thanks youtube recommendation for finally providing an honest (and actually the best) product review.. i was considering falling in the trap but after finally having actual footage with the problems (and more importantly some never ever mentioned) no possibility going for this one... amazing review!

I've had similar issues when I used the X55 for a while. Also, it seems to have been designed for someone with giant hands and excessively long fingers and thumbs. From what I can gather the same issue applies to the X56.

Bruh, Your rant is nearly exactly my situation. Bought from Amazon, specifically for their return policy. I can't stand the total lack of quality, and the ghosting....holy shit that drives me crazy!!

Thanks for sharing ! Nice and detail video!

I received mine around 4 months ago and so far it does what it is supposed to do. I love it.

Nice video and I sympathise. I owned an X36, then an X52. Gave the X52 to my son and bought myself an X56. It's been really disappointing. Throttle friction knob is broken. Put in a replacement request to Logitech in late March and I'm still awaiting the replacement unit - they keep having stock issues. Not good. In the meantime I've tried to make do with it but I get ghosting all the time on the switches. I've got it on a separate powered hub too - a good TP-Link 7 port powered USB3 hub. I then tried an Orico 7 port PCI-E USB3 powered card - same ghosting issue. Really annoying when you're flying an F-14 and the gear keeps popping down, flaps go down and the wing sweep activates automatically. Or you're on a bombing run in the F/A-18 and the gear comes down. Anyway I wish I never got rid of the old X36. If Logitech had replaced my unit quickly I'd be happy but it's been about 2 to 3 months for me so far - very frustrating. ETA for my replacement is late July. I'm considering opening mine up as I can solder and have a bunch of ferrite rings to try out as I have heard that the ghosting issue with the switches is caused by some sort of electrical interference which ferrite rings may help remedy... we'll see. I agree though, you shouldn't have to do that.

Thanks for the video, I'm looking to upgrade my setup and this HOTAS was among the candidates. As I see, it seems this unit has quite some problems. So I'd better look for something else.

it actually took quite some time for me to get the noise on the yaw axis, some never get it at all, but I think that´s the most common issue everyone gets

The sacrifice of one, saved hundreds. Thank you for your service, sir!

Hello, I've a Saitek X-56, same thing. I don't know why you are having so many problems but I didn't have any of them so far. About the software I'm not using it because I don't find it good except if you want to change the led colors. If the game let me use modifiers then I use the Mode switch as modifier otherwise no, that is the only thing doesn't work properly neither I spent time to use it. My thrust lever doesn't move by itself neither the stick when twisted makes such weird sound. About to apply lubricant I think is acceptable but after long time which is normal in all mechanical parts of every kind of product, for sure shouldn't come out already with such problem.

I can look past the squeaky but the friction joint on the throttle not being able to hold its own weight is a major issue. Throw in the key binding issue, I'm probably getting something else. Thanks Jell-o

I also made the same experience. Right after unboxing my X56 it had some issues with the self increasing throttle but furthermore some other problems, some buttons activated themselves only by moving the throttle. the x axis of the joystick had not the full range of movement. i hope the support of logitech will be responsive soon

Thanks for that video. Was about to "upgrade" to this model from a perfectly fine and working X52... Oh, and yes, the software is far from perfect. I prefer using an older version because it has fewer problems.

Brilliant review thanks! You speak great Ingrish!

Great, informative video. Thanks!!....

I totally agree. For the money I also expect a better product. I had a $89 Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and it lasted 10+ years. While I didn't have the out-of-the-box failures you report, I'm getting multiple button failures after about 2 years. A new problem that showed up recently is that all of the buttons on the stick fail intermitantly at the same time. It's getting to be unusable.

Nice review! Only thing missing is to say what model you moved onto.

Hey grate video I just buy my self one for Christmas and my pitch and Y-axses is not working I can’t pull nose of ship up or down and will return product soon and save money for Vriple and hope haven nice game enjoyment....

I must have been lucky because mine doesn't have the issues mentioned. But I have 3 different ones: - Throttle too stiff, even on lower tension settings. - Yaw is too stiff. Hard to do combined maneuvers. Cannot play with hat switches while YAWing because need a full grip to YAW. - Yaw calibrating is offset on the right. Cannot go full left. Could easily be fixed with software calibration, but somehow, there is no axis calibration for the X56 and neither in the app. or am I missing something?

