The US military uses Xbox controllers for some UAV's. Snobbery over input devices is counterproductive when someone is discussing accessibility.

It's not like the hotas joysticks represent typical airliner controls anyway.

It's just a game... and the console controllers have analog sticks and throttles, along with gyros and a dpad that could double as a hat switch. They're fine for casual sims and some prefer them :)

Certainly a lot more couch friendly than a hotas on your lap

A basic HOTAS (T.Flight HOTAS One) is 65$ USD right now at Best Buy and works with PC as well. Makes a huge difference for such a small price, but it's very entry level. I assume you know this already, so it's more of a PSA for anyone else reading the thread.

The one annoyance I have with Xbox Cloud is that fact that it won't pass through any controller that's not a standard one. Works with third party controllers just fine, but not a friggin' joystick, which has the exact same inputs, just mapped differently. I hate arbitrary limitations.

You are correct. You play minesweeper with a Navy requisitioned battleship. Currently it appears that the Sandown-class minehunter is the most recent model. Then you need to find a place with mines and probably right now the Black Sea is your best bet. Who play's minesweeper with a joystick. Or even a mouse?!

Unless you're doing aerobatics, an Xbox/PS controller is very much useable if you tweak your input curves just right (VERY non-linear) with maybe some smoothing.

People have figured out how to successfully dogfight in DCS with Xbox controllers. Microsoft spent millions engineering those controllers to the point you have to spend over double the price for a flight stick with comparable or better sensors and inputs.

Sure but it depends what you're after, in my case I was really just curious to play the game and take a look at the graphics etc. and this worked fine for me. Probably better than mouse and keyboard would anyway

Counterpoint: model plane controllers are a lot more like that Xbox controller than like either a keyboard + mouse or a full Thrustmaster setup.