Crazy Force Sensing Joystick: Winwing Orion 2 MFSSB Review

Winwing produces some of the best combat flight peripherals on the market and the Winwing Orion 2 MFSSB Force Sensing F-16 stick is a really big swing of the bat.

They’ve created something special here for the DCS community. Especially those DCS players that love the F-16 as this is authenticity on another level.

But it’s not all I’d thought it would be and it doesn’t have much to do with the flight stick itself. Getting to grips with this flight stick has been a bit frustrating at times and I just can’t help the way I feel about it.

I’m sure there are lots of you that love the Orion2 MFSSB version of this flight stick, so if you’re drop your thoughts in the comments. I’m keen to hear how you got on with it.

00:00 Intro – Winwing Orion 2 MFSSB F-16 Flight Stick
00:19 Orion 2 MFSSB Features
02:11 Winwing Software SimAppPro
02:47 Winwing Orion 2 Build Quality
04:14 Orion 2 vs Thrustmaster Warthog
04:40 Orion 2 MFSSB Value for Money?
05:13 Why I’m Struggling with the Orion 2 MFSSB
06:25 Orion 2 MFSSb Pros & Cons
07:42 Who is the Orion 2 MFSSB For?
08:17 Should you buy the Orion 2 MFSSB?

Winwing Orion 2 Store:

Current Flight Sim Setup:

[takeoffwithjakesoft]

One of my frequent wingmen tried a similar product from another company. He is an experienced sim pilot and big F-16 fan and wanted the full experience. His conclusions were the same as yours. It was just too hard to get used to. He found that on long missions his hand got tired in a way that never happened with other sticks. After using the pressure stick for a week, he reverted back to his old stick. Pressure sticks are for a very niche customer; certainly not for everyone. This product does look like good quality and good value though, so good on Winwing for putting it out there even if it may have limited appeal.

[kodiakrl]

Before the f16 became a full production plane. The stick used to not move at all. The test pilots actually said it was very hard to get around. Hence why they added small movements to the stick

[ilyushka]

5:37 actually similar sentiments were expressed by a real Hornet pilot on exchange with the USAF. It took him quite some time to get used to force sensing flight stick in the Viper. And although he preferred the HOTAS management and functionalities in the Viper which is more intuitive than the Hornet, said that he still preferred the center stick. It just takes lots of practice, and retraining muscle memory which arguably is the hardest part.

[Havk]

As far as the barrier of learning, it takes a little getting use to, but what it probably is is that you need to fine tune the pressure settings for your personal use.

The thing about an FSSB is that it has so many settings that you can change that matter a ton when it comes to getting that perfect feeling. And each change affects it a lot more than a traditional joystick.

It could also be your curves and dead zones within DCS for that stick specifically. I know that with my Realsimulator R3L it took a lot of fine tuning in the software and in DCS.

I have over a decade of experience and knowledge with FSSBs. So, if you have questions or need help, I'd be happy to assist.

Definitely a great review! Keep up the good work!

[johneckert]

Everyone, please remember an Air Force pilot spends 10 to 20 hours or more per week for 2 years learning and training in just one type of airframe. You become part of the aircraft and the aircraft becomes part of you. Unless you are willing to put that much time in using the Winwing Orion 2 MFSSB Force Sensing F-16 stick you may want to think twice before you get one.

[PambosZeniou]

I bought Orion 2 a couple of months ago, and I can say only one Hotas is a beast.

[Tango-]

Where the NWS switch should be, i see an extra HAT switch. Can it be pressed down? Other than that, this looks amazing!

[ChipDavis]

I just received this stick and it is awesome. Movement is calculated in its use, the hall sensors are still in place. In the software you can chose between force+movement, force only and realistic. So far I am loving it. I am just getting into fighters (mostly fly A10 and AH64 DCS) so the learning curve was not that big a deal for me but I am still tweaking. My one issue with the stick is the obvious play at the center, there is about 1/2mm of movement before contacting the pressure sensors and it is noticeable.

[remrich]

ordered mine one week ago and got it today. couldnt imagine how much difference it makes.... awesome stick

[Kamiklaasie]

Using the X-65F HOTAS for 12 years now. I really like the force sensor in that one. Even after 12 years it is super precise. You can adjust the force you have to use. Good to finally see other brands making a HOTAS with force sensor. Maybe time to update after 12 years.

[SubjectiveFunny]

Just ordered one, have no idea what the hell I am doing..
Hoping to hook this up to my Quest 3 and learn to fly..
Probably gonna end up regretting this, but here we go!

[g-locmedia]

Just saw that Winwing are having an up to 40% off sale on right now. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just thought I'd give anyone the heads up in they are already in tyhe market for any Winwing products.

[dealwolfstriked]

1:35 your chassis is flexing and will throw off the force. Look at racing sim wheels where the top end stuff foes not flex at all because just that tiny amount of flex disrupts the feel of it ever so slightly.

[crashmetwice]

Great review! Always wondered about the MFSSB stick. I may just have to try one myself. Cheers

[famlrnamemssng]

I've heard fighter pilots hate the F-16 stick. Originally it didn't move at all, but pilots kept hurting their hands using it so now it moves something like 1/4 of an inch. Wild

[johnraahauge]

Having owned both the Winwing MFSSB and the RealSimulator FSSB R3L MKII "Ultra", the latter is a far superior product and more true to how the actual F16 SSC works. I ended up selling my WinWing MFSSB after trying out the RealSimulator SSC. Absolutely love the R3L MKII!

[Land_Storm]

i bought the Winwing Orion 2 f18 throttle and the f16 stick fx version !! 8 months ago and its great !!
i can up grade it to MFSSB but it is not easy as it looks !!

[MK]

You'll need a sturdier mount for this stick. Your sidemounts seems to have a bit of side-to-side freeplay.

[VirusVanquisher]

Thanks for the vid, have been interested in the MFSSB base as I have been spending more time in the F16.
I have the Winwing Orion 2 HOTAS MAX set and love it! SimAppPro has been getting many updates over the last couple months since the F15E release.
I primarily fly the F18 and the standard F16EX stick has worked fantastically. One of the best and underrated features of Winwings F16EX stick are the shaker motors!
You know how many times I have accidently left the speed brakes on and it was the vibration that queued me to turn off? More times than I would like to admit lol.
Also, when tunnel visioned, and I start to pull a little too much AoA and the stick gives a slight vibration as an indicator saving me crucial energy.

Winwing has absolutely shattered long held stereotypes regarding Chinese quality standards. Winwing products are beautifully engineered with unprecedented quality!

[doifeellucky]

For anyone interested Virpil have just opened a UK distribution centre. Shipping is now much cheaper, as an example it was £15 instead of £50 ish when I tried it yesterday, and they currently have a 10% sale on everything and 20% on the Prime Grips and the CM3 and Warbird D bases, so the most recent stuff. Expensive but if you’re considering an upgrade definitely skip the warthog and go straight for this level. Sale is till the end of the month. I have no affiliation, just a satisfied stick and throttle owner.