HOTAS & Joysticks

T.Flight HOTAS 4: Full Spec Breakdown Before You Buy

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The Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS 4 is a complete stick-and-throttle system built for PlayStation, with PC support included — and right now it's the only flight stick officially licensed for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PS5. Here's the full spec picture before you decide it's the right stick for your setup.

What's in the box

You get two physical pieces: the stick unit and a full-size, detachable throttle, connected together as a matched pair through a single USB cable. There's no separate throttle purchase required, unlike Thrustmaster's standalone PC sticks such as the T.16000M FCS, which ships without a throttle at all. The throttle detaches so you can run it on a desk or brace it against your leg, and its base is weighted to stay stable during flight rather than sliding around.

Full control layout

Per Thrustmaster's own specification sheet, the HOTAS 4 gives you 5 axes, 14 buttons, one rapid-fire trigger, and one multidirectional hat switch. Rudder input works two ways: twist the stick's handle, which has a lock so you can disable twist and rely on the lever instead, or use a separate progressive tilting lever built into the throttle. The stick's grip resistance is adjustable, so you can tune how much force it takes to move the stick to something that suits your hand and flying style.

Build and dimensions

The combined system weighs roughly 2,060 grams and measures around 35 x 20 x 23.5 cm, per retailer and manufacturer listings — sized for a real desk setup rather than a compact, travel-oriented stick. Thrustmaster builds in internal memory that saves your programmed button settings even when the stick is unplugged, so reconnecting it doesn't mean reconfiguring from scratch.

Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS 4

Platform licensing: the part that actually decides your purchase

This is the detail that matters most if you're comparing sticks across brands and models. The HOTAS 4 is officially licensed by Sony for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and it also connects to PC over the same USB connection. It is not licensed for Xbox — if you need a console stick for Xbox Series X|S, look at Thrustmaster's own T.Flight HOTAS One Xbox edition or Turtle Beach's VelocityOne HOTAS system instead, since neither the HOTAS 4 nor any PC-only Thrustmaster stick will be recognized by an Xbox console.

How it compares to Thrustmaster's other T.Flight sticks

Thrustmaster's T.Flight line has three relevant siblings to know about when you're comparing listings:

The T.Flight HOTAS X is the older, PC-only entry point: 5 axes, 12 programmable buttons, a detachable throttle, and fully plastic construction, connected through a single USB cable with no console licensing at all.

The T.Flight HOTAS One is the Xbox-licensed equivalent to the HOTAS 4 — 5 axes, 14 buttons, a rapid-fire trigger, and a hat switch, plus dedicated Guide/View/Menu buttons for navigating the Xbox console interface directly from the stick. Its control layout closely mirrors the HOTAS 4's, with Xbox licensing swapped in for PlayStation.

The T.Flight HOTAS 4 covers PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC from one physical unit, with the PS5 MSFS 2024 licensing that currently sets it apart from every other console-compatible stick.

If you own a PS5 or PS4 and want the stick to double as your PC controller too, the HOTAS 4 is the direct match. If your console is an Xbox, the HOTAS One is the equivalent product built for you instead — the two share a near-identical control layout, so the decision comes down entirely to which console you actually have.

Where it sits below the Warthog and T.16000M FCS

Compared to Thrustmaster's PC-only lineup — the twist-rudder T.16000M FCS and the metal-built HOTAS Warthog — the HOTAS 4 has fewer buttons and a fully plastic build. Those two PC sticks are aimed at simmers who want more mapped controls or heavier, longer-lasting construction and don't need console compatibility. The trade-off is straightforward: the HOTAS 4 buys you cross-platform reach (PS5, PS4, PC on one stick), while the PC-only sticks buy you more buttons, and in the Warthog's case, metal construction built for daily heavy use.

