Yes, you could operate without a throttle and use only a joystick.
Yes, you could operate without a throttle and use only a joystick.
You can enjoy it with any controller setup you like, really. Someone on the RSI forum was using dual throttles recently. I prefer dual joysticks and don’t think I’ll switch back anytime soon. You can also combine joystick with keyboard, which works okay. However, the current controllers aren’t very advanced. Learning to play with a joystick feels much harder than using a mouse or kayboard. The main issue people are tackling for the past year is aiming weapons that spin with a mouse but not with a joystick. The usual fix is using bigger weapons without gimbals, though most still feel it’s insufficient. Some players adapt by holding the left hand for steering and the right for aiming with gimbals—a method I personally struggled with. TrackIR and VR headsets let you aim with your head while joysticking, which is handy when it functions, but it only works reliably in a few setups.