Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS for Star Citizen

Dual sticks (HOSAS)

2 × T.16000MThe Space Sim Duo, or any two T.16000M FCS sticks. Left stick flies the ship, right stick points it.

Dual-stick setup ›

Stick and throttle (HOTAS)

T.16000M + TWCSThe T.16000M FCS HOTAS: stick in your right hand, TWCS throttle in your left.

HOTAS setup ›

Either way, TFRP rudder pedals are optional. Each setup has its own ready-to-fly profile, its own editable PDF form and its own generator below.

1. Set the hand switches

   Under each base is a LEFT HANDED / RIGHT HANDED switch for the 12 base buttons. Set the left stick to LEFT HANDED and the right stick to RIGHT HANDED, so buttons 5 to 10 sit on the inner side of both bases. If you like, move the left stick’s thumb rest and hand rest to their left-handed positions too (manual, steps 5 and 6).

2. Plug in, no software needed

   Windows installs the driver by itself, and both sticks show up as T.16000M in joy.cpl. Thrustmaster’s tip: plug in with the stick and twist centred and don’t touch them, so they calibrate cleanly. You don’t need T.A.R.G.E.T. for this profile; if it’s running it hides the real sticks behind one virtual device, so close it.

3. Copy and load the profile

   Put layout_AbsoluteGaming_T16000M_Dual.xml in …\StarCitizen\LIVE\user\client\0\controls\mappings, start the game, open the console with ~ and run pp_rebindkeys layout_AbsoluteGaming_T16000M_Dual. Or use Options › Keybindings › Advanced Controls Customization › Control Profiles.

4. Right stick = joystick 1

   Like CIG’s own T.16000M dual preset, our profile makes the right stick joystick 1 and the left stick joystick 2. Both sticks have the same name, so Windows decides which is which. If pushing the right stick strafes instead of pitching, run pp_resortdevices joystick 1 2 in the console, then the pp_rebindkeys line again. Check this again after you move a USB cable or reboot.

5. Check the directions

   Left stick forward should fly forward. If it’s backwards, go to Options › Keybindings › Joystick / HOTAS 2 › Inversion Settings and flip the forward/backward strafe. Right stick: pitch on forward/back, yaw on left/right, roll on the twist.

1. Leave the stick on RIGHT HANDED

   The switch under the stick base should be on RIGHT HANDED (the factory setting), so the base buttons match our map. Windows lists T.16000M and TWCS Throttle in joy.cpl.

2. Install the TWCS driver

   Download the TWCS driver from Thrustmaster support (TWCS Throttle › Drivers) and install it before you plug the throttle in. Its control panel has an Enable Center Deadzone option for the mini-stick, saved in the throttle itself. You don’t need T.A.R.G.E.T.; close it if it’s running.

3. Copy and load the profile

   Put layout_AbsoluteGaming_T16000M_TWCS.xml in the same mappings folder and run pp_rebindkeys layout_AbsoluteGaming_T16000M_TWCS in the console.

4. Stick = joystick 1

   The stick must be joystick 1 and the throttle joystick 2. If the throttle steers the ship, run pp_resortdevices joystick 1 2, then the pp_rebindkeys line again.

5. Check the directions

   Throttle forward should fly forward, the middle is stop and the back half is reverse. If it’s backwards, flip the forward/backward strafe under Options › Keybindings › Joystick / HOTAS 2 › Inversion Settings. The stick does pitch on forward/back, roll on left/right and yaw on the twist.

1. With the TWCS (HOTAS)

   Plug the pedals’ RJ12 cable into the socket on the back of the TWCS. They become part of joystick 2: the TWCS manual lists the rudder as Slider 1 (Star Citizen calls it slider2) and the toe brakes as Ry (left) and Rx (right). Keep the rudder centred and your feet off when you plug in the USB, so the axes calibrate.

2. With two sticks (HOSAS)

   Use the pedals’ RJ12/USB adapter with its switch on the airplane position. Windows lists them as T-Rudder, normally joystick 3; CIG’s own presets use the rudder as z and the toe brakes as x and y. Thrustmaster’s TFRP page has an optional calibration tool for the adapter’s dead zones.

3. Give them a job

   The pedal boxes are empty in both forms, so nothing changes until you pick. Popular choices: rudder = Yaw, brakes = strafe or throttle. If you give the rudder Yaw, change the stick axis that has yaw first; the generator warns you if one action is on two controls.

1. Pick your form

   Each setup has a blank form and the Absolute Gaming map (every box already filled, change only what you don’t like). The dual-stick form has 51 boxes (16 buttons, the hat and 4 axes per stick, plus 3 pedal axes); the HOTAS form has 50.

2. Fill it in and save

   Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Chrome or Edge. Click a box and pick an action, or type your best guess (“flares”, “deploy gear”); the generator works out what you meant. Leave a box empty to keep it unbound. Save with Ctrl+S, not Print.

3. Drop it on the matching generator

   Use the dual-stick generator for the dual-stick form and the HOTAS generator for the HOTAS form. Exact matches are ready, Check this is our best guess, Pick one needs you to choose. Then name it, check the install folder and download. Your PDF is read in your browser and never uploaded.