I picked up my Constellation Alpha about a year ago and it's completely transformed my flight sim experience. As somebody not all that interested in space sims the Alpha still represents one of the best values in the high end market for flight simming as it grants almost unparalleled flexibility for a variety of aircraft and use cases. The flip trigger and the 3 stage pull is by far one of the most useful features I've encountered and I often use it as an easy weapons safe/arm feature.
Awesome. It's good to know Virpil is still pushing their gear to perfection. I still haven't found the perfect bindings for my Alphas, but it's good to know they are pushing the envelope and when I am ready to upgrade there will be something new on the top tier of grips.
I love my dual Alphas and though tempting to upgrade to the prime I will stick with them. Virpil makes some quality products and the Alphas are some sticks that just feel right. They have so many bindings that I rarely reach for the keyboard, when I do it’s for a rare keybind or to type a message. Nice you get an Alpha you don’t need anything else, except a second Alpha for your other hand.
For those that are waiting for Star Citizen to be finished, don’t. Any flight simulator will benefit from having a nice stick, not just Star Citizen. Also the development for SC is going to be long and full of bugs. Theses sticks will last you the years and even decades SC is in development. Why wait to enjoy a solid stick in your hands and the precise movement they provide. The only regret you will have in getting the Alpha is if you wait till SC is released.
I get this take but I have no plans in playing SC until it's in a more mature state with persistence etc. I play no other flight sims. If SC takes another 2-3 years by then an even newer version of the alpha's will be out and I'll have more options to choose from.
That being said, I've had my Virpils coming up for close to a decade now for SC, and they've definitely made improvements since, improvements that'll cost more to replace my two old sticks.
@@brandofriva While I completely understand, and agree that alpha games aren’t for everyone and SC can be really buggy, depending on build/patch,… even in its current state, it is honestly the best game I have ever played and it’s only getting better
Virpil made the right choice going higher end, these are the sticks I have been wanting for a few years. I wanted a metal body stick that didn't flex, especially during twist, and isn't ridiculously clunky and overbuilt like the warthog. I also like complex control schemes so all those bindings are music to my ears.
Just wanted to say I blame and praise you for your content. You where the first channel that I found and followed posting about Star Citizen. You were also the first ORG I join and enjoy it! Seeing how you have grow man your channel, growing your setups and sim area over the years has been awesome! I haven’t yet left from the classic t16000ms yet but the battle of going back and forth between upgrading to a silver tier stick like VKB or just saving up and going for the Gold standard with Virpil has honestly been settled. I’m going to save and just buy a Virpil. These sticks keep getting better and better! The Alpha Primes look amazing! Thank you for your videos and input personally over the years! Also thank you for your service over the many years!
Ahh!!! I love my two other virpil grips... do I really need a third! Edit: I have a set of alphas and deltas... I too have shelved my deltas, but I plan on gifting them to friends when SC goes into beta in 2028.
@@therocinante3443 hehe don't forget chris roberts is 54(27 May 1968 (age 54 years), Redwood City, California, United States), why do you think he is trying to get squadron 42 out before he dies. remember what the answer to life and everything was yes it was 42 . so star citizen should take 42 years before release 😁😁
Great summary of all the differences between these and the older version! These are an upgrade over the old version for sure, but it's not a huge upgrade. I agree these will last for a long time as well. I expect these and my pedals may be the only hardware that lasts to SC full release. ;P
The flip trigger now being two discrete stages (and bindings) sounds awesome to me, first idea would be to bind it to Weapons Systems Offline/Online, i.e. when Flip Trigger is up, Binding 1, that's "Disable Weapons Systems/Retract Turrets/etc", and when flipped down to stage 2, it would be "Enable Weapons Systems/Deploy Turrets/etc". That would be a cool & immersive way to handle how you approach any given contact in Star Citizen for example, could lead to awesome multi-route mission design too, where NPC contacts in space would react differently to you based on whether you approached them with weapons fully active, deployed and charged, or with weapons offline. Especially when using a dual stick setup where you have no throttle base for such functionality.
These are amazing and I have heard nothing but good things about them but I went with VKB's personally. Equally as good in my mind. Anyone looking to get some HOSAS should seriously consider these and VKB.
Great overview, as always! I was concerned about a move to metal and the effect it would have on the bases, so I'm glad you covered that right out the gate. As far as the changes to the flip trigger...I still have yet to find a good use for them in anything. All they do is cause Mobiglas cursor issues in Star Citizen lol. I REALLY want to see a tool-free method of enabling/disabling twist though. Let me enable twist when I don't feel like pulling out my ACE Torq pedals...but then easily disable.
I'm not crazy about the RGB but more importantly I think the frosted plastic looks cheap. I'd argue the MCG Ultimate looks like a higher quality stick because it doesn't look like it was made by Razer.
It's removable... I reckon there could be an opportunity to scan those and reprodue them in Carbon Fibre impregnated Nylon or similar to have an amazing feel and finish.
Today I pulled the trigger for the alpha prime bundle plus z-extension 🙈🥰 As it was on back-order it will take some time but I hope it dont take too long 🙏 I´m so thrilled right now! 😊😇
Fantastic. I would like to offer a bit of input. The combination of prime and Z may work better with a slightly stiffer spring. I historically like a very light feeling which has led me to flip back between z or no z. Enjoy your new controllers
Now that I've moved back to the US and am completing my new "office" (game room), it is finally time to invest in some great dual sticks. Looks like these are exactly what I'm looking for. Now I just need to either buy or make a new desk and figure out how I want to attach these things for the best feel.
great review! I had CH for nearly 20 years and replaced with the Warthog HOTAS and I was wasn't happy with it. The stick movement is way too stiff and most of the switches on the throttle are not momentary which creates some issues with key mapping. I finally ordered the Constellation ALPHA Prime, Mongoose base and the MongoosT-50CM3 Throttle and am really excited for their arrival!
I really like that they removed that textured part on the side of the grip. As anyone with sticks should know, if you don't clean your sticks and leave them for a few months, you'll come back to a joystick covered in sticky residue from all the gunk & moisture that gets transfered off your hands, especially if you live in a warm climate. Excellent review as always NOOB.
Side note first - I was a bit confused when you were reminding folks about the original Alpha. At 1:26 while you describe the classic stick, isn't that the Alpha Prime? No biggie, just trying to keep you on your toes 😏 It doesn't surprise me about the new stick, a company has to grow. Of course I won't be upgrading, but congratz to the new buyers of the Prime, it's a sick stick, I am envious. I actually got money off my pair of Alpha's thanks to your discount code - 🤗 Another great video Noob, thanks for sharing.
