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[Dakpilot]

Most up to date info and updates usually available here

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/18545-vkb-and-stratojet-release-plans-q4-2015-2016/

Cheers Dakpilot

[LuseKofte]

Jason_Williams, on 09 Nov 2015 - 08:15, said:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VKB Stratojet Gladiator Update and Fat Black Mamba Mk.III

(Shenzhen, China / Riverside, CA USA) - November 9, 2015 - VKB Industries and Stratojet Flight Controllers are proud to give a brief update on the Gladiator line and announce plans for the Fat Black Mamba Mk.III.

Gladiator Progress

VKB engineers have been hard at work finishing the design and pre-production phase of the Gladiator and Gladiator Pro joysticks which were officially announced in October. Work is on schedule and early production prototypes are being tested and tweaked to meet the high quality standards set by VKB for the first production run. Below are some pictures of a late stage prototype.   


Fat Black Mamba Mk.III Pre-Orders

By popular demand VKB has agreed to produce a limited number of the popular Fat Black Mamba joystick. Although externally identical to the Fat Black Mamba Mk.II, the new Mk.III will include our next generation gimbal as part of the package. This product will be extremely limited in its availability. Our European (VKB FSC Europe) and North American (Stratojet) partners will handle sales for the Mk.III in their respective territories. Both Stratojet and VKB FSC will be taking pre-orders for the Mk.III. MSRP of the Mk. III is $369.99 in North America. The MSRP for Europe has not been finalized at this time. Please check with VKB FSC for more information on pricing and ordering.


Shipment of the Black Mamba Mk.III should be Q1 2016. Please visit Stratojet and VKB FSC Europe to place a pre-order. Hurry, quantities are extremely limited!

Next Generation Gimbal

VKB’s all new metal gimbal that will be used in the Gladiator Pro, Fat Black Mamba Mk.III and future Gunfighter joystick is currently undergoing testing and final design improvements. This gimbal will set a new standard in precision and feel for high-end PC flight controllers. Below is a picture of the prototype. Final units will be polished and coated to ensure ultimate quality.



Virtual Toe-Brakes for T-Rudder Pedals

VKB is also excited to announce that development of “virtual toe-brakes” for all marks of the T-Rudder has now reached the beta testing phase. This will allow users to press a button on their joystick, throttle or keyboard to activate the toe-brake feature on the T-Rudder. You can assign keystrokes to either pedal and when you press the pedals a braking signal will be sent to your game for either the left or right wheel. The amount of braking force applied will be determined by the deflection of the pedals. This will allow the VKB T-Rudder to have all the functionality of its bigger, bulkier cousins with physical toe-brakes. Virtual toe-brakes are just another example of VKB’s ingenuity and quality engineering.



Please visit the official VKB forum at http://forum.vkb-sim.pro  to keep up to date on production and availability news for our upcoming products. Make sure to notice our new English language section managed by Stratojet. A new English language version of the official VKB website (http://vkb-sim.pro) is also in development.

The VKB and Stratojet Teams

PR Contact for VKB and Stratojet
Jason Williams
jason@gostratojet.com


Ref: http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/19229-vkb-stratojet-gladiator-update-and-fat-black-mamba-mkiii/#entry301571

[rruff]

That looks very promising! It does seem to me like the middle range market is too neglected. Something with good functional quality and durability that is say half the price of the best?

Saitek's approach is lots of features but cheap components and lousy support. I like VKB's philosophy a lot better.

So I'm guessing $90 is the expected target for the most basic Gladiator? Maybe $150 for the + model? Very curious where the Pro+ will end up. That gimble looks top notch. 

EDIT: Did some looking around and the Pro will not have a Z axis on the stick, and I don't see anything on the + addition that could be used instead. That makes it less than ideal for me. I'll be looking at the basic Gladiator or +.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I have already begun collecting stray pennies to afford a nice one someday! Whomever gets one right away, I hope they get as much enjoyment out of it as possible.

[RowdyNoMore]

It's really too bad they did not produce a product similar to this. I love the idea of the trim wheels.
I ordered the new VKB Gladiator-K yesterday. It may interest some to know that it is available in left handed models.

https://vkbcontrollers.com/?product=gladiator-k

[GAE_Chape]

And this one, did you see it?


https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/62313-replika-gear/?fbclid=IwAR1eINg4B7oOU_oxZmYud56DFg-PlxDV1Aok4Ryjbwd0M86jhEYGPiCra-I

[RowdyNoMore]

Yeah, they look amazing. They are for the Cockpit guys. I'm a desk jockey.

[Knochenlutscher]

I wait until Foxtrott and Walzer Sticks are ready, whenever I checked avail it was WIP or
endorsed sold out.
These are funny promotional acts, they have serious business running...

That's why I stick to warthog, when I need one, I can buy, it's that simple.
Doesn't need Flightsim Maths to count.

[shardana]

What a pity they dropped the first model with all those great wheels and levers