Anyone need a VKB "Space Combat" Grip?

[RyanR]

 

 

I just ordered a VKB Gladiator/NXT/Evo with the "standard" SCG. I realized after ordering it, that the hats are all 4-way. Some Googling told me that I could set the hats up as a virtual 8-way, but this is simply not true.

 

Being an old dog and unwilling to learn new tricks either with VR or head tracking, I really need an 8-way. hat to look around..... so I ordered the WWII combat grip. Now I've got a brand new SCG that'll probably just collect dust. Figured I'd see if someone here is interested, as the community has been great to me.

 

-Ryan

 

[Koziolek]

wrote by mistake, sorry

Edited January 9, 2023 by Koziolek

[1Sascha]

On 1/9/2023 at 5:55 PM, RyanR said:

Being an old dog and unwilling to learn new tricks either with VR or head tracking

Old dogs are pretty good at learning new tricks... haven't you watched Mythbusters?

 

Forget about VR as an everyday replacement for a hat-switch - not all games/sims support it, it's pretty GPU/CPU power hungry, it'll degrade your visual quality in some ways and on some days it's just too much of a hassle to prepare everything for a VR-session and put on that head-set.

 

However: I would strongly advise to at least give head-tracking a chance. I couldn't get to grips with it when I switched to it after about 15 years of using hat-switches/keys, but after a week or two (and encouragement from squaddies to stick with it when I was about to give up) it just "clicked" for me and now I would never, ever want to go back.

 

As impressive and immersive as VR is, I think head-tracking was the bigger game-changer for me. You don't have to go with TrackIR and their ridiculous prices - Opentrack is free and there are hardware alternatives out there that are markedly more affordable than TIR (Trackhat, Delanclip PS3-set, DIY modded cameras)

 

Once you get used to it, SA will improve for you and it just feels more natural to be using your real head to turn your in-game head. Granted: the motions aren't 1-1 like they are in VR, but it still feels way more natural to me than using a hat and/or buttons keys.

 

Added bonus: You'll have a free hat-switch on your stick that you can use for other stuff like trim.

 

 

S.

Edited January 11, 2023 by 1Sascha

[RyanR]

I played around with AITrack and OpenTrack a bit. The first thing the stood out was needing a better webcam. I'll be exploring that a bit more, because I do like the Space Combat Grip a bunch. 

 

It's very weird how one's brain gets tethered to a hat switch after 25 years.

 

-Ryan

 

 

[1Sascha]

21 hours ago, RyanR said:

It's very weird how one's brain gets tethered to a hat switch after 25 years.

... or to any form of input device. But it's also incredible how it only takes a few days or perhaps a couple of weeks to get used to new stuff ... and then wondering how you ever made do without it..

 

Here's what I got to replace my TiR5... works just as well as TiR and it is cheaper... although you have to add taxes/import duties to those prices unless you're in the UK, I suppose. Cost me around €100 all in, IIRC - TIR would've been around €200 over here... ?

 

https://delanengineering.com/shop-for-headtracking/#!/DELANCLiP™®-Gamer-Complete-Kit-Wired/p/43397050/category=68238008

 

 

S.

Edited January 14, 2023 by 1Sascha

[dbuile]

On 1/11/2023 at 3:45 AM, 1Sascha said:

You don't have to go with TrackIR and their ridiculous prices -

 

Ah, oh, thanks for the reminder of alternatives!  My TrackIR burned out a few weeks ago (it was only 16 months old).  I didn't immediately buy another due to price.  

 

I pressed my VR headset back into service (non-combat "flying" though), but at the moment, I still prefer the more hassle-free experience of a headtracker, and an image that doesn't blur outside the center (so you can move your eyes to scan, too).  

[1Sascha]

2 hours ago, dbuile said:

Ah, oh, thanks for the reminder of alternatives!

 

There's also this:

 

https://www.trackhat.org/

 

... but I've no experience with these guys.

 

 

S.

Edited January 14, 2023 by 1Sascha

[RyanR]

I gotta check those out.

 

I got my WWII Combat Grip from VKB..... and it's kind of a gimmick. The 8-way hat is actually a 4-way where you can engage two switches to make a faux-intermediate position to get 8-ways. You can't do that with the SCG. It was easier to program the 8-way hat switch to my IL-2 key map profiles in VS-Code rather than in IL2 itself. IL-2 just wants to recognize "one" of the two positions needed to make the intermediate.

