Hi ICE
Money was not an issue I am just saying the sum of parts does not add up to the RRP for these products (Not just the WH). Essentially the manufacturers have the ability to set there profit margins sky high.
The MIL-SPEC term came more from talking to people on TS and forums over the years and was more their perceived interpretation of the marketing mumbo jumbo.
here’s an example of this sort of thing from the Logitech Site
MODERN, MILITARY-GRADE SIMULATION taken from their website.
Check white text in blue box https://gaming.logitech.com/en-au/product/x56-space-flight-vr-simulator-controller
Don’t get me wrong I would own a WH if I had of stayed with DCS for sure and even on the day I ordered the X56 it was still 50/50 with regards to which way I was going to go with the purchase. If CH had of updated the internals of their range they to may have been a contender.
Reading other posts on the forums and not just here on BMS it’s quite apparent that most people are associating ‘Best HOTAS’ with highest price point. I think the ‘Best HOTAS’ is one that bests suits your style of flying, your budget and your personal taste. For me similarity to the VIPER in switch layout was the more important than price point whilst for others I think there hardware is more of a trophy for them. Got to have the best of the best of the best and be better than the rest. This was something I have seen more often in the IL2 CLOD genre and not so much in BMS whilst some of the best BMS F4 pilots I know still fly with an X52 or even a 3dPro or combo of.
From a neutral stand point probably the most important thing for anyone to do is to sit down and decide what their priorities are with regards to a HOTAS. Things such as:
Price point;
Value for the money (Perceived and actual);
Switch layout;
Being the coolest kid on the block (Best of the Best mentality);
Public feedback;
Personal Preference for a specific brand;
Other games/simulations played with the HOTAS (Space Sims for example); and
Anything that anyone else may think of adding.
Honestly I don’t think you could wrong with your choice of HOTAS provided you have used due diligence in addressing all of the above points relative to yourself. It took me three months of go back and forth until I decided on the order that those priorities fell in for me at that time.
Your cost analysis is a really good way to look at value for money based on frequency of use and period of ownership vs usage etc and could be applied to all hardware items too.
cheers
Nudge