Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog Joystick and Throttle
As far the most expensive gaming peripherals go, flight sticks often command the highest prices. Ranging anywhere from $40 to $400, the highly specialized use of these peripherals almost excuses their price tag. Throw a lorry load of mice into the market and you’re likely to sell though them because everyone with a PC essentially needs a mouse. A truck filled to the brim with flight sticks, however, may not have as much luck. Only a small proportion of gamers enjoy games involving flight, and an even smaller amount will usually pay for high quality peripherals built for just that purpose.
The Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog Joystick and Throttle set is the epitome of this specialization. It isn’t just the expense of purchasing one that might make people think twice (often running to prices over $450). No, it’s the fact that they’ve been modeled to be a near-perfect replication of the controls used in an actual A-10 Warthog. Everything from the overall color-scheme to the tiny little switches and toggles have been meticulously tinkered with to evoke the feel of actually using an A10’s controls while playing a game.
Cheaper flight-sim peripherals are obviously available, but the Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog system definitely finds its own special way to stand above competitors. On a small additional note, games that use flight stick controls now are falling more into the category of space simulator than realistic flight sim. Does this mean that we’re going to start seeing flight peripherals based upon those represented in Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, and No Man’s Sky? Only time, and market forces, will tell.
