INTRODUCTION

   Flight and space simulator fans have many reasons to be happy nowadays and more specifically the vast number of available games in the market like Star Citizen, Flight Simulator 2020, Elite Dangerous, DCS (Digital Combat Simulator), No Man's Sky and many more (not to mention some upcoming ones like StarField and X-Plane 12). As I’ve pointed out in past reviews i grew up with simulator games like the Wing Commander Saga, Star Wars (X-Wing, Tie Fighter) and countless others and so i was somewhat disappointed when at the turn of the century this game genre was all but abandoned by all the leading studios. However, this all belongs in the past now so lately I've been doing my best to keep up with most available space and flight simulator titles, not just because I'm excited to see what they bring to the table in terms of immersion and graphics but also because i can test certain peripherals with them, peripherals like the award winning HOTAS Warthog Dual-Throttle Joystick by Thrustmaster.

   A designer and manufacturer of interactive entertainment equipment and accessories, listed on the stock market since 1998 and a major player in the market since 1984, Guillemot Corporation (€60.9 million in 2019) focuses its activities on its two flagship brands: Hercules for the digital hardware and peripherals segment and Thrustmaster for PC and console gaming accessories. The Group is currently present in eleven countries, including France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, Canada, Italy, Belgium, China, Hong Kong and Romania, and distributes its products in more than one hundred countries worldwide, with the aim of offering high-performance and user-friendly products to maximize user satisfaction with interactive digital entertainment.

   Thrustmaster released the HOTAS Warthog back in 2010 and even though it's undergone numerous upgrades (both hardware and software related) over the years it's still roughly 12 years old. This however is far from your average HOTAS, Thrustmaster actually got approval from the U.S Airforce to copy the one used in their A-10 Thunderbolt II (AKA Warthog, created by Fairchild Republic Co. and released back in 1975 - A10C version was introduced in 2007) low-altitude close air support aircraft. So just what exactly does the HOTA Warthog bring to the table? Well aside the solid metal construction (which applies for over 90% of the entire unit) and of course its 100% realistic design the HOTAS Warthog sports a stick (5 coil spring system) complete with a dual throttle (two motors - can be used together or independent of one another) and a grand total of 55 buttons and switches (19 on the stick and 36 on the throttle - 51 programmable ones). In terms of technologies used Thrustmaster uses a 16-bit resolution (65536 x 65536 values) 3D magnetic sensor technology called H.E.A.R.T (Hall Effect AccuRate Technology - US Patent: US08471815) for both the stick (which always according to them ensures surgical precision that won’t decrease over time since it doesn't use gimbals/cardan joints) and the dual-throttle (14-bit resolution - 16384 values on each throttle). Finally with the help of their T.A.R.G.E.T (Thrustmaster Advanced pRogramming Graphical EdiTor) software suite end users can easily configure their HOTAS Warthog for use in simulators (either via new presets or Thrustmaster provided ones). Well, it's taken me almost 12 years to get my hands on the HOTAS Warthog so let's see what it's capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Thrustmaster uses a large box to ship the HOTAS Warthog in which as expected has a large product picture at the front right next to its main features.

The stick and the throttle are both detailed on the left and right sides of the box.

Moving at the rear we find the features list printed in 10 languages.

Each of the two pieces of the HOTAS Warthog is placed in its own cardboard box.

The bundle is somewhat standard so aside the grip and base of the stick and the dual-throttle the box also contains an Allen key, assembly information paper, software information paper and the user manual.

THE HOTAS WARTHOG STICK

The HOTAS Warthog was probably the 1st of its kind to come with the base and the grip of the stick detached so obviously you will need to attach these two before using it.

Thrustmaster has used a heavy metal plate (over 3Kg total weight) for the base of the stick (231mm in length and 272mm in width) on which they clearly state that this is a replica of the A-10C HOTAS.

Aside the 3D magnetic technology the base of the stick uses a 5 coil spring system for increased realism.

As you can all see the plate sits on 4 rubber feet which unfortunately come off quite easily (suggest using stronger glue if you encounter it as well).

The A-10C grip is made out of metal almost entirely (most buttons are made out of plastic).

To attach the grip onto the base just put it on and turn the grey piece clockwise.

As mentioned earlier the stick has a total of 19 buttons and switches starting with the forward metal dual trigger and a left side push button/switch.

At the top we find another push button, 8-way “point of view” hat, two 8-way hats and a single 4-way hat with another push button.

Another push button is located on the right top of the stick whereas at the base we find two pinkie push buttons (one has a paddle addon in front of it).

THE HOTAS WARTHOG DUAL THROTTLE

The dual-throttle piece is also primarily made out of metal, weighs just over 3Kg and measures 154mm in length and 269mm in width.

