Thrustmaster T16000M FCS - Precision Combat Flight Sim Joystick - PC

I am a private pilot trying out X-Plane 12 simulator on Apple Silicon M1 with the Thrustmaster T16000M. I chose the T16000M because it has yaw control built in by twisting the joystick, and I didn't want to buy a set of rudder pedals. The joystick worked with X-Plane 12 after calibration, adjusting the sensitivity, and setting up buttons for pitch, roll, and yaw trim. I can find no fault with the joystick itself. It has great build quality, it stays put on the desk, and it functions as designed. I had no trouble on takeoff keeping the SR22 on the centerline using the twist for rudder, lifting off or climbing to cruise altitude. However, I found that the joystick is not at all realistic in normal flight because of its spring loaded centering. The real SR22 stick provides increasing control pressure, and when you trim to remove that pressure you effectively establish a new neutral point. When you release the stick, it holds that condition naturally. The joystick, by contrast, always returns to a fixed physical center, and provides no change in force with trim, which makes it feel non-intuitive and unrealistic. While it's possible to get trimmed for cruise fairly closely with significant effort, you end up with real problems trying to trim for a climb or descent because you're guessing the trim and fighting the stick. Of course, that is ultimately a limitation of this class of hardware rather than a flaw specific to this joystick. While I have nothing but praise for the T16000M, I can't recommend it as a realistic flight stick. If you're willing to make the tradeoff in price over function, and don't mind the additional training it'll take to get used to it, then it might be a good choice for you. But if you're looking for realism, you won't find it here or likely with any inexpensive joystick.

I just wanted to leave a review for this as there currently aren't very many. This is part review for this stick, and part comparison of it between other sticks. For reference, I've extensively used the following sticks: Saitek X52 and X52 pro, Logitech 3D Extreme Pro, old FCS, Warthog, and now this. Also, I play pretty much every type of flight game, including DCS, IL-2 back in the day, SWG back in the day, E:D, and SC. So with that out of the way, this is my favorite stick. It feels weird to say that when I own a warthog, and the build quality and general feel is definitely better on the warthog. The button layout is also much better on the hog. However, once you factor in the price difference and the twist axis, this stick is my daily driver. Another big advantage this stick has over the hog, to me, is the lighter springs. The hog is great for flying an old warplane or something that's really slow, but not so great when dogfighting in a space sim, or when needing to do really precise movements. I just overall find this stick to be easier to use for space sims in general. The new model doesn't seem like a massive upgrade from the old one. I'm not sure what's up with the orange coloring, but I digress. The main difference is that the buttons on the base now have textured markings (which is a life saver in VR or if you just don't want to be looking down), most of the buttons now are textured and more ergonomical, and it seems that the spring makes a lot less noise and is of slightly higher quality. Although that could just be because it's new and my old FCS is old. One thing to note, expanding on textured buttons, is that if you are playing in VR, the warthog throttle is actually a pretty terrible experience. The switches are all over the place and you won't have any way to see them. I hope that all sticks in the future follow the trend of having unique textures on the buttons, so you can feel your way around what you're doing. Definitely a major plus if you're playing in VR. If you're new to Thrustmaster in general, another thing to note is that the T.A.R.G.E.T. scripting software is second to none as far as allowing you to get really in depth with customizing how you want your stick to act, as well as how it's programmed. It's not exactly user-friendly, but you can do pretty much anything you want with it. This stick's biggest weakness is the lack of buttons on the handle. There are plenty on the base, but I really find myself just wanting more on the handle. I picked up two of the cougar MFD's, and find those easier to use than the buttons on the base. Still, next time around, get some more buttons on this thing's handle Thrustmaster. I really wish that this stick and the warthog could make a baby. I'd love to have the metal sticks with the great button layouts, while also having the ability to use it ambidextrously, having a twist axis, and having the lightweight handling that this one does. Unfortunately, that's not really an option. So given that, this stick is my recommendation. The warthog is technically superior, but this stick offers more than enough bang for the buck, and I'm actually probably going to sell my hog soon since it doesn't have a twist axis. The extra handle buttons on the hog are really nice, but the lack of a twist axis just makes it almost useless in a space sim. And you can make up for a lack of buttons with VoiceAttack. The bottom line is that whether you're a new pilot or a seasoned veteran, this stick can do it all pretty well. I've been flying in PC games since I was a kid, and I've used a lot of sticks. This one is my favorite. I think you'd be hard pressed to prove that a warthog is going to give any real-world combat advantage, so the only reason I see to fork over the extra cash is if you really want that metal handle (which does feel nice...). My current setup is using two of these, two MFD's, and a throttle on my left side. I have rudder pedals, but I have no need for them with this setup. The two sticks provide full 6DOF freedom in space sims, and the throttle still allows me to fly regular planes (or long haul flights in space sims) without awkwardly trying to use two sticks. Then the MFD's fill the need for a near infinite amount of buttons. You can slap all of that on a board with some velcro, sit in an office chair, and rival the setups of the biggest and baddest simpits out there for less than what you'd pay for just a warthog stick in some places. Just buy two of these and you won't regret it, seriously. That's my .02, hopefully it helps someone. Happy flying, o7

