Star Wars: Squadrons is the latest incentive for gamers to buy new peripheral controls to make flying easier and more immersive. Ace Combat 7 and Microsoft Flight Simulator both pushed sales for flight sticks and yokes, but Star Wars: Squadrons may just be the title that popularizes flight-oriented controllers even more. There are a lot of possible ways to control a starship in flight, though, and it seems that the game was mostly designed with console controllers in mind.
VR support for Star Wars: Squadrons complicates the picture even more, but we were able to test almost every possible control configuration to figure out which ones are the most effective, most immersive, and most practical. Buying an entirely new controller just to play one game certainly would reduce the value proposition of Squadrons‘ $40 price, especially since there are some worries that Squadrons will struggle to maintain an active community without regular updates, DLC, and microtransactions.
We had access to a HOTAS style flight stick, a suite of yoke, pedal, and throttle controls used for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a standard Xbox One controller, and a keyboard and mouse to play with. After quite some time with each, the pros and cons of every control scheme became apparent, but in the end, the final verdict may just be down to personal preference. None are perfect, and each one has at least one major benefit over the others.
Simply put, Star Wars: Squadrons is designed around playing with a controller. The vast majority of players, even on PC, plug an Xbox One or PlayStation controller in and fly with the intuitive setup provided in the standard orientation. Even the cockpits are designed with controller play in mind, down to the power level indicators corresponding to D-pad directions. For those used to playing with controllers, there is pretty good incentive to stay with the tried and true easiest option. At the very least, drifting is easier on a controller.
The major downside of the controller is that it doesn’t have as many buttons as other systems, making some more obscure but useful commands a hassle to input. On top of that, it just doesn’t provide the immersion that other controllers offer, which is a shame. Immersion is one of the major strong suits of Squadrons, with a detailed in-cockpit view and launch-day VR support evidence to that strength. For players who truly become hooked on feeling like they’re in the cockpit, a controller likely won’t be quite enough to satisfy.
At first blush, it might seem totally impractical and pointless to play any flight game with a keyboard and mouse. By most player’s experience and common sense, flight with a keyboard is typically clunky, uncomfortable, and impractical, but the mouse and keyboard in Squadrons is surprisingly effective. The keyboard commands are indeed clunky, but using the mouse to aim is extremely responsive and accurate. Players who prioritize winning in multiplayer over all else may find aiming with the mouse to be the key to victory.
The downsides of playing on the keyboard are its lack of immersion, much like console controllers, and the extra clunkiness that comes with controlling rolls, shields, engine speed, and all the other flight inputs on a keyboard can be pretty off-putting. It only takes a little getting used to though, and once players overcome that hurdle using the keyboard isn’t a setback at all. Still though, having the most precise aim isn’t everything, and other control schemes offer may a bit more fun.
Using a flight stick for Squadrons seems to combine the best of all worlds with negligible downsides. It provides great accuracy for competitive play with immersion only rivaled by a full flight rig. The general consensus seems to be that combining a flight stick with a VR headset is the absolute best way to play in Squadrons. The controls are relatively intuitive, in part because they match the cockpits of the fighters in-game, and the few downsides present are outweighed by the all-around mix of control, immersion, and fun-factor.
The challenge with flight sticks is mapping the right controls to the right buttons. Finding an effective way to control rolling may be difficult, and the complexities of power and shield management may take some ironing out. Once those details are in place though, it’s hard to identify any real disadvantages. It may not aim quite as well as a mouse, but it aims more finely than a controller or yoke, and it might not be quite as immersive as yoke and pedals, but pedals can be added to a flight stick setup and regardless, the difference in immersion is not all that great.
It’s hard to get more fun and immersion than from a full flight rig with yoke, pedals, throttle, and dashboard. Playing with a full setup involves using every limb to steer, manage power, and roll through the battlefield, requiring quick reflexes and strong muscle memory to control a starship as the action gets hectic. Every moment feels visceral, the player only half a step detached from the intense action on screen. However, the downsides of the yoke and pedal setup are more numerous than almost any other control scheme.
Using one’s whole body to fly feels great until it comes down to trying to use the feet to aim at a squirrelly foe. At the same time, many yokes don’t have enough buttons to have every action assigned to a convenient location, and having to fumble for the right switch when enemy missile lock is engaged may be immersive, but it is definitely not a combat advantage. The cost of a full flight rig just isn’t worth it when compared to the relative ease of access to decent flight sticks.
Ultimately, a full flight rig isn’t practical to buy for Squadrons unless the player already has one for other games. A good flight stick is probably the best bang for the buck when it comes to upgrading the flying experience, but there is nothing wrong with sticking to a standard console controller for more casual players. Aiming with the mouse might be an advantage in multiplayer, but plenty of players are just looking to have some fun zooming through the stars. No matter which controller setup is used though, Squadrons has proved to be one of the best Star Wars games yet.
Star Wars: Squadrons is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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