Virpil Constallation Alpha

[Mark Zero]

If that works the same as a lot of the Arduino HID libraries, then the limit is 32 individual buttons, 4 16-bit axes, 2 8-bit axes and 2 D-pads. By assigning 5 physical buttons to one logical D-pad, you can remove them from the 32 button space. At the price of being unable to press (or rather, detect) them simultaneously.

Interesting. That's probably how it works. I've never really dug into the configuration tools hard enough to set something like that up.

The way I got around it was by using an outdated version of the Virpil configuration software that allowed for the CM-2 to be logically split into three different devices. It's clunky, and Virpil removed that feature because it was too unstable to reliably support, but I've been lucky so far.

Considering biting the bullet and swapping over to vJoy/Joystick Gremlin though. The only game this seems to work out for is Elite, and I'd like to expand my setup to Star Wars Squadrons and Everspace 2 for some extra fun.

 

[ubermick]

The setup is prohibitively expensive and slightly redundant, so no actual need to go that hard. But man is it fun. Everything Virpil puts out is excessively well made, easy to work with/swap parts, and provides tons of control surfaces for binding options. I actually kind of want more things to control just so that I can use more bindings with these things, which is ridiculous.

YOU THINK??

I've got the CM2 throttle (fantastic) and a VKB Kosmosima Premium on a Gunfighter III, but I've been eyeing the Constellation Alpha for a while now. I can wholeheartedly recommend Virpil's gear, its fantastic, but their lead times can be/usually are a bit brutal. I think I'd read on the HOTAS subreddit that they scaled back manufacturing massively, and no longer keep things "in stock" and only generate manufacturing orders when their orders get to a certain level. So if you're the first one to place an order, you could be waiting months, but if you're the last one to, you can get it quick. I've seen stories of people ordering gear a month ago, and they still haven't gotten any sort of order update yet. That sort of stuff has given me pause on pulling the trigger on a new stick.

In terms of working around the stupidly frustrating Elite button limits, Virpil's configuration software allows you to "split" devices into a 32-button game controller and the rest into a keyboard. Somewhat annoyingly, the keyboard option doesn't let you actually specify which keyboard buttons to assign, so its a bit hit and miss. (The other option is a combination of Vjoy and Joystick Gremlin that Mark mentioned, but having to launch multiple programs before I play Elite got too annoying.) I have one of their control panels as well, and am currently trying to fabricate something to get it mounted to my chair. (Virpil makes a kit for it, but again, the wait times and shipping are prohibitive for me)

I will say tho... the feel of playing the game on premium gear makes it... different. Almost (almost!!) like real flying as opposed to using a toy.

 

[Cosmik_Debris]

I have a pair of Alphas and they are amazing - i prefer two sticks to a throttle setup, so no personal review on the CM3.

They are on the large side and quite chunky, so i think they suit larger hands and i would definitely mount it - with the warbrd base they would be quite a lot too tall mounted on a desktop, in my opinion.

The number of controls is great and they are all pretty accessible, and the accuracy / centering is 100% perfect, i dont have a deadzone of any description.

edit: they are pretty durable as well, ive had them for 18 month or so, and i also use them for an anti grav racing game (redout) which means they get thrown about HARD and they still work like they day i bought them.

 

[Tividar]

YOU THINK??

I've got the CM2 throttle (fantastic) and a VKB Kosmosima Premium on a Gunfighter III, but I've been eyeing the Constellation Alpha for a while now. I can wholeheartedly recommend Virpil's gear, its fantastic, but their lead times can be/usually are a bit brutal. I think I'd read on the HOTAS subreddit that they scaled back manufacturing massively, and no longer keep things "in stock" and only generate manufacturing orders when their orders get to a certain level. So if you're the first one to place an order, you could be waiting months, but if you're the last one to, you can get it quick. I've seen stories of people ordering gear a month ago, and they still haven't gotten any sort of order update yet. That sort of stuff has given me pause on pulling the trigger on a new stick.

I've purchased three (3) Constellation Alphas and both their CM2 and CM3 Throttles. Ubermick is correct in that shipping and delivery can take awhile, but they did change their fulfilment system in 2020. My first purchase in 2019 took about 2 months between getting an order placed and the product delivered. All the subsequent purchases have arrived in under a month with most being 2ish weeks.