I received my T.16000M FCS on 12/20/2018. Great fast delivery from Amazon. Since the time of this review I have spent approximately 2 hours in Star Citizen, 4 hours in Kerbal Space Program, and 8 hours in DCS: A-10C Warthog. Before receiving these, I was using dual T.16000M (non FCS) for 3 years. I mostly used them for Elite Dangerous & occasionally Star Citizen. I needed to replace one of the old sticks because my cat bit the usb cord, so I decided to upgrade and buy two new FCS versions. If you have a functional old T.16000M, then not enough has changed to justify an upgrade. If you're looking for a new or replacement stick, then I would say that the new FCS model is a great option and the slight changes from the old model are very welcome. Firstly, the overall color scheme is more pleasant to the eyes. This is most noticeable when comparing the stick indicator light. The old version was a bright green that was very distracting when playing in a dark environment. This distracted me to the point where I cut the LED power to the light so it would never activate. The new orange light is much less harsh on the eyes and I actually enjoy having a visual indicator for my stick inputs. Secondly, the button faces are much more tactile now. The old version had smooth buttons and it was difficult to quickly tell which button you were pressing. In the new FCS version, the upper rows of the left & right button banks have a concave indent on each button, and the lower rows have different bump dots for each button. This really helps me know which buttons I'm pressing before I press them. Also, the buttons on the stick have a more textured feel to them. The throttle slider also has a better textured face. If this is your first T.16000M, then you should know that the ambidextrous feature of this stick is great for lefties and/or dual stick configurations. It's quick to convert from right to left configuration with a phillips screwdriver and the symmetrical button layout means you don't loose any functionality after the conversion. The stick is also very accurate and durable. The feel of button presses isn't "premium" but it gets the job done and feels great to play with. Also, after 3 years with my old sticks I never had any durability issues with the buttons or stick. All in all, this is a great Entry level flight stick, versatile enough for both space and flight sims / games, and it accommodates lefties very well. This is the must have stick for casual or entry level flight gamers.

Docked one star because one of the two sticks failed within three weeks (twist axis sensor(s) would no longer output values). I bought two of these for a dual-stick setup for Star Citizen. They work very well for this purpose, if you can live with the lack of buttons. Sure, these sticks have all the buttons you could want, in theory. In practice, most of them are on the base, not the stick, which leaves one wanting more when it comes to buttons accessible while dogfighting. I find it necessary to augment this arrangement with VoiceAttack. Replacing one stick with a Warthog, or similar, is an option, but then you have to give up a twist axis. Button count aside, I have found these sticks to be reliable and accurate up to the point that one of them failed. Fwiw, this was the left-hand stick, and the twist axis was seeing very heavy use as my yaw control. At this point, I have to give props to Amazon. I opened a return request at ~00:30 CST on 08/01; they're telling me that I will have my new stick by 21:00 CST 08/01. Um... wow.

