First off, let me say this:

If you are on a tight budget, this game ain't for you.

The game is f2p but the actual content is bought individually, i.e., you must buy the planes you want to fly, and they are not cheap. Once you check one of the high-fidelity modules though, you will see how much love the devs put into each, so I am not against their monetization system at all. It is the devs that release good products that will also get the high sales numbers, and this is how it should be for any game.

Furthermore, you will want at least a joystick, then maybe a throttle and rudder pedals, TrackIR, ultra wide monitor, STRONG GPU, etc., etc., though you can find mods online to make your Xbox One controller more or less usable ingame as an alternative. Non the less, you will want a strong PC, large monitor and a head tracker to really enjoy it, and none of this stuff is cheap. To give you an average, only on peripherals you may have to spend about 500 bucks, and that is considering you go with average HOTAS. A nice monitor will cost you another 800 dollars, and the rig may clock in at 1500 bucks.

Now, with that elephant in the room out of the way...

I came to DCS looking for a compelling sandbox and found the best air combat sim. Aerodynamics are modeled very well, the optics are amazing (light/shadow effects, reflections, explosions, clouds), the sounds and radio chatter are very realistic and the cockpit view is very well done (things look proportional to eachother and the FOV does not cause the world to feel as if it were stretching and compressing).

What I enjoy the most though is the feeling of speed, which is awesome. In most games where you can fly planes and helicopters, the acceleration and speed values are always tweaked down to unrealistic levels in order to make the vehicles controllable, but it is the type of thing that takes you out of the immersion , when a car on the ground overtakes you, who is flying a Mig 29.

The learning curve is steep, and you may become frustrated regularly. My advice is to NOT be stubborn and be able to admit you are just ignorant to what you're doing, adapt and learn. You'll possibly spend the first day setting up key binds, but it is sooooo worth it. You can also play some of the models with arcade controls, if you just want to go BRRRRRRRRRT.

Been playing this game for the past 2 months and it has already convinced me to stay. I have purchased the F14B, the A10-CII and the Hind 24 during sales, and I would recommend you do too!