Ill never forget being in COMPUSA when they had 20 joysticks lined up 20 years ago, and most of them were force feedback. Was amazing. When i got older you could not get one.
@@OldManTenno Yep, had an MS Sidewinder and used it with Mechwarrior Mercenaries back when it came out in the late 90s/early aughts, was completely awesome.
Just a note: the VPForce Rhino is another FFB stick to take a look at. I’ve had one for a few months and it’s amazing. I’d really like to see a comparison between the two.
@@supermilo Could you elaborate? How are the goals different? Price seems to be even higher than FFBeast? I'm actually wondering if the feedback on the FFBeast is spontaneous enough - from what I can see it looks like vibrations don't come across well or at all - it looks like there's more delay / muddyness. So it'd be nice to see a comparison - especially now that another 9Nm force feedback base is coming from Moza - which is the same torque than what the Rhino has.
@@kontoname my understanding is that FFBeast is a bit more focused on authentic (high) forces. I haven't used any other stick, but the effects are tuneable, maybe worth investigating?
@@rcca07 For W10/W11 only one of the multiple available software versions still work, and it's on a individual basis, you have to manually uninstall if you get it wrong, it's a big hassle.
As far as i know we havent had FFB sticks due to some Ahole company bying the patent and nobody could make them until now. So let s hope it comes back in full force!
@@CommandT if there was a diy kit that included all the components I’d have no problem paying that, but it looks like there is maybe a lot of sourcing in their diy kits?
Welcome to what Microsoft force feedback 2 joystick did 24 years back. Back then there were Sims that naturally supported force feedback. The feeling I got back then I have never felt again. Sadly the gaming development companies killed these joysticks by stopping to support them. I still have 2 Microsoft force feedback joysticks and I only use them for gaming Sims
A company held onto the patents, had nothing to do with gaming development companies, which btw if you look at all IL-2 titles, DCS, etc, have supported FFB all along.
I don't need convincing fellow. Years ago I bought Microsofts force feedback joystick, absolutely brilliant. I was playing SBK 2000, and was having trouble doing a fast lap. After purchasing my FFB joystick, not only was I quickly doing fast laps, I had the Ducati power sliding through corners like I was Mick Doohan. FFB completely transformed my experience playing SBK 2000.
@@owenmills6923 Simagic Alpha Ultimate with an FX wheel. First time I slambed the mx5 into the wall, the bloody wheel nearly broke my thumbs. Ha Ha Ha fucking brilliant. Best money I've spent in a long time. Simagic has my referral mate, their gear is choice, I've got heaps of it.
@@ToreDL87 It was the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro. For the time it was a brilliant joystick, and I had heaps of fun playing games with it. I used it that much I actually wore it out eventually.
While not as good as the MS FFB2 and certainly not as good as an FFBeast or VPForceRhino, I quite enjoy my second hand G940 for this reason. It was Logitech’s flagship HOTAS when launched in 2009, but was a commercial failure. Functionally, it has some durability issues (wires breaking) and can suffer from input hysteresis. However, there is a 3rd party firmware update which fixes the latter. The stick (unlike the throttle and rudder pedals) can function as a stand-alone unit, so that makes it easier to mix and match equipment.
Nice! Trim wise, yes, would be having a curve around the relative center created by the trim point and not relative to the absolute 0 of the curves axis. Surely the devs will fix that at some point. Great video!
I remember when Microsoft released their ffb joystick. Pc world used to have demos setup where you could press different buttons on the stick and feel what ffb was all about. I was sold straight away and bought one. I absolutely loved it. Really surprised there aren't more
Force Feedback is the biggest improvment i got. you can feel preassure point on hali.. you can feel weight. you can even feel bumps on the diffrent airfied note. reasons we dont see it. it because logetic since the force feedback sticks have most of the trademark
I had the opportunity to fly an F-16. The stick was, of course, fly by wire. It did not provide any forced feedback, in fact it was very stiff and hardly moved at all. Just some FYI purposes only.
That was my basic take away. My father was an F-4 pilot in Vietnam. The F-4 had no fly by wire system and he said the faster you flew, the tighter the stick got. The F-16 was entirely different from that, it took a little getting used to (being on the side as opposed to center), but you could see how in high-g situations, when you can barely move yourself, that it was an advantageous ergonomics.
It felt like the stick was stiff, but the more pressure you applied, the more the plane would turn. The controls were sensitive, so required fine motor skills. It’s tough to explain, but that’s my best attempt.
I use a 5cm extension and that’s mounted to the base which in itself already has an extension of around 5cm as well. So I reckon it’s approx 10cm lever arm in total. Regarding deflection angle - I would balm park 45 degrees or so
One thing to look at on the issue you mentioned about the joystick becoming disconnected after a period of time of inactivity is the Windows USB Power Management settings. It's hard to fully explain over a TH-cam comment, but by default Windows power manages USB devices which simply means it turns them off after a period of inactivity. Through the Windows device manager, you can disable this 'fuction' so Windows no longer power manages the device which means it should never be turned off. Might not be the issue here, but Windows Power Management has certainly caused quite a few issues for me in the past! Thanks for all the videos on the Force Feedback stuff, I'm definitely tempted to get one myself.