The Grips look awesome. Funny story, I recently wanted to upgrade my GF stick so I changed my grip from VKB SCG GF to a MCG Ultimate, and in the time it took for it to arrive, Virpil opened its american store and now it lauched a similar grip to VKB's MCGU. Still I'm really happy with my new grip, I really like enthusiasts have more options to complete their flight/space Sim setup. Great review btw.
Going back several years, I remember that as I was following the development of SC, it was one of your stick review videos that made me finally decide to buy the game package. I literally decided to buy the game because I wanted to play with sticks. Bought a pair of TM16000m and Logitech Ex3d and then I was looking for other games where I could use them. Now after long absence due to (mainly) fps issues, I got back to SC so I can buy the Alpha Primes. I think I'm doing something backwards 😅
My thoughts are, I'd like to have my endgame sticks for the PU when the game is out. Who knows how many new, better sticks every company will have byt he time the PU is considered, "released". My VKBs will suffice for the entirety of alpha and beta. I'll get sticks like this in 5 years when we're out of PU beta. Hopefully. Heck, I know it's wishful thinking. Fantastic stick and review though, homie.
Ive been having the same feeling. If i came into a bunch of money things would be different, but as is id rather wait to see how stick evolution goes and maintain my mid-level hardware for a bit. I totally agree with his proposition to invest in hardware over ship pledges though.
Or you can have the best right now, and upgrade for the new best in 5 years, or maybe everyone will be dead in 5 years and will never had the chance to taste the best, YOLO ! Virpil right now !
@@Spectaden like i said, if i had the money, it'd be different. But id rather save a big as heck set of expendatures like that for if 1-my current set up fails, 2-my space sim hobby becomes a greater part of my life (so like if i got more of my friends into it and i started spending much more time in it) or 3-when i have so much money saved up i can afford to spend more on my hobbies without risking my savings
I preferred virpil alpha's over VKB kosmosima gunfighter mk3's. Mainly because I had issues with the contacts between the base and grip on the VKB's. I'm very happy to see that virpil is just aiming higher and higher with their newest products, and I'll be looking for an excuse to buy these even though my current constellation alpha's suit my every need.
I’d love to see that second momentary switch changed to another 4-way hat, like an F-16 grip… lots of jets have mappings there that I have to put elsewhere and it would have a depress trigger anyway, so you still get a momentary press there
I bought some VKB NXT Evo Galdiators - Omni Left & premium Right. I must say, the upgrade from dual T1600m was immediatley noticable. The smooth cam adjustments, large number of keybindings are amazing, but what really sold it to me, was the smooth return to centre after moving a stick to its axis margin. not fighting a stick trying to return itself to centre makes for much easier aiming. And i got both of these for less than the price of one virpil.
I’m happy for you, and I agree it’s a great stick but this statement is a bit like… “I bought a Corolla, it’s so much better than my Yaris and it was half the price of an Audi RS3” … right?
You comment about spending a bit of cash on something a) quality and b) REAL!!! (in this case some good quality hardware) vs buying a ship that won't come out for 2 years - that is probably one of the most practical things I have heard in ages. Also, kudos to the video - I just received my Prime (Serial # 0000014) - can't wait to start testing out the various cams and springs to really see how well I can tune this for my experience. One thing I will note - upgrading from the CM2 Mongoose, I do find that the pinky button on the prime is a bit harder to reach. I suppose I have medium sized hands, and will continue to work on the mounting as I think this affects where my hand sits and therefore how well I can reach it.
I'm willing to bet that if Virpil tries to outdo itself on another model in the future, that it will (or should) be called Sigma. I'll let that name sink in a bit as you contemplate the number system for improvements. Just a random thought, thanks for the in-depth video, much appreciated. σ
I'm trying not to overload my pea-brain n this :P Sigma = 200, 18th greek letter and also is used as a sign for Summation (the capital sigma I think?). In my life as an engineer little sigma is used to present an angle (variable) or standard deviation. I'm still not sure which of those you are pointing to... or is it something else? :)
@@michaelrobinson9643 it's probably deviation. Currently there is a term known as sigma male aka giga chad. It refers to a male who "deviates" from behavioral norms and only does what they personally beleive to be worthwhile while mainly focusing on bettering themselves e.g. sigma grindset. Sigmas are considered to be superior to the alpha male and peak male existence. From a meme perspective, sigma would be the perfect successor to alpha.
I'm just now getting the chair mounts for my Virpil joysticks...should be here in a couple of weeks. Up to now I just haven't used them much because mounting them to my corner desk has been a pain, dissuading me from using them. I still have the original T-50 joysticks with the original base (the original Noobifier dual stick Bundle), and I would love to upgrade to anything featured in this video. Having bought dual Warthogs long ago (oooo what a mistake), I can tell you that you are spot on about the weight of those things, it makes a huge difference, though the feel of the metal is awesome in hand. The weight is the primary reason I went away from them. I love that the prime comes with metal grips without sacrificing too much to weight. I would love to upgrade my grips to those, but as I'm getting by on a fixed income, upgrades are few and far between. After I get my chair mounts installed (with quick releases) I forsee more Star Citizen in my future. Having an established setup I actually want to use should help convince me to play my space games more.
I have the Virpil Mongoose CM3. It's a great Throttle and Dual Stick . Yes I consider it a dual stick because of the Xbox Style Mini Stick (+Push). Works great for horizontal and vertical straffing. It's also good for character movement in FPS. I use it to move forward / backwards and strafe sideways. Finally I press down on the stick to run. It works great as a left stick because precision isn't required. It also has a large assortment of buttons, switches and more. For the right stick I use VKB Gladiator Pro. I want to purchase the Virpil Alpha Constellation but I also have small hands. I really wish they would make one just 10% smaller. Even the Throttle is big for my hands but I can reach 90% of buttons and switches. Finally, I prefer my base to have switches and buttons. The VKB has 3 sliders and 3 buttons. I would like more but It's better than nothing. In the end I just want a Hotas with mini stick on Throttle and on the stick plus I want to be able to reach all the buttons. The virpil design is really good...just needs to be smaller. You have to make sure most users can reach all the buttons with ease. I really would like to see the giant hands of the people at virpil. The final must for me (which the mongoose cm3 already has) is the forward direction of Mini Stick. I want to Naturally pull up and down for verticle strafing and horizontally for side straffing.
12:51 Wrong, it's not the Prime specific feature, it's just default firmaware setting. The same effect on the old Alfa grip one can achieve by adding logical BUTTON32 and set it's action to "invert". I use that for opening and closing of the cover of red button on the Mi-8 cyclic. I mean when I flip up - the cover is closed, when flip down - it's open, and then pull flip trigger - fire. So the main trigger used for comm as on the real Mi-8, not for firing.
