HOSAS (two sticks): from what I imagine, it's both the most accurate control system for the ship, and the one with the worst learning curve.
Also, does it really improve comfort / ship control for flight ? My worry here is, how does the T16000m HOTAS fare ? I read it's been designed with Elite in mind, but how much more practical / comfortable is it compared to controling the ship's computer with the keyboard ? I'm expecting a learning curve, and that's fine, but if it really is an improvement. HOTAS : Slightly higer cost, but if it's worth it, I'm go. Seems a good option, but maybe there are drawbacks I can not foresee ? On a pure ergonomic point of view, it would leave both hands at a different height, which *may* cause shoulders / backpains during long play sessions, but the right hand's position would probably be more natural and less painful after a while. It leaves the ship computer control to the keyboard, while allowing for theoretically more precise directional control of the flight. Stick + keyboard : Minimal investment here, that's a plus. So, it's not about the most competitive setup for PvP, but about the most comfortable and pleasant setup for casually cruising the galaxy and evading or taking down the occasionnal threat. Now, I'd like your opinions, considering I'm mostly going to explore, trade, mine a bit, and only fight if I must. The basis is that I'd go gor a Thrustmaster T16000m, as it seems fairly good for its price, and I don't intend to invest zillions either. For all its flaws, the Evochron series absolutely nailed the newtonian flight, which I haven't relly been able to enjoy so far in Elite because keyboard + mouse do not allow for a fine enough tuning of the directional thrusters to stabilise the ship manually, at least in my experience.
20 years playing with a keyboard and mouse have started to taking a toll on my joints ^^' Also also, I'd like to fly without flight control, to experience newtonian flight and real space feeling. So far, mouse and keyboard have been quite serviceable, but I'm thinking that, for the sake of immersion and comfort, something else might be better. I'm considering buying some hardware for this game.