[silksowed]

Is an FPV controller any different than a regular video game controller? I interested in how hard it is to fly a drone even in a sim environment.

[leetrout]

The left stick is generally used for throttle and is not centered with springs but rather adjustable and holds its position in the Y-axis direction.

[mosfets]

You should be able to use the controller calibrator to calibrate a regular video game controller and use it.

Only use the upper half of the left stick per the spring issue folks mentioned above.

[Svoka]

Yes, one of the axis on FPV controllers usually is not springing back to neutral position, for throttle. This may seem like a small difference it is important.