Hey Noob. Thanks for the vid. Will be purchasing my dual primes shortly. Your thoughts on quality and longevity are exactly the way I've always thought of things and it has served me well in my nearly 54 years.
They look and sound sweet. Glad to see a new iteration! I was getting ready to order a set soon waiting for the NA production to fire up! Be careful, someone is gonna say these are cheating LOL.
I appreciate this video is a year old but it was an extremely good review and helped my decide to go Virpil. I'm a little bit of a throttle jockey so I probably won't go dual stick but I'm not ruling it out. Some of the videos you have of running dual stick show some very smooth flying and I'm getting tempted. Thanks very much for your review and videos at large. Always great info and a joy to watch. 🙂
Great review, i love my alpha stick! I cannot see myself upgrading though, unless i decide to fly with dual stick.... Currently im using the logitech throttle which seems to work well enough for now. The Hotas setup I have works well because my left thumb on throttle is on strafe u,d,l,r with boost on my left ring finger leaving my RH open to get on target and make it rain.
I agree - if you play Flight sims, Racing, Space games, on the regular, it is totally worth investing in a quality setup. 1 piece at a time, if necessary. They will last. If you move from a Saitek or TM16000 to a Virpil? You're only going to feel foolish you didnt do it sooner.
I love the futuristic/alien LEDs look of the alpha prime grip as we associate aliens with space, it makes sense for the theme. The issue I have with the design is the all black buttons for a grip that is more flashy than it's previous versions, it doesn't make sense. Personally, I would have put an LED under both buttons and made them light up like the other sections of the grip giving the impression that you are piloting a living organism.
"Buy hardware first, then ships." I don't play Star Citizen, but DCS, and I agree 100%. I've so far spent over 1000€ in building my little simpit (completely DIY) and I haven't bought a single plane yet. I'm not saying I never will. Just that I'm already having SO much fun with just the Frogfoot and the community A-4 that I felt this was a better investment for now. ... and then someone gifted me the Tomcat, but that's a different story.
I've been using my alpha sticks for a few years now and upgraded from the deltas and those were upgrades from warthogs. I've got dual sticks and a virpil cm2 throttle. I've never had any issues, ever. It caused me to purchase the nice pedal set they have and all I can say is I'll never use anything else and when someone sits on my rig they crap on how nice all the virpil stuff is. I have covered them and set them aside for months then pulled it all out again and they were still micro sensitive and dead set needing no adjustment to re-deadzone them. Are they an investment? Yep. Have I now used them in almost every sim game including farm simulator, elite dangerous, star citizen, dcs, and the list goes on, without any issues and fully loving the experience? Absolutely. Having great gear like the virpil line just makes my love for the games 10x. It's like your favorite pair of shoes or your nice shop tools, just eeks enjoyment from everywhere.
I have just now received my Alpha Prime sticks which I decided to get from your videos. Now I'm just waiting for my MonsterTech rig. It was a fair amount of saving, and even more waiting. But your information helped me know it was what I wanted. Thank you.
Another benefit if having good gear. - I bought a full set of virpils casting me near 1000€ but the fact I can take it with me to DCS and other games with a flight model makes them priceless for me
I still like the Warthog for it's clean return to center... I'm considering the Virpil for a left-hand stick... I'm currently using a Razor keypad for operation of rudder and thrusters...while I have throttle set up on the Warthog's low hat... It works fine, but not as immersive as having a dual stick setup...
I've got 2 questions concerning the Prime over the regular Alphas. First, do you know if the is thumbstick using hall effect sensors? While most people probably don't use the thumbsticks on the Alphas as much as a controller, using hall effect sensors for the stick would reduce "deadzone" drifting issues that almost any thumbstick on a controller has. Second, are the bindings the same between the left and right sticks? When I got my Alphas, my left stick had the red momentary and pyramid hat swapped with the black momentary and other 5-way compared to the right stick. Not a huge issue considering their software, but it means my button configuration might be different than others.
I appreciate how in depth this review is. I spent money on ships but flying with keyboard and mouse feels clunky and I want to try these sticks. Gotta work on upgrading my pc though first. Thanks again.
Some things that i personally would want to see 1. Add a 3rd hat. I know the analog is supposed to be the 3rd hat, but i want it to be an extra thing. 2. Offset he brake lever to the left so it can be used comfortably with the pinky and not require to loosen your grip to pull. 3. less noisy and better feeling buttons( i guess this is somewhat addressed with the prime.
"6" Axis. The directional duality of them doesn't make it a separate axis. You still only get X, Y, Z, Rx, Ry, Slider. Good video otherwise Noob. Leading the charge on Vipil as always. Any plans to cover the new store? Like a walk though or something? Take care.
Sounds good! My biggest issue with the original Alphas is the vagueness of the 3 way hat. I'd often get accidental up and down presses when trying to press the center click. I have similar issues with the thumb hat, but not as bad. Is this addressed with the Prime? Edit: Thanks for the button number breakdown. Good to know people using Prime will still be able to use my Alpha bindings without issue.
100g heavier is about where it is too. If that weight is low in the design it will have minimal impact. I think your remarks around mass are thoughtful and considered. Thank you. Having had my virpil's Alphas for 6 months and not had a chance to use them due to renovations... I'm immediately wishing I hadn't bought and was buying now with the Prime on the market. Having said that, getting Virpil product has been variably very challenging.
Absolutely love mine. Only thing that could make it 'better' for me would be an option for an extra hat instead of the thumbstick. I find myself using only one of the thumbsticks; I'm using them less and less
I tried dual t16000m sticks, they were OK but felt cheap. Upgraded to the vkb nxts and they made the t16000m feel like junk. The problem with upgrading to the virpils is it makes my entire setup look like junk, so I'm holding off on them as it's indirectly a £7k purchase
I love my dual Alphas, but theses Primes look even better. I wish i could get them. The castle hats are much nicer along with the side led design. Though I prefer the red button it looks cooler imo. More buttons the better even if I'm forgetting my key binds all the time as it is. Also I wasn't aware of the thumb stick cover popping off. I believe I have a later model. Great video as always noob!
