Flight Stick · Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X Flight Stick and Throttle
- Budget
- PC
- 5 axes · 12 buttons
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MSFS Performance Score
- Sensors30% 40
- Throttle & Rudder25% 100
- Build Quality15% 50
- Platforms15% 50
- Adjustability15% 60
Biggest contributor: throttle and rudder (25% of the score), rated 100/100. How we score
Verdict for MSFS
The Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X suits gamepad and keyboard flyers stepping into MSFS, since its own detachable throttle lets you set climb power and leave it while you trim. The trade-off is standard sensors, a plastic build and PC-only support.
Updated October 2026
Pros & Cons for MSFS
Strengths
- The throttle is its own unit, so you can set climb power in a Cessna or an Airbus and leave your left hand there while your right hand flies the stick and trims.
- You get a stick, a separate throttle and a twist grip for rudder in one box, where a lot of what this money buys is a bare stick with the throttle crammed onto the base and no rudder axis at all.
- With 5 axes, 12 programmable inputs and adjustable spring tension, it fits light GA flying and casual airliner legs, and it still makes sense later when you add rudder pedals and hand the rudder over to your feet.
Trade-offs
- It is PC only, so it will not work on Xbox Series X|S or PS5, and no adapter changes that.
- Thrustmaster never claims contactless Hall-effect sensors (magnets instead of sliding contacts), so after a lot of flying the stick can drift or twitch and leave the nose wandering on short final; the next step up in price buys those sensors and sturdier parts instead of all plastic.
Full Specifications
- Sensors
- Not stated by the maker
- Throttle
- Its own throttle unit
- Rudder
- Twist grip
- Grip
- Right hand
- Spring tension
- Adjustable
- Build
- Plastic
- Axes
- 5
- Buttons
- 12
- Works on
- PC
- Released
- 2008
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a good Flight Stick for MSFS?
Yes, if you are coming off a gamepad or the keyboard and want a proper stick and throttle for MSFS without fuss, and its 61.0/100 reflects that honest starting point. It shines on simple flying: hand-flying a trainer in the circuit, holding a bank in a turn, or setting cruise power on the separate throttle and leaving it. It shows its limits on long sessions and fine inputs, where standard sensors and a plastic build are less steady than pricier gear.
Is it worth the price for MSFS?
For the money it covers the two things that change the cockpit most, a real stick and a real throttle, which many alternatives at this level do not both give you. Spend more and you are buying contactless sensors, sturdier materials and more inputs, not a new way to fly.
Does it work on Xbox or PS5?
It is PC only, so it works with MSFS 2024 on Windows and nowhere else; on PC any USB stick works and popular sticks load a ready-made control profile. If you also play MSFS on a console, note that Xbox Series X|S only accepts sticks licensed for Xbox, PS5 supports just a few Thrustmaster controls such as the T.Flight Hotas 4 and 5 and the PS5 version of the TCA Sky Yoke, and Xbox Cloud Gaming does not support flight sticks at all.
Do I need rudder pedals with it?
No, you do not need pedals to start, because the grip twists for rudder and nothing extra comes in the box. Pedals become worth adding once you are taxiing a taildragger or kicking out drift on a crosswind landing, and when you do, unassign the twist axis in the MSFS control settings so your hand and feet are not fighting over the rudder.
How should I configure this in MSFS?
First check that MSFS has picked up a profile for it and that the stick, twist and throttle axes all move the right surfaces in the controls menu, assigning them by hand if not. If it feels twitchy, add a small dead zone (a little neutral area around center where tiny movements are ignored) and soften the sensitivity curve, then set the spring tension to taste so the stick stays put when you hold a bank.