Thank You So Much, i think I go with x52 pro

Just bought this. Will have to see if I have these issues or not

Thanks for the review. I was going to buy one. Now, I’ll look elsewhere.

Thats why I still have my X52pro... it has its issues too -, but it didnt cost 270 €. Logitech claimed to solved the Saitek problems on the X56 but its not the case as it seems, sad that they have an insufficient quality control.

omg wow, thanks, bud, for the review! Unacceptable awkward device! I almost bought this one but decided to buy Warthog (no regrets at all) and now really reliefed. Sorry for you ._.

To fix the ghosting you need to plug the joystick and Throttle into high-power USB ports, preferably each one into a different USB controller/hub, they are extremely power-hungry.

I just got the x56 for Xmas. All is good with the stock but the throttle keeps doing random commands. Ended up blowing up my ship twice in ED. It decided to boost me while I was going through the letter box and second time it turned off my shields and wouldn't let me turn them back on. I've had random galaxy map opening loads of times as well as trying to FSD jump randomly.

Mine will arrive tommorow, so will see if it has the same issues, tho the squeaking isnt really a problem for me since i wear noise cancelling headphones but the ghosting and throttle moving yeah thats gonna be a problem if it happens.

I will stick to my X52 Pro for now .. I did consider “Upgrading” to the X56 V2 but the shear amount of negative reviews/feedbacks on the X56 are insane!!

Self-moving throttle: did you try to increase the friction with the wheel on the left ?

Just bought this one on BRAZIL, after installing and using the first time. Same happen to me! Ah ouch, the Z axis of stick have a problem too, i have to make a HARD reset calibration to fix it. Z axis was not going totally to the left (rudder), only for the right. I`m sending it back to the reseller and getting my money back! And yes, the same problem with the throttle quadrant as you.

As I told you, very good that you pointed the issues that occurred with your units. Legitimate complaints. I do agree that after Logitech purchased the Saitek side of Mad Catz, they should also really update the product - and seems they didn't. I disagree with what you heard about Logitech support being "non existent". On the contrary. Logitech properly fulfills warranty issues. Just to point out. I have had four Saitek products: X45 - Worked ok for the casual use I had for it. Lasted for years. Nothing happened to it, but I actually threw it away when I got my next HOTAS (below) and saw the VAST (like day and night) difference in precision. X55 - Worked mechanically fine until it "end". After years of use, the LEDs on the stick started flickering when moved. Cosmetic issue if you ask me, especially since you don't look at your stick when actually playing. Nevertheless Logitech (back then only recently purchased Saitek from Mad Catz) did honor the warranty. Ah, also had ghosting issues (sometimes - but read about this below). I think (don't remember) I actually bought that also from Amazon but didn't contact Amazon but Logitech directly. So since X55 was off the shelves, it got replaced with... X56 - Also no mechanical issues. Best HOTAS for Elite Dangerous by far. I would miss the extra DoF if I had to change to something with less than the vast 13 (!) analog axis X56 has. Very soon though, a button stopped working. A really secondary button (the one called "D" behind the pinky). Fewer ghosting issues than X55 but still some (again, read below). Logitech AGAIN honored the warranty, although the problem was possibly fixable very easily, they replaced the whole stick. X56 #2 (just in different box, no Logitech logos yet) - No mechanical issues. Has a tiny bit larger "dead zones", nothing major. Again very few ghosting issues, UNTIL I discovered I really need a good powered USB hub. Then ghosting issues disappeared. BEWARE, proper USB power supply is critical (also critical for some large USB 3.0 disks that supposedly work with a single USB plug but actually cannot sometimes). Crappy no-name powered hubs, will not help. Even good brand motherboards sometimes fail to deliver proper amperage. Anyway, back to X56. The "better" hub also eliminated an issue I had with X56 #2. Sometimes I had to "factory reset" the sticks to reset the axis! I learned to do it with closed eyes and it happened, only when I unplugged them - also sometimes the whole computer would freeze all its USB ports when unplugging X56. Well it all was the hub's fault. Well... that X56 killed THE SAME BUTTON as the first! This time I didn't bother to call Logitech, it clearly was not the button's problem, but probably some cable. I opened it up (I understand this is not OK for most people) and indeed, Saitek/Mad Catz/Logitech chose a stupid path for that button's cabling, that stressed it and killed it. 5 minutes later I fixed it. X56 working properly since then. No weird sounds, no slipping, no ghosting, no button issues. I am not even considering another HOTAS at this time, until something new comes up that can really offer alternative to the huge collection of analog axis and buttons like X56 (and no, Warthog doesn't have enough - I actually counted them myself). As you can see my Saitek "path" is not full of roses, yet, it is manageable and all depends on how we deal with issues.

