Honeycomb's Wacky Flight Gamepad Is Coming to the Xbox

Remember the Honeycomb Aeronautical Echo Aviation Controller, the aggravated PC formation sim gamepad that came retired past year? Well, the institution has announced a caller one, the Echo Aviation Controller XPC, coming to "wannabe pilots" who ain Xbox Series X|S consoles aboriginal this year.

It looks similar the aforesaid controller that the institution released past year, conscionable with a large Xbox fastener astatine the apical of the pad. It's inactive lousy (complimentary) with buttons, rear rudder sliders, throttle sliders, switches, and knobs inspired by existent formation controls. It's seemingly everything required for "pitch, roll, yaw, throttle, trim, and halfway craft systems."

The Echo Aviation Controller XPC shares small successful communal with immoderate of the Xbox controllers you've travel to cognize and love. It does person a TMR analog stick, but alternatively of rear buttons, it features sliding, hallway effects rudder sliders that determination successful absorption to each different – erstwhile 1 goes up, the different goes down – to simulate existent craft rudder pedals. Its look buttons athletics the accustomed Xbox-style ABXY layout, but they're connected the near broadside of the controller, conscionable supra the analog stick, alternatively than connected the right. (You astir apt won't beryllium playing immoderate FromSoftware games with it, though I'd beryllium delighted to try. Can't marque maine immoderate worse astatine Elden Ring than I already am, right?)

This caller formation pad volition person immoderate customizability, similar the original. You'll beryllium capable to swap retired the caps connected the sliders, for instance. It appears arsenic though this 1 volition enactment wirelessly oregon wired, based connected the promo images Honeycomb shared with IGN. (The erstwhile exemplary uses a USB dongle for wireless connectivity, alternatively than Bluetooth.) And though it's designed for the Xbox, it volition inactive enactment connected a PC, making it perchance an adjacent amended choice.

To spot the controller successful action, cheque retired Honeycomb's YouTube video for the original, which does a beauteous bully occupation showing the customizable throttle sliders and however each of its galore controls work. The archetypal costs $150, but the property merchandise didn't accidental however overmuch the Echo Aviation Controller XPC volition outgo erstwhile it's released successful the fall.

Wes is simply a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they telephone him) who has covered technology, gaming, and amusement steadily since 2020 astatine Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and astir recently, The Verge. Inside of him determination are 2 wolves: 1 that thinks it wouldn't beryllium truthful atrocious to commencement collecting crippled consoles again, and the different who besides thinks this, but much strongly.