Thanks! I actually already investigated this potential problem/ solution but Unfortuntaly I don’t think that was it. Thanks for the suggestion anyways though!
@@Hackspear214 What a ridiculous notion. There, they’re and their mean something completely different. It has nothing to do with “how people want to express themselves” or “want to write”.
As someone who grew up on FF sticks, I cannot tell you all how much you're missing out on.. Even just doing ww2online, or MSCS 123, let alone a helo. Its game changing. how the industry went away from this and we are not up in arms is beyond me. We need FF sticks ASAP!!!
"[...] how the industry went away from this and we are not up in arms is beyond me": Mostly due to some company hugging the patent for FFB for way too long and at a price too insane for consumer controls.
A long time ago I had a MS Sidewinder I and later the II.. I played a lot of IL2-Sturmovik (first one). It felt awesome... I always thought it was kinda dumb that joystick manufacturers moved away from FF (I do get it, niche market, expensive toys, but it just feels like we took such a big step backward in that respect). I haven't been able to enjoy flightsimming with a center spring... I miss a of info... This just might me get back to flightsimming again.. It's 'just slightly' outside my budget, so I might have a go at building one myself...
It has nothing to do with market. There is a patent troll who has sued MS and every other FFB manufacturer for the past 20 years. FFBeast is a different design that gets around the patent.
Does look superb and super tempted, but I hope some sort of commercially more available product comes out....larger production could get costs down a fair bit, plus more peace of mind for warranty and no customs _ taxes to deal with with international delivery. I really miss my old MS Force feedback stick
and of course I wish I was good at DIY too. I dont mind the building kits part, but cutting/metal etc - ie stuff where have to use my brain a bit more....hopeless :)
Yeah that’s fair. I also do like the idea of something that is just plug and play! Once more and more people get into I think we will start to see mass production.
I doubt price could be cut down fair bit. You could look at simracing market. The cheapest FFB bases with 10Nm+ there cost 500+ Eur. And you need basically to combine 2 of them and add some mechanics to get FFB joystick. Only DIY-ing could help to cut costs there.
@@midnight7297 I hope DIY community will be growing and there will be more people who could just help you to build it. As will not be able to satisfy all demand in any case :)
@@Propeler3D oh very true, its not about the price really, more about the confidence to DIY. I started with my own authentikit but gave up early on as couldn't calibrate my 3d printer to perfection which it needs....so the thought of metalwork just scares me lol....but - framing/cutouts aside, I bet the build itself if had all components would be fun. Maybe in future build kits could be sold :)
To deal with it's size for helos, I'd build a base for my rig to boost everything up a foot to give more room for realistic cyclic extensions. This would help with the Warthog too, if you have a long extension.
Still have my G940 in the basement. Was great when Black Shark first launched. It was my goto stick for DCS but eventually went to a center sprung VKB NXT. Do not fly enough to get it back out and figure out why I stopped using it.
Try playing with the saturation instead of the curves for helo’s. You can make the movement of the stick give less input to the actual control input without having to worry about the sensitivity at all certain trim point as it would be linear. You would loose some of the max range of the control but flying a help you don’t use that anyway
Great informative video. I miss the days of FFB. Not sure if the beast is right for me due to space constraints, but it makes me wonder if I can make it work… 🤔
How does the force feel during long dogfights with WW2 airplanes? I have the VPForce Rhino and I'm jealous of the specs of the FFBeast. It's 8kg force seems a lot more appropriate for Warbirds than the vs the 2.5kg of the Rhino. I also find the Rhino heats up pretty quickly and the force will drop to ~1.8-2kg after about 5 seconds of a high G turn (though, then the fan kicks on, and it cools off after just a few seconds of level flight, and returns to the 2.5kg). Wondering if FFBeast has any heat issues and/or reduces the force on prolonged holds at max force.
Absolutely zero heat issues. I’ve not ever had it decrease the amount of force, and I’ve never felt it being hot either. It’s great! I don’t fly warbirds though. So perhaps o don’t stress it as much as I could.
Do you have any other "immersion" add-ons? I have SimShaker exactly for all the small general vibrations (landing gear, ground roll etc.) and wonder if it's going to be overkill with all this rumbling from the stick and from the chair.
Maybe I will at some point but this is a very complicated topic and FFBeast is getting a total overhaul of the firmware and software shortly so my settings would be a bit pointless potentially with the new software. I’ll think about it though.
I can’t as I don’t have a VKB joystick but all you need is the right adapter for it. Just tell which stick you have when purchasing and you’ll have the right adapter
You should check out Brunner. And the CLS-E Mk II base. It’s definitely more money but I think probably covers any complaints you had. I believe it has an actively resettable center too? I don’t have one. Review it lmao
No, this is something that needs to come directly from Razbam, and it doesn’t as far as I can tell. I think there’s some DirextX limitations too. But no, Unfortuntaly not atm.
Unfortunately physics is playing against us there. You either have big motor, or weak motor :( I can make gimbal really small. But is impossible to find motor with high torque in small form factor.