+BrianMP5T *VIRPIL Controls have made a more accurate prediction of the F-14 Echo RIO grip in the Constellation ALPHA PRIME.* The Action trigger is probably a more accurate emulation of the OTTO U2-318 used by aircraft manufacturers. The flip trigger was kept, which means no need to relocate the Launch trigger.
the prime is on my list for this year. along with a new pc build when the 4xxx series gpu's come out. already have the delta's but the prime has me at odds with staying with my delta's
The binding changes you mentioned are not new, they work this way in the existing alpha, but not out of the box, it just comes down the the profile, you just need to setup another logical button press as inverted.
ty for your review! this made my decision clear to order a dual stick set of the Virpil Alpha Prime and the proper bases! For me its definetly time to upgrade my hardware - from TM t16k dual stick to Virpil Alpha Prime dual stick... my SC fleet is almost complete and there is no ship atm worth to pledge, so as you said, i will invest the money in new hardware :)
There will be always new joystick releases. There will be always improvements. But you must consider if your needs are fulfilled. I don't wanted to buy a throttle without detentions and I wanted to buy a joystick with "metal" feeling ( as it feels more real in sims). At the same time I want a unique, customization software and devices interconnection to not use 4 or 5 usb cables or hubs. Finally, after waiting some time, Virpil fulfilled all my needs so now I can consider Virpil as a my complete space sim solution.
@@TheZhriver what do you have them as? For me, the left 3 are shields, power, and camera views. The right (I have a cm2 Russian stick that swaps the analog stick for another hat) is target selection, pin management, gimbal/pip/missile management, and countermeasures. I have another 4 hats on the throttle I don’t know what to do with. What would you use them for ?
As a keyboard/mouse guy, the smoothness and precision in those flight sequences is jaw dropping. Your point about value is valid. If you want to get the most enjoyment possible out of perhaps limited play time then...well...what do we spend a lot of time in the game doing? Yep, flying. So if nice sticks greatly improve that part of the experience you are technically getting more value right there. Am considering it. Except I need to figure out a mounting solution that will work with my living room chair...
The ONLY thing i would change with this stick is the mini stick plastic surrounding it. It can be made better by copying the gamecube controllers notches in the plastic
For "grip/hand size compatibility" for different hand sizesit would be usefull if you gave few measures of your hand. For example with thumb extended distance from its tip to other edge of palm, from tip of thumb to pinkie with fingers spread and like that. That would give at least some comparison reference for people looking into this stick. I mean "small" isn't very precise term...
@@ravennfall6034 Assuming hand proportions have far less variation than foot... Central European model shoes are pretty much two toes too narrow for my foot.
I agree with your philosophy on value in controls gear. Well done review, I am in the market for new gear, and I originally discounted Virpil because it was too expensive, but now, I am reconsidering.
My main hold off on sticks is lacking a good spot for them. I don't want to modify my desk chair. desk mounts would block me from sliding my chair in when not in use, and placing them on the desk would put my arms in an awkward spot and block off my mouse space. If there was something compact that wouldn't take over my entire workspace that would be ideal for me.
@@NOOBIFIER1337 Yea I looked into it, but the right side would be blocked by my desk's height adjustment controls, and would need to move the mount for my work headset on the left side to a less accessible position. Still would love to get a high quality stick setup someday, just don't have the desk space for it.
I have been using the Alphas for a year and they are the best experience I have had with space sims. I use them primarily on Star Citizen. I have used Logitechs (3 different models), Warthogs, Virpil Deltas, etc. Virpil Alphas are the best . . . hands down. They have everything I will ever need (configuration options) with a quality feel and performance that makes gaming truly exciting.
Agree with the hardware comment. My only additional comment to that is, as someone who couldn't afford an Idris anyway, with a limited budget I could only upgrade to (pre-EVO base) VKB NXT Premiums (Multi-throttle on left). They'll be here for a while. They've not disappointed me yet and I've only chosen to mod the left one using their EVO Gimbal upgrade kit to have a hybrid throttle/strafe on the left hand. I have yet to do the right because I don't find an appreciable difference in feel that puts me off in anyway because it being used as a stick. Upgrading the right would be a self-birthday present but I am not pressed to do that. The only additional thing I'd want on my current grips themselves is a scroll wheel like that of the VIRPILs and they would continue to be the bargain contender to any Alpha (IMO of course). I wholly agree anyone starting out would do well to start with ANYTHING better than bargain basement or some of the other mid-grade hardware options as a non-frustrating interface experience will tend to promote continued use. Love your review. Cheers.
You can make a regular Alpha work the same way the Prome appears to work via the software by changing the switch type. I have mine bound to weapons off, weapons on, fire primary from up to contact with T2. This thing looks dope though. I love the lights. But I don't think I can justify it unless something happens to my Alpha. My LS is a delta. Which I could magically transform my Alpha to a left hand and get a Prime for right. :-(
As a real jet pilot and imaginary space pilot, I approve of the Alphas. Love them. Now going to get these as well.
did you get them? do you still love them?
I picked up my Constellation Alpha about a year ago and it's completely transformed my flight sim experience. As somebody not all that interested in space sims the Alpha still represents one of the best values in the high end market for flight simming as it grants almost unparalleled flexibility for a variety of aircraft and use cases.
The flip trigger and the 3 stage pull is by far one of the most useful features I've encountered and I often use it as an easy weapons safe/arm feature.
Heh, I see I'm not the only one with that idea in mind.
THANK you for pointing out the hardware vs ship purchase importance. I completely agree!!!
You bet! People need to remember priorities.
Awesome. It's good to know Virpil is still pushing their gear to perfection. I still haven't found the perfect bindings for my Alphas, but it's good to know they are pushing the envelope and when I am ready to upgrade there will be something new on the top tier of grips.
I love my dual Alphas and though tempting to upgrade to the prime I will stick with them. Virpil makes some quality products and the Alphas are some sticks that just feel right. They have so many bindings that I rarely reach for the keyboard, when I do it’s for a rare keybind or to type a message. Nice you get an Alpha you don’t need anything else, except a second Alpha for your other hand.
For those that are waiting for Star Citizen to be finished, don’t. Any flight simulator will benefit from having a nice stick, not just Star Citizen. Also the development for SC is going to be long and full of bugs. Theses sticks will last you the years and even decades SC is in development. Why wait to enjoy a solid stick in your hands and the precise movement they provide. The only regret you will have in getting the Alpha is if you wait till SC is released.
I get this take but I have no plans in playing SC until it's in a more mature state with persistence etc. I play no other flight sims. If SC takes another 2-3 years by then an even newer version of the alpha's will be out and I'll have more options to choose from.
@@brandofriva it does increase in price over time. Perhaps just get it, and play it whenever you feel there is enough to do?
That being said, I've had my Virpils coming up for close to a decade now for SC, and they've definitely made improvements since, improvements that'll cost more to replace my two old sticks.
@@brandofriva
While I completely understand, and agree that alpha games aren’t for everyone and SC can be really buggy, depending on build/patch,… even in its current state, it is honestly the best game I have ever played and it’s only getting better
Agree - Everspase 2 is so great on these sticks 👍
Virpil made the right choice going higher end, these are the sticks I have been wanting for a few years. I wanted a metal body stick that didn't flex, especially during twist, and isn't ridiculously clunky and overbuilt like the warthog. I also like complex control schemes so all those bindings are music to my ears.
