I like it, I did have to get a powered USB hub AND a PCI-e USB card in order to get it to work though. I could get the throttle to work with just the powered hub but the stick wasn't working right until I got the card and connected the throttle through that.

The throttle is also super tight for a while, I've had mine for a few months and the resistance is where I want it now but I did have to break it in first and turn the resistance down as far as I could.

Having all of the different inputs is amazing, there are only 3 inputs I don't use in games.

I went from a single $40 to the x56 so I have no experience with other hotas setups to compare to this one.

I own a X56 (and the X52, and X45 before it). The X56 is a good "mid-range" HOTAS in the sense that it offers a really solid control layout and can be quite versatile. That being said, where it is strong in versatility, it is weak in overall quality.

The first issue to talk about is the power consumption. If you were to plug the throttle (specifically) into a standard USB 2 or even some USB 3's on the back of your computer, it would not get enough power. This results in "ghost inputs" where inputs randomly trigger even if you don't touch the throttle at all. For example. If you were to bind landing gear to a switch on the throttle, it would trigger randomly. The only way around this is to plug the throttle into a POWERED USB 3 hub. It is very, very important that it be a powered hub because that is the only way the throttle will get enough power to function properly. This is something that Saitek openly acknowledged before Logitech bought them out and I am sure Logitech has also noted it by now.

The second major issue is the potentiometers. Saitek has always used cheap potentiometers for its controls and that manifests itself to the user as "shaky" inputs. This can be seen on the thumb wheels and rotaries and can sometimes become so pronounced that you can't bind certain controls to them without creating problems for yourself. There is no fix, it is just cheap parts.

The third issue is the lubrication/friction setup of the throttle. The X56's throttle levers have a rather thick substance that seems to be used for lubrication but also produces a sort of "non-Newtonian fluid" effect where quick, sudden inputs get met with too much resistance while slower, smoother inputs are like they should be. This isn't going to manifest as a huge deal if you don't do a lot of precise flying but when you start getting into mid-air refueling, precise landings, and even formation flying, you will notice that the throttle fights you a lot. This combined with its somewhat lackluster precision makes for a frustrating experience as you put more demands on it.

For space sims and even some very casual flight simming, the X56 is probably going to do okay (with the assumption that you plug it into a powered USB 3 hub). Just know that it isn't exactly as good as it really should be for the price. It will work but it has its problems.

thanks alot everyone! do you have any other recommendations i could look in too?

i know of the thrustmaster t6000 i think its called but i dont like the older style look of it and the button styles it has, and the only other options i know of, is the brands vkb and virpil, i could get the vkb gladiatior as thats in my price range but then it does not have a pinky trigger like the x56 does or the more pricer options of vkb or virpil, but im not sure if thats needed and i dont know of andy stand alone throttle besides thrustmaster, and again the x56 throttle looks a lot more apealing in terms of button layout, but i might be not understanding it as i dont know much about this stuff so it might be good

in terms of button layout i like the x56 and the virpil constelation alpha the most as they mini joystick on them in the spot that i like which i would use for thrust up/down and left/right in space games

also am i just not finding them online? or does there not seem to be many options out there?

I was using the X56 till couple of months ago when I switched to HOTAS Warthog. X56 is a good joystick but with a poor hardware quality, especially forn non logitech branded models.
Now it is out of production so do not expect drivers updated from logitech.

An alternative for the same price class is the T-160000M

normal quality, but many button/axes, good choise

ZEEK (Trained Navy Seal) eredeti hozzászólása:

thanks alot everyone! do you have any other recommendations i could look in too?

i know of the thrustmaster t6000 i think its called but i dont like the older style look of it and the button styles it has, and the only other options i know of, is the brands vkb and virpil, i could get the vkb gladiatior as thats in my price range but then it does not have a pinky trigger like the x56 does or the more pricer options of vkb or virpil, but im not sure if thats needed and i dont know of andy stand alone throttle besides thrustmaster, and again the x56 throttle looks a lot more apealing in terms of button layout, but i might be not understanding it as i dont know much about this stuff so it might be good

in terms of button layout i like the x56 and the virpil constelation alpha the most as they mini joystick on them in the spot that i like which i would use for thrust up/down and left/right in space games

also am i just not finding them online? or does there not seem to be many options out there?

