For years, I flew with my Saitek X55 Rhino HOTAS (Hands On Throttle and Stick). Saitek doesn’t even exist anymore. Now that Logitech owns the tech, I finally upgraded to the new Logitech G X56 HOTAS. My old setup worked, but there were a few reasons to upgrade. The new HOTAS is very familiar, but a worthy upgrade.
Upgrade from Saitek X55 to the Logitech X56 HOTAS
If I remember correctly, I bought my Saitek X55 HOTAS not long before Logitech purchased Saitek. Everything worked great, but Logitech decided not to support the set with new drivers or software. They ended up replacing it with their own branded version of the same hardware.
Besides the lack of future support, I dropped the joystick a few times over the years and broken a side button switch. Playing Battlefield 5, back then, I wondered why twisting for the rudder action would trigger the chase cam. I thought it was a bug, but then found the offending button and lack of bounce back.
The broken button switch no longer clicked, so the actual button constantly grazed the switch. When I’d twist the stick or move a certain way, it activated that button switch. I’m sure some solder and a replacement switch would fix that, but I don’t have that kind of time (or desire to tinker) anymore.
When I found out about Logitech’s spring sale, I pulled the trigger on the new Logitech G X56 HOTAS.
New Logitech G X56 H.O.T.A.S Style
The delivery of the new Logitech H.O.T.A.S was great timing as it arrived the same day as my new HOTAS desk mounts. I was happy I’d avoid mounting the old set, then having to swap out for the new set later. The style is very close to the old set, but there are obvious upgrades to the RGB lighting and the multi-directional switches.
What’s a bit disappointing is they software is almost identical the Saitek’s, but with a Logitech skin to it. I’m sure the software support for it is much better, but it was strange it wasn’t integrated directly into their Logitech G software (like my keyboard and wheel are).
The build appears very close to the same, but the Logitech G X56 HOTAS feel is sturdier. It feels better than my old one. There’s the same optional joystick springs to adjust tension, but he installed ones felt fine to me. I was able to get them to work well in the Crew 2 and MS Flight Simulator. The new set definitely felt like an upgrade.
Eventually I’ll reinstall Star Citizen to remap all those spaceship controls to test things even more. That game is likely to remain in development for years to come, but it’s still a fun test for HOTAS in the current form. I’m happy with the new Logitech G X56 H.O.T.A.S upgrade and now just need the free time to actually use them. The upgrade also has me tempted to buy the rudder pedals to really complete the sim controls.