I have had the opportunity to review the revised Orion 2 Throttle, F-16 Throttle Grip and F-16 Joystick Grip (not Orion 2 Joystick Base) from WinWing Technology. This will be a full review and not just a first impressions, this is because I have spent more than a few weeks with the product and I can provide a fair review based on my use. I will be going through all the first impressions including the unboxing, look, feel and opinions as well.
You can purchase this product here on their webstore and you can find out more information online here or their manual here.
You can view the Official WinWing release trailer here.
Full Disclosure
The WinWing Orion 2 HOTAS F-16EX was sent to me for free by WinWing, however this review is my own and is not influenced by WinWing to review in a favorable way.
NOTE:
This review does not include the newly announced Orion 2 Joystick Gimbal.
Price
$549.80
ORION 2 HOTAS F-16EX $1,013.80 (-46%)
F16 Throttle Handles / F16 Joystick
$455.86
ORION 2 HOTAS MAX$813.75 (-44%)
F18 Throttle Handles / F16 Joystick
$478.80
ORION 2 HOTAS F-18$863.80 (-45%)
F18 Throttle Handles / F18 Joystick
NOTE:
Prices have changed since writing this review, I have kept the original prices as a point in time (historical). The new prices are listed on their new website here
What’s in the box
As I am reviewing the Orion 2 HOTAS F-16EX, the parts included as part of my review are as follows:
★ Orion 2 Throttle Base (Installed with F/A-18 Throttle Grips)
★ Finger Lift KIT for Orion 2 (Installed on Orion 2)
★ F-16 Throttle Handle (Installed on Orion 1 Throttle)
★ Orion 1 Joystick Base (not sent in my package as I already had this, please see previous review here)
★ F-16EX Joystick Grip (Installed on Orion 1 Gimbal)
★ Tools (Hex/Allen Keys, Flat Wrench)
★ USB Cable
Unboxing
All boxes were shipped from China to Australia via FedEx. the courier was fast and reliable with date of delivery, they offered the option to collect at depot if I was not at home for time of delivery, which I have done on more than one occasion.
I received some components earlier in the year, and the Orion 2 Throttle base being the latest acquisition. the earlier boxes showed images of the product inside, while the later box provided only a simple all white panels, this is preferred as it provides anyone who sees the box, no indication as to what is inside and temptation and risk of theft is lowered.
The inside of the boxes are a plastic foam insert, well fit to the box and cut out to provide the parts very secure mode of transportation. everything was tight fit and separation between parts with some being in individual plastic bags to avoid scratching or damaging of parts.
Tools are provided and this is something I always like to discuss, as it is very important. the products at this price and the adjustability of them require tools. it is important to note this as if you do not have the tools to service or adjust the product, it will be an additional cost for the buyer. I also very quickly want to note that the tools don’t necessarily need to be the best on the market, they just need to be provided and usable.
Below is a gallery of unboxing images you can view at your own pace. I sadly do not have images for the unboxing of the Orion F-16EX Joystick .
The Dimensions
These dimensions shown above are the displaying the maximum width and depth of the Orion 2 Throttle (without the F-16 Handle)
These dimensions show the range for the F/A-18 without detents
These dimensions show the range for the F/A-18 with detents (note the detents have their own internal range of variances that can be tuned)
These dimensions show the range of the detents and how much they can be tuned.
These dimensions show the range of the F-16 Throttle.
For more dimensions, please see WinWing manuals.
The Look
DECISION:
As I was provided the Finger Lift KIT for the Orion 2 Throttle, I made a choice to use the F/A-18 Grips instead with the Finger Lift on the Orion 2.
DECISION:
As I was provided the F-16 Throttle handles that would work with the Orion 1 Throttle, I made a choice to use the F-16 Grips on the Orion 1.
NOTE:
Keep this in mind when reading my review on these items.
The Outer shell for the Orion 2 is made from plastic composite and formed in 2 parts, the bottom part (enclosure) and the top part (face plate / panel). The entire box is matte black except for the etched labeling for the adjustable/variable green back-lightning which you can control from either within a game that has API support, like DCS or you can control it from within the native SimAppPro software by binding the lightning it to an axis.
There is also additional aesthetic appearance like the Jettison section, which is orange and white for effect.