I was considering this one. The Thrustmaster 16000M HOTAS is the same damn way and I have had 2 of them. Started with moving without input on the stick and the second one the rudder is "stuck" in the starboard position. Why do we have to pay so damn much for quality these days? We should start a class action against these companies to try and up their game. I guess I will just wait on VKB Gunfighter II to go on sale and their TECS throttle system to finish development...Thanks for the heads up!

I'm here because I'm taking a second look at this controller after initially dismissing it from reading all the bad reviews. You probably should have also, but thanks for presenting a convincing reason not to buy one. The problem is there seems to be no middle ground in the range of controllers available. You either have cheap at a cheap price, cheap at an expensive price, and the premium sticks that not everyone can justify spending 4-600 bucks on for a hobby. I have kind of narrowed my choices to the Thrustmaster T160000 FCS, or the VKB gladiator stand alone. the FCS for 120 bucks, I can forgive some issues. But both have Hall sensor technology. I'm tired of replacing sticks because of crappy pots.

In your game controllers properties for the stick did your x y and z axises constantly move? Mine never stayed still.

It sucks that you had those issues. I hope you found something that you enjoy! My x56 has been OK so far. None of your 3 issues. I'm in my inital 2 weeks though. Trying to put it through its paces before I can't take it back. Seems great so far. I think I spent about 3 hours tuning Elite bindings.

I think you might have gotten a bad unit. I got my X56 about a year ago and never had any of the problems you mentioned. But I can only imagine how frustrating this must be. Logitech definitely needs to look into their quality control, I've heard of other people having similar problems, and the solution shouldn't be that the customer has to open up the stick and lube things up or resolder any wires. That being said, my X56 works pretty flawless. The stick has some wobble around the mid position and some buttons aren't great. But then again, it's way cheaper than a TM Warthog or like a VKB or Virpil stick. Hope you got yours returned / fixed.

Damn near bought this to 'upgrade' from my X52. saw this and other reviews, splurged a bit and i have a Winwing Orion 2 Hotas setup on the way, all up including shipping for LESS than the cost of a Thrustmaster Warthog, and it should be here Monday

My X52 (not pro) has always made the squeak sound, doesn't really bother me anymore. Also I may cancel my order for this product.

what do you recommend this ? or the X-52 pro?

Had zero issues bought refurbished from Amazon dead silent works flawless bad luck maybe? Or a rare shot of good for me.

Are you using a hub or are you plugged into the mobo? The throttle needs more power than a standard usb 3.0 hub can supply, and this leads to ghosting. Either get a powered hub or plug directly into the mobo. Logitech really should have made these self powered like the g27 wheel

I totally agreed with you.

I wish thrustmaster would revamp their product line, but the fact is their stuff just works and lasts when you're in t16000m territory and above.

No issues with mine at all, it works great and I've had it for a few years using it pretty much every day for a few hours at a time. There must be good and bad ones, luck of the draw I guess..... but it shouldn't be for the price. BTW, I did load mine up with Vaseline from when I got it new, before I even used it. Cheers

isnt there a friction adjustment on the bottom to fix that throttle drift?

Can you post a timelapse on how long it takes the throttle to drift to max

Thanks you

Anyone knows if the problems have been dealt with as of 2020?

I fell for it... Bought the thing, unboxed it and during my first test flight I was already having ghosting from 3 separate buttons as well as experiencing the rest of the problems described in the video. Fortunately I've ordered it through amazon too so refund is on the way.

you saved me a lot of money

Thank you!

I think that right now the best configuration for a 250 dollars hotas configuration is to take a VKB NXT Evo plus a throttle of your choice between the thrustmaster one or if you want to spend a little bit more buy the warthog throttle separately

Thanks for the info. I canceled to buy.

