VIRPIL has new grip coming out! Expanding their available grip options appears to be just as high a priority as is releasing a series of new rudder pedals and upgrading their MongoosT-50 base and grip. Despite a busy schedule, VIRPIL is teasing the next grip they are calling it V.F.X. Coming this summer!

Too close for missiles, switching to guns

The V.F.X, from what little we can see from the teaser, is based on the F-14 Tomcat’s grip. Characteristic of the F-14 is the weapon selector mounted on the top left of the stick allowing the switch between types of missiles and guns – though knowing VIRPIL you’ll be able to bind that to just about anything.

Have a look at the teaser posted to VIRPIL’s social media accounts in the last hour.

The grip is shown on a VIRPIL WarBRD base which means that this grip is definitely desktop capable. The hand rest is also reminiscent of the WarBRD grip. It appears to use a very similar mechanism too which suggests to me that this grip will use VIRPIL’s all metal contactless Z-axis.

The grip looks very similar to the F-14 that, of course, had the briefest of Hollywood treatments in Top Gun where Maverick switches from missiles to guns. Surely that’s etched into many players memories.

This grip ties very nicely into the recently released DCS: F-14 by Heatblur. This module is likely to be one of the most popular in DCS and has even attracted attention from the mainstream gaming press. Connecting the software with the hardware, however loosely, is a smart move by VIRPIL and it looks like they will attempt to mimic the success that Thrustmaster had with the Warthog and the DCS: A-10C.

VKB-Sim was also supposedly working on a F-14 based grip but we haven’t heard anything about that in a very long time.

According to the teaser, VIRPIL’s V.F.X grip is due to launch sometime this summer. It will undoubtedly integrate into the rest of their grip line-up that now includes the MongoosT-50 CM2, Constellation Delta and WarBRD grips.