HORI HOTAS Flight Control System & Mount Review

When it comes to flight combat games, most enthusiasts would agree that a proper flight stick and throttle control system is the way to go, or what's referred to as a «HOTAS» system. That stands for «hands on throttle-and-stick» and gives you the classic layout of a flight stick in one hand for directional inputs, and a throttle system in the other, usually with a lot of programable toggle switches, buttons and doo-dads to set up for all your extra functions.

The Hori HOTAS flight control system proudly announces that not only does it deliver a comprehensive selection of these controls, complete with Hall effect sensors for accuracy, a twin-stage throttle and metal toggle switches, but it's also been developed in partnership with Gaijin Entertainment.

That's the developer of the massively popular vehicular combat multiplayer game War Thunder, and chances are you might have heard of it. Though perhaps for the wrong reasons. While the game itself offers you a huge number of planes to fly, tanks to drive and air combat mayhem to enjoy, it's also hit the headlines for the tendency of some members of its community to leak classified documents of military hardware on its forums, which is probably not the sort of attention the devs intended.

Still, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity, and chances are if you've messed around with War Thunder's planes as a result of all the hoo-hah and had fun you might be thinking about looking for a flight control system to add to the experience, and given the tie-in branding, you may well end up here. 

So what do you get if you pay the rather steep entry fee of $500/£450 for the Hori HOTAS system? 

Type: HOTAS flight stick and twin-throttle control system
Connectivity: USB Type-A
Controls:  Twin throttles with adjustable resistance and rudder paddles, Hall-effect sensor flight stick with dual-stage trigger, metal toggle switches, 61 button functions, selectable yaw control
Extra features: Included desk mounts for both