Thrustmaster T16000M FCS HOTAS Review

I’m OllieBeanz from I Freaking Love This and today we’re going to be looking at the Thrustmaster T16000M FCS HOTAS.

I have over 4,000 hours logged in Elite Dangerous, let alone the other flight sims I play like Microsoft Flight Simulator, War Thunder, Star Citizen, etc..

I also own a freakin lot of HOTAS sets. I own this T16000m FCS set, an X52, an x56, the Thrustmaster t.fight and the Logitech 3d pro. The T16000m is by far my favorite of the bunch.

This isn’t going to be a comparison video, but I will be using the other HOTAS sets to showcase the quality of the FCS set.

So let’s get right into the Thrustmaster T16000m FCS HOTAS Review.

T16000M FCS HOTAS Specs:

Joystick

• T.16000M FCS flight stick employ H.E.A.R.T HallEffect AccuRate Technology™ for 16-bit resolution (i.e. 16000 x 16000 values). This is the exact same tech used in the much more expensive Thrustmaster Warthog.
• Magnets ensure friction-free action for razor-sharp precision that won’t decrease over time
• Fully ambidextrous joystick!
• 3 removable components allow the joystick to be perfectly tailored for left-handed or right-handed use
• Piloting with a joystick in each hand is now possible in all games compatible with two joysticks
• 16 action buttons with “braille”-style bumps to easily be found while in game.
• 12 on the base and 4 on the stick + one 8-way Point of View hat switch
• 4 independent axes, including twist rudder (controlled by rotating the stick)
• Ergonomic trigger for brake (civilian flight) or rapid fire (military flight, space simulation) control
• Multidirectional hat switch (for panoramic view)
• Ergonomic design for optimum comfort
• Wide hand rest for reduced stress
• Weighted base for enhanced stability

Throttle

• 14 buttons
• one 8-way-PoV hat switch
• In total, this provides gamers with 9 axes, 30 buttons and two 8-way PoVs – plus 3 extra axes via the optional TFRP rudder*.

The TWCS throttle features 5 axes and a rear RJ12 connector offering 3 additional axes via the external optional TFRP rudder* from Thrustmaster’s flight product ecosystem.

S.M.A.R.T technology: unique system of slide rails for perfectly smooth throttle sliding motion and precision 5 (+3) axes: 1 throttle (16-bit = 65635 values) + 2-axis mini-stick + 1 toggle rudder + 1 rotary antenna + connector for optional external 3-axis TFRP rudder (1024 values per axis) 14 action buttons + 8-way PoV hat: two 4-way switches + 3 buttons + one 2-position slider + 1 push mini-stick + one 8-way Point of View hat switch

My Thoughts on the T16000M FCS HOTAS

Joystick

So let’s get right into the Thrustmaster T1600M FCS HOTAS review.

Alright, let’s go right into what I love about the T1600M FCS HOTAS. I’m just going to call it the T16000M for the duration of this review, because the full thing is a mouthful. And so one thing is the hall. effects sensors that it uses in the joysticks specifically, and that uses heart, which is Hall Effect AccuRate Technology. And that’s 16 bit resolution. So that means it’s 16,000 by 16,000 values across the axis now this is the exact same tech that’s used in the much more expensive Thrustmaster Warthog, which is you know, really that top tier outside of, you know, companies like Virpil. It also uses magnets in the joystick with the hall sensors there. And so what that does is make sure there’s no friction there, which really leads to the longevity of the joystick, and that’s why it’s outlasted all the other hostesses I showed you at the beginning of the video. The joysticks also fully ambidextrous, meaning you can move the hand rest to different sides so that way it’s good for right handed as well as left handed users and in what’s really made the T16000M joystick by itself one of the most popular joystick for dual joystick setups. That’s not how I use it personally.

The joystick alone also has 16 action buttons that have little Braille Like bumps on them. And that allows you to really sense where those buttons are without needing to take your head out of the game.

