A new flightstick has now been announced and is on sale from the folks at Turtle Beach. It’s a reasonably low cost option putting it in range of some long time favourites like the T.16000M from Thrustmaster and that makes it an option for a wide range of flight sim fans. Let’s have a look at the launch!
New flightstick on the block
I was a bit surprised when TurtleBeach announced that they were getting into the hardware market for flight sim peripherals. They’ve been better known for sound hardware with a range of popular headsets. That’s all changed now with the launch of the VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System, the VelocityOne Rudder Pedals, and now the VelocityOne Flightstick.
This one is particularly interesting because of its low price. Listed at just $129.99 USD, this undercuts Thrustmaster’s T.16000M which is now listed for $169.99 and the Gladiator NXT EVO which is listed at $135.00 or $165.00 USD depending on if you go Standard or Premium.
The marketing materials list features such as high resolution contactless sensors, trim wheel, analog POV hat, ambidextrous design, eight programmable base buttons, 10 ft/3m cable, and Xbox and PC support. It also has a Flight Management Display using an OLED display on the top of the stick which they say can adjust stick axis profiles, haptic response, trim wheel input, rudder lock and more.
The announcement comes with a slick trailer which you can see below.
Check out the stick information over here on the TurtleBeach website.
Stormbirds 
Thank goodness they released that first image showing the joystick wiggling back and forth, no one would’ve guessed it’s capable of such a mechanical miracle.
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Haha, yes, when a new marketing team comes into the space they have different ideas.
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I’d be curious to see a review and find out how well it stacks up against the VKB NXT EVO and T.16000M. Not really in the market myself, but if it’s got decent hall sensors, twist grip and enough mode switching for buttons then maybe good for an entry-level stick w/o breaking the bank right away.
Also, my previous upgraded Gladiator II has served very well, still on calibration with no switch problems or software glitches.
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This thing looks like a much upgraded version of the ancient Gravis joysticks, http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/userdata/images/large/39/93/product-113993.jpg. Hopefully they’ve improved the gimbals from those old sticks as they were simply awful.
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Not really for me but I love both:
A. More companies in the hardware space/competition overall. That lower mid-range price point especially.
B. Possibility of them expanding there offerings going forward. I think we could REALLY use some better mid-low end rudder pedal options personally.
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