Will I need a joystick to play the new special editions of Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars: TIE Fighter, and if so, which one is recommended? Adding to that, how do I configure the joystick to the game/how do I know the joystick will be compatible with the game(s)?

(I did some reading and it looks like I won't need a joystick per se, but it might make gameplay much simpler.)

If it helps I'm on an HP Pavilion g6 running Windows 7.

NEED? No. It'll suck without one. The 98 version does require it I don't think the 93 version does.

I purchased a Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS for use with ELITE: DANGEROUS. When I plugged it in (Windows 7) and started up X-WING it worked immediately. No configuration required. Some of the default button mapping is a bit odd, but you can reconfigure it easily enough. Even the separate throttle control works with the game.