T16000M FCS 16 Buttons on Joystick

There’s also four independent axes, including the twist rudder, which is the Z axes on the stick.

There’s a multi directional hat switch on the top of the joystick, and that allows for if you want to do POV so for example, you want to look around your cockpit and you don’t have VR, you don’t have a head tracker, you can use that eight point to actually get a good look all around the ship without being limited to four axes.

T16000M FCS POV on Joystick

It has a nice ergonomic design, right. It really feels good in the hand. It’s smaller. You can see from the other HOTASs I showed you that the T16000M both in the joystick and the throttle are much smaller than especially the X56. But this actually makes it a lot more comfortable to use. I don’t have the largest hands out there. And so for me, it’s an ideal size.

The wide hand rest also really adds to that comfort, so that way you’re not holding up your hand when you’re not moving the joystick actively you actually have somewhere to rest And that that really helps for a long long nights of playing.

T16000M FCS Hand Rest

Despite being small and looking a little bit more toy like then things like the X52 and especially the X56 it does have a significantly weighted base so it’s not going to move around a lot.

T16000M FCS Weighted Base

Throttle

The throttle of the T16000M is another great piece of kit within this HOTAS set. The throttle alone has 14 action buttons.

TWCS Throttle 14 Buttons

It has a one eight way point of view hat switch similar to what’s on the top of the joystick.

TWCS Throttle 8 Way POV

It also has 2x four way hat switches on the throttle underneath the POV and then it also has an analog joystick for the at the front end of the throttle what will be the back when you’re using it where your fingers rest and I use that for my thrusters in Elite Dangerous.

TWCS Throttle 4 Way Hats

TWCS Throttle Analog Stick

On the back of the TWCS, which is what Thrustmaster calls the throttle in the FCS HOTAS kit. It has a RJ12 connector where the rudder pedals connect. The rudder pedals are great for games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, but personally for games like Elite Dangerous, they’re not as responsive as using the z axis. I personally don’t use it that often. I haven’t included this in this review because it’s not really a fair comparison to the rest of the HOTASs that don’t come with a pedal option.

FCS_PEDALS

The smart technology on the rails that are used in the TWCS throttle, which again is the throttle that comes with the FCS HOTAS set slides on these two rails and it’s a linear slide. That’s probably my only qualm about this throttle is that it doesn’t have the arc like the X56 does, and it doesn’t have any detents like the X52 does. And so there is a mod that you can 3d print and I’ll include that link below as well and I’ll get into that more in a little bit later, where you can add a magnetic detent which works great for me. I love having that mod in there.

TWCS Throttle SMART RAILS

So the throttle has plenty of buttons. Great motion, great durability and lots of buttons and axis for all your bindings, especially for those space sims that really require a lot of axis for that six degrees of freedom.

HOTAS Durability

Let’s talk about the durability of the T16000M set. I’ve had my set for about over three years now, and I haven’t had any issues with it besides needing to lube up the throttle with some Nyogel 767A, and this is really the best stuff I’ve found so far. It’s safe on the plastic parts, as well as the metal parts, which is important when you’re looking for some lubrication for that throttle, especially on those slides on those rails. And I’ll put a link to this in the description below. Besides some cleaning on the inside and outside. I haven’t had any issues. It’s been going strong, as opposed to with the X52 and the X56. I’ve had to RMA those each a couple of times. Now the ones I have now are working better  and I do think that some of that was due to madcatz producing them at the time. And I think some of those issues are fixed with the Logitech editions. Now, I still trust the Thrustmaster name much more. So especially because I haven’t had to do anything. I haven’t had to call them for support, I haven’t had to send it back to get a new one. But thrustmaster does have great support. So if you do have any issues with yours, you know, there’s always going to be some unlucky ones, they will take care of you.