I've used TM16000 HOTAS, the Logitech X52, the VKB Gunfighter Mk.III, and the VIRPIL Constellation Alpha. Did not like the X52 because it felt like a toy, had hardware issues and ultimately broke. The TM16000 Stick was serviceable, but the button placement is poor and the twist-yaw requires some after-market work or it will develop progressively catastrophic jitter to the point of failure.

The VKB Gunfighter is a great stick.
I really like the toggle trigger button in front of the primary fire button. Its great for flipping through weapon groups.
The stick feels a little small to my hands (8" index to wrist, 9" pinky to thumb), but not uncomfortable - more like snug.
The connection to the mount is a compression fit. Its relatively easy to get the three pieces misaligned and then broken.

The Constellation Alpha is what I used today (and bought several additional for friends and family).
The quadruple button primary fire is useless for Elite Dangerous and IMHO a downgrade from the VKB toggle trigger, but everything else about the Alpha is better: larger fit, more buttons good placement. Nice and stiff. Very solid feel.

The CM2/3 Throttles are good: better than anything else I've found. Their biggest issue is too many buttons (necessitating vJoy and Joystick Gremlin), and some of the buttons are hard to reach due to cramped placement. Both of those negatives tend to self-mitigate. As a practical matter I don't use (and don't miss) the buttons that are hard to reach.

A note on vJoy/Joystick Gremlin: It took me the better part of a Saturday to figure out how to set it up (YMMV). That said, the programmability is extremely useful. Three simple examples:
1.) For mining - a timed mining laser burn long enough to fully deplete the asteroid but shutting off before overheating the ship.
2.) For missile/limpet defense - chain-firing two ECM for almost perfect coverage.
3.) For Power Play - automating the purchase of PP cargo.

EDIT: I should add you need to mount these sticks. If you don't already have a mounting solution you're going to need to develop one. If you don't have a solution, VIRPIL sells very good desk mounts of which I've bought three. Two are used to mount a stick and throttle at a desk and the third I use to mount a stick to my Obutto Revolution.

 

[Cosmik_Debris]

The Constellation Alpha is what I used today (and bought several additional for friends and family).
The quadruple button primary fire is useless for Elite Dangerous and IMHO a downgrade from the VKB toggle trigger, but everything else about the Alpha is better: larger fit, more buttons good placement. Nice and stiff. Very solid feel.

While the double press primary trigger is pretty pointless for Elite, the flip trigger is far from it, i find them very useful. I have mine set so the left one is an alternate secondary fire, so i can toggle it and leave it without holding down the trigger (used for pulse wave scanners or gimballed multis, for example) and the right one set as my flight assist toggle (actually set as a hold ingame, but functions as a toggle that also changes the LED colour on the stick)

 

[Tividar]

While the double press primary trigger is pretty pointless for Elite, the flip trigger is far from it, i find them very useful. I have mine set so the left one is an alternate secondary fire, so i can toggle it and leave it without holding down the trigger (used for pulse wave scanners or gimballed multis, for example) and the right one set as my flight assist toggle (actually set as a hold ingame, but functions as a toggle that also changes the LED colour on the stick)

Those are some interesting ideas. I'll have to fiddle with it. In the past I've been concerned with accidentally flipping the flip-trigger.

 

[ubermick]

The VKB Gunfighter is a great stick.
I really like the toggle trigger button in front of the primary fire button. Its great for flipping through weapon groups.
The stick feels a little small to my hands (8" index to wrist, 9" pinky to thumb), but not uncomfortable - more like snug.
The connection to the mount is a compression fit. Its relatively easy to get the three pieces misaligned and then broken.

The Constellation Alpha is what I used today (and bought several additional for friends and family).
The quadruple button primary fire is useless for Elite Dangerous and IMHO a downgrade from the VKB toggle trigger, but everything else about the Alpha is better: larger fit, more buttons good placement. Nice and stiff. Very solid feel.

The CM2/3 Throttles are good: better than anything else I've found. Their biggest issue is too many buttons (necessitating vJoy and Joystick Gremlin), and some of the buttons are hard to reach due to cramped placement. Both of those negatives tend to self-mitigate. As a practical matter I don't use (and don't miss) the buttons that are hard to reach.

Wanna sell me one of your Alphas?!?!