I still have MyMicrosoft sidewinder force feedback Where do I find the software for the force feedback Microsoft, I misplaced or lost, I can't find my disc for it for the software program set up?
The human body responds better to displacement mode in high stress situations where reaction time is important, force feedback is better for general conditions.
I fully agree that getting tectile feedback about what's happening in the simulation is not only fun and immersive, it is also incredibly useful. I personally use a Simshaker Jetpad that delivers many of the indicators you mention besides the uniquely stick-related info. I would very much recommend the Jetpad for gamers who want to add this feedback, especially because it is quite a bit more affordable.
Yep, It's VERY good at what it does! I bought mine around five years ago. Andre is a cool guy and has been a great asset to the flightsim community. Made in Russia.......who cares. It's made by a Russian citizen, trying to make a living, doing something he's passionate about.........NOT the Russian Gov't 🙄 Hell, DCS was originally made in Russia and most of the shit we use in our everyday lives in this country, is made in China 🤔😂 Love my Jetseat by Andre! Flying without it, feels bland. It's amazing how self-righteous some of us (US, UK, etc citizens) get, while completely ignoring all of the bloodshed and other corrupt shit our own Gov't has and continues to perpetrate all over the globe!!! Just my opinion ✌🏾
Can't wait to add a FFB stick to my already awesome setup (VR, motion, etc). Now it's just a matter of waiting for which one is available first, this or the Rhino. On the waiting list of both 🙂
@@redtailpilot I’m not American cowboy, nor a Brit. Who cares?……I do. If you want to shrug off what the russians are doing, nobody’s stopping you. Ironic that you can rant about people being self righteous, yet you can make lazy excuses for the russians and chinese to make yourself feel better. Just because you’re ignoring the crap your country is responsible for doesn’t mean everyone is. Have a …. day.
Great video. Your data on the hornet is inaccurate. There is an increasing stick force per G above 22aoa but that affects the aircraft performance, not the stick force as such. The control box in the hornet is a bunch of springs and dampeners, that's it, no force from the fcs back it. What it manifests itself in is needing a larger deflection (therefore force) above 22aoa.
Do you know if FFB is looking to support WinWing grips in the future? I've fallen in love with their hats, material, and surface. Still a tempting offer to keep my Orion 2 with F-16 grip on the side, have a Thrustmaster F-18 grip in the middle. Would just need an force sensing base for the side lmao
WinWing protocol is closed and proprietary. I will not be "hacking" and I doubt WinWing will open their protocol to me. So to connect WinWing you will need original WinWing controller
So I actually enquired about this as well with helicopter pilots - you don’t have appreciable vibrations through the cyclic, when flying around in a helicopter. If you do… then something is going wrong. With regards to piston aircraft - same idea… you generally don’t have vibrations in the stick itself during normal operation. But maybe FFBeast can add an effect for a small vibrations to be there all the time when operating a warbird. Generally though I don’t think that’s necessary… maybe when half your wing is missing or the engine is misfiring blandly but atm we don’t have that… vibrations come when the rest of your cockpit is vibrating during buffet or stall ect. On landing - there’s a constant vibration from the wheels going over the tarmac - that’s an effect for all aircraft.
It is only a mater of adding such effect in software. Joystick just produces torque. And it do not care if it is vibration or spring. I'm working on software constantly. And additional vibrations on different events are on roadmap as well. Even so them are not present on stick IRL my goal to satisfy as much user wishes as possible :)
@@CommandT When the engine is at low revolutions it usually generates vibrations in the stick, as the revolutions increase they tend to disappear and become more subtle
@@Propeler3D Another effect that would be great is that when the plane is stationary on the ground, by increasing or reducing the engine revolutions, the propwash causes the stick move to the center or forward according to the engine revolutions.
amazing, I've never heard of force feedback stick before (with all the legal IP that i read about), how does DCS recognize how much pressure to push you hand and at which situation? is this already preprogrammed by the developers in anticipation of FFB joystick compatibility? I am very jealous of your setup!
I believe that as part of designing the flight model, all the information needed for the forces involved are generated. They simulate the force of the wind on the flight controls which should, as a by product, provide the amount of force working on the stick. This is an informed guess though. The Rhino includes software that provides extra effects like the stick shaking when guns are fired, elevator droop, improved stall effects, etc. It computes these from the telemetry DCS provides.
Not all the force feedback is modelled in each module as the forces are not necessarily related to pure aerodynamics from a programming point of view. So it varies model to model, and hence why the stick software offered it’s own force feedback that can be tuned on top of what each module offers
I’m extremely interested in the DIY, but what is a true estimated total cost? Anything near 5-6 hundred is a 100% pull the trigger for me. Also is there an associated discord or group of people interested in building and currently building these things?
I learned to fly in MS FlightSim in the early 90's with my force feedback stick. It was such a boon when I went for real lessons right afterwards. I do not understand why they went away, they should have improved greatly over time.
📌 FFBeast: ffbeast.github.io/docs/en/joystick.html
⏱ Timecodes
0:00 - Intro
0:33 - Channel Intro
1:00 - Why is Force Feedback Important?
