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Archived from The Control Center, 2000. Hardware, prices and links are historical.

CH FlightSim Yoke USB

Originally published on joy-stick.net, 7 November 20005/5 sticks

FlightSim Yoke USB

Manufactured By: CH Products

Retail Price: $149.00

Review Date: 11-07-00

The CH FlightSim Yoke USB is the final release in a series of three flight yokes from CH Products. The previously released CH FlightSim Yoke PC is a gameport device with an otherwise identical list of specifications as the second release the FlightSim Yoke USB LE. Both rated very well with The Control Center and still occupy my desktop when I take to the skies. From the previous two I prefer the USB LE overall and pair the yoke with the new CH Pro Pedals USB for maximum control realism. I now have a new occupant on my desktop...

"Why USB?" you may ask. First, USB offers a true plug-and-play connection. Simply plug in the device and your system recognizes it (usually after you install necessary drivers and identify it once). Want to remove it? Unplug it and its gone. There are no IRQ wars, port compatibility issues or related problems that come with using a gameport. You can even daisy-chain devices together (via pass-through connectors or a USB hub) and have them active at the same time without conflict.

Second, USB generally offers a faster interface than a standard gameport. Remember, most gameports still use the same technology from nearly 15 years ago! A faster communication method means higher frame rate, better control and more kills (or faster laps, higher scores, etc.). Set-up is faster, control is better and its easy to use- hail USB (well, sort of). The one outstanding issue with USB is connecting multiple devices together to act as one unit. With your gameport you can easily plug in a yoke, throttle and rudder pedals and identify them as one unit with 4 axis. With USB this is not a possibility yet. I think its up to Microsoft to add this feature to DirectX in future releases.

This leads me to the only drawback to owning the CH FlightSim Yoke USB. With the PC (gameport) version of the yoke you can easily add external throttle and rudder devices by simply plugging them into the yoke. USB pedals now exist and the USB throttle is on its way. Still, your game/sim needs to support multiple controllers and you need to configure everything accordingly. Right now only a handful of sims support multiple devices. Even then, you sometimes need to modify setup files by hand to use multiple USB devices properly. MS Combat Sim 2 is a shining example of how it should be done. This sim allows you to

The hardware itself is put together well. The desk clamping mechanism consists of 2 screw down (actually up) clamps that make setup and removal easy. My desk is rather thin and I had to mount a strip of finished wood to the edge to accommodate the previous yokes. The yokes would not have otherwise accommodated the thin desktop. It secures to the desk exceptionally well and the clamps do not take up too much valuable leg-space.

The yoke has a nice contour and your hands nicely fit the handles. Button placement on the yoke is very convenient and thought out. On the base of the yoke the two switches, trim control and throttle, prop and mixture levers are situated in a way that makes them somewhat obscured by the yoke. A wider base would have brought these features out from behind the yoke but also have taken much more of your desktop space. The design (external) and layout of the USB yoke is near identical to the other versions with the exception of two new levers next to the throttle.

Features-

  • Pitch, roll and throttle axis controls
  • Propeller and mixture levers
  • 8 way hat switch
  • 4 push buttons
  • 2- 2 way rocker switches
  • pitch trim wheel
  • gear switch (2 position)
  • flap switch (2 positions)

Appropriate For-

  • Flight Sims (MS FlightSim series, MS CombatSim series, WWII Fighters, Flight Unlimited series, etc.)
  • Racing Games (Need For Speed series, Star Wars Racer)
  • Space Sims (Descent Freespace)

System Requirements-

Windows 98/ME/2000, USB Port

Price -

The MSRP for the FlightSim Yoke PC is $149. This is a fair price for the first commercially available yoke with mixture and prop controls.

Warranty-

Warranted to the original purchaser for 3 years from the date of purchase against defects of material and workmanship.

Performance-

The CH Products FlightSim Yoke USB had to live up to much anticipation and it delivered. I completed the evaluation using it as a stand-alone controller (without using rudder pedals) and paired with a set of USB Pro Pedals. When used as a stand-alone controller I either used it with a coordinated rudder or set the right rocker switch as the rudder control. It played well but where supported the USB rudder pedals were a welcomed addition to the setup.

It was great to program the engine start and flaps to the 2 base switches and have a trim wheel to adjust the pitch like in a real aircraft. I only used the Gaming Center utility for Flight Unlimited II since it was the only sim that does not have in game button assignment. Others have reported problems running Flight Unlimited II from the Gaming Center but I experienced no problem on both test systems. As mentioned elsewhere, I removed the Gaming Center from my Startup group so I would not continually "pop up" when I started my system. To activate it I simply ran the program from the CH Products program group before starting the sim.

