Thrustmaster Boeing yoke for Xbox review: works right out of the box

This Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Boeing Edition is extremely well-suited for use with Microsoft Flight SimulatorOn the Xbox Series X. You can plug and play the Xbox Series X kit for $499.99, which comes with a throttle quadrant as well as a yoke. You can use the default settings right out of box. The console is equipped with high-end flight simulation peripherals such as rudder pedals or a second throttle. It is fully compatible with Windows PC.

Thrustmaster sent an early unit to Polygon late last week, and we’ve been putting it through its paces for a couple of days now. The centerpiece is the yoke itself, which works quite differently from others we’ve tried before. The traditional top-of the-line model, the Honeycomb Aeronautical Alpha, and the soon to be released Turtle Beach VelocityOne, relied on a shaft of steel that extends through the dashboard. The nose of the plane will drop if you push the yoke in; pull it back to raise the nose. Thrustmaster states that the TCA Yoke hinges and pivots. This mimics the floor-mounted TCA Yoke found on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Image: Thrustmaster

While I’ve never flown a jumbo jet in real life, the TCA Yoke feels great to use. The button layout is what makes the TCA Yoke so much more affordable than a real Boeing-made one. There’s even a little platform to rest your phone, tablet, or paper flight plan on. All the information you require to fly a plane are right there, just as on an Xbox controller. You can quickly learn how to use the controls.

Configuring a high-end controller correctly can be as difficult as an art. But Microsoft Flight SimulatorWhen the TCA Yoke is plugged in, it recognizes. Just connected the USB cable and I set up my first landing challenge. I adjusted the flaps, dropped gears, then pulled the throttles back. After many years of playing games that involved configurations, I was accustomed to this kind of work. Arma 3.And IL-2: SturmovicIt was amazing, it was simple.

Image: Thrustmaster

Thrustmaster

There are some quirks to the Xbox controller, I’m sure. To use the menus and interact with them, I need to still have the Xbox controller. Thrustmaster informs us that engineers are still working on configuration, and that this may change. The biggest problem I have is the fact that your rudder will not be able to move if you use the TCA Yoke with no pedals. It’s a bit touchy, if I’m being honest, and not my preferred way to fly — especially with a big airliner on final approach.

That’s where the device’s expandability comes into play.

Polygon received the TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition (499.99) which included the yoke as well as a separate throttle. This is officially known the TCA Quadrant Boeing Edition. The TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition ($499.99) also included a second throttle ($149.99), as well as a set TPR Pendular Rudder Peddles (roughly $600 on Amazon right now). The four devices are connected by a daisy chain, with the pedals connecting the the secondary throttle and secondary throttle to each other, while the primary connects to the yoke. There is only one USB cable to connect to the Xbox Series X.

It all works miraculously. It’s a testament to the rigorous design work done by Thrustmaster, which in turn is building on the solid foundation provided by the developers at Asobo Studio. It was created by the makers of Microsoft Flight Simulator have spent years now tinkering with their own in-studio cockpit built out of an old airplane, and it’s really beginning to pay off.

Image by Thrustmaster

This hardware option is expensive. You don’t need $1,250 to fly a plane with your Xbox. No. You can use the standard Xbox controller just fine. But before the Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Boeing Edition system, there simply weren’t any high-end options available for consoles. The result was that a PC is more costly than an Xbox. Microsoft Flight SimulatorThe new Thrustmaster System for Xbox Series X lowers the entry barrier for serious flight simulation to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Thrustmaster Yoke Pack Boeing Edition features the yoke as well as a single, stand-alone throttle quadrant. There’s also an add-on bracket for mounting the throttle on your desk. On Tuesday, November 9, the Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition will be available for pre-order at $499.99 You can preorder the standalone throttle for $149.99. The throttle does not include a bracket. The delivery is anticipated by Christmas. Both products are available for retail sale starting Dec. 23.

The yoke alone, which retails for $399.99, won’t be available until early next year. The TPR Pendular Rudder Pedals, which are also in limited supply, are selling at inflated online prices. Thrustmaster claims that this system can also be used with Thrustmaster TFRP pedals, which are currently a hot item. However, we have not been able to try them.

Thrustmaster provided final retail units for the Thrustmaster TCA Yokepack Boeing Edition, and the add-on throttle quadrant. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions on products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here