Just wanted to say I blame and praise you for your content. You where the first channel that I found and followed posting about Star Citizen. You were also the first ORG I join and enjoy it! Seeing how you have grow man your channel, growing your setups and sim area over the years has been awesome! I haven’t yet left from the classic t16000ms yet but the battle of going back and forth between upgrading to a silver tier stick like VKB or just saving up and going for the Gold standard with Virpil has honestly been settled. I’m going to save and just buy a Virpil. These sticks keep getting better and better! The Alpha Primes look amazing! Thank you for your videos and input personally over the years! Also thank you for your service over the many years!
The RGB was very useful with some work. Got it tied to shield strength progressing from White to Red.
Ahh!!! I love my two other virpil grips... do I really need a third!
Edit: I have a set of alphas and deltas... I too have shelved my deltas, but I plan on gifting them to friends when SC goes into beta in 2028.
great idea
I think you meant 2128
@@therocinante3443 hehe don't forget chris roberts is 54(27 May 1968 (age 54 years), Redwood City, California, United States), why do you think he is trying to get squadron 42 out before he dies. remember what the answer to life and everything was yes it was 42 . so star citizen should take 42 years before release 😁😁
Great summary of all the differences between these and the older version! These are an upgrade over the old version for sure, but it's not a huge upgrade. I agree these will last for a long time as well. I expect these and my pedals may be the only hardware that lasts to SC full release. ;P
Love the no BS gear reviews. Thanks! When do you think Virpil might expand into Flight Yokes and/or Wheels? If ever?
The flip trigger now being two discrete stages (and bindings) sounds awesome to me, first idea would be to bind it to Weapons Systems Offline/Online, i.e. when Flip Trigger is up, Binding 1, that's "Disable Weapons Systems/Retract Turrets/etc", and when flipped down to stage 2, it would be "Enable Weapons Systems/Deploy Turrets/etc".
That would be a cool & immersive way to handle how you approach any given contact in Star Citizen for example, could lead to awesome multi-route mission design too, where NPC contacts in space would react differently to you based on whether you approached them with weapons fully active, deployed and charged, or with weapons offline.
Especially when using a dual stick setup where you have no throttle base for such functionality.
These are amazing and I have heard nothing but good things about them but I went with VKB's personally. Equally as good in my mind. Anyone looking to get some HOSAS should seriously consider these and VKB.
Great overview, as always! I was concerned about a move to metal and the effect it would have on the bases, so I'm glad you covered that right out the gate.
As far as the changes to the flip trigger...I still have yet to find a good use for them in anything. All they do is cause Mobiglas cursor issues in Star Citizen lol.
I REALLY want to see a tool-free method of enabling/disabling twist though. Let me enable twist when I don't feel like pulling out my ACE Torq pedals...but then easily disable.
The tension in twist is quite good. You can rarely initiate by accident.
I'm not crazy about the RGB but more importantly I think the frosted plastic looks cheap. I'd argue the MCG Ultimate looks like a higher quality stick because it doesn't look like it was made by Razer.
It's removable... I reckon there could be an opportunity to scan those and reprodue them in Carbon Fibre impregnated Nylon or similar to have an amazing feel and finish.
Today I pulled the trigger for the alpha prime bundle plus z-extension 🙈🥰 As it was on back-order it will take some time but I hope it dont take too long 🙏 I´m so thrilled right now! 😊😇
Fantastic. I would like to offer a bit of input. The combination of prime and Z may work better with a slightly stiffer spring. I historically like a very light feeling which has led me to flip back between z or no z. Enjoy your new controllers
In love with Virpil products! Thanks for the review Noob! Super informative.
That top cover is a good place to add a track pad for use as in mouse mode when not flying or fighting, so your hands are never away from the sticks.
Now that I've moved back to the US and am completing my new "office" (game room), it is finally time to invest in some great dual sticks. Looks like these are exactly what I'm looking for. Now I just need to either buy or make a new desk and figure out how I want to attach these things for the best feel.
Thanks for the in-depth review of this product line.
The trigger pull really sounds like the warthog, which i love.
great review! I had CH for nearly 20 years and replaced with the Warthog HOTAS and I was wasn't happy with it. The stick movement is way too stiff and most of the switches on the throttle are not momentary which creates some issues with key mapping. I finally ordered the Constellation ALPHA Prime, Mongoose base and the MongoosT-50CM3 Throttle and am really excited for their arrival!
I really like that they removed that textured part on the side of the grip. As anyone with sticks should know, if you don't clean your sticks and leave them for a few months, you'll come back to a joystick covered in sticky residue from all the gunk & moisture that gets transfered off your hands, especially if you live in a warm climate.
Excellent review as always NOOB.
Side note first - I was a bit confused when you were reminding folks about the original Alpha. At 1:26 while you describe the classic stick, isn't that the Alpha Prime? No biggie, just trying to keep you on your toes 😏
It doesn't surprise me about the new stick, a company has to grow. Of course I won't be upgrading, but congratz to the new buyers of the Prime, it's a sick stick, I am envious.
I actually got money off my pair of Alpha's thanks to your discount code - 🤗
Another great video Noob, thanks for sharing.
Yes, it was new. I figured I would show the new one instead.
@@NOOBIFIER1337 I was confused as you were describing the old model while you showed the new model
, it was weird, no worries - just feed back is all
The Grips look awesome. Funny story, I recently wanted to upgrade my GF stick so I changed my grip from VKB SCG GF to a MCG Ultimate, and in the time it took for it to arrive, Virpil opened its american store and now it lauched a similar grip to VKB's MCGU. Still I'm really happy with my new grip, I really like enthusiasts have more options to complete their flight/space Sim setup. Great review btw.
Going back several years, I remember that as I was following the development of SC, it was one of your stick review videos that made me finally decide to buy the game package. I literally decided to buy the game because I wanted to play with sticks. Bought a pair of TM16000m and Logitech Ex3d and then I was looking for other games where I could use them.
Now after long absence due to (mainly) fps issues, I got back to SC so I can buy the Alpha Primes. I think I'm doing something backwards 😅
My thoughts are, I'd like to have my endgame sticks for the PU when the game is out. Who knows how many new, better sticks every company will have byt he time the PU is considered, "released". My VKBs will suffice for the entirety of alpha and beta. I'll get sticks like this in 5 years when we're out of PU beta. Hopefully. Heck, I know it's wishful thinking.
Fantastic stick and review though, homie.