1:56 - Force Feedback Limitations
3:06 - FFBeast Overview
5:09 - Non-FBW Jets
9:50 - Fly-By-Wire Jets
12:11 - Warbirds
15:05 - Helicopters
18:01 - Downsides of Force Feedback
20:46 - FFBeast Software
22:52 - Conclusion
Ill never forget being in COMPUSA when they had 20 joysticks lined up 20 years ago, and most of them were force feedback. Was amazing. When i got older you could not get one.
I had the same problem. Had a MS one back in the day, and quite enjoyed it. Hopefully this and DCS reinvigorates the market.
Patent expiring helps . Also, great review!
@@OldManTenno Yep, had an MS Sidewinder and used it with Mechwarrior Mercenaries back when it came out in the late 90s/early aughts, was completely awesome.
Just a note: the VPForce Rhino is another FFB stick to take a look at. I’ve had one for a few months and it’s amazing. I’d really like to see a comparison between the two.
The Rhino is based off an earlier iteration of the FFBeast. Its a bit different in terms of design goals.
@@supermilo Could you elaborate? How are the goals different? Price seems to be even higher than FFBeast?
I'm actually wondering if the feedback on the FFBeast is spontaneous enough - from what I can see it looks like vibrations don't come across well or at all - it looks like there's more delay / muddyness.
So it'd be nice to see a comparison - especially now that another 9Nm force feedback base is coming from Moza - which is the same torque than what the Rhino has.
@@kontoname my understanding is that FFBeast is a bit more focused on authentic (high) forces. I haven't used any other stick, but the effects are tuneable, maybe worth investigating?
@@Rotor-Sims The Rhino will pull the stick out of my hands if I do a snap roll in a P-51. Not sure how much more power is needed than that. :)
@@Rotor-Sims I use the 200mm Virpil extension.
I miss the Microsoft force feedback joysticks. I loved flying with those!! Nothing has ever came close to those.
Still have my Microsoft sidewinder force feedback 2 from 22 years ago and works great but this certainly looks like a worthy upgrade
Agreed still got mine also
love mine too
Love mine too! Misplace or lost my Program Disc I can still calibrate it!
Can't find a replacement?
@@rcca07 For W10/W11 only one of the multiple available software versions still work, and it's on a individual basis, you have to manually uninstall if you get it wrong, it's a big hassle.
As far as i know we havent had FFB sticks due to some Ahole company bying the patent and nobody could make them until now. So let s hope it comes back in full force!
OMG OMG, CommandT flying a Viggen ! I can feel the Kola hype ! Awesome video, sir !
Ha. Yep. Viggen and Kola are coming. 💪
Man, there just needs to be a quality option in the $400-$600 range.
I think the DIY version of FFBeast falls within that range. And the VPForce Rhino too? 🤷♂️
@@CommandT uhm... getting only that metal cut can cost you up to 800€ depending where you live ofc :D
@@mrpawno4955 And it can be way-way less depending where you live as well :)
@@Propeler3D yes, you’re right of course. Maybe I should buy the metal Parts from you?
@@CommandT if there was a diy kit that included all the components I’d have no problem paying that, but it looks like there is maybe a lot of sourcing in their diy kits?
I couldn't race without a force feedback wheel, I don't know how you fly boys have lasted so long without it.
Welcome to what Microsoft force feedback 2 joystick did 24 years back. Back then there were Sims that naturally supported force feedback. The feeling I got back then I have never felt again. Sadly the gaming development companies killed these joysticks by stopping to support them. I still have 2 Microsoft force feedback joysticks and I only use them for gaming Sims
Wasn't it some company holding on to a patent to block companies from building them?
A company held onto the patents, had nothing to do with gaming development companies, which btw if you look at all IL-2 titles, DCS, etc, have supported FFB all along.
I don't need convincing fellow. Years ago I bought Microsofts force feedback joystick, absolutely brilliant. I was playing SBK 2000, and was having trouble doing a fast lap. After purchasing my FFB joystick, not only was I quickly doing fast laps, I had the Ducati power sliding through corners like I was Mick Doohan. FFB completely transformed my experience playing SBK 2000.
What product do you have? logitech G940?
@@owenmills6923 Simagic Alpha Ultimate with an FX wheel. First time I slambed the mx5 into the wall, the bloody wheel nearly broke my thumbs. Ha Ha Ha fucking brilliant. Best money I've spent in a long time. Simagic has my referral mate, their gear is choice, I've got heaps of it.
@owenmills6923 He said Microsoft, so no, not logitech.
@@ToreDL87 It was the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro. For the time it was a brilliant joystick, and I had heaps of fun playing games with it. I used it that much I actually wore it out eventually.
While not as good as the MS FFB2 and certainly not as good as an FFBeast or VPForceRhino, I quite enjoy my second hand G940 for this reason.
It was Logitech’s flagship HOTAS when launched in 2009, but was a commercial failure. Functionally, it has some durability issues (wires breaking) and can suffer from input hysteresis. However, there is a 3rd party firmware update which fixes the latter. The stick (unlike the throttle and rudder pedals) can function as a stand-alone unit, so that makes it easier to mix and match equipment.
