Thrustmaster T.16000M – Hardware Review

Flight sticks or joysticks, these are things that might seem like items from the past but some brands are keeping them quite alive. Thrustmaster is known for creating flight sticks (and even replicas) that stand out from those typical old school sticks with only a few buttons. Today we have the chance to give you our opinion of the T.16000M a very affordable flight stick/joystick. Perhaps it’s time to grab onto our.. uhh.. joysticks?

Design

The overall design of the T.16000M is a tad more complex than the normal old-school joysticks. You’ll be presented with a simple looking control-stick that’s connected to a fairly large base. The stick itself has four buttons on top (one is actually a little joystick) and a trigger on the back side. You’ll notice some extra comfort features on the control stick itself.

Thrustmaster’s T.16000M’s base is quite simple looking. There are a few curves to make it more appealing but it still remains quite stylish and above all the device has a certain feel of ‘realism’ to it. That being said, the base has six buttons on each side, for those who’d rather switch from a right-handed playing style to a left-handed one. Last but not least, there’s a small slider on the front side of the base.

Subtle and stylish seem to be the keywords when describing the design of the T.16000M, seeing the device is all black, with a few silver-ish accents (the buttons) and some grey rubber pads on the stick. A job well done, when combining realism with an actual gaming device.

Comfort

As certain simulation games are quite time consuming it’s only natural that a joystick ought to be comfortable. As far as the T.16000M goes, the device proves to be extremely comfortable and it’s clear that Thrustmaster kept comfort in mind when designing the joystick.

For starters, the shape of the control-stick itself has been created in such a fashion that it feels normal to hold, especially with the curved shape. By adding rubber padding to the sides and a rest to put your thumb on creates even more comfort.

At the bottom of the control-stick there’s an extra piece of ‘plastic’ that serves as a palm rest. The placement of this ‘rest’ is just great. Even when you have smaller hands it still fits perfectly and it is certainly well appreciated during longer playing sessions.

Left-handed gamers can rejoice as well. You can add a thumb rest on the left side of the control-stick as well, as well as turning the bottom rest area for your palm around. You’ll need to unscrew the bottom, turn it around and then just tighten the screw again and you’re good to go. Simple to use and great comfort features for left-handed gamers as well.

Specs

• Adjustable stick (Designed for left- and right-handed players.)
• 16 action buttons
• Stick is able to rotate (left – right)
• Wide, weighted base
• Greater accuracy than other sticks (Coil spring on stick, H.E.A.R.T., 3D magnetic sensors, …)

Overview

After a keen eye for details and comfort, the specs ought to be decent as well to complete the whole package. Realism and sturdiness should not be underestimated when playing flight simulations games.

A very simple feature that the T.16000M might as well be one of the most important ones, namely the wide, weighted base of the device. When aiming for extra control during a flight simulation game there is nothing so annoying as having a flight stick that does not offer any kind of stability. The Weighted base makes sure the device stays put, even when applying a tad more pressure. This is not only comfortable but it will also result in more stability and precision when flying.

The button mapping on the control stick itself is quite decently placed. Everything is easy to reach and the trigger on the back is quite sensitive and thus it will respond accordingly. To get used to the button placement on the base it might be advised to place your hand in a more crooked angle, that aligns with the button placement. I you put your hand too straight it might cause you to press the wrong button from time to time but once you get the hang of it you’ll do just fine. Last but not least, the slider that is to represent your throttle is easy to use but it feels a tad lighter than the other, more sturdier buttons. That being said, it is still easy to precisely arrange the amount of power you wish to maintain or decrease/increase.

Another sign of quality, as well as sturdiness, is the fact that there is a bit of resistance on the control stick. This is thanks to the coil spring, which makes sure you will have to apply some pressure before you can actually move and thus you can arrange your movements more precisely. The T.16000M does its best to keep you on course and adjust slightly when needed, as well as go for a full 180 in more rapid games.

As for support, it often depends on the software itself. Some games simply don’t support the usage of a flight stick and some games instantly recognize devices such as this one. Whilst others allow you to remap buttons and thus allow you to use your stick when you desire to do so. Overall real simulation games often have support, whilst arcade games sadly sometimes lack the much appreciated support.

Conclusion

Thrustmaster shows us that joysticks/flight sticks are not dead. You’ll be able to enjoy your favorite simulation games with the T.16000M for a very affordable price. A great choice in the entry level class for those who are curious in trying out a device such as this one. This means with the Y-250CPX we have a pilot helmet and the T.16000M presents us with the gear to actually fly. Perhaps it’s time to start building your own cardboard airplane to spend some hours in.

ThaMofo

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