It’s no secret that I absolutely loved Microsoft Flight Simulator. It came out during the first wave of Covid at a time that I really needed some kind of activity that allowed me to disconnect from the world, and it really filled that gap nicely. I gave it a 10/10 in both of my reviews and would stand by that to this date.
It allowed me to take to the skies at a time that I could barely even leave my house and explore the world in a way that I’d never thought was possible. My only gripe with the experience was that using a controller or keyboard/mouse didn’t really do it justice, but I didn’t realise how much this was holding the experience back until I tried out the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight Sim control and matching rudder pedals.
If I’m being honest, I had been dragging my heels on this review for a little bit as I was daunted by setting it all up, but I was absolutely shocked in how easy it was to connect to my Xbox and get it all going.
As far as attachment the equipment to your desk or table top, the control system has a allen key hidden away in a compartment that you use to bring out the clamps from the bottom of the unit, which you can then attack to your desktop before securing it all away again. It’s super easy to use and whilst I attached it to a fairly cheap coffee table, it felt really secure and sturdy at all times.
THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $515 FROM AMAZON (CONTROL SYSTEM) AND $378 (RUDDER PEDALS)
The control system (yoke and controls) is required to use the rudder pedals with Xbox, but as far as setup goes, you plug in the rudder to the control system and then another cord from control system to your Xbox and it’s instantly recognised as a controller. There’s even a Turtle Beach app that you can download from the store to update the controllers directly from your Xbox which is a big improvement on what I’ve experienced with other third-party accessories.
Whilst these are also compatible with the PC, the Xbox branding goes a long way, with the Xbox button, and all of the individual buttons represented on the handle, so you’re able to get around the Xbox menus and Flight Simulator easily.
Whilst I’ve played a lot of Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’m absolutely not an aviation expert, so whilst I was a little bit overwhelmed with the amount of controls at first, it taught me more about what each actual control does in just a few hours than dozens of hours playing with a controller.
The controller has an in-built training mode in which every single pull on the yoke or press of a button tells you exactly what it does in-game. I left this on whilst playing and it went a long way to quickly showing me the ropes and teaching me exactly what each item did.
There’s a ridiculous amount of immersion the first time you pull the throttle on the unit and then pull up using the yoke. I thought I had experienced immersion flying through the sky with the controller but it was simply unmatched with me finding a new level of enjoyment gliding through the sky feeling every single slight turn. Similarly, going between each vehicle in the sky, I noticed subtle differences in weight and turning ability a lot more than I ever did with a controller.
I was absolutely blown away by the indicator panel which shows your cockpit information in real time. Everything from your landing gear being out to your navigation and and engine systems display on the panel behind the yoke in real time. At first I thought there were just decorative before I found myself referring to them in real-time.
Every single button that you could find yourself using are displayed somewhere on the panel, even to the point that you can use the analogue sticks to change your views or look around the plane, and there’s a number of buttons and throttles that aren’t in use by default, but can be customised for those that want to take customisation to the next level.
Pairing the rudder pedals with the control system, I’d say it isn’t an essential addition, but it does really take immersion to the next level. You’re able to steer your plane on the ground and press down to break in real-time with a real tactile feeling. There’s different pedal inclusions in the box depending on the type of aircraft that you’re using, and everything is described really well on the instructions.
There’s a good amount of mounting options as well, with pre-drilled holes to use with your existing home cockpits or rubber pads/carpet spikes to provide a stable base for your flooring. The quality of both units are phenomenal as well. Both feel like serious pieces of equipment that feel sturdy, with a number of customisation options to really make them feel like your own units.
Ultimately though, if you’re somebody that has enjoyed Microsoft Flight Simulator but have felt yourself held back by using a controller, I wholeheartedly recommend the VelocityOne Flight universal control system. It just elevates the experience even more, and I can guarantee you’ll be spending even more time in the air, and telling all of your friends and family to come around and experience it.
