MFG Crosswind
Out nowType
Flight Pedal ControllerPrice
€320 including VAT for EU, €256 for Rest of World6 degrees of what?
I’m sure most people reading a review of flight pedals have some idea of what I’m on about, but for those wanting to know more, let’s cover off some basics here.
The six degrees of freedom refer to the fundamental movements which a physical object (and particularly a plane/spaceship) work within and can move around given some typical thruster placement and ailerons in atmospheric flight. Think of each degree as a “type” which has two directions in itself. So if you look at your traditional joystick, it will only have two actual degrees of freedom as opposed to the four “movements” that people tend to associate with it (left, right, up and down).
This is because each axis has two directions. Thinking about something simpler like a car, you have two degrees with four directions, these being reverse/forward and left/right. Some may consider you have a third degree which suspension allowing the car to move up or down.
So as shown in the diagram below, there are six separate degrees of freedom we’re concerned with. Each axis has two directions for a total of twelve different directions of movement. You can also complicate this further with some degree of arrested movement in a given direction (for example forward thrust) acting as a brake which is separate to “reverse”.
Twist grip joysticks like the X-55/56 have an additional degree of freedom bringing the total to 3. If we assume that the throttle takes care of forward and reverse that gives you a “typical setup” of 3 to 4 depending on if your joystick has a twist or not. Then you can start assigning hats etc to the other degrees but the trouble is they just feel wrong, at least to me.
Even twist grip doesn’t seem right to me. Accidental activation while manoeuvring rapidly, finger reach while activated to the maximum twist for the other buttons, there are a host of reasons why I don’t like twist, but even if I did, there are still some additional degrees of freedom missing.
So I decided to look into pedals. A quick google reveals that Thrustmaster, Saitek and CH all make some, they strike me as somewhat mediocre for the price and some reviews around the kit leave me thinking I’d best look elsewhere. Rollers which need regular cleaning, not enough granularity in the sensors, worries over the adjustability of width and sizing (I’m a UK size 12) mean I’m disappointed with the initial options available.
I’m in a few forums, facebook groups and subreddits for various games, and over a fair period of time, two things jump out at me. Some of the best pedals that people seem to be raving about are not put together by a big company that makes gamer gear. I regularly hear about the MFG Crosswind along with Slaw Device. One man bands that put out some awesome looking kit. Awesome looking is all well and good but I’m not about to drop several hundred pounds on a guy that sells his hardware through a facebook page or CNC machines pedals from a workshop in the Czech Republic. I decide to wait and watch whether these guys disappear and start googling driver problems (as I’m sure there will be) with this kind of setup.
But you know what? As I wait, still they keep going. More people I know get them and love them. This is too much, so I decide to bite the bullet and get a pair of the Crosswinds.
Contents
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An excellent set of pedals easy to configure and use.
- Easy assembly.
- Easily adjustable.
- Simple and effective configuration software.
- Excellent in game performance.
- Highly sensitive sensors.
- Toe brake options configurable as analogue or virtual button.
- Attractive to look at.
- Cheaper than alternative high end pedals.
- Editors' Choice Award.
Pros
- Although providing significantly better value than alternative high end pedals, they're still not "cheap".
- Could do with some alternate size wall spacers but this is really nitpicking.
Cons
About the author: Run Product Management for Aquis stock exchange. Designed, built and managed several market making, algorithmic and aggregation trading systems for most exchange traded asset classes including Equities, FI, FX and Commods cash and derivatives markets as well as multi-venue FX spot. Massive PC gamer!
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