Virpil Controls review: there is a new challenger in the world of flight handles and levers

You can blame Microsoft Flight Simulator for the shortage of flight sticks that we are experiencing. Logitech, Thrustmaster and many of the big manufacturers are out of stock everywhere you look. The few products available – even used equipment – are being sold at highly inflated prices. Other manufacturers are still pre-ordering and then launching new units as soon as possible. So what should a new flight or space simulation enthusiast do?

My advice, of course, is to give ample space to money changers. If you’re stuck in Microsoft Flight Simulator – especially large commercial planes – try Honeycomb Aeronautical. If you’re playing a more hardcore flight simulator, like something in the DCS World portfolio, you probably already know VKB. Your latest generation equipment is in stock. But, if you want to spend a relatively modest amount of money on a general-purpose device – something that can work with terrestrial and space flight – I recommend that you take a look at Virpil Controls, a small European company that is doing a really remarkable job.

And like everyone else, Virpil’s things are also on hold. Still, at the end of last year, Virpil sent a selection of his most popular flight equipment. I have taken you for a test drive on my customized flight platform. So far I am extremely impressed.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

My favorite kit is called the Virpil Constellation Alpha, which, when coupled to an accelerator, does an admirable job of controlling commercial aircraft. It has many hat switches, plus a variety of triggers that are perfect for IL-2 Sturmovik family games or other cutting-edge simulations. It is also mostly plastic, but in a good way. It looks more robust than the Logitech X-52 and X-56, but lighter than the all-metal Thrustmaster Warthog.

The Virpil Constellation Alpha also comes in a left-handed variant. This means that you can easily provide a much more complex double stick configuration. Also known as manual configuration (HOSAS), I found that it completely changed the flight experience on both Star CitizenPersistent Universe and Elite Dangerous.

Explaining the difference is difficult to do with words. Previously, I had played space flight simulation games with a single stick and throttle, which is known as the practical throttle and stick (HOTAS) configuration. Replacing the throttle with another stick meant that I had to hold the stick on my left hand forward to maintain momentum forward. But by pulling the stick back, I had easy access to the reverse thrust, which makes slowing down and changing direction in space much faster. The right stick still has full tilt and yaw control, while the rudder pedals control rotation. But now I can use the stick’s two torsion axes to handle machine gun (right) and move up and down (left). Previously, these functions were on a tiny button on my accelerator.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

After a few hours of practicing HOSAS, I suddenly found myself with much more precise and immediate control over my virtual spaceships than ever before. Vectors that were previously relegated to the keyboard or tiny buttons have now been integrated into the joysticks themselves. I could trigger the main propellant gas to accelerate forward, rotate my ship in place and then roll to the left while moving slightly downward and sliding to the right All at once. The impact was especially prominent in Star Citizen, which has much faster ships and fights much more aggressively. HOSAS made me a tougher target and helped improve my aim – especially with fixed weapons.

Better yet, the thumbsticks mounted on the side of the Constellation mean you can navigate on foot without ever taking your hands off the joysticks. This made the experience in Star Citizen, which presents a surprising amount of hikes, much more enjoyable. It will probably also have the same kind of impact when Elite Dangerous: Odyssey will be released later this year, adding first-person walking gameplay to this space travel game.

Photo: Virpil Controls

Another highlight for me was Virpil’s Ace Interceptor helm pedals. I’ve had a very good experience with Thrustmaster TPR pendulum rudder pedals in recent years, but they hang from a large central column that takes up a lot of space in my office. Virpil pedals are much, much lower on the floor and accommodate a wider posture – which, as a 6’6 ”man, I really appreciate. Ace pedals also have a much better mounting solution, in my opinion, compared to TPR pedals. Outside the box, Virpil’s large, sticky rubber feet remain firm on most surfaces. You can also remove about an inch of height from the pedals by removing the rubber feet and the entire bottom frame, to attach them directly to a custom flight seat.

While input devices alone are excellent, Virpil also has a line of surprisingly affordable custom mounting solutions. For about $ 70 you can get the Virpil Desk Mount V3-S. It features an extremely simple clamp with an adjustable bite, which you can dial to firmly grasp the edge of the table surface and hold it firmly. They are released quickly, making storage easier. They are also beautifully powder coated and come with all the screws you need to attach to Constellation. The V3-S also opens the door to additional customization options, including mounts that hang from a keyboard, mouse pad, additional button boxes and more, all in the same clip.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

Please note that you will need two Desk Mount V3-S devices for a HOSAS solution using Virpil Constellation sticks, which raises the price of accessories up to $ 140. If you opt for a HOTAS solution, using one of the fully customizable acceleration boxes Virpil, you will need a slightly larger version of the armband and a special adapter plate. This brings the price of a complete HOTAS assembly solution to close to $ 180.

Overall, I’m in love with these Virpil controls. They strike a good balance between price and feature set, comfortably accommodating between classics like the Logitech X-52 and Thrustmaster T16000, and superior end products from Thrustmaster and VKB. They also have the right amount of weight and look like a substantial upgrade to the types of flight poles I have been using for the past decade.

There are some caveats, however.

First, the documentation on these products ranges from terrible to nonexistent. Even basic editing took me to YouTube, where I spent hours freezing unpacking videos in a foreign language to find out which screw goes where. When it comes to calibration and programming, you also need to find your own way with the YouTube user community and on message boards, as Virpil offers almost no help in solving the problem.

Second, be aware that the current incarnation of the Virpil throttle box may simply be too much for most users. It has about twice as many buttons as Microsoft Windows recognizes on a game controller, which means that you will need to devote some extra time to adjust it before entering the game. If you are going to HOTAS, I recommend buying something from Thrustmaster.

In addition, I noticed some defective materials in the batch of products I received. The non-marking pads on the mounting hardware, for example, started to slide after several weeks of continuous use. I also had several broken screw heads when I tried to remove them, either because they are made of weak metal or because they are glued with a lot of thread locking paste.

With these limitations in mind, I still can’t help but recommend Virpil. After almost a decade of seeing modest and incremental improvements in space, it is good to see a manufacturer innovating with its flight handles. There is even a line of collective grapples on the way, which will be perfect for new helicopters arriving at DCS World and Microsoft Flight Simulator in the not too distant future.