Setting it up

The HOTAS 4 is plug-and-play on both PlayStation and PC, with no driver install required for basic recognition. On PC, Thrustmaster's T.A.R.G.E.T. software lets you build named profiles per game. On PlayStation, button mapping happens inside each individual game's own control settings menu, since the console doesn't expose system-level remapping the way a PC does. Confirmed HOTAS-supporting titles include Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Ace Combat 7, War Thunder, and Star Wars Squadrons — always check a specific game's control options before assuming stick support, since some flight-adjacent titles don't build their control scheme around a HOTAS at all.

Why it isn't built around Hall-effect sensors like the Warthog

One spec worth flagging plainly: Thrustmaster's higher-end sticks, including the T.16000M FCS and the HOTAS Warthog, use the brand's H.E.A.R.T. Hall-effect sensor system, rated at high precision and built to resist wear over years of use. The HOTAS 4 is positioned and priced as a console-first, mainstream stick rather than a precision instrument for competitive simmers, so it doesn't carry that same sensor branding in its published spec sheet. In practical terms, that means it's tuned for reliable plug-and-play console play rather than for simmers chasing the last percentage point of input precision — a distinction worth knowing if you're comparing it directly against Thrustmaster's PC-focused sticks rather than against other console options.

A note on the Warthog name, if you're comparing tiers

If you go looking at Thrustmaster's lineup above the HOTAS 4, you'll run into the HOTAS Warthog, named after the U.S. Air Force's A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft — nicknamed "Warthog" by the pilots who fly it. It's built as a close replica of that aircraft's actual stick-and-throttle layout, with metal construction and independent dual throttle levers, and it sits well above the HOTAS 4 on both price and construction. It's also PC-only, with no PlayStation or Xbox licensing at all, so it isn't a direct competitor to the HOTAS 4 for console buyers — it's a separate tier aimed at PC simmers who want maximum durability and button count.

Mounting it for regular use

Because the throttle is designed to work loose on a lap as well as on a desk, plenty of casual buyers skip a mount entirely. If you're flying often enough to want the stick and throttle fixed in place through hard maneuvers, a clamp-on desk mount or chair-mounted arm stops both units from sliding — see the chair-mount guide linked below for what to look for in one.

Who should buy this stick

Buy the T.Flight HOTAS 4 if you're on PS5 or PS4 and want a stick that also works on PC, or if you specifically want to fly Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PS5 today, since it's currently the confirmed option for that combination. Skip it if you're Xbox-only (get the HOTAS One instead), or if you're PC-only and want more buttons and heavier build quality than this stick offers — the T.16000M FCS or HOTAS Warthog fit that case better.

A quick pre-purchase checklist

Before buying, confirm three things against your own setup: which console you actually own, since the HOTAS 4 is PlayStation-only and the near-identical HOTAS One is the Xbox equivalent; whether the specific game you want to fly lists HOTAS or flight-stick support in its own control menu, since hardware compatibility and in-game support are two separate things; and whether you expect to want more buttons or metal construction down the line, in which case it's worth knowing the T.16000M FCS and HOTAS Warthog exist as PC-only upgrade paths rather than assuming this is the only Thrustmaster stick available to you.

Who this page is for

Built for someone who already knows they want the T.Flight HOTAS 4 specifically, or is comparing it directly against Thrustmaster's other T.Flight models, and wants the full spec sheet before buying. For a shorter overview of the "HOTAS 4" name and how it fits against the wider lineup, see the HOTAS 4 page linked below.

Should you buy the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS 4 (PS5, PS4, PC)?

Verdict: Buy the T.Flight HOTAS 4 if you need one stick that works across PS5, PS4 and PC — it's currently the only officially licensed PS5 option for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Skip it if you're PC-only and want more buttons or metal construction; the T.16000M FCS or HOTAS Warthog serve that need better.

Who it suits: simmers who matched their platform and use-case against the specs above and want this exact model, not a lighter or heavier alternative.

Trade-off: this is one specific model in a wider lineup — check the "Related" links on this page if your platform or budget doesn't line up with what's described above.

Check the current price on Amazon: Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS 4 (PS5, PS4, PC)