Switch to Mac: Virtual pilots and their HOTAS

Switch to Mac: Virtual pilots and their HOTAS

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href='http://www.imore.com/mac-switcher-virtual-pilots-and-their-hotas-0' title="Switch to Mac: Virtual pilots and their HOTAS"><img src='http://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/large_wm_brw/public/field/image/2015/04/mac-hotas-hero.jpg?itok=QRNoQRC4' />[/url]</p> <p class="intro">Fun for PC switchers in this week's Switch to Mac: How well do PC joysticks work on the Mac?</p> <p>Flight simulation has been a fascination of computer programmers since the earliest days of graphical user interfaces. Those invested in the hobby get expensive joysticks and throttle rigs — accessories that work just fine on the Mac.</p>  <div class="devicebox"> <h3>Switch to Mac</h3> <p>

</p> <p>Every week our Peter Cohen brings you Switch to Mac — a column to help you move from Windows PC to the Mac and OS X!</p> <ul><li>Read more about switching to Mac</li> </ul></div> <div> <style> <![CDATA[/* ><![CDATA[/* ><![CDATA[/* ><!]]]]]]><![CDATA[><![CDATA[>*/ /*--><!]]]]><![CDATA[>*/ /*--><!]]>*/ </style></div> <p>G.H. asks:</p>

<p>"I've had a Mac for a while now and the one thing I miss is Microsoft Flight Simulator. I've got all this gear in the closet I should just throw out."</p>

<p>Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) systems help put you in the pilot's seat of a simulator the way nothing else does, giving you an intuitive and realistic way of experiencing the joy of flight from your office desk.</p> <p>If you're coming from Windows, you might have spent hundreds on USB-based joysticks and other peripherals. USB is the key; it's a universal hardware interface that works great on the Mac. Software is a different story: Microsoft won't ever make a modern OS X version of Flight Simulator for Mac, and a lot of the games and commercial flight sims available don't run on OS X (or if they do, they don't run well).</p> <p>The Mac does sport some great flight sim software, though. Top of the heap is X-Plane, which has long had integrated HOTAS support.</p> <p>FlightGear for Mac OS X is a free, open-source flight sim. "AddOns" include multiuser racing tracks over places like Reno, Nevada and Narita, Japan. Lots of fun and challenge.</p> <p>You can find flight sims and games available in the Mac App Store, too, though support for sticks and other USB-based game controllers vary from app to app. In a rare turnabout from what I've said in the past, I'll actually encourage you to check out Mac App Store user comments, because it often comes up.</p> <p>If flight sims aren't your bag but instead you have a wheel and pedals you miss from your virtual driving days, make sure to check out Feral Interactive. They've got games like <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dirt-3-complete-edition/id910949621?mt=12&at=10l3Vy&ct=d_im" title="" rel="nofollow">Dirt 3 Complete Edition[/url], and they take game controller support seriously.</p> </div></div></div><img width='1' height='1' src='