Nice! Trim wise, yes, would be having a curve around the relative center created by the trim point and not relative to the absolute 0 of the curves axis. Surely the devs will fix that at some point. Great video!
Indeed, and thanks!
I remember when Microsoft released their ffb joystick. Pc world used to have demos setup where you could press different buttons on the stick and feel what ffb was all about. I was sold straight away and bought one. I absolutely loved it. Really surprised there aren't more
Because companies like Immersion Corporation (allegedly) are hoarding the patents and won't let people mass produce them.
You can still do it. You just need windows xp.
The lightsaber demo for that stick was cool.
Force Feedback is the biggest improvment i got. you can feel preassure point on hali.. you can feel weight. you can even feel bumps on the diffrent airfied
note. reasons we dont see it. it because logetic since the force feedback sticks have most of the trademark
Thanks. I have been waiting for a FFB Controller. I'm losing my vision. I hope i can get one before I lose my vision completely
Sorry to hear that 😟
@@CommandT Thank you 😊
The A4 Skyhawks would be a fun mod to try with this stick
I had the opportunity to fly an F-16. The stick was, of course, fly by wire. It did not provide any forced feedback, in fact it was very stiff and hardly moved at all.
Just some FYI purposes only.
Was the idea to make it easier to control the plane in high G situations? As in the pilot doesn't have to physically move their arm as much?
That was my basic take away. My father was an F-4 pilot in Vietnam. The F-4 had no fly by wire system and he said the faster you flew, the tighter the stick got. The F-16 was entirely different from that, it took a little getting used to (being on the side as opposed to center), but you could see how in high-g situations, when you can barely move yourself, that it was an advantageous ergonomics.
It felt like the stick was stiff, but the more pressure you applied, the more the plane would turn. The controls were sensitive, so required fine motor skills. It’s tough to explain, but that’s my best attempt.
Yeah this system is really not intended to replicate a pressure stick like the F-16. That’s a different concept
How long is the stick extension you have mounted? Whats the total movable angle?
I use a 5cm extension and that’s mounted to the base which in itself already has an extension of around 5cm as well. So I reckon it’s approx 10cm lever arm in total. Regarding deflection angle - I would balm park 45 degrees or so
@@CommandT It is +/- 20, so 40 is a real throw.
One thing to look at on the issue you mentioned about the joystick becoming disconnected after a period of time of inactivity is the Windows USB Power Management settings. It's hard to fully explain over a TH-cam comment, but by default Windows power manages USB devices which simply means it turns them off after a period of inactivity.
Through the Windows device manager, you can disable this 'fuction' so Windows no longer power manages the device which means it should never be turned off. Might not be the issue here, but Windows Power Management has certainly caused quite a few issues for me in the past!
Thanks for all the videos on the Force Feedback stuff, I'm definitely tempted to get one myself.
Thanks! I actually already investigated this potential problem/ solution but Unfortuntaly I don’t think that was it. Thanks for the suggestion anyways though!
Yep, they are great, been using a DIY yoke and stick for over a year. All the best.
They are > they(a)re > they're.
@@MrFloppyHare 😁
@@MrFloppyHareLet people > write the way > they want to write.
@@Hackspear214 What a ridiculous notion. There, they’re and their mean something completely different. It has nothing to do with “how people want to express themselves” or “want to write”.
Tell me more about this diy yoke
As someone who grew up on FF sticks, I cannot tell you all how much you're missing out on.. Even just doing ww2online, or MSCS 123, let alone a helo. Its game changing. how the industry went away from this and we are not up in arms is beyond me. We need FF sticks ASAP!!!
"[...] how the industry went away from this and we are not up in arms is beyond me": Mostly due to some company hugging the patent for FFB for way too long and at a price too insane for consumer controls.
A long time ago I had a MS Sidewinder I and later the II.. I played a lot of IL2-Sturmovik (first one). It felt awesome... I always thought it was kinda dumb that joystick manufacturers moved away from FF (I do get it, niche market, expensive toys, but it just feels like we took such a big step backward in that respect). I haven't been able to enjoy flightsimming with a center spring... I miss a of info... This just might me get back to flightsimming again.. It's 'just slightly' outside my budget, so I might have a go at building one myself...
It has nothing to do with market. There is a patent troll who has sued MS and every other FFB manufacturer for the past 20 years. FFBeast is a different design that gets around the patent.
@@wurzzzz Didn't know that... That's annoying... Thanks for the info.. Learned something today...
Does look superb and super tempted, but I hope some sort of commercially more available product comes out....larger production could get costs down a fair bit, plus more peace of mind for warranty and no customs _ taxes to deal with with international delivery. I really miss my old MS Force feedback stick
and of course I wish I was good at DIY too. I dont mind the building kits part, but cutting/metal etc - ie stuff where have to use my brain a bit more....hopeless :)
Yeah that’s fair. I also do like the idea of something that is just plug and play! Once more and more people get into I think we will start to see mass production.
