Proper simulators are often judged as an eccentric oddity to casual onlookers and the broader collective of PC and console gamers. Even Microsoft Flight Simulator was lumped in with those kinds of outliers until it elbowed its way into the mainstream via Xbox and PC Game Pass when it reinvented itself as the “impressive” MSFS 2020, piquing my interest with Asobo Studio’s Xbox version.
After a few years of content updates, its developers moved on to a follow-up that came with a bit of a rocky launch as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but subsequent patches and server improvements led to me ranking MSFS 2024 as a “must-play” title, and diving into the world of flight sim joysticks and yokes.
If you ever thought flight simulators were intimidating for newcomers, then you should have seen some of the earlier hardware that they could pair with. Often covered with a plentiful selection of dials, levers, switches, and buttons, many flight sticks were too advanced for a novice. Now, Honeycomb Aeronautical has hardware that appeals to the die-hard fanatics and new aviators alike.
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Of course, if you’ve ever dabbled with yokes, you’ll probably glance over my photographs and recognize hints of the previously reviewed Honeycomb ‘Alpha and Bravo’ (specifically the ‘XPC’ variants with Xbox compatibility), but keen-eyed sim fans will notice something different about these samples that I saw clamped to a series of desks after an invitation to meet the affable team in London, courtesy of its parent company, snakebyte | GROUP, and Overload PR.
Yes, it’s because this is actually part of the upcoming ‘Honeycomb Lite’ range, specifically the ‘Alpha Flight Controls Lite’ and ‘Bravo Throttle Quadrant Lite’. They’re both part of a wider effort to simplify a yoke and throttle setup and, in turn, offer a more affordable price tag to help new players ease their way into an ultra-realistic simulation rig — you’ll notice I never used the word “cheap” here, and that’s for a good reason.
Less complexity. Same quality. Honeycomb Lite products are perfectly streamlined for entry-level simmers.
Honeycomb Aeronautical
The Honeycomb Lite range is more affordable than its full-fat siblings, but by no means does any of it feel cheap. On the contrary, claims that the Alpha Lite exhibits the “same high-quality build as the original ALPHA” rang true as soon as I got my hands on the familiar soft-touch plastic mounted around a solid steel shaft that rotates the sturdy yoke around 180°. There are obvious simplifications and fewer switches, but the pairing still feels deeply immersive.
In fact, the Bravo Lite actually feels more intuitive, thanks to a larger set of throttle lever handles with customizable, indented inlays. You still get an authentic parking brake, landing gear lever, and trim wheel, undoubtedly appealing to serious roleplayers, but it’s fascinating how an overall simplification makes me feel more inclined to use every aspect of this ‘Lite’ throttle quadrant, rather than ignoring some less commonly used parts.
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The most striking departure for Honeycomb Aeronautical that I saw (at least, until what came after) when visiting the snakebyte | GROUP crew was the ‘Foxtrot Aviation Stick’, a traditional joystick not unlike the dozen or so that I’ve tested in the past, such as Turtle Beach’s VelocityOne Flightstick. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a cockpit recreation built for controlling virtual, stick-controlled aircraft and smaller, aerobatic planes.
I’m eager to get my hands on the Foxtrot for a more in-depth look, so I won’t spoil you with all the details yet.
More importantly, the team had an early sample of an add-on throttle unit connected to the Foxtrot and showed me how it can be easily attached to either side of the joystick for a proper HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-and-Stick) setup. I’m eager to get my hands on the Foxtrot for a more in-depth look, so I won’t spoil you with all the details yet, but the virtual trip I took in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 felt smooth and particularly responsive to the tiniest movements.
Ultimately, the Foxtrot looks to offer a much faster setup process than the Alpha (and even the Alpha Lite), by eliminating the need for any sort of desk clamp. If it can be more of a get-set-up-and-go solution, then I can see it acting as a perfect in-between for an absolute novice before potentially graduating to a fully-fledged yoke. That, or it’s a better option for those sim enthusiasts who just outright prefer a joystick. To each their own.
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For a minute, I almost felt bad for the astute team members who were demonstrating the all-new Honeycomb Aeronautical hardware, particularly snakebyte | GROUP CTO Marc Küpper, who saw my face light up with childlike glee when he completed his genuinely fascinating stories of manufacturing in Hong Kong and I caught a glimpse of a work-in-progress prototype lying on the final desk: the ‘Echo Aviation Controller’.
Legitimately revolutionary, the Echo prototype makes so much sense for casual flight simulator enthusiasts.
I think I said something like, “Oh my god, what is that?” but it’s possible that my words were infused with more swearing and an overall rise in volume. Now, to be fair to Mark, he was almost exactly as enthused to show me the Echo — an Xbox-like joypad with miniature recreations of throttle levers, a trim wheel, and more — but was adamant I remember that this is not a finished product.
Not that I really care, because even in this sort of mock-up limbo state, I’m obsessed. It’s legitimately revolutionary. The Echo prototype makes so much sense for casual flight simulator enthusiasts, and anyone who has completed the first few introductory segments of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s tutorial could guess what each lever and switch is for. Besides, the rest is interpreted through reckless mid-flight experimentation anyway.
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I’ve seen other brands attempt bizarre Frankenstein-esque controllers in the past, and I was immediately reminded of Thrustmaster’s eSwap XR Pro with its miniature car wheel for a joystick, but the Echo Aviation Controller is in a league of its own — a completely different championship, even. Honeycomb Aeronautical is onto a winner here, and I’m crossing all my fingers that I see this unique joypad make it through to mass production.
The rear-mounted rudder pedal controls weren’t even functional during my time with the Echo, a common issue with prototyping any electronics, but even those felt like an obvious addition. They’re fixed together on an axis, moving vertically in opposite directions, just like the full-sized ‘Charlie’ pedals that Honeycomb itself manufactures, but again, on a tiny, shrunken scale. I love it.
It’s almost comical because the star of the show could undoubtedly be the Honeycomb Lite range, a new flagship ‘Sierra TPM Module’, or the introduction of the Foxtrot, signalling an expansion to more than just yokes, throttles, and rudder pedals, but the Echo stole my attention, and I’m fine with it.
Prices for all of this new hardware will soon be confirmed, and I’m eager to get my hands on the Foxtrot to see if it earns a place on my list of the best joysticks for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Keep an eye on Windows Central for news on all of these yokes, joysticks, and joypads when they become available, as I’ll be following them closely — especially the Echo.
#allnew #flight #sticks #revolutionary #prototype