First off, I hate to say it but you may have picked a bad time to get into flight simulation since the release of Flight Simulator 2020 in combination with Covid 19 related shortages and slow-downs has made buying stuff like sticks, throttles, rudder pedals, and other related gear rather difficult and expensive. Things might level off in a bit but for right now, we are looking at shortages and price hikes from greedy scalpers and such.

The Thrustmaster T.16000 FCS is often cited as a good alternative but I think that setup comes with a few big caveats that need to be mentioned. The first big issue is that the T.16000 setup isn't exactly a true HOTAS by design. Thrustmaster quite literally bundled a entry level throttle in with a stand-alone entry level stick that they were already making. This is why the stick has only one hat and controls on the base (where you should never put controls on a HOTAS). It is a good entry level setup but they should have made a stick that works better in a HOTAS combo.

Another issue is the throttle itself. It isn't bad per se but its design does mean that it is rather limited (especially when dealing with twin engine aircraft). These days, even entry level HOTAS setups really should be twin throttle at a minimum.

If I had to choose between the limited functionality and poor stick design of the T.16000 and the low quality parts and sticky throttle of the X56, I would choose the X56.

Don't get the X56 the wires are cheep and start to brake over time and you get ghost button presses

ZEEK (Trained Navy Seal) eredeti hozzászólása:

i was interested in the logitech x56 for this game, elite dangerous and star citizen and other types of games that could use it

please and thanks

It is, but:

1) Is now out of production (i.e. no sw updateds/support from Logitech)
2) Hardware is not the best: my one went broken after one year of stop in its box.
3) If you really want to buy one, be sure to by logitech (full black) version, since former Saitek (Black/Blue) seems to have worst hardware.
4) Really frequent ghost button pressures.

I do recommend just buying a used T. 16000M & TWCS on EBAY. You won't be out of buttons if using just 1 as a modifier like on the Throttle pinky finger. I am well happy with mine and it uses Hall Sensors for all axis except Yaw. It works really well actually!

SSerponi76 eredeti hozzászólása:

ZEEK (Trained Navy Seal) eredeti hozzászólása:

i was interested in the logitech x56 for this game, elite dangerous and star citizen and other types of games that could use it

please and thanks

It is, but:

1) Is now out of production (i.e. no sw updateds/support from Logitech)
2) Hardware is not the best: my one went broken after one year of stop in its box.
3) If you really want to buy one, be sure to by logitech (full black) version, since former Saitek (Black/Blue) seems to have worst hardware.
4) Really frequent ghost button pressures.

Point of clarification, it is definitely not out of production. They are just having a hard time keeping them in stock with how high the demand is lately. I just bought mine a couple weeks ago.


The build quality isn't the best, but honestly if you have access to the university discount it is a perfectly solid stick for what it costs. I haven't had any ghosting issues or throttle glide. The stick isn't the most precise in the center, but for a mid range stick I'm okay with that.

Also, my main game is Elite (Saw that mentioned above) and I love it for that purpose. There isn't a single control I didn't find a button for and that's hard to do in that game.

Agnar eredeti hozzászólása:

Point of clarification, it is definitely not out of production. They are just having a hard time keeping them in stock with how high the demand is lately. I just bought mine a couple weeks ago.

Mmmm... I'm not 100% sure of that: it was already out of stock months before the COVID, moreover the last driver/software was released 2 years ago. I know this cause I've tried to replace my broken one prior to switch to the Warthog in July.

I mean I'm telling you, I bought mine direct from logitech 2-3 weeks ago, and if you reach out to their customer support they'll tell you that they are still in production. The problem is demand is so high between lockdown and the new flight simulators hitting the market that as soon as they produce a new batch they sell out. (I bought mine the first day they were back in stock, and it was out of stock by the end of the day)

I picked up a Gladiator MK II from the .org store for XP.