I doubt price could be cut down fair bit. You could look at simracing market. The cheapest FFB bases with 10Nm+ there cost 500+ Eur. And you need basically to combine 2 of them and add some mechanics to get FFB joystick. Only DIY-ing could help to cut costs there.
@@midnight7297 I hope DIY community will be growing and there will be more people who could just help you to build it. As will not be able to satisfy all demand in any case :)
@@Propeler3D oh very true, its not about the price really, more about the confidence to DIY. I started with my own authentikit but gave up early on as couldn't calibrate my 3d printer to perfection which it needs....so the thought of metalwork just scares me lol....but - framing/cutouts aside, I bet the build itself if had all components would be fun. Maybe in future build kits could be sold :)
I'd love to have the money and time to try something like this!! In a few years hopefully.
Great video! Def have this on my list
Thanks!
I'd love to see you review or give opinions on flying different planes in DCS. Really enjoyed your feedback on the F4E
Glad to hear!
i hold bunch of MS Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 Joysticks. some collected from ebay and other private portals.
Does it have 35 newtons of force?
Yeah...
Give me the old BUMP AND GRIND
That's what real flying is all about!!
Can't wait to get my talons on one..
🐦 ❤
Mine is about to ship out. I also have the VPRhino shipping out, so I will have a real comparison
Wow! You aren’t hanging around haha
I’ve got a Rhino and I’d love to see a head to head comparison!
@@Hackspear214 I’ll make sure to write a comparison maybe even make a video. Both seem to be great products
One of the best demos that I've seen of FFB!
Glad to hear!
To deal with it's size for helos, I'd build a base for my rig to boost everything up a foot to give more room for realistic cyclic extensions. This would help with the Warthog too, if you have a long extension.
The es exactly, you can do that but obviously this takes a bit of effort
Great review! It's been so long that I didn't even know this company existed.
Still have my G940 in the basement. Was great when Black Shark first launched. It was my goto stick for DCS but eventually went to a center sprung VKB NXT. Do not fly enough to get it back out and figure out why I stopped using it.
I really like my Realsimulator FSSB for fly by wire jets but it lacks feel in regular ones. I'd love to try one of these!
Excellent video!
That 'loose' centre, how does that affect A2A Refuelling where you need micro control?
Try playing with the saturation instead of the curves for helo’s. You can make the movement of the stick give less input to the actual control input without having to worry about the sensitivity at all certain trim point as it would be linear. You would loose some of the max range of the control but flying a help you don’t use that anyway
Yes but I don’t want to loose the max range of the deflections! It’s a compromise though I agree
Great informative video. I miss the days of FFB. Not sure if the beast is right for me due to space constraints, but it makes me wonder if I can make it work… 🤔
Ha yeah indeed!
How does the force feel during long dogfights with WW2 airplanes? I have the VPForce Rhino and I'm jealous of the specs of the FFBeast. It's 8kg force seems a lot more appropriate for Warbirds than the vs the 2.5kg of the Rhino. I also find the Rhino heats up pretty quickly and the force will drop to ~1.8-2kg after about 5 seconds of a high G turn (though, then the fan kicks on, and it cools off after just a few seconds of level flight, and returns to the 2.5kg). Wondering if FFBeast has any heat issues and/or reduces the force on prolonged holds at max force.
Absolutely zero heat issues. I’ve not ever had it decrease the amount of force, and I’ve never felt it being hot either. It’s great! I don’t fly warbirds though. So perhaps o don’t stress it as much as I could.
I hope they add support for Winwing sticks. If they do that, I would be very tempted to get it.
For now I don’t think so however I’ve asked the developer. I’ll get back to you if they plan on implementing that soon.
Do you have any other "immersion" add-ons? I have SimShaker exactly for all the small general vibrations (landing gear, ground roll etc.) and wonder if it's going to be overkill with all this rumbling from the stick and from the chair.
Man this is a fantastic review. Definitely makes me interested in buying one these. I need to find out if it's compatible with Star Citizen.
I don't think Star Citizen is supported for now.
For DIY Rhino is far superior due to 3D printed closure and availability of different part kits which ship immediately.
Can you do a video going over the FFbeast software, any settings, and DCS settings for force feed back?
Maybe I will at some point but this is a very complicated topic and FFBeast is getting a total overhaul of the firmware and software shortly so my settings would be a bit pointless potentially with the new software. I’ll think about it though.
Need one for the AH64
This looks great. Can you do a video on how to setup with a VKB joystick?
I can’t as I don’t have a VKB joystick but all you need is the right adapter for it. Just tell which stick you have when purchasing and you’ll have the right adapter
You should check out Brunner. And the CLS-E Mk II base. It’s definitely more money but I think probably covers any complaints you had. I believe it has an actively resettable center too? I don’t have one. Review it lmao
where in Cauc is the test range shown at 1:26?
Nowhere. I made it myself in the mission editor 🙂
@@CommandT Im tryna look for that exact spot on the map bacause of that forest line
Any plans to purchase the VPForce FFB Stick to do a comparison video? I wonder if Walmis will send you a stick for free as well?