I bought this joystick as a replacement for my very old Logitech Extreme #D Pro, which got very imprecise. The new joystick was very easy to hook up and configure with MSFS 2024, and gives me precise control over my aircraft. Haven't had any issues thus far.

Formerly amazing, but replacements have been miserable. The feel is still great out of the box, especially the throttle on the flight stick. The first one I owned lasted for years. It finally began having issues with the Z-Axis even after disassembly and cleaning. The replacement I bought didn't make it six months before it started having issues with the main trigger button not working. Disassembling and doing some fixes found on Youtube worked for a short time but now it is almost unusable and unreliable. Caveat emptor, based on others' comments it seems quality control has dropped through the floor.

I read the negative reviews for this, but all joysticks like this have bad reviews. I just got a LogiTech HOTAS and it was a piece of garbage. This is 100 times better. Better materials, better build, better feel. Very smooth and solid. I love it. It doesn't have a ton of buttons. But what it does have works perfectly.

I really wish I could give 4.5 stars, but its close enough that I'll give it the full 5. So right now I'm between sticks, my X-55 is being worked on for a project and my VKB is delayed, so I need something to fly with. The T16000m has been around for many years and while I personally never owned one until now I've heard nothing but good things about it and now that I own one I can confirm them. Its accurate and smooth, not much configuring required, plugged it in and was able to start playing right away again. Why the .5 deduction then, two things, one the stick doesn't want to grip my table on my mouse pad, easily fixed with 6 rubber feet I had extra from small DAC/AMPs I work with, and second, I do not like the trigger, beside the fact that pulling the trigger wiggles the hat, it feels cheap and plastic and that I'm going to break it, no solution yet. I'm honestly looking at ways to replace the trigger and then I can picture this stick working for years for me, right now as my back up primary and after as my left handed or travel. I would have liked to try out the VKB Gladiator, but its not available left handed for eventually switching it as a dual stick, but this was a good choice for almost half the price.

Using this with Flight Gear and it works well. Lots of buttons to configure as you choose. Good solid feel. If you are starting out with flight simulators and don't want to spend excessive amounts of money then this is the device for you.

Short of getting a $350 joystick, this is the best choice. Feels good and works good. Just the right amount of resistance. Not mushy, feels solid and precise. I got three-years solid use out of the last one before the sensors got unhappy and stated acting up. Home repairs - disassemble and clean - are possible but I just got a new one. When this one goes I will buy another. Buy it on sale when paired with the TWCS throttle. It's a great HOTAS for a reasonable cost.

Yo lo uso para simulador de vuelo (Prepar3D y X-Plane). Tengo el Pro Flight Yoke System de Saitek/Logitech, pero para volar el Airbus como que no va usar un yoke. Por años use un Logitech 3 Attack mas para volar en línea en VATSIM ocupaba el cambio de punto de vista que es lo que le faltaba y esté lo tiene. Digamos que es la mejor inversion de gama media. Tiene un excelente peso, la versatilidad de cambiarse de lado derecho a izquierdo con solo un tornillo (foto 2). Buena fuerza de resistencia. Los botones que trae en la base si están SUPER MAL, necesitas manos de pianista para utilizarlos. Como que pensaron en un joystick de combate, para usarse centrado y con las dos manos. Fuera de eso, LO RECOMIENDO. En la caja únicamente vas a encontrar la palanca, los cambios de moldura para izquierdo y la garantía. El software hay que descargarlo.

Recently got MS FS on sale and tried to fly using my old Saitek Aviator. Could not for the life of me control the plane. The inputs were so laggy that it took a second before the control surfaces responded! Ordered this thing and just got it today. It's quite heavy and solid feeling. It also works great in Microsoft's Flight Simulator. It's already recognized in the software so you'll only need to tweak it to your liking. As a real-life pilot, I highly recommend this. I picked it over the Airbus version for the extra buttons on the stick.

Muy agusto con este joystick, tiene dos funciones para manejar sensibilidades dependiendo del movimiento del joystick que te sirve para apuntar mejor a largas y cortas distancias, macros y emulaciones para teclado y mouse, botones programables etc... en cuanto a joystick una marca especializada muy recomendable.