A thread built for inuendo it may be, but I'm in a serious quandry. As mentioned in the Skyrim thread, I've just acquired Evochron to reminisce about my day playing Privateer 2 and it's only a matter of time until Mechwarrior Online comes out. Both of these games almost demand the use of the one peripheral I've never agreed with and generally avoided: The joystick.

I'm after a decent stick and throttle combo, and my preference would be to have the throttle controls as a separate unit so I can rearrange my desk to fit and not worry about being too cramped up. I've found this absolute beauty of a rig but £263.99 is a little bit beyond my price range at the minute. It would also confuse the hell out of me, much like this slightly cheaper (but still too flashy and expensive) alternative.

My price limit is about £40 but I'd rather be spending closer to £25. Is there anything in that price bracket you'd recommend? Should I be looking for separate stick and throttle controls rather than focusing on a set, or does a mix-and-match risk compatibility issues? I don't want a full cockpit replacement experience as I'm no flight-sim enthusiast. Any more than 10-15 buttons would be pointless for me, although equally I don't want a three-button wonder where I spend all my time reaching for the keyboard commands. I look to the experience of this forum for assistance!