I actually pulled the trigger yesterday on a VKB MCG Ultimate grip, but am now massively regretting it. I've got relatively small hands, and while the Space Combat Grip is perfect for me size-wise, the MCGU is MASSIVE in comparison, and I now realise I won't be able to use it. Have asked for a cancellation, and if they do I'll order a Virpil, finally. (That said, I'm still expecting a longer than usual wait, considering how things in Eastern Europe are right now...)

I do agree on the toggle trigger on the VKB, and fire groups are exactly what I use it for. I think the scroll wheel on the Virpil would do a fine job of that, though, which the VKB is lacking. The metal flip switch the Virpil has in its place, I could see using to switch to turret mode on the SRV or something. One issue I have with the VKB - and its apparently a common issue with the Space Combat Grip - is that the rubber dust boot interferes with the twist/z-axis causing it to constantly stick, so if I'm not careful I end up drifting off course constantly. (There's a fix that involves installing the dust boot differently, but then it interferes with the Y-axis, so its a case of pick your poison.)

If my research is right too, the Constellation Alpha comes in at exactly 32 buttons, so no messing around with it to be done?

 

[BDelacroix]

I first had a thrustmaster 2000. That was before the turn of the century. I converted that to a digial stick with a kit. Finally I had to get a new one and went with the Saitek (now logitech) x-52. I have had to open it up one time to clean the trigger switch. It is still working for me and its been over a decade.

I don't own a virpl but from what I read, if I needed to get another control system and money was no object, virpl would be the way to go.

 

[Cosmik_Debris]

If my research is right too, the Constellation Alpha comes in at exactly 32 buttons, so no messing around with it to be done?

31 in total, plus 6 analog axes

edit: breaks down as:
3x 5 way hats
1x 3 way hat
2x 2 stage triggers
4 buttons on the scroll wheel (up/down/double press)
3 discreet buttons
Brake lever is also a button and the analog thumbstick press is also a button.

If you have smaller hands, i think the pinky trigger might be hard to use. I have the palm rest as low as its possible to get it (i removed the washer nut to get it lower) and the pinky button is in a good place for me, so i think with a higher palm rest it would be hard to get at.

 

[Ashnak]

The quadruple button primary fire is useless for Elite Dangerous

No.

I'm using the flip toggles (via an Autohotkey script) to switch between analysis and combat mode (left) and to deploy weapons (right). No idea what to do with the dual stage trigger, though. Script is at https://github.com/markus-i/AHK-EDToggle. It works sufficiently reliable for me - if the flip doesn't work, a re-toggle usually fixes it. If not, I forgot to restart the script after the last PC reboot .

 

[Ashnak]

If my research is right too, the Constellation Alpha comes in at exactly 32 buttons, so no messing around with it to be done?

Well, more or less. You still need to set it up through the Virpil utility (especially if you're using two of them). And if you want them to cooperate with EDrefcard, you better read that thread first (relevant post should be somewhere near the end - no link, sorry) and find out which ID should go to which stick. I didn't, wrote my refcard by hand.

 

[leonardofelin]

Indeed, it was from the D2EA that I found out about these. The review seems in-depth, informative and independent, but I'd still like some other opinions, 'cos these things cost too much to be impulse purchases for me!

You got a lot of feedback here already, but I also suggest a scroll through https://www.reddit.com/r/hotas/

 

[Tividar]

Well, more or less. You still need to set it up through the Virpil utility (especially if you're using two of them). And if you want them to cooperate with EDrefcard, you better read that thread first (relevant post should be somewhere near the end - no link, sorry) and find out which ID should go to which stick. I didn't, wrote my refcard by hand.

You need to use the Virpil utility once to calibrate. You can use the utility to change virtual vs. physical buttons but its not necessary on the stick (you'll almost certainly want to change these on the throttle). Once you've calibrated and made your edits, everything is saved to hardware so you don't generally need to run the utility again unless there's a problem or you add additional Virpil Hardware.

 

[Tividar]

Wanna sell me one of your Alphas?!?!

I actually pulled the trigger yesterday on a VKB MCG Ultimate grip, but am now massively regretting it. I've got relatively small hands, and while the Space Combat Grip is perfect for me size-wise, the MCGU is MASSIVE in comparison, and I now realise I won't be able to use it. Have asked for a cancellation, and if they do I'll order a Virpil, finally. (That said, I'm still expecting a longer than usual wait, considering how things in Eastern Europe are right now...)

