CONCLUSION

   We started our tests with Star Citizen since Chris Roberts vision is something that no one has ever attempted in the past and although it's still far from perfect/complete in all aspects from system requirements to graphics and controls it's still a lot more promising than anything else currently available. The good news is that although still in Alpha status it supports the X-55 Rhino out of the box although the game lacks certain configuration settings which would make things even better for people with a HOTAS system. Then we moved to Elite Dangerous yet another massive space simulator which may not be on par with what Star Citizen aims to feature when ready but still can offer many hours of play and actually fully supports the X-55 Rhino since there's an available profile on the Saitek support page ready for use with this particular game. We wrapped our tests with The Battle for Sol a space simulator brought here by one of the other guys as a "gift" and although i can't even compare it to the other two it was surprisingly fun although i have to point out that it doesn't support the Dual Throttle of the X-55 Rhino (and you can't manually force it) a problem which i hope the developers can short out sooner rather than later (some buttons are also not recognized by default). During testing although the X-55 Rhino features 16-bit aileron and elevator axis we found that compared to the X-65F it wasn't as accurate and even with the tallest spring (green) the flight stick just feels too "light" at times (that could just be me however after using the X-65F for so long). The buttons and HAT switches are also not as good as the ones used in the X-65F but even so i doubt people will have problems with them especially since the X-52 Pro my brother uses counts over 5 years in his possession and still works as it did the first day he got it. Perhaps the most "radical" change we see with the X-55 Rhino compared to the X-65F however is the dual throttle since it features several toggle switches and a much softer stiffness system (this was the sole problem with the X-65F since even at the lowest level the throttle controls needed too much strength to move - you could tamper with it however). Saitek also offers detailed control software that allows you to adjust pretty much everything on both the flight stick and dual throttle (although it doesn't look that good i have to admit). Finally the two individual USB connectors is something we all hoped the X-65F featured so we were all glad Saitek added it to the X-55 Rhino. With this addition not only can you use just the flight stick alone or "pair" the dual throttle controls with another flight stick but you can also place both parts wherever you want without having to worry about the cable connecting them together.

   As we speak the X-55 Rhino HOTAS system by Saitek retails for just USD160 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 191.98Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) and since the top of the line X-65F is no longer in production this is the best HOTAS system currently available by Saitek. This of course is not a bad thing since getting a complete HOTAS system with so many buttons and features for way under USD200/200Euros is a bargain for gamers and regular consumers. However at the same time this leaves the really demanding flight simulator enthusiasts with two choices, the much more expensive Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS System or an equally expensive set of your choice by CH Products (the ones who started it all). In the end it all comes down to what you need and how much you can afford to spend on it to play your favorite games. The X-55 Rhino may not be perfect but it combines very good accuracy with an excellent dual throttle that has plenty of switches, buttons and dials for much less compared to the competition and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Spring System (4 Different Springs)
- Very Good Accuracy
- 16-Bit Axis
- Available Buttons
- Dual Throttle Stiffness
- Control Software
- Individual USB Connectors
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Not As Accurate As the X-65F
- Available Springs Don't Offer Much Resistance
- Not Supported By Every Game