Ive been having the same feeling. If i came into a bunch of money things would be different, but as is id rather wait to see how stick evolution goes and maintain my mid-level hardware for a bit. I totally agree with his proposition to invest in hardware over ship pledges though.
Or you can have the best right now, and upgrade for the new best in 5 years, or maybe everyone will be dead in 5 years and will never had the chance to taste the best, YOLO ! Virpil right now !
@@Spectaden like i said, if i had the money, it'd be different. But id rather save a big as heck set of expendatures like that for if 1-my current set up fails, 2-my space sim hobby becomes a greater part of my life (so like if i got more of my friends into it and i started spending much more time in it) or 3-when i have so much money saved up i can afford to spend more on my hobbies without risking my savings
@@ParagonFangXen of course I understand, most of this, with Virpil joysticks come big changes on the setup so it's not for everyone.
@@Spectaden true
I preferred virpil alpha's over VKB kosmosima gunfighter mk3's. Mainly because I had issues with the contacts between the base and grip on the VKB's. I'm very happy to see that virpil is just aiming higher and higher with their newest products, and I'll be looking for an excuse to buy these even though my current constellation alpha's suit my every need.
Love your hardware reviews, I’m certainly looking forward to this one
I’d love to see that second momentary switch changed to another 4-way hat, like an F-16 grip… lots of jets have mappings there that I have to put elsewhere
and it would have a depress trigger anyway, so you still get a momentary press there
I bought some VKB NXT Evo Galdiators - Omni Left & premium Right. I must say, the upgrade from dual T1600m was immediatley noticable. The smooth cam adjustments, large number of keybindings are amazing, but what really sold it to me, was the smooth return to centre after moving a stick to its axis margin. not fighting a stick trying to return itself to centre makes for much easier aiming. And i got both of these for less than the price of one virpil.
I’m happy for you, and I agree it’s a great stick but this statement is a bit like… “I bought a Corolla, it’s so much better than my Yaris and it was half the price of an Audi RS3” … right?
13:52 Very well said! Fantastic video, Noob. Thank you for this!
You comment about spending a bit of cash on something a) quality and b) REAL!!! (in this case some good quality hardware) vs buying a ship that won't come out for 2 years - that is probably one of the most practical things I have heard in ages.
Also, kudos to the video - I just received my Prime (Serial # 0000014) - can't wait to start testing out the various cams and springs to really see how well I can tune this for my experience.
One thing I will note - upgrading from the CM2 Mongoose, I do find that the pinky button on the prime is a bit harder to reach. I suppose I have medium sized hands, and will continue to work on the mounting as I think this affects where my hand sits and therefore how well I can reach it.
I'm willing to bet that if Virpil tries to outdo itself on another model in the future, that it will (or should) be called Sigma. I'll let that name sink in a bit as you contemplate the number system for improvements.
Just a random thought, thanks for the in-depth video, much appreciated. σ
I'm trying not to overload my pea-brain n this :P
Sigma = 200, 18th greek letter and also is used as a sign for Summation (the capital sigma I think?).
In my life as an engineer little sigma is used to present an angle (variable) or standard deviation.
I'm still not sure which of those you are pointing to... or is it something else? :)
@@michaelrobinson9643 it's probably deviation. Currently there is a term known as sigma male aka giga chad. It refers to a male who "deviates" from behavioral norms and only does what they personally beleive to be worthwhile while mainly focusing on bettering themselves e.g. sigma grindset. Sigmas are considered to be superior to the alpha male and peak male existence. From a meme perspective, sigma would be the perfect successor to alpha.
I'm just now getting the chair mounts for my Virpil joysticks...should be here in a couple of weeks. Up to now I just haven't used them much because mounting them to my corner desk has been a pain, dissuading me from using them. I still have the original T-50 joysticks with the original base (the original Noobifier dual stick Bundle), and I would love to upgrade to anything featured in this video. Having bought dual Warthogs long ago (oooo what a mistake), I can tell you that you are spot on about the weight of those things, it makes a huge difference, though the feel of the metal is awesome in hand. The weight is the primary reason I went away from them. I love that the prime comes with metal grips without sacrificing too much to weight. I would love to upgrade my grips to those, but as I'm getting by on a fixed income, upgrades are few and far between.
After I get my chair mounts installed (with quick releases) I forsee more Star Citizen in my future. Having an established setup I actually want to use should help convince me to play my space games more.
I have the Virpil Mongoose CM3. It's a great Throttle and Dual Stick . Yes I consider it a dual stick because of the Xbox Style Mini Stick (+Push). Works great for horizontal and vertical straffing. It's also good for character movement in FPS. I use it to move forward / backwards and strafe sideways. Finally I press down on the stick to run. It works great as a left stick because precision isn't required. It also has a large assortment of buttons, switches and more. For the right stick I use VKB Gladiator Pro. I want to purchase the Virpil Alpha Constellation but I also have small hands. I really wish they would make one just 10% smaller. Even the Throttle is big for my hands but I can reach 90% of buttons and switches. Finally, I prefer my base to have switches and buttons. The VKB has 3 sliders and 3 buttons. I would like more but It's better than nothing. In the end I just want a Hotas with mini stick on Throttle and on the stick plus I want to be able to reach all the buttons. The virpil design is really good...just needs to be smaller. You have to make sure most users can reach all the buttons with ease. I really would like to see the giant hands of the people at virpil. The final must for me (which the mongoose cm3 already has) is the forward direction of Mini Stick. I want to Naturally pull up and down for verticle strafing and horizontally for side straffing.
12:51 Wrong, it's not the Prime specific feature, it's just default firmaware setting.
The same effect on the old Alfa grip one can achieve by adding logical BUTTON32 and set it's action to "invert".
I use that for opening and closing of the cover of red button on the Mi-8 cyclic.
I mean when I flip up - the cover is closed, when flip down - it's open, and then pull flip trigger - fire.
So the main trigger used for comm as on the real Mi-8, not for firing.
Ohhh, I want these sooo much! And the desk mounts too!
Hey Noob. Thanks for the vid. Will be purchasing my dual primes shortly. Your thoughts on quality and longevity are exactly the way I've always thought of things and it has served me well in my nearly 54 years.
They look and sound sweet. Glad to see a new iteration! I was getting ready to order a set soon waiting for the NA production to fire up! Be careful, someone is gonna say these are cheating LOL.
I appreciate this video is a year old but it was an extremely good review and helped my decide to go Virpil. I'm a little bit of a throttle jockey so I probably won't go dual stick but I'm not ruling it out. Some of the videos you have of running dual stick show some very smooth flying and I'm getting tempted. Thanks very much for your review and videos at large. Always great info and a joy to watch. 🙂
Great review, i love my alpha stick! I cannot see myself upgrading though, unless i decide to fly with dual stick.... Currently im using the logitech throttle which seems to work well enough for now. The Hotas setup I have works well because my left thumb on throttle is on strafe u,d,l,r with boost on my left ring finger leaving my RH open to get on target and make it rain.
