Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck has two main components out of the box. These include the stick and throttle, which are individual components. To start, let us first take a look at the stick. The unit dimensions are 177mm in width, 215.8mm in depth, and 234.3mm in height. It is decently weighted at 3.22lbs with four rubber grips underneath it, so it will stay on your desk. If you want more security, there are three screw holes at the bottom to go with the included M5 mounting screws to secure the stick to your favorite simulation platform.
The stick module alone has a gear lever, 3-position rotary dial, and 39 buttons. Combine that with the throttle module, which we will look at in just a moment, the total number of programmable functions rapidly increases to 139. This is quite a magnitude of buttons and controls, which can be overwhelming at first if you are not a flight simulator enthusiast. Thankfully, Turtle Beach has everyone from the novice to enthusiast user in mind, as the quick flight guide I mentioned on the previous page is very helpful to help you get started no matter what your skill level is. I will also go through the design of the VelocityOne Flightdeck system, so you know what you are getting yourself into.
The stick design is fairly straightforward and is constructed mostly out of hard plastic with a soft rubber grip in relevant areas. It is well-sized and grips naturally and comfortably in my opinion. If you have large hands, the stick's height can be increased by up to approximately 1.5cm with an extra notch in between. I am not sure how useful this feature is, since the extra gap in the grip makes it feel less comfortable in my opinion.
The stick provides six degrees of freedom in space with its X, Y, and Z axis by its ability to tilt in all directions as well as rotating a few degrees clockwise or counterclockwise by a twist motion. These are used to control the elevators, rudder, and ailerons of the plane for pitch, yaw, and roll. Like the VelocityOne Flight, the stick's motion sensing is enabled by a non-contact hall effect sensor inside for long-term reliability. The spring inside the VelocityOne Flightdeck stick will automatically return the stick to neutral position. The stick's sensitivity and dead zone can be configured in software, which we will take a look at on the next page.
In the area behind the stick are three toggle switches, five programmable buttons, and a shortcut bank. The two toggle switches on the outside are momentary contact switches, while the middle one is a maintained contact switch. I found them a bit light and clicky; a bit of weight to them will make them feel higher quality. The five programmable buttons are textured and shaped for improved tactile identification. All of the buttons feel like they have acceptable quality switches, but nothing exceptional. Meanwhile, four independent LED zones are made for the left and right of the base of the stick, toggle switches, and the programmable buttons.
On the right side is a 3.5mm audio jack for those who want to connect wired analog headsets with microphone support. This built-in sound device supports Superhuman Hearing, equalizer modes, microphone monitoring, and game and chat balance.
Located in the top of Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck's stick is the Heads Up Display, or HUD. The HUD is a 1" OLED display, but the resolution is not specified. From my experience, the resolution, viewing angle, and contrast are all good.
The HUD does not interface with any particular games or software features, but instead, it provides access to diagnostics and performance adjustments to the stick. Particularly, it provides settings, functionality, or information to Chrono, Touchpad, Pro-Aim, Rudder Lock, Audio, Thumb Wheel, Haptics, Performance, Lighting, and Firmware. The default home screen shows Chrono timing and axis output information. This menu can be accessed by holding down the HUD NAV button for three seconds and using the B4-7 NAV D-pad to navigate.
The remaining controls shown in the above photo are all labeled and should be pretty self-explanatory. There are two hat switches, clickable analog thumbstick, trim wheel, and a fire button. The fire button can act as a capacitive touchpad when mouse mode is engaged by a toggle switch next to it. I like how the two hat switches are physically different, so you can easily distinguish between them by feeling them.
There are eight LED zones in the area. This includes the left and right side of the LED strip at the top, button labels, and the perimeter of the Fire button.
Here is a shot of the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck from another angle. There is a USB Type-C connector to connect the stick to your PC using an included 2m long USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable. For the controls, there is a two-stage trigger button, pinky lever, and a programmable button on the grip. On the base of the stick, there is a plastic sprung gear lever with LED notifications on one side. The opposite side features a plastic three position rotary knob, which is also an LED zone. All of the controls are reasonably weighted, but I feel like the lever and knob would be better if they were made out of metal. The two-stage trigger makes a strange echo sound inside the stick when fully engaged.
Overall, I found the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck's stick to be pretty well-designed, with lots of tactile buttons that are logically placed and easily accessible. The quality of the switches and weight of some of the controls has room for improvement, given the price point of this product.
Now, let us move on to the throttle. The unit dimensions are 177.9mm in width, 207.6mm in depth, and 134.2mm in height. It is decently weighted at 3.33lbs with four rubber grips underneath it, so it will stay on your desk. Like the stick, if you want more security, there are three screw holes at the bottom to go with the included M5 mounting screws to secure the stick to your favorite simulation platform.
The throttle module has 90 programmable functions. Turtle Beach calls this an 8-axis controller. In my opinion, "8-axis" is a marketing term, but what is true is that there are a lot of inputs. The throttle lever has a soft rubber coating, and features a split design that allows you to control the left and right throttles independently or lock them together. The lock can be engaged or disengaged by a button on the left. The throttle's motion sensing is enabled by a non-contact hall effect sensor inside for long-term reliability. The throttle lever is equipped with user-programmable haptic throttle detent response at different actuation points, such as reverse thrust, afterburner, or star drive. Its precise position can be seen at the bottom of the lever, while its position labels such as MAX REV and FLT IDL can be seen through a window.
One of the biggest features in the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck's throttle is the Flight Touch Display. Unlike the HUD, the 4" Flight Touch Display can actually interface with your games by providing up to 39 extra buttons. Custom profiles, button assignments, and look can be made for different game genres in software. The resolution is not specified, but from my experience, the resolution, viewing angle, and contrast are all good.
The plastic flaps lever at the bottom left corner slides smoothly and has end-of-travel buttons on both ends. On the right, there are three customizable dials, which are all shaped differently so you can identify which one is which without looking at it. They are infinite dials, and all three can be pressed as a button. At the top right corner, there is an Engine Fire button. Lastly, there are eight LED zones on the throttle, which are all button labels.
Let us take a look at the VelocityOne Flightdeck's throttle from another angle. The throttle lever has a plethora of easily accessible buttons. On the right where your left thumb rests, there is a clickable analog POV thumbstick, 8-way clickable hat switch, slide switch, and three programmable buttons. Your fingers have access to a trim wheel, 4-way hat switch, button, and two momentary contact toggle switches.
There is a USB Type-C connector to connect the stick to your PC using an included 2m long USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable.
Overall, I found the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck's throttle to be pretty well-designed, with lots of tactile buttons that are logically placed and easily accessible, just like the stick. The throttle lever is well-weighted, and the quality of the switches are generally acceptable in my opinion. With all these in mind, let us take the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck for a test flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Software and Usage Experience
4. Conclusion
