I was looking for a pair of sticks to use in a space sim (Star Citizen), and wanted ambidexterous ones which wouldn't break the bank. I ended up getting a couple Turtle Beach VelocityOne FlightSticks. They have contactless sensors on the main axes (X & Z), twist rudder (which can be disabled), plenty of buttons, and two throttle sliders. They're fully ambidexterous and programmable. You can find them on sale (Amazon) for about $100 (US) each, or less than that if you buy them open box (eBay?). The only minor issue is that the travel is stiff through the center point until they get broken in a bit. The good thing is it takes very little time to break them in. Then, they're SMOOOOOOOTH. They're great if you want to use them for the long term, or if you just want something you can use for a while then pass along to your kids, to get them into the flight sim habit...err...hobby.
If you want to go more hardcore, Turtle Beach has a "FlightDeck" (HOTAS), a "Universal Flight Control System" (yoke & throttle quadrant, for you P-38 and bomber pilots), and rudder pedals. However, each of those is more expensive than the FlightSticks, as you can imagine.
I hope this helps someone fly without having to take out a second mortgage. 😉
-Irish