I agree - if you play Flight sims, Racing, Space games, on the regular, it is totally worth investing in a quality setup.
1 piece at a time, if necessary.
They will last.
If you move from a Saitek or TM16000 to a Virpil? You're only going to feel foolish you didnt do it sooner.
I love the futuristic/alien LEDs look of the alpha prime grip as we associate aliens with space, it makes sense for the theme. The issue I have with the design is the all black buttons for a grip that is more flashy than it's previous versions, it doesn't make sense. Personally, I would have put an LED under both buttons and made them light up like the other sections of the grip giving the impression that you are piloting a living organism.
"Buy hardware first, then ships." I don't play Star Citizen, but DCS, and I agree 100%. I've so far spent over 1000€ in building my little simpit (completely DIY) and I haven't bought a single plane yet.
I'm not saying I never will. Just that I'm already having SO much fun with just the Frogfoot and the community A-4 that I felt this was a better investment for now.
... and then someone gifted me the Tomcat, but that's a different story.
I've been using my alpha sticks for a few years now and upgraded from the deltas and those were upgrades from warthogs. I've got dual sticks and a virpil cm2 throttle. I've never had any issues, ever. It caused me to purchase the nice pedal set they have and all I can say is I'll never use anything else and when someone sits on my rig they crap on how nice all the virpil stuff is. I have covered them and set them aside for months then pulled it all out again and they were still micro sensitive and dead set needing no adjustment to re-deadzone them.
Are they an investment? Yep. Have I now used them in almost every sim game including farm simulator, elite dangerous, star citizen, dcs, and the list goes on, without any issues and fully loving the experience? Absolutely. Having great gear like the virpil line just makes my love for the games 10x. It's like your favorite pair of shoes or your nice shop tools, just eeks enjoyment from everywhere.
I have just now received my Alpha Prime sticks which I decided to get from your videos. Now I'm just waiting for my MonsterTech rig. It was a fair amount of saving, and even more waiting.
But your information helped me know it was what I wanted. Thank you.
I have an alpha. Not going to upgrade but do wish these kept a more low key aesthetic.
Very nice Noob! Those sticks all look great! Those haps and mini stick look like great features! Prime's metal body sounds super alluring 🥴
It is somewhat more satisfying to use them, but standard alpha are also solid. It comes down to taste.
Another benefit if having good gear.
- I bought a full set of virpils casting me near 1000€ but the fact I can take it with me to DCS and other games with a flight model makes them priceless for me
Mine are now on order. Super excited.
My goodness this video underplayed how good these would feel for me.
Awesome totally awesome. Another great product. 😎🖖🏽
Perfect video as always, thank you very much! Plz keep on like that!
I still like the Warthog for it's clean return to center... I'm considering the Virpil for a left-hand stick... I'm currently using a Razor keypad for operation of rudder and thrusters...while I have throttle set up on the Warthog's low hat... It works fine, but not as immersive as having a dual stick setup...
A fantastic review. Thank you. I have my eyes on the Virpil Prime as my future sticks.
hi, for me, virpil' products are the best of the best ;)
I've got 2 questions concerning the Prime over the regular Alphas. First, do you know if the is thumbstick using hall effect sensors? While most people probably don't use the thumbsticks on the Alphas as much as a controller, using hall effect sensors for the stick would reduce "deadzone" drifting issues that almost any thumbstick on a controller has. Second, are the bindings the same between the left and right sticks? When I got my Alphas, my left stick had the red momentary and pyramid hat swapped with the black momentary and other 5-way compared to the right stick. Not a huge issue considering their software, but it means my button configuration might be different than others.
I appreciate how in depth this review is. I spent money on ships but flying with keyboard and mouse feels clunky and I want to try these sticks. Gotta work on upgrading my pc though first. Thanks again.
Between Monstertech, Virpil, and Noobifier's reviews I am keeping DHL drivers very busy!
I love my constellation alpha prime grip :) I use it left hand. In right hand I have a force sensitive real simulator base and a warthog grip.
Some things that i personally would want to see
1. Add a 3rd hat. I know the analog is supposed to be the 3rd hat, but i want it to be an extra thing.
2. Offset he brake lever to the left so it can be used comfortably with the pinky and not require to loosen your grip to pull.
3. less noisy and better feeling buttons( i guess this is somewhat addressed with the prime.
That would be a 4th hat, there are already three plus the mini stick. The buttons are muted because of the metal body. It’s quite a nice update TBH.
"6" Axis. The directional duality of them doesn't make it a separate axis. You still only get X, Y, Z, Rx, Ry, Slider. Good video otherwise Noob. Leading the charge on Vipil as always. Any plans to cover the new store? Like a walk though or something? Take care.
Two sticks.. 2x XYZ, JoyX JoyY Brake Or 12…
@@NOOBIFIER1337 Ah, gotcha
There stuff has always been amazing. Can't fault there quality
Sounds good! My biggest issue with the original Alphas is the vagueness of the 3 way hat. I'd often get accidental up and down presses when trying to press the center click. I have similar issues with the thumb hat, but not as bad. Is this addressed with the Prime?
Edit: Thanks for the button number breakdown. Good to know people using Prime will still be able to use my Alpha bindings without issue.
100g heavier is about where it is too. If that weight is low in the design it will have minimal impact. I think your remarks around mass are thoughtful and considered. Thank you.
Having had my virpil's Alphas for 6 months and not had a chance to use them due to renovations... I'm immediately wishing I hadn't bought and was buying now with the Prime on the market.
Having said that, getting Virpil product has been variably very challenging.
I appreciate you kind words. It is always a risk when buying anything, a new something comes out. It was the same when delta was replaced by alpha
Absolutely love mine. Only thing that could make it 'better' for me would be an option for an extra hat instead of the thumbstick. I find myself using only one of the thumbsticks; I'm using them less and less
I tried dual t16000m sticks, they were OK but felt cheap. Upgraded to the vkb nxts and they made the t16000m feel like junk. The problem with upgrading to the virpils is it makes my entire setup look like junk, so I'm holding off on them as it's indirectly a £7k purchase
NXT is a good middle ground
The flip trigger bindings is a software function from in the firmware. I have had my original Alpha set like that for nearly a year.
I need these "Alpha Prime's" for my "forever" Alpha space sim Star Citizen. o7
An Actual review, with some critisism. Thank you.
