This can be a hassle, but that’s where HCS Voice Packs comes in. This poses a significant barrier for VR, as you can't see your keyboard while wearing a head-mounted display however, a solution exists.Ī standalone program called Voice Attack ($8) allows you to program voice commands. While the HOTAS X is a great starter model, it doesn't offer enough buttons to use it by itself in Elite Dangerous. Separating the two halves and positioning them to either side of my 10-keyless keyboard was comfortable, but it was also necessary.

I gleefully used it to cruise the stars in Elite Dangerous shortly after I assembled my PC.

The HOTAS X was my first flight stick, as it offers a reasonable number of buttons and good build quality for the price.

Recommended for: Elite: Dangerous (Voice Attack strongly recommended for VR use) You can certainly find each of these at lower prices with a bit of searching. Also note that we're listing manufacturer's suggested retail price. They typically can be split apart to spread the two halves for ergonomics (or to position around a keyboard for additional functionality).Įach of the products we examined exists at a different price point, is a solid value, and works with at least one of the two games. These devices have both a joystick with a varying number of buttons and triggers, as well as a large, single-axis throttle. We've looked at three flight sticks, all of them in the HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) category. Flight sticks offer the same potential for what we expect is going to be an important genre during virtual reality's early days.Īt launch, both Vive and Rift will offer Elite: Dangerous and EVE Valkyrie, two games that put you in the cockpit of starships. Our hands know how to use a steering wheel without needing to see it, for instance. This creates enormous opportunity for specialized control manufacturers. Vive's wands, and later Oculus Touch, provide more tactile interaction, but they aren't right for every game. Gamepads work great, but they have significantly fewer buttons. This leaves us with more limited options. Two of the leading platforms, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, require PCs, but by necessity create issues with the typical interface device: mouse and keyboard. Virtual reality presents unique challenges when it comes to input.

Elite dangerous saitek x52 vs pro