Review on Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog PC Joystick Controller (Windows) by Eric Schwalbe

I am a very unhappy owner of TM Warthog. An imperfect gimbal design cannot be corrected. Its gimbal design has more in common with an analog stick (i.e. an Xbox or PS controller) than anything resembling a flight control mechanism. Maybe I'm just picky. What can't be denied is the disgusting build quality and overall design. I have many years of experience as a V&V engineer, so this is exactly my area of expertise. The gimbal mechanism is die cast and not properly machined. Its surface is not smooth and has a so-called flare; Material flowing out of the cavity where the two mold halves meet. This can lead to what the community calls "Stiction". Google it. The throttle levers are very thin, made of plastic and only have a thin metal coating. However, the throttle body weighs nearly 10 pounds due to the steel ballast that attaches to the top of the bottom cap. Sticks of the lowest quality. Knobs are very cheap membrane switches that often fail to open or close. I'd happily use analog potentiometers instead of TM "HEART" hall sensors in the throttle body if cost would allow something like a quality switch or knob. Check out the sticky notes on different flights. Simulation forums showing how many TM customers have had full motherboard failures due to throttling. My choke is now on this list, despite following TM's absurd instructions for connecting the choke after the PC started. Why do no other USB devices have these problems? However, Thrustmaster support continues to make this product with a known error and if the error occurs immediately they will offer you a $60 replacement. If you're lucky and it fails during the warranty period, you'll still get a replacement board that you'll have to replace yourself. View all forum posts where customers had switch errors. Take all the 5 star reviews you see with a HUGE grain of salt. You may be initially pleased with this HOTAS, but inevitably the switches and knobs run out. The main choke board will most likely fail in about two years.