New Benchmark in Fancy Joysticks Set

There haven't been a whole lot of reasons to buy an elaborate new joystick rig lately, but Thrustmaster is providing some new hardware to tempt flight/space sim fans. The new HOTAS Warthog A-10 replica setup will begin shipping this month for a whopping $500. The joystick sports 19 buttons plus a hat switch, and the dual throttle has 17 buttons as well. There's a further 15 switches and 5 lighted displays on the control panel base. Just what you need to play Microsoft Flight!

The HOTAS WARTHOG™ joystick is the result of an intense collaboration between Thrustmaster's development teams and members of the simmer community. Exchanges and studies were carried out constantly throughout the product's development phase, in order to create a joystick which meets the most specific and precise requirements of the experts. The result is a replica set of the joystick, dual throttle system and dual throttle control panel of the U.S. Air Force A-10C attack aircraft.

Weighing in at more than 6.5kg and using metal for the joystick, throttle handles & bases, the HOTAS WARTHOG™ joystick is physically imposing. When you take into account the 55 fully programmable action buttons and 2 four-direction hat switches, each with a built-in push button (this is the first joystick in the world to incorporate such a feature), it becomes clear that the HOTAS WARTHOG™ is in a class of its own, best described in terms of superlatives.