 So joysticks are a category of products that I haven't really gotten into much. The last time I bought one was back around the release of the first Hawks game, since I'm more into arcade flight than sim flight. Incidentally, it was a Satec Aviator 001, and it ended up being the main reason I didn't really get into that game, because it felt like such a shoddy piece of kit, compared to my old Thrustmaster Top Gun, the only other joystick I've ever owned, which I only actually replaced because it requires a game port. But, with Elite Dangerous being dangerously fun and Star Citizen coming, eventually, we hope, I felt like it was time to jump in and jump hard with the X55 Rhino, the top of the line flight sim accessory from Satec. Corsair's H80i GT and H100i GTX all-in-one liquid coolers improve both the appearance and cooling of your PC. Click my face to learn more. So let's get this out of the way. This puppy? Not cheap. It costs more than the Moto E 2nd Gen cell phone review that I'm working on. Well, it doesn't cost more than the review, it costs more than the phone, but you guys get the point. And while it certainly packs a wallop in terms of features, my initial impressions of it actually weren't entirely positive. Opening up the package, I was greeted by environmentally friendly paper-based packaging, the separate flight stick and throttle units that together make up the HOTAS, or Hands-On Throttle and Stickness, of the device, some documentation and three optional springs which combined with the one that comes pre-installed, and the option to go bareback gives the user the ability to adjust the tension of the stick to five different levels without any tools or special modifications. The stick assembly was easy, just pop it in place so the contacts line up and tighten the ring, plug in the two USB cables, install the software from the Satec site, and you're ready to rock. Sounds good so far Linus, what didn't you like? Well, honestly, the biggest thing is that for $200, I expected something a little more substantial feeling. I can forgive the noticeable clunk that exists when centering the stick thanks to the spring tensioning system, but the flex that even my weak hands can detect in the plastic of the stick shaft, and the sheer light-weightness of the unit just don't feel like I just spent $200 on something. Honestly, Satec probably could have impressed me by simply putting lead plates in the bottom of these because then at least I could actually use them at all without bolting them to my flight cockpit or desk, something that's not convenient for everyone. But, all of that above stuff was, for the most part, feelings, and looking at this objectively, I don't see any better options on the market at this price point with more premium feeling Hotas units like the Warthog from Thrustmaster costing about twice as much. So let's see if I can get over these feelings and appreciate the functionality of the X55 Rhino because, boy, does it ever have a lot of it. The software is a touch on the buggy side and crashes from time to time, even when doing something completely unrelated to the stick, like writing this review, but it never happened in-game and it's pretty easy to use, allowing everything from universal dead zone configuration and response curve adjustments to remapping buttons to macros that can include keyboard and mouse inputs on the aforementioned buttons. Did I mention buttons? Buttons. Buttons. Buttons. Button. Button. Buttons. Did I mention buttons? Let's start with the stick, excluding the twisty rudder control, something that I wish had a simple lock for games that don't support it, that would be nice, but including the four-way hat switch, this mama has 18 discrete inputs, about two-thirds of which I can reach without too much effort while flying in spite of my baby-sized hands and the decidedly grown man-sized stick they're trying desperately to handle. The sheer number of inputs combined with the good to excellent tactile feel of the switches across the board is a definite selling point of this stick. Even without the throttle, you can bind almost anything you'd need to do in an arcade-style game to the stick alone, which I guess leads us over to the throttle. My favorite piece of this product. Unlike the joystick, I didn't find the throttle's construction disappointing. If your air or spacecraft has separate engines on each side, the left and right portion of the throttle can be controlled independently or you can lock them together. The tension of the throttle can be adjusted via a dial on the side, and while it was too stiff out of the box, after about five minutes, I was able to get it configured just right for me. Which brings us to buttons again. O-M-G. Button. Button. Button. Buttons. Truthfully, I may have lost count at some point because with all the toggles and buttons, I counted 34 discrete inputs plus the five rotary inputs plus the three separate modes that can be accessed with the switch at the bottom left. I mean, landing gear, countermeasure, silent flight mode, seatbelt, no smoking light. If your craft has a function, the chances are excellent. You can find a button on the X55 to bind it to. Which leads pretty well into my general impressions of using the X55. As expected, without the stick or throttle bolted or stuck to anything, they slip all over the place. But once they're secured, boy is it a lot of fun to fly with this thing. It makes my aviator look like a toy, and once I'd quickly studied the default mappings for Elite Dangerous, had me pulling maneuvers I simply couldn't on my Top Gun, which I've actually since obtained a USB adapter for. Thanks to the nearly unlimited number of inputs that I could bind to, individual thrusters, energy rerouting, weapon systems, etc. etc. etc. I never once felt like accuracy was an issue during my use of the product, so I guess their 16-bit hoop-de-doo granularity on the X and Y axes is paying off. And the backlighting, particularly on the throttle where it's a bit more prominent, is a godsend when you're fumbling for a switch in the dark. So I guess it's conclusion time. For all my griping, the X55 is a really great choice for folks who are after bang for the buck. Most of what I didn't like was a minor annoyance, and I feel like all of the deficiencies I mentioned can be overcome one way or another. The included bolt-through holes on each unit allow it to be installed on a weighted base if you don't want to permanently mount it somewhere. The fact that I couldn't conveniently reach a lot of the buttons was overcome by the sheer number of them, and thankfully, if you're like me and you love one of the pieces but not the other, they each use a separate USB cable so you can mix and match with something else if you really want. Which leaves the one real criticism. For $200, I think the plastics in the stick especially should be heavier and more solid feeling, or Saytec should at least take advantage of the fact that it's removable and offer some alternative sticks for folks who have smaller hands, because I found this one a little on the uncomfortable side, or for folks who want something that feels more premium. But it's still a darn good value, if you get a good one, because many online accounts, while my unit had no issues, do point to the QC on it not being exactly perfect. Speaking of perfect, this is a perfect segue to audible.com, which of course it isn't, but don't worry about it, it wouldn't be the first time I screwed up a segue. They've got over 150,000 audiobooks, and with their audible membership, you get one audiobook per month with discounts on additional ones, as well as a slew of other benefits. But why would you want an audiobook, you might ask? Well, because maybe you want to, oh, I don't know, read, but you don't have the time to actually set aside and stare at a book, like if you're in the car, or you are a forklift driver, or you, you know, really, really hate, you know, dinner with your family, and they don't notice that you have like your headphones on or whatever. Anyway, the point is they've got all kinds of different audiobooks, even stuff that you can listen to with the kids, like Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. I had no idea they had that on there. The membership is affordable, and if you sign up now at audible.com slash Linus, which is linked in the video description, the first audiobook is 100% free. Cool beans. There are no beans, just audiobooks. So, guys, thanks for watching. Like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you thought it sucked, leave a comment on the Linus Tech Tips forum, which is linked below, if you'd like to, well, comment on the video, and you want to avoid the cesspool of YouTube comments. Also linked in the video description is a place where you can buy a cool t-shirt like this one. 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