Are dogfights easier with a joystick than with a mouse

[RogueZephyr]

Which would you recommend?

[Raz0rking]

joystick. The mouspad ends somewhere or the desk or the cable...
And it is much cooler to play with a joystick than with a mouse..(is that a pun? If it is. It is intendet )

[RogueZephyr]

joystick. The mouspad ends somewhere or the desk or the cable...
And it is much cooler to play with a joystick than with a mouse..(is that a pun? If it is. It is intendet )

What joystick would you recommend?

[Raz0rking]

i have an Saitek X52
kinda pricey and i still need to get used to it (got it 2 days ago), but the Logitech X3D is also a good choice imho.
The X52 Is a HOTAS while the Logitech is a simple joystick (you need to use the keyboard for some controlls)

[Vikinger]

I think its al comes around what you are used to play with.

I cant play with mouse and keyboard in spacesim or flight sims.
And I cant handle those ps controllers either.

I had an old Logitech 3D extreme pro joystick but I found it to hard to map correctly and the precision was real bad, as well as the throttle handling.

So I bought my self an Thrustmaster Hotas X and it was a huge difference between those 2 joysticks and I don't regret a moment that I bought that Hotas. For me the game become much easier when it comes to ship handling.

[Flip]

I got a Saitek X-55 Rhino. It's apparently not the best in terms of build quality, but so far I found it good enough and I like the fact that it has lots of buttons, switches and potentiometers.

[Neillm]

I got an X55 here, too. As Flip says, sooo many buttons that I can't actually assign them all! I had a few teething troubles with buttons not working but a clean out of the contacts on the stick sorted,this. I do need to get some dry lubricant to cure a slightly sticky yaw twist.

For the feel in game, I started with an Xbox controller, and while this was playable, the Hotas feels so much better for me.

[Deyn]

Joystick! And as others already said, if you intend to play it a lot, or are into flight/space sims in general consider investing in a good HOTAS.
Personally I come from DCS World (Combat flight SIM) and use a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog, MFG Crosswind pedals, and some additional "USB controllers with buttons and switches" that unfortunately are not recognized by E : D
It may seem a lot of buttons on the HOTAS first, but you will find a good use for most of them quickly... lateral thrust, gear, cargo scoop, lights, controlling the panels, sensor range weapon groups and in the near future fuel scoop and what-is-still-to-come.

If you do this in earnest, you should also consider a head tracker, like TrackIR, or FaceTrack NoIR or FreeTrack, though the later two require some work and ingenuity.
The ability to have a view around the cockpit in real time without buttons is really a game changer.

If you just start with this, consider a Logitech 3D, Thrustmaster HOTAS X or if you can afford it, a Saitek X52/X52 pro both a good bang for the buck. Yet, the Logitech lacks a bit in precision, especially in the twist axis...

[Philip Coutts]

I have the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X which for around £40 is a bargain. The only thing for Elite is I'm running out of buttons! Also it's pretty big so you need a bit of space for it but as a starter stick it's brilliant.

[Jockgit64]

A decent JoyStick and Voice Attack are invaluable, you can allocate a lot of handy commands to VA which frees up the buttons for other tasks.

Also a Tracker and a few cans of Beer and/or Whisky for extra immersion.