If the small throttle of the HORI Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Flight Stick mars the realism for you, then you may want to check out Thrustmaster’s officially licensed alternative. Also designed for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, the T.FLIGHT HOTAS NEO Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Edition gives you a proper detachable throttle. Better yet, its plug-and-play compatibility and game-optimized control mapping let you dive straight into the aerial battles of Strangereal.
Thanks to the built-in vibration system, you can feel everything from missile launches and cannon fire to damage and intense in-flight acceleration, a.k.a. G-forces. The vibration feature only works on PlayStation 5 and PC, though. PlayStation 4 pilots will have to imagine their aircraft shaking itself apart.
Unlike HORI’s compact, all-in-one approach, the Thrustmaster T.FLIGHT HOTAS NEO provides a full-size throttle that can be detached from the joystick. Keep both sections connected for a compact and stable arrangement, or separate them for something closer to a cockpit layout. The stick resistance can also be adjusted to suit your preference.
Control comes through seven axes, 16 action buttons, a mini-stick, rapid-fire trigger, multidirectional hat switch, and a dedicated High-G Turn button. Its 16-bit resolution promises precise movement reproduction, while the Z-axis uses Thrustmaster’s contactless H.E.A.R.T. magnetic technology to reduce the risk of drift caused by mechanical wear.
That Z-axis lets you control the rudder by twisting the stick. Alternatively, you can use the dedicated tilting lever on the throttle, giving you two ways to make those finer directional adjustments without investing in actual rudder pedals.
Officially licensed for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the controller arrives with controls mapped specifically for the game. Plug it in, take off from the aircraft carrier, and start defending the fictional world of Strangereal before you have time to forget which button fires the missiles.
The Thrustmaster T.FLIGHT HOTAS NEO Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Edition costs US$149.99 and is available to pre-order, with release expected on October 2, 2026. At US$20 more than HORI’s offering, it buys you a proper detachable throttle and the opportunity to feel your poor aerial decisions through the palm of your hand.
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Images: Thrustmaster.