No plans I’m afraid. I’m pretty happy using FFBeast for now.
Nice to see some high altitude Viggen flying.
Ha!
Awesome video! 😀
Thanks!
Can you tune to have a break through area? Curious if you can simulate the elastic limit break for the mirage
No, this is something that needs to come directly from Razbam, and it doesn’t as far as I can tell. I think there’s some DirextX limitations too. But no, Unfortuntaly not atm.
I hope you try flying the Heatblur F4 when it comes out in a couple of weeks
Absolutely! Can’t wait to see what it’s like 👍
F5 is my go to in DCS... I need this stick lol
I would agree!!
The huge build size might be a problem for me
Yeah I agree that having to accommodate the big base does impose some restrictions on one’s set up.
Unfortunately physics is playing against us there. You either have big motor, or weak motor :( I can make gimbal really small. But is impossible to find motor with high torque in small form factor.
have you tried it with the Kitty?
I still have MyMicrosoft sidewinder force feedback Where do I find the software for the force feedback Microsoft, I misplaced or lost, I can't find my disc for it for the software program set up?
Sorry can’t help you there but there’s a few new force feedback sticks coming onto the market now
My best experience was definately flying the tomcat with ffb.
Damn man< I really did not need more diy projects in the pipeline...
Does the F14 module have FFB? Seems that would be the jet which would benefit most...
I don’t fly it but yes it does! Supposedly it’s pretty good
Has the best FFB in-game.
The human body responds better to displacement mode in high stress situations where reaction time is important, force feedback is better for general conditions.
Old IL2 from early 2000's or New IL2 from 2016/17 is FFB ready for? Or both.
I suspect new one
I fully agree that getting tectile feedback about what's happening in the simulation is not only fun and immersive, it is also incredibly useful.
I personally use a Simshaker Jetpad that delivers many of the indicators you mention besides the uniquely stick-related info. I would very much recommend the Jetpad for gamers who want to add this feedback, especially because it is quite a bit more affordable.
Yeah that’s pretty cool too!
It’s made in russia, so a hard no for me. Just my opinion.
Yep, It's VERY good at what it does! I bought mine around five years ago. Andre is a cool guy and has been a great asset to the flightsim community. Made in Russia.......who cares. It's made by a Russian citizen, trying to make a living, doing something he's passionate about.........NOT the Russian Gov't 🙄 Hell, DCS was originally made in Russia and most of the shit we use in our everyday lives in this country, is made in China 🤔😂 Love my Jetseat by Andre! Flying without it, feels bland. It's amazing how self-righteous some of us (US, UK, etc citizens) get, while completely ignoring all of the bloodshed and other corrupt shit our own Gov't has and continues to perpetrate all over the globe!!! Just my opinion ✌🏾
Can't wait to add a FFB stick to my already awesome setup (VR, motion, etc). Now it's just a matter of waiting for which one is available first, this or the Rhino. On the waiting list of both 🙂
@@redtailpilot I’m not American cowboy, nor a Brit. Who cares?……I do. If you want to shrug off what the russians are doing, nobody’s stopping you. Ironic that you can rant about people being self righteous, yet you can make lazy excuses for the russians and chinese to make yourself feel better. Just because you’re ignoring the crap your country is responsible for doesn’t mean everyone is. Have a …. day.
Great video! Can you please share your profiles for FFB Commander?
For which aircraft?
What collective are you using for the helicopter portion of the video?
Virpil MH60 one
Is there a cogging feel with the belt drive?
Zero for me
Great video. Your data on the hornet is inaccurate. There is an increasing stick force per G above 22aoa but that affects the aircraft performance, not the stick force as such. The control box in the hornet is a bunch of springs and dampeners, that's it, no force from the fcs back it. What it manifests itself in is needing a larger deflection (therefore force) above 22aoa.
Do you know if FFB is looking to support WinWing grips in the future? I've fallen in love with their hats, material, and surface. Still a tempting offer to keep my Orion 2 with F-16 grip on the side, have a Thrustmaster F-18 grip in the middle. Would just need an force sensing base for the side lmao
WinWing protocol is closed and proprietary. I will not be "hacking" and I doubt WinWing will open their protocol to me. So to connect WinWing you will need original WinWing controller
I’ve asked the developer. I’ll get back to you 👍
What do you use as helicopter collective?
Virpil VPC Rotor TCS Plus Base + VPC Hawk-60 Collective Grip
Whats it feel like flying a more modern aircraft with relatively no center detent?
Feels great 👍
How is the mig-21?
Haven’t got it I’m afraid
I was thinking about preordering one how long did it take to get yours?
Atm as far as I’m told it’s at least a year waiting time. I got mine before anyone else almost for a review.
Just imagine that with a VR headset, that would really put the immersion high
Yes indeed!
Thats exactly how I have been playng. Its like being a real pilot
How is the force feedback support in MSFS?
It exists, but I haven’t tested it properly.
Did Heatblur F14 have full force feedback return?
It does apparently, though I don't fly it.
This joystick simulates the vibrations produced by the engine in piston airplanes and the vibration of the rotor in helicopters?
