When it comes to bulky peripherals, my experience has primarily been in the realm of steering wheels and pedals. I’ve mostly dabbled in joysticks regarding flight games like Microsoft Flight Simulator. Thanks to Turtle Beach, I’ve now dipped my toes into the world of flight control systems. Turtle Beach, best known for its audio hardware, has quite the flight controller on the market, as I feel it to be a stellar experience whether on Xbox or PC. The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System is an excellent experience for dedicated Flight Simulator hardware, one that isn’t cheap for that virtual pilot out there.
Initially launched in late 2021, the unit retails for $380, pricing itself in the higher end compared to other flight yokes from the likes of Logitech and Thrustmaster, ranging from the $150s to over $400. The VelocityOne is compatible with XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, and Windows 10 & 11 PCs. The unit uses a full-sized, 180-degree yoke, a detachable throttle base, customizable knobs, and backlight overlays. The VelocityOne Flight feels excellent, quite solid, and well constructed. The throttle base unit is primarily plastic, but nothing feels too weak or loose, even while operating the levers.
On the yoke are various controls, including dual eight-way POV switches, two four-way HAT switches, ABXY face buttons, XBOX bumpers and triggers, and a 3.5 headset jack. Looking over at the throttle base, you’ll see that it simply snaps into place onto the right side of the unit. The base can be removed with a quick button press for easy storage. Turtle Beach has included four levers and three pull levers. Turtle Beach has even given you multiple handles for the throttle base so you can swap the handles for your preferred setup. Along with the physical levers, you’re also given ten assignable, backlit buttons.
The lighting isn’t only on the throttle base; you’ve got RGB lights on the central unit, where a status indicator panel glows. Depending on the game being played, the panel will pull data directly from in-game, giving you real-time status through these icons. The panel is swappable with a blank version so that you can create your own layout. Dead-center of the yoke is the standard XBOX guide buttons and a small LCD for some basic flight status indicators and is home to the unit’s settings and firmware update functions.
The VelocityOne was very simple to get operating. Pop the top of the unit, one that is held down by small magnets, and you’re given access to a hex key and bolts. You use these to lower the bottom grips to hold your unit in place on a desk. Me coming from older-style racing wheel controllers, this is a pretty slick way of keeping your unit secure while hiding the tightening mechanisms.
Once connected to the Xbox, it quickly recognized within my test game, Microsoft Flight Simulator. The unit may work with other titles, but Flight Sim was the only one I had to go off for the time being. I even tried to boot up Forza Horizon 5 to see if the controller could be used at all. Unfortunately, it doesn’t recognize any input, which leads me to believe that the game has to be compatible with the yoke to work. Once on the tarmac and into the skies for Flight Sim, the unit worked wonderfully, motions were smooth, and levers responded accordingly. I did have an issue where pulling in and out on the yoke caused no response in-game, but that seemed to come and go and could have been a software issue.
My only other concern with this unit is that it does have an issue navigating console menus. This seems more like something that can be fixed via firmware or updates to software, so it’s not something I’d ding the unit for, but be prepared to keep a standard controller by your side.
The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight System is a solid choice when it comes to flight controllers. I would have liked to see the throttle base be made of a thicker material, preferably metal, but as I mentioned previously, the plastic here didn’t feel weak. If anything, the quick release button would be my cause for concern regarding durability. This is the one if you’re looking for a yoke for the Xbox. It is a little pricey, but I feel it is worth it if you’re an enthusiast. For the casual flyer or someone looking to become an enthusiast, this may be a little too pricey, especially when it comes to the PC. Here your options open up, and you may want to do your research. But as with my recommendation for the Xbox, I don’t think you can go wrong with using this beauty for your flight times.
A VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System was provided by Turtle Beach for review purposes