Center Detent MOD

Let’s talk about that center detent again, or lack thereof.  I’m going to link below to PRUSAprinters.org. And there’s a link there where for any of you guys that have 3d printers, or there’s plenty of places where you can outsource that stuff, you can get a two parts mod that goes inside the throttle , really easy to install. And what that adds it adds to one magnet on each part that when they come together creates a slight center detent there and of course depending on the strength of the magnets that you choose to put in there, you can adjust that to your needs as well. And that’s really the only Negative I have about this setup is the lack of a center detent. This mod is a quick, cheap and easy way to fix that.

Room to Upgrade

Another thing I love about the T16000M set is that they’re independent of each other. Each one has its own dedicated USB cable, similar to the X56. And so what this allows you to do, is say you really liked the throttle, but you want to upgrade to a Warthog or a VIRPIL or any of those really, you know, super expensive flight sim joysticks, you can do that with this HOTAS. With the X52 or the T flight you can’t. And so this flexibility really is another great reason to love it. 

HOTAS Feel and Performance

I’m going to take a moment to talk about really whats the most important thing with a HOTAS setup is is how it feels when you’re using it in game. When I was using the X52 and the X56 and the T flight even, I wasn’t landing shots as consistent especially in Elite Dangerous, especially with things like fixed weapons, like plasma accelerators. With the T16000M even though it did take some adjustments to get used to, you know, on the sensitivity and things of that nature, it was a much more fluid motion, I could more accurately hit shots. And I think that’s because of the type of sensors that the T16000M uses. Again, it’s the same sensors that are in that greatly more expensive Warthog setup, you’re going to have that same type of responsiveness in the joystick itself, which is clutch for hitting shots with fixed weapons in games like Elite.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Thrustmaster T16000M FCS HOTAS is on the list of things I freaking love as compared to the rest of the HOTAS’s that I showed you, because of durability and performance. I’ve put this thing through its paces, like I said with over 4,000 hours in Elite Dangerous alone, and it’s never let me down. The X52 and the X56 are still great choices especially now that Logitech has started producing them. And the X52 is actually what the ship models in game for Elite Dangerous are based off of the actual controls within the ship I should say not the ship models and the X56 is a great looking set. It feels sturdy and it feels great in your hand. But I’ve got to put the win to the T16000M FCS HOTAS by Thrustmaster because of durability and functionality, I’m going to be including links to the Thrustmaster T16000M FCS HOTAS set with the rudder pedals because it’s worth it for the price that you pay to get the pedals on top to be able to use them, in the links down below. I’m also going to put links to all the other HOTAS that I showed you at the beginning of the video as well as that Nyogel I used to keep the throttle nice and loose. I’m also going to be posted a link down below to my twitch I’m OllieBeanz on Twitch I stream three times a week on Tuesdays Thursdays and Fridays. Best thing to do is give it a follow again I’m gonna throw that link down below and you’ll be notified when I go live. Feel free to come by and ask me any questions about the videos that I do or just bust b@ll$ while I game.

If you found this review helpful and it made you make a decision on whether to get or not get the T 16,000. m, I’d appreciate it like on the video maybe even hit that subscribe and that bell to be notified when I get new content. I’m OllieBeanz for I Freaking Love This. I’ll see you in the next video be good to each other.

Links to Products in this Thrustmaster T16000M FCS HOTAS Review:

T16000M FCS HOTAS: https://amzn.to/3mkQoiI

T16000M FCS HOTAS w/ Pedals: https://amzn.to/3bXnsII

Thrustmaster T-Flight: https://amzn.to/3kfZvPV

Logitech X52 Pro: https://amzn.to/3hwAWfQ

Logitech X56: https://amzn.to/35FKsuL

Nyogel 767A Lube: https://amzn.to/3mfUd8O

3D Print Mod for Throttle Center Detent: https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/31219-magnetic-center-detente-for-thrustmaster-t16000m-t

Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you use them. However, I only recommend things I personally use.