So I actually enquired about this as well with helicopter pilots - you don’t have appreciable vibrations through the cyclic, when flying around in a helicopter. If you do… then something is going wrong.
With regards to piston aircraft - same idea… you generally don’t have vibrations in the stick itself during normal operation. But maybe FFBeast can add an effect for a small vibrations to be there all the time when operating a warbird. Generally though I don’t think that’s necessary… maybe when half your wing is missing or the engine is misfiring blandly but atm we don’t have that… vibrations come when the rest of your cockpit is vibrating during buffet or stall ect. On landing - there’s a constant vibration from the wheels going over the tarmac - that’s an effect for all aircraft.
It is only a mater of adding such effect in software. Joystick just produces torque. And it do not care if it is vibration or spring. I'm working on software constantly. And additional vibrations on different events are on roadmap as well. Even so them are not present on stick IRL my goal to satisfy as much user wishes as possible :)
@@CommandT When the engine is at low revolutions it usually generates vibrations in the stick, as the revolutions increase they tend to disappear and become more subtle
@@Propeler3D Another effect that would be great is that when the plane is stationary on the ground, by increasing or reducing the engine revolutions, the propwash causes the stick move to the center or forward according to the engine revolutions.
You should just get a tactile bass shaker like a buttkicker to get those kind of vibrations.
The real hornet’s stick absolutely does move when you adjust the trim.
Not sure why it’s not modeled in DCS.
Are you sure?
@@CommandT yup. 100%. Done it many times.
what grips it's compatible with? is Winwing grips compatible? thanks.
Winwing was not mentioned on FFBeast website unfortunately.
amazing, I've never heard of force feedback stick before (with all the legal IP that i read about), how does DCS recognize how much pressure to push you hand and at which situation? is this already preprogrammed by the developers in anticipation of FFB joystick compatibility? I am very jealous of your setup!
I believe that as part of designing the flight model, all the information needed for the forces involved are generated. They simulate the force of the wind on the flight controls which should, as a by product, provide the amount of force working on the stick. This is an informed guess though. The Rhino includes software that provides extra effects like the stick shaking when guns are fired, elevator droop, improved stall effects, etc. It computes these from the telemetry DCS provides.
Not all the force feedback is modelled in each module as the forces are not necessarily related to pure aerodynamics from a programming point of view. So it varies model to model, and hence why the stick software offered it’s own force feedback that can be tuned on top of what each module offers
@@CommandT Very true. I only fly warbirds and am spoiled by DCS’s built in support. I sometimes forget there are other kinds of aircraft!
Can you demonstrate in Warthunder as well, please?
I don’t have Warthunder I’m afraid and I struggle for time so might not be able to, sorry 😞
Hey Mate. I got a beast now AS Well. I must say i find IT difficult to get profiles right. Would you be so Kind and share the profiles you Made?
Hey yes I have a link to my profiles in the community section - have a look there. It’s one of my recent posts
I was hoping to see how the F-14 worked with the FFBeast. Can you comment on that?
Unfortunately I don’t have the F-14. I can only imagine it would be awesome though!
@@CommandT thanks for the reply though. I appreciate it.
hopefully i get mine in the next time.....how long is the waiting time??
A year atm
I’m extremely interested in the DIY, but what is a true estimated total cost? Anything near 5-6 hundred is a 100% pull the trigger for me.
Also is there an associated discord or group of people interested in building and currently building these things?
Yep, FFBeast has a discord
I learned to fly in MS FlightSim in the early 90's with my force feedback stick. It was such a boon when I went for real lessons right afterwards. I do not understand why they went away, they should have improved greatly over time.
Yep it’s bizarre! But on the plus side… they are coming back!
Now we need force feedback ruddel pedals.
Direct drive FFB sticks when...
what about force feedback in the harrier?
It works pretty well.
Haven’t tried it but can’t imagine it will be any worse than any of the other aircraft I’ve tried!
What kind of 5 cm extension do you use?
What do you mean? Just a metallic cylinder
@@CommandT My question was not very precise. I meant, what brand/maker 5cm extension do you have? I know there were problems with short cable on some
Is there significant cogging effect you can feel?
Nope, zero
@@CommandT great to hear!
How you keep it clean?
A Hoover
Are those scooter motors?
Haha 😆
f16 stick has no movement in RL. hows that work
It doesn’t. It’s unique and you need a pressure stick base for it.
I have FFBeast. Are you able to share your profile for UH-1H?
Sure, just send me your email or contact me on Instagram and I’ll send you my Huey profile. @command_tango
Do you know how much the base weighs?
I don’t I’m afraid. I didn’t weigh it. It’s bloody heavy though.
Please redo the Finnish Hornet demo with the force feedback joystick.
I’ll do a hornet demo with it for sure. Might do the Finish one since we are getting the Kola map too!
I need one of those!
I'm sold! Now to rob a bank and spend the next 10 years convincing my wife I need a sim room.
Ha! The wife needs to go if she doesn’t let you have a sim room 😆
Go and play Descent Freespace. The FFB is nothing short of awesome.