The price of flight sticks is ridiculous right now, but 'Thrustmaster is in full production'

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Flight sticks are showing up online at nearly quadruple the price.

(Image credit: Future)

Update: Thrustmaster has got back to us about the situation and says that it has gone into full production to satisfy the currently inflated demand.

"Thrustmaster currently has limited stock but is in full production," a representative told us, "currently producing as many products as possible in order to satisfy demand."

Unfortunately that doesn't tell us when it went into full production, or quite how long it will be before we start to see new flight sticks actually arriving into retail at MSRP rather than the over-enthusiastic third-party pricing we've currently been lumbered with.

We still haven't heard a peep out of Logitech.

Original story: Recently, the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator rekindled interest in putting together home cockpits, and flight sticks quickly sold out from big online retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, and Amazon. Last week, the release of Star Wars Squadrons created another good reason to own a flight stick, and amateur starfighters began buying up the rest of the already short supply of flight sticks. 

As a result of the increased demand, desperate pilots have to pay astronomical prices just to secure themselves a flight stick and/or throttle. The Thrustmaster T16000M, for example, normally retails for around $60, but right now the only places that have it in stock are third-party retailers who are selling it for as high as $175 on Amazon. 

Some of the best joysticks out have been out of stock for months with no hint of replenishment. 

(Image credit: Future)

You could go the Ebay route for reasonably priced sticks so long as you can handle the pressure that comes with constantly being outbid. Right now, trying to buy a flight stick is a frustrating experience—especially if you're still licking your wounds after trying to hunt down an RTX 30-series cards. 

Jorge Jimenez
Jorge Jimenez
Hardware writer, Human Pop-Tart

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web.