Virpil Constallation Alpha

denispage

denispage
JohnRoberts said:
I'll keep this short: I need yet another new HOTAS, I'm not interested in buying more that won't last. After some research, top of my list is Virpil Constellation Alpha + their CM3 throttle, but it's quite a lot of money.

So I'm looking for feedback, good and bad, from any owners, or suggestions for other devices at the "quality" end of the market.

(No Thrustmaster Warthog - I vastly prefer Z-axis for rudder).

Thanks,
JR.
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I've had thrustmaster t16000m, upgraded to logitech x56, then to a thrustmaster warthog, upgraded to a VKB Gunfighter MK3 MCG ultimate and then to a Virpil constellation Alpha with CM3 throttle. In my opinion is the best setup that I've had.
The best base is warthog, the best rotation angle is VKB. But the Virpil stick is better. You can but it, you won't regret.
BTW, for a two stick setup I'm getting a VKB Gladiator (left stick).
Cheers!
 
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ubermick

ubermick
DrMorto said:
VKB NXT. No need to look elsewhere. Absolutely great, and priced right. I combine it with the Thrustmaster throttle. Perfect combo.
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The NXT is definitely a nice bit of kit, and one I owned myself up until about six months ago when I upgraded to the VKB Gladiator III.

The Thrustmaster throttle is, in fairness, not a patch on Virpil's. Not even close. It does the job, but its like comparing a Ford Focus to a Rolls Royce.
 

d8veh

d8veh
I have Virpil Alpha and CM3 throttle. They are exceptionally good, but there is a small problem: The yaw spring broke in the Alpha after about 1000 hrs. I disassembled it, which isn'tt too difficult, and took the spring out. Guess what? It's identical to the one in the X52, which breaks at about 1000hrs too. You can't get X52 springs for love nor money, but I sent an email to Virpil, and they sent me three replacement springs free of charge very quickly. I haven't tried it, but I'm pretty sure that the Virpil spring would be a direct replacement for the X52. the wire is the same size, the legs are the same and it has the same number of turns. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that Virpil copied the X52 spring. Either that or they used the same book of how to design springs.
 

mephisto9466

M
JohnRoberts said:
I'll keep this short: I need yet another new HOTAS, I'm not interested in buying more that won't last. After some research, top of my list is Virpil Constellation Alpha + their CM3 throttle, but it's quite a lot of money.

So I'm looking for feedback, good and bad, from any owners, or suggestions for other devices at the "quality" end of the market.

(No Thrustmaster Warthog - I vastly prefer Z-axis for rudder).

Thanks,
JR.
Click to expand...
personally i recommend the x56 i have two of them. the reason i have 2 is because the trigger on the other was starting to mess up and i had the thing for a few years and it survived some HEAVY use, other than that i had no other issues out of it. my second one is perfectly fine right now, logitechs quality control is.....questionable, but for the most part, solidly built, you wont get all of the features of the x56 for cheaper than it. the range of sticks that have everything the x56 has is generally around 400+. obviously theres some negatives, the lube for the throttle is WAYYY too thick and they use WAY too much so it makes the throttle hard to move even on the lightest setting, the second stick i have doesnt have that problem so it was probably just margin of error with the manufacturing, the screws are DEEP so if you want to open it up and do any modification, your gonna need some long screw heads. Another thing with the throttle you may want to invest in some heavy duty velcro so you dont accidentally lift the . the stick itself is just amazing, i love the sensitivity of it, love the feel of it, love the placement of the buttons and for someone with small hands its perfect. all in all, its a good hotas with a BUNCH of features and buttons for cheaper than price bracket its trying to compete with. it is NOT a virple lite, it doesnt have the build quality of the virple or other super expensive hotase's but it gets the job done
 

ubermick

ubermick
Mark Zero said:
WAIT WHAT?!?!
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support.virpil.com

VPC Software Setup Version: [20220208]

VPC Software Setup Version: [20220208] 1. VPC Configuration tool 1.1. New USB enumeration procedure, аccurately and precisely detects conflicts when multiple identical devices are connected ('bootloader' or 'no profile'); 1.2. New 'Hints' subs...
support.virpil.com support.virpil.com

First item under section five of the release notes!

5.1. Split by 32 buttons has back, USB controller create 4 virtual devices by 32 buttons each.

And can confirm it works! But… be prepared for rebinding!
 

Ashnak

Ashnak
Ah well, wanted to go into bindings in any case - happened the second time now yesterday that I sent my cutter into silent running instead of FA-off. And this is a cargo setup with heavily boostered 6A shields, takes like 10 minutes to come back up again...
 

Mark Zero

M
ubermick said:
support.virpil.com

VPC Software Setup Version: [20220208]

VPC Software Setup Version: [20220208] 1. VPC Configuration tool 1.1. New USB enumeration procedure, аccurately and precisely detects conflicts when multiple identical devices are connected ('bootloader' or 'no profile'); 1.2. New 'Hints' subs...
support.virpil.com support.virpil.com

First item under section five of the release notes!

5.1. Split by 32 buttons has back, USB controller create 4 virtual devices by 32 buttons each.

And can confirm it works! But… be prepared for rebinding!
Click to expand...
That is amazing. And I am more than willing to go through the rebinding process if it means I'm not lagging behind on firmware any more! Just gotta wait a bit until I can carve out the time.
 

Mark Zero

M
JohnRoberts said:
Thanks for all the feedback folks - truely appreciated. Order placed for a Constellation Alpha, WarBrd base, and CM3 throttle.

(Wife was especially gracious about this news - now I left wondering what it's really going to cost me).
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Get ready to do a lot of dishes and laundry without being asked to. Maybe bring home some fresh cut flowers on your next grocery run. ;)

In all seriousness though, you're gonna get your money's worth out of this stuff. The build quality is insanely good, and it'll last you a very long time if you take care of 'em. Just don't expect them to be plug-and-play. You're gonna want to spend some time in the config tool getting everything set up (definitely take a look at that device splitting option in the new firmware that Ubermick was talking about, that'll solve the issue of getting all of the CM-3's buttons to work in Elite), and then you're gonna need to sit with the keybinding menus for a bit to get all of the controls set up.

Once you've absorbed the cost and gotten used to them, other things to potentially look at are either Virpil's desk mounts or Monstertech's mounting hardware. And if you wanna get real fancy, a second, left-handed Constellation Alpha is great to use as a dedicated omni-directional thruster control. I use the alternate flight controls to swap between primary use of the throttle or a left-handed stick, and while it's a bit excessive, I freaking love it.
 
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