20 years ago, Microsoft created the FFB2 stick

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I NEVER stopped using the FF2 joystick. I have several and bought extras on Ebay (just in case). The prices for these has skyrocketed. I love it for P3d AND MSFS. Combined with XPForce it works great. There are no drivers necessary. I use mine with Windows 11 now, and I’ve used it with Windows 10 and probably the Windows version before that. I cannot understand how simmers fly without one. I tried it in MSFS with a regular non-force feedback stick and it was like taking a bath with your socks on! Horrible! The feel of the tarmac when taking off and especially when touching down is necessary, in my opinion. It would be great if we could get the stick to react to TURBULENCE as well. I’m sure Microsoft has the capability of doing it. Why they don’t, I don’t know.

I would pay a premium price if Microsoft came out with a FF3. There is a huge market for it, Microsoft…if you are listening. I made a great living in marketing and business ownership, and I’m convinced that you’d sell a great many FF joysticks if you re-introduce the fabulous feel back to our beloved hobby, flight simulation.

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FFB still exists, just look at the “control loaded” yokes

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Guys, please vote the Force Feedback Support in the wishlist!

And let’s try to make this question arise in the next Q&A as well

FFB is as much essential as VR!

We need more support and most of all WE NEED HARDWARE!!!

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Logitech G940

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Hello, this program supposedly gives strength,

| airforce player Gerente de DirectInput (directinputmanager.com)

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Internet rumour mongering based on an old patent dispute from the late 90’s early 2000’s that was resolved long ago. Just fake news.

Microsoft made a deal with Immersion way back around 2003 and bought into the company to resolve any issues, and those patents actually have since expired in 2019 anyway.

Microsoft dropping FFB products was probably for the same reason they dropped Aces Studio and FSX. Gaming at the time was seen by management as detrimental to MS image as a big professional enterprise/corporate software giant.

Of course once flight simming became more and more “niche” and elitist the market also shrank meaning that mass produced consumer priced FFB for aircraft were no longer viable anyway. Reasonable FFB for car racing has always been available it is just the flight sim variety that dropped off the consumer market.

With the huge demand for flight sim hardware generated by MSFS it is highly likely we would see new devices pretty quickly - IF - the Asobo team ever introduce true native FFB support to the game.

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I’m still using mine. Best money I ever spent.

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I am using them and there work. When I read other people here with honeycomb… or trustmaster etc there got always problems. Was hoping there come a FFB3 stick. New players who dont know the FFB2 don’t know what they’re missing. Asobo and Jörg really need that stick too to know how must FEEL a Sim!

But there try it with a gamepad hahaha

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I remember I read somewhere that Honeycomb might be at a very early stage of designing something with ffb, which would make sense being an official partner with Microsoft Flight Simulator.

If that was true, I doubt we will be able to hear anything about it for at least a year.

They are busy launching their yet first line of products, Alph, Bravo, Charlie (next year), etc, etc… for PC AND X-Box… They need to monetize those first.

Anyway, I don’t think Microsoft can really ignore the need for FFB forever.
It will come back at some point.
They are just waiting for the best moment to make the best impact on the market.

Every time I think about FFB I think about trimming the plane.
It’s one of the most essential features for flying the plane and it has NEVER got right in a sim.

Every pilot that flies for real says that trimming in a sim is always harder than in the real plane… and mostly for the fact that when you trim you FEEL the pressure going away from the control and THAT allows you to balance the plane, while with a sprung-loaded controller you has to let the sprung to return back to the center.

Some people, mostly liners simmers, say that FFB doesn’t really matter when the control surfaces are hydraulically actioned, but I think that’s not the point.
Even a heavy jet with hydraulic systems has its own specific feel, and that is something that can change from plane to plane. Then there are some airplanes where the FFD is actually recreated purposely to help the pilot to “feel” better the plane.

Whit an FFB joystick you own multiple possible sprung-loaded joysticks at once.
The possibilities are endless.

They keep on saying “We are making a Flight Simulator both for newcomers and hardcore fans”.

Alright, then give us the force feedback. Let’s get real.

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Yep…outside of VR I would say there is nothing as immersive for a flight sim. Especially when flying older planes without hydraulics. In fact in some ways its more immersive. With VR you are always reminded of the fact that you can’t see your keyboard or joystick.

I remember playing CFS back in the day and being exhausted after a few hours from fighting the stick. Great times. :slight_smile:

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Exactly how I see it. Especially in GA planes, the “feel” you get in the stick is essential in assessing the flight situation. During takeoff, you feel the stick pressure starting to build up while the plane becomes more and more willingt to fly. Approaching a stall, you feel the controls become “mushy”.
And the most frequent one is the one you describe - you use the stick to achieve level flight and then you “trim away” the control forces.

Although I must say that imagination is a powerful force. When I fly in the sim, I do it like in a real airplane: fly level using the stick and then “trim away” my control input until I could release the stick and the plane would stay level. The more I trim, the less I have to move the stick, which reduces the spring load, so the feeling I’m getting isn’t completely off from the real thing.

I though about getting a Brunner yoke which seems to have this functionality, but I’m not sure about the realism that it gets from the sim and also I can’t justify to shell out 1200 Euros or more just for a yoke. Not mentioning the disk space it would take.

But using FFB to emulate rumbling on the tarmac or during touch-down is clearly the wrong way in my opinion. This isn’t Forza.

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