By: Jonathan Kwan
May 31, 2024
If you have been following my articles here at APH Networks, you would likely remember a few foosball stories I have told over the years, including more recently in the 1MORE EVO, Crucial T500 2TB, and Patriot Viper Venom DDR5-7200 2x16GB review introductions, just to name a few. For those who are familiar with the sport, most people significantly overestimate their ability, and I, by no means, claim to be a professional, because I am not. However, over the last year and a bit, I have been watching YouTube videos and practiced at home on my Tornado table, which allowed be to beat pretty much anyone I encounter in public. Now, beating random kids in engineering school is not necessarily a good benchmark to my skills, so I recently dropped by a local pub on a Thursday night where professional, world-ranked tournament players hang out to see what my true level is. The people there were extremely friendly and invited me to play a few games with them. After playing five games, I was surprised I was actually not that bad. Along with the guy I paired with -- he was really good -- we ended up winning three of five games, where I was able to score quite proficiently, including putting in four of five goals in one round, and managing a solid defense ratio. If watching YouTube videos and playing at home can bring me to this level in foosball, are there other skills we can learn at home that can translate into real-world skills? Today, we have the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck, which is a flight simulation HOTAS system. If you play Microsoft Flight Simulator using this enough, will this give you real pilot skills? Read on to find out!
Our review unit of the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck arrived to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from a shipping fulfillment center in Elwood, Illinois, USA. Using FedEx International 2day, the large brown corrugated cardboard box arrived in excellent condition to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for our review today.
The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck came to us in retail packaging. The green, black, and white color scheme of the box will immediately remind you of the Xbox, but unlike the VelocityOne Flight yoke, the VelocityOne Flightdeck is designed for PC only. To accentuate its flight theme, you can see a constellation of select world airports in the background. A photo of the product itself at three-quarters angle occupy most of the space in the front. The product name and description, VelocityOne Flightdeck Universal Simulation HOTAS System, is at the top left corner. In the vertical black band on the right is Turtle Beach's logo at the top. Under the logo is an array off four icons pointing out its flight touch display, stick mounted HUD, autopilot controls, and VelocityOne Hangar App. Diagrams for feature highlights of the stick, throttle, and app are found on the back of the box.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Connections: Input Connectivity PC: 6.5ft / 2m USB-C to USB-A Cable (Throttle), 6.5ft / 2m USB-C to USB-A Cable (Stick)
Compatibility: PC Software Full Control Compatibility*: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, X-Plane 11 & 12, DCS World, Prepar3D, Star Citizen, War Thunder
*Full functionality, control mapping required out of box.
PC Software Basic Control Compatibility**: Star Wars Squadrons, Elite: Dangerous
**Limited functionality, control mapping required out of box. Maximum 32 button inputs.
Companion App: Turtle Beach® Flight Hangar App for additional product features & customization. Available for Windows 10 & 11 PCs
Firmware Updates: Use the Flight Hangar companion app to easily update your controller firmware to get the best possible performance.
Mounting Options: Secure Rubber feet, or pre-drilled holes and mounting screws provided for permanent setups.
Product Weight (Stick) (Kg/Lbs.): 1.46kg / 3.22lbs
Product Weight (Throttle) (Kg/Lbs.): 1.51kg / 3.33lbs.
Product Dimensions (Stick) (Mm/In): 177 x 215.8 x 234.3 / 6.97” x 8.50” x 9.22”
Product Dimensions (Throttle) (Mm/In): 177.9 x 207.6 x 134.2 / 7.00” x 8.17” x 5.28”
Compatibility: Windows 10/11 PCs
Out of the box, the main items and their accessories are all neatly placed and protected between a set of environmentally friendly cardboard trays. Everything is wrapped and organized in their individual black plastic bags as well. Here is what you will get from the factory:
- 1x VelocityOne Flightdeck Stick
- 1x VelocityOne Flightdeck Throttle
- 2x 6.5ft / 2m USB-C to USB-A Cables
- 6x M5 Hard-Mounting Screws
- 1x Quick Flight Guide
- 1x Turtle Beach sticker
The Quick Flight Guide contains button diagrams of the stick and throttle as well as their default mappings.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Software and Usage Experience
4. Conclusion