Man, love it. Now if I hadn't spent hundreds on my current setup which is going to last me years.
I love my dual Alphas, but theses Primes look even better. I wish i could get them. The castle hats are much nicer along with the side led design. Though I prefer the red button it looks cooler imo.
More buttons the better even if I'm forgetting my key binds all the time as it is.
Also I wasn't aware of the thumb stick cover popping off. I believe I have a later model.
Great video as always noob!
+BrianMP5T *VIRPIL Controls have made a more accurate prediction of the F-14 Echo RIO grip in the Constellation ALPHA PRIME.* The Action trigger is probably a more accurate emulation of the OTTO U2-318 used by aircraft manufacturers. The flip trigger was kept, which means no need to relocate the Launch trigger.
An improve for sure, it's like a next version of Alpha, not a new joystick at all. Love it and probably get one. Nice vid!
that stick is so damn beautiful....
the prime is on my list for this year. along with a new pc build when the 4xxx series gpu's come out. already have the delta's but the prime has me at odds with staying with my delta's
The binding changes you mentioned are not new, they work this way in the existing alpha, but not out of the box, it just comes down the the profile, you just need to setup another logical button press as inverted.
Ok
ty for your review! this made my decision clear to order a dual stick set of the Virpil Alpha Prime and the proper bases! For me its definetly time to upgrade my hardware - from TM t16k dual stick to Virpil Alpha Prime dual stick... my SC fleet is almost complete and there is no ship atm worth to pledge, so as you said, i will invest the money in new hardware :)
I just love it
There will be always new joystick releases. There will be always improvements. But you must consider if your needs are fulfilled. I don't wanted to buy a throttle without detentions and I wanted to buy a joystick with "metal" feeling ( as it feels more real in sims). At the same time I want a unique, customization software and devices interconnection to not use 4 or 5 usb cables or hubs. Finally, after waiting some time, Virpil fulfilled all my needs so now I can consider Virpil as a my complete space sim solution.
Personally I had hopes for even more buttons, would have loved even more 4 way hats.
How many do you need? Two sticks gives you 6 5-way and 2 3-way.
@@4rkadi And they are all in full use, granted I could start using modifiers but I would prefer not to.
@@TheZhriver what do you have them as? For me, the left 3 are shields, power, and camera views. The right (I have a cm2 Russian stick that swaps the analog stick for another hat) is target selection, pin management, gimbal/pip/missile management, and countermeasures.
I have another 4 hats on the throttle I don’t know what to do with. What would you use them for ?
As a keyboard/mouse guy, the smoothness and precision in those flight sequences is jaw dropping. Your point about value is valid. If you want to get the most enjoyment possible out of perhaps limited play time then...well...what do we spend a lot of time in the game doing? Yep, flying. So if nice sticks greatly improve that part of the experience you are technically getting more value right there. Am considering it. Except I need to figure out a mounting solution that will work with my living room chair...
It really does help aim.
Here I am strugglign with my age old X52's and I have seen Nirvana thanks to this.
Nice looking sticks, however i may prefer my alpha's, that red button is a nice quick sight reference.
I knew you had these, was waiting patiently for this video :)
The ONLY thing i would change with this stick is the mini stick plastic surrounding it. It can be made better by copying the gamecube controllers notches in the plastic
More mass on a 200mm extension is a different experience from a direct grip attachment to the base for desktop use. Much better IMO.
For "grip/hand size compatibility" for different hand sizesit would be usefull if you gave few measures of your hand.
For example with thumb extended distance from its tip to other edge of palm, from tip of thumb to pinkie with fingers spread and like that.
That would give at least some comparison reference for people looking into this stick.
I mean "small" isn't very precise term...
glove size is a good and more accurate way to determine hand size basically you measure the width of your hand across the life line
@@ravennfall6034 Assuming hand proportions have far less variation than foot...
Central European model shoes are pretty much two toes too narrow for my foot.
I agree with your philosophy on value in controls gear. Well done review, I am in the market for new gear, and I originally discounted Virpil because it was too expensive, but now, I am reconsidering.
Thanks for the review and insight. BTW, where did you get those grip bases to display your retired grips?
Thingsverse. They are the same as Thrustmaster
My main hold off on sticks is lacking a good spot for them. I don't want to modify my desk chair. desk mounts would block me from sliding my chair in when not in use, and placing them on the desk would put my arms in an awkward spot and block off my mouse space. If there was something compact that wouldn't take over my entire workspace that would be ideal for me.
Did you see the Rail? search for “ Monstertech Rail” I did a video
@@NOOBIFIER1337 Yea I looked into it, but the right side would be blocked by my desk's height adjustment controls, and would need to move the mount for my work headset on the left side to a less accessible position. Still would love to get a high quality stick setup someday, just don't have the desk space for it.
Your reviews are so incredibly detailed and informative my dude, much appreciated. This was super helpful.
I have been using the Alphas for a year and they are the best experience I have had with space sims. I use them primarily on Star Citizen. I have used Logitechs (3 different models), Warthogs, Virpil Deltas, etc. Virpil Alphas are the best . . . hands down. They have everything I will ever need (configuration options) with a quality feel and performance that makes gaming truly exciting.
Thank you for doing this, and that point you made about our equipment to interact wit htthe ganme was on point!
Just when I thought I was done sending money to Virpil...
Amazing review! Sharing with the Heralds!
Thanks for that.
Agree with the hardware comment. My only additional comment to that is, as someone who couldn't afford an Idris anyway, with a limited budget I could only upgrade to (pre-EVO base) VKB NXT Premiums (Multi-throttle on left). They'll be here for a while. They've not disappointed me yet and I've only chosen to mod the left one using their EVO Gimbal upgrade kit to have a hybrid throttle/strafe on the left hand. I have yet to do the right because I don't find an appreciable difference in feel that puts me off in anyway because it being used as a stick. Upgrading the right would be a self-birthday present but I am not pressed to do that. The only additional thing I'd want on my current grips themselves is a scroll wheel like that of the VIRPILs and they would continue to be the bargain contender to any Alpha (IMO of course). I wholly agree anyone starting out would do well to start with ANYTHING better than bargain basement or some of the other mid-grade hardware options as a non-frustrating interface experience will tend to promote continued use.
Love your review. Cheers.
Noobifier! This is the best review ive ever seen. Thank you so much man, very very informative.
You can make a regular Alpha work the same way the Prome appears to work via the software by changing the switch type. I have mine bound to weapons off, weapons on, fire primary from up to contact with T2.
This thing looks dope though. I love the lights. But I don't think I can justify it unless something happens to my Alpha. My LS is a delta. Which I could magically transform my Alpha to a left hand and get a Prime for right. :-(