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Martin Vargas, Thrustmaster Project Manager, showed me a prototype of the Fox 2 Pro that had been rejected because it didn't feel right. I tried the original foam mock up they had designed and the prototype. The original mock up felt like it had been designed for my hand. The support under my palm was just right, every control was easy to reach and actuate. The prototype felt cramped. Visually I could hardly see any difference. Guillemot is really working to get all the details correct on these sticks. These folks are really passionate about their work.
Powering all the new joysticks, several new game pads, and the full line of steering wheels is the Thrustmapper v3.0 software. This certainly is a large leap forward in user friendliness when it is released in Q3 2000. Virtually all the adjustments, from axis ranges to dead bands, are done with a GUI. I watched one of the development programmers vary the size and shape of the deadband for a game pad joystick (the flight sticks will work the same way) just by grabbing the corner of a rectangle and dragging it into the shape he wanted. Programming commands is simple also. Click on a graphic representation of the button to program on the controller, press a keyboard button, and it is done.
Thrustmaster Flight YokeThe new controller line is compatible with Direct Input so some games will not have to be programmed at all. There is an advanced mode that gives access to the full range of modifications to the commands the controller can send (delays, repeats, command output on press down or release, etc.)
This project is in the very early stages of development but if it makes it into production it could revolutionize this segment of flight controls. I saw, and held, the foam mock up. Again, it felt good in my hands. The attention to ergonomics in design means it will not be fatiguing to fly this yoke for hours on end. The product concept at this time is for a yoke with dual coolie hats, one on each arm, and three buttons on the right arm. The base will have between three to six levers for throttle/mixture adjustment.
A major innovation in concept is an eighteen-button panel on the center of the yoke. The concept will be to include a three-way switch so that up to fifty-four (54) individual command sequences can be programmed into the yoke's keypad. There is not much more to say at this time because the project is in the early stages except "Please build it!"