Thrustmaster also states that this is a replica of the A-10C HOTAS and also has a small piece of metal with a member ID on it.

At the rear end of the dual-throttle base we find three metal switches and a button.

On the right side we find another button right next to yet another switch and the throttle friction control.

Moving forward we find 4 extra switches and a friction intensity roller.

A metal switch with a plastic top is located on the left side of the base.

As for the dual-throttle pieces themselves the left piece has a single switch on the left side whereas the right piece has a 4-way hat with push button and 3 metal switches with plastic and metal covers.

Moving at the front the left piece has a push button and the locking system while the right side has a mouse hat with push button and 3D magnetic sensor, push button and an 8-way hat.

The locking mechanism can come in handy in scenarios where you need to use but one of the engines (the A-10C can effectively fly with just one if its two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans - not all aircraft can however).

It's no secret that to date my favourite HOTAS has been the X-65F by Saitek so i thought it would be nice to compare its size to that of the HOTAS Warthog.

TARGET COMMAND CENTER

For more control over your HOTAS Warthog you can download the TARGET command center from the official Thrustmaster product page.

The TARGET command center is easy to use, on the right you see the installed peripherals while on the left you can access various manuals and choose between the stock preset or one of the available ones.

If you access the Thrustmaster support page there are extra presets available like the one i picked for Star Citizen.

There's also a handy device analyser present which helps you check the state of the HOTAS Warthog.

Worth pointing out is that this software also allows you to change the intensity of the LEDs found on the base of the dual throttle.

Here you can see the minimum and maximum states.

The HOTAS Warthog was tested for a total of 2 months with game titles like Star Wars Squadrons, Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen and DCS.

CONCLUSION

   When Thrustmaster released the HOTAS Warthog flight and space simulators had already begun to fade from the market and so at the time i wasn't particularly interested in that genre (remember, it wasn't until 2 years later that Star Citizen was even announced). On top of that i was very surprised to see that Thrustmaster made a replica of the HOTAS used in the A-10C Thunderbolt II/Warthog. I don't know if this was due to the fact that the A-10C was scheduled to be retired soon afterwards (i think some are still in service however even today) but a replica of the HOTAS used in the F-16 Falcon or the F/A-18 would had made much more sense to me. Still even though the A-10 was never a multi-role fighter aircraft like the F-16 Falcon and the F/A-18 Hornet (meaning it was never quite as popular among flight simulator fans) having taken part in numerous operations in its life (with Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom being the ones that stand out), not to mention movies like Transformers, it's clear that even if you didn't know its designation you had certainly seen it more than once. Also, Thrustmaster did make add-on grips based on both the F-16C and the F/A-18C models later on so i really have no complaints in that regard (aside the extra cost of acquiring one that is). What about the HOTAS Warthog however? Well, as expected build quality is excellent across the board as is accuracy so I don’t have much to add here. The number of available buttons and switches is also something that will not let you down, quite the opposite really since they are too much for most games (by the way, the mouse hat with magnetic sensor located on the dual throttle is very useful since it helps you look inside the cockpit of some games). Yes, since Thrustmaster decided to go the extra mile in terms of realism the stick requires more force to move (at least initially) than most other models out in the market but that’s something you get used to quite fast. You may also need to spend some time configuring the throttle for use in some games (for example in Star Wars Squadrons it didn’t work for me by default) but again, that’s normal when it comes to such complex models. My sole issue with the HOTAS Warthog is the lack of yaw (side to side) functionality/motion since I happen to use that quite a bit when playing flight and space simulators. The good news is that I do have flight pedals here but that doesn’t mean everyone has and yes even though I do realize that the HOTAS Warthog is quite expensive and thus getting pedals as well is the obvious thing to do again I do think Thrustmaster should had implemented an alternative, at least for not very demanding gamers.

   The Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog was always a rather expensive joystick and with a current price tag set at USD549.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 398.96Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) it still is (to be fair everything costs more right now due to inflation hitting most countries). The good news is that as opposed to the past today there are many more HOTAS solutions in the market, still there are all by companies that are nowhere near as popular and established as Thrustmaster. On top of that not having gotten my hands on them still means I don’t know how they compare to the HOTAS Warthog (which is why I can’t comment on that). What I do know is that the HOTAS Warthog by Thrustmaster (at least in its current version) is the best device of its kind I’ve used to date and even though clearly not perfect it still deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Metal Parts)
- Accuracy (3D Magnetic Sensors / 5 Coil Spring System)
- HOTAS Replica (Thunderbolt II / Warthog)
- Dual Throttle (Single / Dual Functionality)
- Available Switches & Buttons
- LED Illumination (Dual Throttle Base)
- Available Grips (Falcon / Viper & Hornet)
- TARGET Software

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Lack Of Yaw Motion