I read all the bad reviews and still got it. I made a huge mistake because the ghosting is really bad and throttle drift when I’m dogfighting in DCS. It’s unusable

About the problem with the throttle physically moving forward past a certain point: seems like you need to tighten that friction knob a bit, unless the friction knob is the actual problem

damn! I was about to buy this thing.

Found another video that said set the lighting to red11 rest 0 and that seemed to fix the ghost buttons but then the 0.0002$ China made yaw return spring broke. Bought another used stick and it has a won’t yaw to the left problem. Pretty junk.

I don't own this, but if this is anything like the Saitek predecessors, it's complete crap. My x55 pro has all the exact same problems. Never again. Thanks for the honest review. Currently thinking about VKB.

I had the throttle issue to and my friend has the exact same issue. I returned it and bought a Warthog for only a few bucks more. Best decision ever.

i wish i've known this sooner.

i was about to get one for elite but now thinking no arter your review. I have just sent my thrustmaster T.16000 back as it had problems. so what joystick set up should i go for any recommendations?

I guess they have left with a lot of spares from Mad Catz / Saitek product line they have to use

I got mine yesterday and it don't make any squeaky sounds at all... so not sure where he got his from...

Is every x56 has the same problems? VKB Joysticks are so expensive for me so I'm nott able to buy it. I just checked the Logitech G Saitek X52 Pro. Should I buy that or what do I need to prefer for Flying Simulator actually?

I purchased two of them from the pilots store two weeks ago. I was told by the pilots store that the item was on back order. May be they are fixing the problem or may be they are just having even more problems. I think I’m going to call. The pilots store and cancel my order. My son and I were going to use it for multiplayer video combat. I just can’t see paying even more, but I don’t want a $250 POS either. Thanks for the review shame on you Logitech!!!

VKB Gladiator NXT. My first joystick not made by a big brand and will never go back to logitech and thrustmaster. Ive got yokes and other joysticks and best quality came from my NXT pro. Paid about 185 for joystick only including shipping and tax.

These seem largely the same problems I was reading about in 2015 but for the X-55 and other high end hotas when I was hunting for a new stick after my trusty Saitek ST-200 went definetively kaputt. Both Saitek and Thrustmaster high end models seemed to be requiring new lubrication, often out of the box, which for those prices is bullshit. I ended up getting a CH Products set, they might be less fancy for a similar price (especially here in the EU, back in the day the price was still good enough now they are unfortunately expensive to the point they make Virpil and VKB seem like a steal) but they use solid lube-less designs and the software is excellent especially for someone like me that loves to indulge in old-ass DOS spacesims that often don't support more than two or four buttons without a dedicated profile. I sometimes think to upgrade to a Virpil set but it's been five years and my CH Products set works like new even after playing literally every space sim that came to my mind plus 600+hours of Elite: Dangerous. The analog ministicks galore the X-56 has was a response to the CH Products Pro Throttle that sold out incredibly fast when Elite: Dangerous came out because back then is was the only one with a real analog ministick instead of a "mouse nipple" which made it ideal for docking procedures and 6DOF movement in general.

You got a lemon bud...mine doesn't have a single problem...have had it for a year.

why didn't you lubricate it?

Thank you... Just droppped an order I made because of this video... ill spend a little extra for a better product.

I have this attached to my Surface Dock 2 which is connected to my Surface Book 2. I can say it ain't the best stick, but for its budget sadly the best I can get for 6DOF with a throttle. I also don't feel ghosting, probably because all my USB ports are powered. And before you rant on me. Normal USB ports are powered up to 0.5 amps at 5 volts. Some systems/motherboards have them to 2 amps at 5 volts. For some devices this makes a huge change. And the software, well, I only use it for RGB, Star Citizen supports the stick right out of the gate.

that has got to be the worst squeeking sound..lol that would drive me nuts, I am glad I settled for a 16000m until I figure out if I want to invest in something like a warthog

That is simply unacceptable, for a product of that price range. Thanks for the great and helpful video.

