Microsoft Flight Simulator is even better with this Airbus flight stick

Unless you’re a hardcore fan of flight simulators, you probably do not have a flight stick at your desk. There was a time when flightsticks, as more generic “joysticks,” were an essential PC gaming accessory, but Windows’ support for Xbox-style gamepads grew as the demand for games that simulated aerial and space battles decrease. Well, they are something of a niche product.

That may well change this year. Tomorrow sees the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator, a beautiful and ambitious project that marks an incredible upgrade for the series – and it’s going to be available to everyone on Xbox Game Pass. Later this fall, Star Wars: Squadrons promises to create the ten space field battles of the resurrection X-wing en TIE Fighter games from the 90s. I would not dream of playing with a gamepad, so I wanted to find a good entry level escape stick that does them justice.

I expect the new $ 69.99 Sidestick with Airbus-branded Thrustmaster, which I’ve been testing for a while, to be a popular choice. (The full name is the TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition.) It is designed as a 1: 1 replica of the sidestick used in the Airbus A320 – a famous differentiator from the traditional Boeing yachts – and it works with Microsoft Flight Simulator directly out of the box without the need for setup.

I would not describe the Sidestick as a premium product because it feels a bit plasticky in places. But overall, I was impressed with the price. The base is solid enough, the movement of the stick itself is convincing, and it’s just a lot more satisfying to use than a gamepad.

The sidestick lacks input options as adaptability. There are 12 buttons on the base and four on the stick, as well as an 8-way hat switch (to look at the cockpit), a twist lock and a throttle valve that can be configured to serve as an extra “button” at the bottom of his throw. The stick is also shipped with interchangeable side buttons allowing you to set it as the right or left seat of an airline based on where you place the wider red button module, or you can go with the narrow or wide options on either side.

The throttle slide is the Sidestick’s biggest weakness. It feels thin, and the markings on the base of the stick do not do much to measure your posture. It does the job though, and if you want to upgrade downline, this Sidestick is compatible with Thrustmaster’s TCA ecosystem of pedals and throttles. A matching Airbus throttle quadrant of $ 99.99 is set to ship next month.

I can not claim to be experienced in the mechanics of flying real airplanes, but I can say that Microsoft Flight Simulator feels infinitely more compelling with this Thrustmaster Sidestick than an Xbox gamepad. The way it provides more resistance and gives you finer control over three axes of motion in the air is really not something you can replicate with a little thumbstick. A stick like this, if not this specific, should be considered essential for Flight Simulator.

In preparation for Star Wars: Squadrons, I also went back and tested the Sidestick with some old games like TIE Fighter en X-Wing Alliance, and it worked great, despite being demonstrably designed for simulating civil aviation. This one Star Wars games relied heavily on keyboard controls during the day, even if you had a joystick, but the Sidestick’s benches of programmable buttons are useful for things like shield control and in-flight laser power.

If you’re interested in these games, you really need to think about getting a flight stick, and Thrustmaster’s TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition is almost as solid an entry option as I could imagine. At $ 69.99, it’s in the ballpark of normal Xbox One controller prices, but it offers something completely different. The only problem is maybe getting your hands on one, because it’s already out of stock through Microsoft – but if you can, it’s highly recommended for what it is.

Photography by Sam Byford / The Verge