I just pulled the trigger on the Orion2 F-16EX combo. My 6 year old warthog stick was starting to get some bad stiction and it was either a tear down grease/sand job or get a new stick. Since the Orion2 was in stock I decided to give it a try. I’m keeping my warthog throttle for now. I just picked up the deltasim slew sensor mod as an upgrade to my throttle.
I’m building a chair-based sim pit and will be mounting the orion on a secret lab chair with the monstertech chair mount hardware.
5-Minute review of the F-16EX + Orion 2 base
Arrived in the mail today.
Ordering/Shipping
Order pretty straight-forward. Language barrier but not a big deal. Took a week to get here. Packaging was good.
What’s in the Box
Orion 2 base (see posts above) and the F-16EX stick. I’m quite pleased they sent V2; I’d ordered it a few days before V2 was announced and put up on the site. No extra cams or springs included. See operation below for my impression of the defaults.
NOTE: I’m comparing this to a 25 year old CH Fighter stick that has served me well (til a button finally quit working). My CH stick has ‘grown’ on me. See below.
Physical/Construction
Much stouter than the CH. Feels like it weighs about 5X more. Not a bad thing. Didn’t measure it but it stands about an inch taller (base + stick). I’ve built an attachment for center-mounted sticks to hold the CH. This one is a bit higher in my hand but by raising my office chair all the way up (only about an inch higher) it still works okay. Would be better if it sat lower (have to adapt my attachment) but it’s really not excessive.
Personally I could care less if it was made of plastic or metal as long as it functions well and lasts (these things aren’t cheap, to me). I think it is some kind of metal.
Assembly/Installation
The attachment of the plug, extending from the bottom of the stick, to the gimbal/cams base was (as RedKite put it), “a bit of a fiddle”; I can’t get the flat side of the threads to line up with the screw to secure it - and I’m not ready to force anything. Yet. It seems secure enough - doesn’t twist in my hand.
I installed the Sim App Pro software (1 double-click, standard Windows, install). Ran a calibration. I’ll likely never do anything with this software again as I don’t care about the built-in vibration gizmo (see posts above on this) or light(s) - I’m VR only.
Performance/Feel
Now we’re talkin…
It feels really good.
As mentioned, I’ve been using the CH stick for soooo long it has become, in a flight sim context, a part of me. This WW stick is much more sensitive, likely due to being more precise (better and higher-rez sensors). The default springs/cams seem about right: not too sloppy, not too stiff. This is subjective of course and will take some time to play with. The return-to-center performance of the cams/springs is smooth.
Sidebar | Precision/Resolution: In the Hornet I’ve had problems for a while with the CH stick being unable to engage the autopilot. I think that, perhaps over time, the potentiometer inside was, like me, just getting worn out. Would take several stabs to get it ‘set’. A larger dead zone you say? Sure, but I hate large dead zone’s. With the WW no longer an issue. Either cus it’s has all new, fresh, innards or just more ‘data points’. Likely the later.
Buttons & knobs, and bell’s & whistle’s: Lot of buttons here. As long as they don’t get in each others way I’m fine with some going unused. This F-16EX came with the ‘appendage’ package already attached. I wasn’t planning on using it but I figured I’d just leave it for now. Doesn’t get in the way at all. Right now they are going unused. So far they all respond well enough. Note that the feel is different to the CH buttons…hard to describe: the CH buttons feel better to me but again I’ve been using the CH for a quarter of a century!
The WW hats are similar to the Virpil Throttle hats in feel - but better in that they are 4-way, not 8-way. The extra 4 contact points, to me, on the Virpil hats are just too close. Understandable since they have to cram twice as many in the same space. But that’s a different story…back to the WW stick…
Using the Stick in Anger: Plugging into the basket (Hornet) with the CH stick got to where I never really had to think about it - mosey up behind, squeeze a lil throttle, “contact”.
With the WW It was like week 2 (not week 1 though) in Air Refueling class - I got it done, mostly, but it wasn’t as pretty. Then my phone rang while I was plugged in, and in a turn. Pause…answer phone…un-pause - yeow! PIO with a disconnect. Re-connecting in the turn wasn’t as smooth as normal.
What stood out was how I had, without noticing I was doing it, found a ‘rest’ for my hand with the CH stick allowing me a solid point of contact? to make small, precise stick inputs. With my fingertips. Don’t have that with the WW stick (differences in the form of each base). I ended up planting my right elbow into my side for some ‘structure’. It helped but is going to take some time.
Like being married: there’s an adjustment period 
So, overall, for the price (to include shipping) I think this is a good deal. Only time will tell how well it holds up but it looks & feels solid and performs well.
Carry on
I’ve had this problem with both Orion V1 and V2 bases and both F-16 and Hornet sticks.
Me <— Green with envy
Can’t wait to hear how u like it. And if I understand it correctly, you can use that base for multiple purposes: Viper Throttle, “standard” throttle, and for choppa’s?
Gazing at that picture and I can feel myself inside the Viper pit. The value of a HOTAS setup: 3 points of “contact” with the simulation + the visual (VR for me) + haptic feedback (you do something you feel something) and, well, the brain does funny things. A step above this:
I’m sure there’s a BIG WORD that sums this all up. Ick, ‘over stimulation’ also comes to mind 
Immersion?
Bigger
If you look at my base the rails are different from the original model. I got some screws from Ace Hardware. Hope they will allow me to mount it on my Pein mounts…
The Ultimate Level of IMMERSERIZATION!
Its in its place. Programming is complete on the F1. I cant figure out how to sinc the AB w the game. Its a real PITA. Otherwise its positive experience. Shutdown works fine.
You can tweak the throttle axis curve to ‘scale’ for example the first 75% throttle movement IRL to the first 50% in-game.
Or, much simpler, as of the latest patch you can set the afterburner detent position in special options
It took a while but I got there. The AB turns on when I go into the “Gate” in the throttle. It does not get any more IMERSIDERSY than that.
How do i sum up my experience with this throttle? Its a Game Changer! Im still not very comfortable w the software. Yet from what i have done and seen so far… It sets a new bar for manufacturing prime hardware. IM LOOKING AT YOU THRUSTMASTER.
The throttle does what it says on the box and so much more. It makes the keyboard (almost) redundant. Everything you need to operate the aircraft is now at your fingertips. Flaps, Gear, Heading Bug(really?!?) , AP, lauch bar, Hook… and so on. The two extra buttons on the F16 grip forCerter view and zoom lets me know that WinWing knew who they were aiming for.
The hardware feels sooo good in your hand. Cast iron but enought plastic to keep it affordable. Yet it still feels good.
Im excited that i can add a collective or a Hornet throttle.
I found this curve to be unusable when landing. Straightened out the curve at the top( low throttle setting) and this made it more responsive.
I made another silly mistake. Look at pg 16 of the manual for the F-16 throttle grip. You Must highlight BOTH X & Y axis of the mini joystick. Then move the mini joy its complete range. Once you hit complete, its working like a charm. Not doing this, i.e. doing X and Y individualy will cause both axis to work as one. Not what you want. I did RTFM so you dont have to lol.
So far, its a new love affair w the throttle. My girl is jealous!!!
Might be the wrong place to ask, since I have the Orion 2 with Hornet grips, but is anyone else finding they have to keep tightening the throttle tension every session or two?
I do like the throttles with very light friction, but not so light they move when I take my hand off them. Any suggestions would be appreciated… is it just wearing in?
