick movements are flawless and the feel of the buttons is great. There are very few moving parts to wear out, so I expect it will be very reliable. I really don't have anything bad to say about the Warthog so far - I've been trying to find something that I don't like but I can't find anything to pick apart. It'll be very nice to have the hall sensors in the stick and throttle, so the precision will remain over time and won't spike like worn out potentiometers. There isn't any slop or play in the stick, it seems to be a very solid design.
The programming software is very slick - much easier than the Foxy programming, although you can still get that in depth with it if you choose. It seems to be designed to be easy to work with for people new to programming software, but also allows extreme customization for those more familiar with such.
They've done an excellent job with this HOTAS, they set the bar with the Cougar, and they've raised it very high with the Warthog. I honestly believe it is the best HOTAS ever made. It will be well worth the money and I highly doubt anyone is going to want to modify it - it's just that good.
