No one plays Star Wars squadrons with Hotas Warthog joystick.
No one plays Star Wars squadrons with Hotas Warthog joystick.
It makes sense because your question hinges on your current setup and what matters most to you. Whether the HOTAS adds value depends on your preferred control method and priorities. I experienced more immersion with a T-Flight HOTAS One, but there were definite benefits to using kb+m. After upgrading to an X52 Pro for FS2020, I haven’t played Squadrons and don’t know its current player base. In short, spending over $240 on a peripheral for just one game isn’t usually worth it unless you’re testing it firsthand. If you haven’t used a joystick or HOTAS before, consider something simpler to see if it suits you.
If you're limited to Squadrons, the Warthog might not be the top choice. I'm sharing this perspective from someone who's using a customized Warthog setup for DCS and MSFS 2020. The main drawbacks are the buttons and triggers needing significant force to operate—they're built for sustained actions, not quick twitches. This could make your fingers uncomfortable if you try to fire rapidly. Many throttle switches are also permanent rather than momentary, so you have to press and release them in sequence for a full press/release. This isn't a problem in flight simulators, but it's less ideal for space simulations. For example, I'd rather play Elite Dangerous with a Thrustmaster T16000M kit than the Warthog for these reasons, even though it's more affordable. It still relies on hall effect sensors, maintaining decent precision.