All the lettering is good quality, but not as sharp , this is likely due to being etched through the textured matte plastic finish. there is no gloss.
The lettering is very good, but if you are an inch from it with your eyeball, you may notice it’s not being so sharp, this is likely due to the plastic material used. this is not a negative, just an observation.
The inner Shell (Internals) are clean, the soldering is ok and the use of hot glue is ok, it is not spread everywhere and only in sections to maintain wiring fixtures out of the way from mechanics and screw holes (to avoid being damaged).
Below are screenshots provided by a member of the HOTAS/HOSAS/SIMPIT Discord community.
Images by recoilfx – Imgur https://imgur.com/a/EFD0xjH
The Feel
Orion 1 Throttle with F-16 Throttle Grip
The Actuation / Movement of the handle is smooth, the pin release for OFF > IDLE with roller on the side wall takes some getting used to, the movement is not something you would associate as natural, but after some muscle memory, you will notice this is very comfortable and easy to feel for activation.
The Actuation / Movement of the handle from IDLE > MIL is smooth, you will need to ensure when aligning the side wall plate, it will take a bit of tuning to get the roller bearing to move across this dimension correctly.
The Actuation / Movement of the handle from MIL > AB and AB > AB MAX is similar to OFF > IDLE, you will need to pull the release pin to rotate the grip for the roller to pass over the detent.
The entire motion is very realistic and the immersion is second to none.
The Handle is solid metal cast in two halves, bolted together with Allen head screws. It is cold to touch, however it is very satisfying holding and activating the buttons.
DECISION:
Due to the cold nature of the grips, I sometimes wear a glove to provide both warmth and immersion to my sim flying experience.
The buttons are clicky with a tactile feel and sound. All feel and are high quality, all hat switches are ALPS (RKJXM1). these are what you would expect from a premium manufacturer.
These are the control functions that are available on the F-16 Throttle Grip.
NOTE:
The Grip uses a GigaDevice ARM Cortex M3 MCU.
NOTE:
The MAN RNG/UNCAGE is an encoder wheel with a separate 5 way push button (ALPS RKJXM1) switch located on top. IRL this is a single potentiometer +push switch, it is also slightly narrower & taller which makes it slightly easier to activate.
NOTE:
The ANT ELEV is an encoder wheel with a min/max range. IRL this is the same, however it is slightly smoother to operate with no center detent.
Orion 2 Throttle with F/A-18 Throttle Grips and Fingerlift Kit
The actuation / movement of the grips individually or together with sync lock is smooth all the way from OFF > IDLE > MIL > AB.
The Fingerlift Kit functions as you would expect, it has adjustable detent within ranges (see above diagram). the use of them allows you to configure a OFF > IDLE and IDLE > OFF detent, the way this works on this device permits you to move from OFF > IDLE smoothly transitioning and dropping the fingerlifts down, the way to move from IDLE > OFF you will need to raise the fingerlifts and pull back the grip/s.
There is a detent you can attach for 50% throttle (within variances, see dimension diagram above), this is mostly used for space sim players who would otherwise use the throttle at the halfway point for physical recognition, using the forward half for forward thrust and the rear half for rear thrust.
The final detent that can be used is the AB (Afterburner Detent). Moving the throttle from MIL power > AB , again this has variances (see dimension diagrams above). this is a push through detent, allowing the user to physically feel where the end of MIL power is and the transition into AB.
The grips are solid metal with a matte black finish, they are also cold to the touch and I personally use gloves sometimes to give me that full immersion. The buttons are clicky with a tactile feel and sound. All feel and are high quality, all hat switches are ALPS (RKJXM1). these are what you would expect from a premium manufacturer.
These are the control functions that are available on the F/A-18 Throttle Grip.
NOTE:
Orion V2 Throttle uses a GigaDevice ARM Cortex M4 MCU.
NOTE:
Orion V2 Throttle slider axis use the same Hall Sensors MT6701 with a center detent.
NOTE:
Orion V2 Throttle uses a plastic ring for friction between two halves of cast metal, I would have recommended a Teflon material instead so that stiction is avoided.
DECISION:
Due to the friction material used, I went with Nyogel 767a to grease up the plastic and ensure the roller bearing axle is smooth and has no stiction.