The basic design of the X55 is very old now an needs to be updated. I saw recently that its price has increased by from $350 when I bought mine to $450 in Australia. For that much money its way over priced. I never had any ghosting but the throttle friction problem where its either too stiff to move easily or falls under its own weight can't be solved because its inherent to the design that uses a very viscous gel between two plates that slide past each other. Wiping a small amount of gel from the bottom of the friction plates and then winding them closer together improves it mildly but its still there. I gave up and went Virpil for way more money but the device needs a redesign full stop. It uses high quality switches and works well for what it does but some simple changes to a normal friction system and better software would make it the best Hotas for the money. Logitech has no excuse not to this with their resources.

I've noticed similar problems with all commercial sticks to be honest. Logitech and my t16000m sticks are less than stellar. That's why I've ordered virpil. Hopefully much better. I was thoroughly disappointed in my t16000m dual sticks after people said they're great in that price range.

The only good part of this is the throttle, I wish you could buy it separately. But even the throttle isn't good for the price

Damn, I hope that these kind of things happens on just a few units because I wanted to buy one.. Should I buy a X52/X52 pro instead ?

Oh wow, this is utterly shameful. The self-increasing throttle is ridiculous!!

It is a pity. I like the lighting and buttons of this one and I can't buy it because of the quality issue. I hope Logitech sells an upgraded version of this.

Apart from those horrible issues, the stick is also incredibly un-ergonomic. It was designed from a product designer with a lot of LEDs in mind, but no idea of human anatomy

dang.. good thing i didn't buy it. just stuck with the logitech 3d extreme pro.. might get a throttle in the future

the lubrication is actually a reasonable thing for people to say, its not an idiotic thing to suggest, hence the squeaky rubber in the yaw of the stick, if you simply were to lubricate it with something like a lithium grease, it would be as quiet as a mouse

mine doesnt squeak like that which is wierd

Warning to potential buyers: I bought the x56 (against all recommendations) because I thought these issues would have been solved by now. Unfortunately I was wrong and I'm exeriencing all of the issues included in this video plus a few more: * Squeaky twist. * Yaw left NEVER reaches full yaw and it can be physically felt. Yaw right is fine. * Throttle physically moving to 100% on it's own. * Ghosting in full-powered ports. I was willing to overlook a few key issues but the missing twist range and physical throttle movement are more than enough to turn me off this product. I have returned mine and I highly suggest any potential buyers avoid this particular HOTAS. Get something like the Gladiator MKII + T16 throttle combo for around the same price. Hell, even an x52 would probably be better.

It if weren't for the problems, this would the greatest hotas for its price

Yikes... And here I was about to purchase this as a replacement for my cheap little joystick. It was this or the Logitech yoke but right now I have no idea what to buy as I'm going to guess they're both shite.

daaamn and I almost bought this model for ED

thank you, save me the aggravation

Wdym it’s legit awesome

Yes, but how much did you pay for it? 😀. Fantastic review. Looking to get a HOTAS. Do you have a recommendation?

Website I bought it from had mostly good reviews on it.

basically....if you want a HOTAS....you can either get a cheap one and feel the cheapness, or you have no choice but go to $500 for a Thrustmaster Warthog with Pedals. as you MUST have yaw for space flight.

get a vkb joystick it is amazing

Just go for the cheap Thrustmaster HOTAS One, it only cost $109

i just bought this setup last week.....i dont have any of these defects

Thank you. I dodged a ballet

Saved me $350Cdn Thanks

Issues such as described in this video should not exist within that products price range... could be happy with that thing and its issues if it was something like 50 euros. Reviews like this made me go with Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS. I mean, yeah it's not the best out there (Virpil bases *cough cough*) but so far I've had 0 issues with it. Throttle works as it should, no acceleration issues (I use it for Elite Dangerous). No ghosting on buttons, no lost keybinds (haven't used that TARGET that much yet), no wrong inputs... and no squeaks or any "cheap" sounds. Even the stick feels just perfect (being metal) in my hand and the tension is just right, tho I could imagine someone who's weak suffering from its "stiff" spring (very easy mods for that tho... few minutes worth your time with 0 engineering skills required). So yeah, good thing reviews like yours exist so us consumers can avoid certain unwanted issues and seek out items that will be just perfect for us!

Bought one and sold it for the same price on eBay a month later after annoyance… ikwym

same problems with x56