As I mentioned before, the yoke (and pedals) sets up wonderfully well with Microsoft Combat Sim 2. I played a half dozen campaign missions and countless quick combat battles. I didn't use the keyboard except to navigate the menus to get in and out of the missions. Even though most of the aircraft I was flying were stick controlled the yoke was great to use because it was fully supported. MS FlightSim 2000 setup with both the yoke and pedals too. Control was great and I got to experiment with the fuel mixture and practice stall recovery too (note to self: don't screw with the mixture mid-flight unless altitude allows for recovory!).

Although the yoke is sold as a flight sim controller I could not resist trying it with other types of games. I will always use a wheel for racing games but the yoke provided great control and offers more buttons than most typical wheels. Its a great solution for someone looking for a controller with some diversity. I played a few rounds of Need for Speed III using the yoke and faired well. I also used the yoke in a few space combat sims and did really well. The yoke shined in Star Wars Racer. The game lends itself to wheel controllers but the yoke fit the game perfectly with its full axis control and many buttons. The only drawback to this was the inability to lock the yoke into place along the pitch axis.

The performance of the FlightSim Yoke USB is great. It is very accurate and not too difficult to setup although it must be supported by the game/sim you are using it for maximum effectiveness.

Setup-

Setup of USB devices is incredibly simple as long as the USB ports are properly configured on your system. The CH FlightSim Yoke USB is no exception. You can simply plug in the yoke, let Windows detect the device and direct it to the driver CD. You can also set it up using your Windows CD as a HID Game Controller: 5 Axis 10 button with POV Hat but you will not be able to take advantage of the Gaming Center button programmability feature so be sure to use the enclosed CD if you wish to use it.

There is a separate install procedure to setup the additional software tools for the yoke. None of the utilities are required for operation of the yoke and are not necessary to install.

**Software -

** The FlightSim Yoke USB comes with a CD containing the Windows 95/98/ME/2000 driver, and Gaming Center and JCenter utilities for a variety of CH Products. All are installed within a single shortcut folder along with an extensive Windows based help file. The Gaming Center utility is added to your startup group so it is executed every time you start your system. The Gaming Center utility allows you to assign keystrokes to buttons and switches on the yoke. This utility is helpful for sims like Flight Unlimited II where you do not have the option to program button actions in game. The JCenter utility is a simple DOS based axis test utility to assure you are getting a good read on the yokes actions. It is only compatible with Windows 98 (not SE, ME or 2000).

One comment on the Gaming Center utility that uses may want to consider. The executable is placed in your startup group and run every time you start your system. If the yoke is not connected it displays a message telling you it was not found. When the yoke is connected the Gaming Center pops up at startup. You can pull the Gaming Center off your startup group to avoid this message and simply run the executable from the Start menu or a desktop icon. Its one less thing your system has to deal with upon startup.

Documentation-

The yoke comes with a simple 4 page printed manual and fairly extensive on-line help file. The printed manual will guide you through all of the general installation, setup and troubleshooting steps to get up and running (or flying). The on-line help file goes into much greater detail on using the yoke than the printed manual, including setup procedures for specific sims. The manual also included information on using the yoke on a MAC. Since this is a USB device, setup is truly "Plug and Play" so instruction detail is not really necessary. I would have like to see more details on the Gaming Center usage in print but the one-line help allows you to print any details you would like to have in front of you while you are experimenting with the utility.

Currently the CH Products website does not have much additional information posted on the yoke. CH Products will eventually post Gaming Center Profiles provided by users. They also have detailed FAQ's for their other products and should be adding any questions that may come in on the yoke.

Overall Rating-

The CH FlightSim Yoke USB is one of the best flight sim controllers available. It offers realistic control, has a quality feel to it and it will enhance you entire virtual flying experience. Pair the yoke with a set of the CH Products USB Pro Pedals and you have a realistic flight control system. The Control Center recommends the yoke to anyone looking for an affordable, highly realistic flight controller.

Pros-

  • Many programmable buttons and switches
  • Realistic look and feel

Cons-

  • Throttle, trim wheel and dash switches obscured by the yoke
  • Limited support for mixture and prop controls

Similar to-

Review date as printed on the original page. Images from the original page are not reproduced.