 

The flippy Luftwaffe trigger is waaaaay too sensitive... yet clunky to flip out of the "safe" position. Ergomics are meh. It's fine. It feels nice (the base feels excellent), and frankly, there are enough buttons and levers to do most things I program to a stick. I would like to get the throttle module they sell.

 

-Ryan

[CurvyChain369]

hey, I'm new to playing sim games and I'm wanting to get into them. I've played war thunder a fair amount, and have decent stats on their sim game mode but I've now decided it's time to actually get the equipment for it. I've been scrolling a lot on google for VKBs sticks and wandered across this post (which I know is like 2 years old at this point lol). How would you rate the VKB stick because everywhere I've seen its been nothing but positive, and if you still have that stick you didn't want I would be more than happy to take it off your hands lol! 

[LukeFF]

VKB sticks are top of the line. I've been using one for many years now and it's superb in every way (build quality, ergonomics, etc).

[cardboard_killer]

8 hours ago, CurvyChain369 said:

hey, I'm new to playing sim games and I'm wanting to get into them. I've played war thunder a fair amount, and have decent stats on their sim game mode but I've now decided it's time to actually get the equipment for it. I've been scrolling a lot on google for VKBs sticks and wandered across this post (which I know is like 2 years old at this point lol). How would you rate the VKB stick because everywhere I've seen its been nothing but positive, and if you still have that stick you didn't want I would be more than happy to take it off your hands lol! 

 

Welcome. VKB makes good product, top of the line. I'm not sure which stick you have been using, but no matter which, the VKB would not be a step down.

 

However, I would say that if you have a decent stick, the first piece of equipment I would buy would be good pedals. There are a lot of options, including VKB options. Good pedals aren't cheap either, but even more so than a good stick, a good set of pedals will last you a lifetime and you can will them to your kids eventually.

 

Also, where are you located; you may find used stuff cheap locally. I found my pedals used for half price about a hundred miles from my home.

[CurvyChain369]

12 hours ago, cardboard_killer said:

 

Welcome. VKB makes good product, top of the line. I'm not sure which stick you have been using, but no matter which, the VKB would not be a step down.

 

However, I would say that if you have a decent stick, the first piece of equipment I would buy would be good pedals. There are a lot of options, including VKB options. Good pedals aren't cheap either, but even more so than a good stick, a good set of pedals will last you a lifetime and you can will them to your kids eventually.

 

Also, where are you located; you may find used stuff cheap locally. I found my pedals used for half price about a hundred miles from my home.

I actually haven't done much research into pedals I've just assumed they aren't all that necessary when throttles and sticks have some sort of feature for that movement. How come pedals are so good in a sim setup other than for added realism. I normally play on mouse and keyboard because the stick I have is very lacking in everything so I end up having to use my keyboard and mouse for things anyway. Also thanks for replying! wasn't sure if anyone would respond lol 

[cardboard_killer]

21 minutes ago, CurvyChain369 said:

How come pedals are so good in a sim setup other than for added realism.

 

Foot pedals are much more sensitive than finger pedals because they have such greater range of motion. Additionally, sims are immersive games, and pedals are a much more realistic way of flying. The difference between good pedals and no pedals is huge; the difference between a good stick and a great stick is of a much lower magnitude. IMO. So, IMO, spending money on pedals is the place to begin. I think the majority of people here would agree with that.

[Aapje]

21 hours ago, CurvyChain369 said:

I've been scrolling a lot on google for VKBs sticks and wandered across this post (which I know is like 2 years old at this point lol). How would you rate the VKB stick because everywhere I've seen its been nothing but positive, and if you still have that stick you didn't want I would be more than happy to take it off your hands lol! 

 

The NXT is a great stick. The only stick reasonable comparable for that price point or below is the Winwing Ursa Minor, but they copied VKB's mechanism. VKB has great support too, better than Winwing.

 

You can get better (including the high end options from VKB), but then you pay a lot more, for relatively little gain. And if you get the cheaper options (other than the Ursa Minor), then they are all trash. Poor quality and poor reliability.

 

And I personally don't like twist rudder at all. It simply doesn't click with my brain, so I had to use it consciously, while pedal use comes naturally. But it does work. Even just a VKB Gladiator NXT with no throttle and no pedals is enough for a whole lot of fun. The throttle on the stick works fine. The Space grip has a lot of buttons, and you can even program a button that changes all other buttons, so you can almost double up the buttons that you have. It's not as comfortable and nice as having a separate throttle and pedals, but it's far, far, far, far ahead of keyboard and mouse.