Improvements of Orion Throttle 2 vs 1
The following is a list of improvements:
- Changed Base from Metal to Plastic making it lighter
- Added standout platform segments to make switches at level, making it cleaner look and feel
- Revised cable tunnel design to reduce wear and tear on the grip cables.
- Embedded sync-lock for F/A-18 Grips
- Fingerlift Kit support addition
- Improved micro-switch technology
- Added support for PSU addon (from Super Taurus)
- Revised USB port location and provided angled USB cable
Orion 1 with F16EX Joystick Grip
The Gimbal has now been superseded by the Orion 2 (C/S/D) Cams/Springs/Dampener, however this gimbal has (cams and springs) and works very well, It is smooth in movement with slight progressive force over the full range of axis with a slight center bump when transitioning over the center of each of the axis cams. we call this a non-linear cam with soft center detent. there is only one type of cams and the springs for this gimbal.
The F-16EX grip is full metal grip with Allen bolts holding it together firmly. This is solid and cold to the touch with a matte black finish, I personally use gloves. Some of the hats are black, while others are grey, the dual stage trigger is a deep red, while the WEP REL button is a bright red.
I personally prefer the dual stage trigger on the WinWing F/A-18 grip more, especially the 2nd stage as you can feel a click of he tactile switch when fully depressed, however with the F16EX grip, I do not have any sensation that I have activated a switch, some may prefer it the other way around, so this is purely my subjective preference.
The F-16EX comes with variants, with or without rumble pack, the rumble pack adds additional flip trigger infront of dual stage, a ministick +push and 4 way hat +push. (see below image for a full display of the variations).
The stick also has a rumble motor built in, this provides a tactile feedback when configured, this can offer a rumble similar to how modern console gamepads provide rumble. you can tune the rumble to your preference.
I have done ASMR videos for the tactile clicks of the joystick, all buttons/hats/mini-stick and lever look, feel and sound high quality.
I just wanted to mention, accessing the far left/top hat and far left bottom mini-stick looked awkward to access, however in reality it’s not, I had difficulty holding the camera in a way to take good footage, this meant my arm/hand were not in the optimal position.
I just wanted to mention the flip trigger looked awkward to access, however in reality it’s not, I had difficulty holding the camera in a way to take good footage, this meant my arm/hand were not in the optimal position.
My Setup
I use the F-16EX stick as my right hand side stick and I use the F/A-18 Throttle Grips with OFF > IDLE and MIL > AB Fingerlift detents on the Orion 2 Throttle base.
The F-16 Throttle on the Orion 1 throttle base will only be used when I fly the F-16 (which I do not fly, yet)
I started flying in flight simulators with IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battle series, so World War 2 aircraft is what got me into the genre. I also enjoy flying in IL-2 Sturmovik Flying Circus, which is a World Ward 1 simulator.
After a time, I moved on to DCS (Digital Combat Simulator) and started flying World War 2 aircraft there, I enjoyed DCS far more than IL-2 now.
Since my WW1 and WW2 days, I have been focused since mid-late last year in mastering the flight of helicopters (UH-1H Huey, Mi-8 MTV2 Hip, Mi-24P Hind, SA342 Gazelle, Ka-50 Blackshark and AH-64D Apache), I have recently been an ACE in the Hind and until the last few days, I have been enjoying getting into some Cold War Jets (F-86F Sabre and F-5E Tiger II)
My Setup and Experience is across the board, except for the modern Jets.
My Opinions
So by now you may be asking, why am I reviewing a product that I don’t have direct experience with the simulation? and the answer is simple.
I own many products, the review is about the product and not the flight simulator. I also research and read lots of feedback on products from both Discord and Reddit, this helps me make informed decisions and better judgement on the matter of peripherals.
I am careful when I make a decision and call it subjective vs objective. I am also careful when I state that it’s my personal opinion vs fact, I will try my best to ensure this is clear and concise.
I consider myself knowledgeable about manufacturers, manufacturing process and support. Yes, I review the lot and I see how business operate and how they treat their customers.
For WinWing, I can say without a doubt, they have top notch support. They have an active support representative on my discord server and reddit. If you want to know if the product and support is worth your investment, then feel free to do your research and take what you have learned here and discuss it in the community that I have helped build from nothing.
Yes, the product is worth your dime.
Thank you
Images
by ddrake1984 on 12 JULY 2022
HOTAS/HOSAS/SIMPIT 