I do agree on the toggle trigger on the VKB, and fire groups are exactly what I use it for. I think the scroll wheel on the Virpil would do a fine job of that, though, which the VKB is lacking. The metal flip switch the Virpil has in its place, I could see using to switch to turret mode on the SRV or something. One issue I have with the VKB - and its apparently a common issue with the Space Combat Grip - is that the rubber dust boot interferes with the twist/z-axis causing it to constantly stick, so if I'm not careful I end up drifting off course constantly. (There's a fix that involves installing the dust boot differently, but then it interferes with the Y-axis, so its a case of pick your poison.)

If my research is right too, the Constellation Alpha comes in at exactly 32 buttons, so no messing around with it to be done?

I think my kids'd be a little ticked if I sold their flight sticks... =)
I use the momentary dial above my afterburner on the Throttle for weapon group swapping. While its not as precise as the VKB toggle I find its more ergonomic and I'm less likely to wreck my shot if I have to quickly change groups.
I've got mixed feelings about the yaw-twist on the stick. It works great mechanically, but I keep thinking switching roll to my feet and using X/Y on the stick for Pitch/Yaw would improve my aim.

 

[ubermick]

I think my kids'd be a little ticked if I sold their flight sticks... =)
I use the momentary dial above my afterburner on the Throttle for weapon group swapping. While its not as precise as the VKB toggle I find its more ergonomic and I'm less likely to wreck my shot if I have to quickly change groups.
I've got mixed feelings about the yaw-twist on the stick. It works great mechanically, but I keep thinking switching roll to my feet and using X/Y on the stick for Pitch/Yaw would improve my aim.

Hey, I've got an X52 I can send them - I'll throw in the throttle as well!

That thumbwheel on the CM2 is for targeting subsystems. When I first eyed the Constellation Alpha, that's what I thought the scroll wheel on there would do, until it dawned on me the foldable trigger doesn't behave in the same way as the VKB's.

 

[Tividar]

Hey, I've got an X52 I can send them - I'll throw in the throttle as well!

That thumbwheel on the CM2 is for targeting subsystems. When I first eyed the Constellation Alpha, that's what I thought the scroll wheel on there would do, until it dawned on me the foldable trigger doesn't behave in the same way as the VKB's.

I use the thumbwheel on the flight stick for subsystems. The problem I run into is the thumbwheel on the flight stick is awkward for me to reach with my thumb. Any time I have to use it I lose a little control on the ship (so aiming fixed suffers). The throttle hat switch under my left middle finger might be a viable alternative...

 

[Cosmik_Debris]

I use the thumbwheel on the flight stick for subsystems. The problem I run into is the thumbwheel on the flight stick is awkward for me to reach with my thumb. Any time I have to use it I lose a little control on the ship (so aiming fixed suffers). The throttle hat switch under my left middle finger might be a viable alternative...

I use the 3 way hat on the alpha for weapon groups, with the push being combat/analysis switch - but i almost never run combat ships with more than 2 weapon types / firing profiles, so i dont really need to use it in combat often.

 

[Tividar]

I use the 3 way hat on the alpha for weapon groups, with the push being combat/analysis switch - but i almost never run combat ships with more than 2 weapon types / firing profiles, so i dont really need to use it in combat often.

I think I use that hat for selecting wingmates. One of these days I need to start a thread showing Virpil keybinds. I'm sure there are lots of pilots out there with good suggestions. My core keybinds have stayed pretty constant, but I'm always looking for improvements.

 

[Cosmik_Debris]

I think I use that hat for selecting wingmates. One of these days I need to start a thread showing Virpil keybinds. I'm sure there are lots of pilots out there with good suggestions. My core keybinds have stayed pretty constant, but I'm always looking for improvements.

Im pretty happy with mine now, though to be honest with 2 alphas i have enough buttons to duplicate some things so i can fly one handed in low stress situations (like super cruise, etc), and there are even more with the throttle / alpha combo - so im sure there are a large number of variations that work.

 

[Mark Zero]

I'd be down for a Virpil keybind-sharing thread! It'd be a nice distraction from all the dooming going on lately.