New Alpha Prime and CM3 Base available to order!

[imacken]

Guys, the trim hat is normally the one on the top right of the stick.

[acerus77]

On the Constellation Alpha yes, i don't see it on the new Prime Version.

[imacken]

Sorry, I have no idea what you mean. The hat in the top right is even bigger on the Prime!

[Sciacud]

Product Weight? It's not available on Virpil website. It's important to know just to compare it with the VBK Ultimate.

[Sciacud]

Another question:

for the new Alpha Prime + WarBRD base + 200mm extension what kinf of deskmount do you guys recommend?

Maybe the  VPC Desk Mount V4 - L + VPC Desk Mount V2/V3/V4 Adapter - WarBRD Base?

or something else?

Thank you in advance

[imacken]

1 minute ago, Sciacud said:

Maybe the  VPC Desk Mount V4 - L + VPC Desk Mount V2/V3/V4 Adapter - WarBRD Base?

Exactly that if you can't afford the new CM3 base.

[Sciacud]

Thank you, and about WarBRD base, I'm choosing this one because it's cheaper and because I can use it for desktop too. 

[Sciacud]

Now Virpil has a new store for the US, what's ETA for european customers? Any clue?

Edited September 3, 2022 by Sciacud

[Dallas88B]

On 8/29/2022 at 9:32 AM, dburne said:

I do like the grip though but also have the VKB Ultimate Grip on my stick and really like it - a lot. I was thinking about getting the new Virpil stick just to compare but did not want to lose out on my metal grip, but now Virpil is offering that also. So it is indeed tempting.

You might recall I have the Gunfighter Mk.III Modern Combat Edition Ultimate used on the desktop with the VPC CM3 Throttle. I am moving my desk to a different room with more space, so I will be able to centremount rather than desktop mounted joystick. The centre mount attraction for me is mostly for the helicopter cyclic use.  (more room also means a Virpil Collective is possible - yay!)

I was planning on getting the getting the VKB 200mm extension plus Monstertech mounts (replicating the setup that you had) and then I saw recently that you have ordered the T-50CM3 Base and Alpha Prime Grip with the 200mm. Gave me a moment of pause.

The CM3 base certainly seems to be a substantial improvement over the CM2 Base and the Alpha Prime grip seems equivalent to the Gunfighter Mk.III
I am very interested in your experience of the T-50CM3 Base and Alpha Prime Grip with the 200mm extension compared to the VKB Gunfighter Mk.III setup you had.

@imacken How you doing with yours? Is it centre mounted too?

[dburne]

11 hours ago, Dallas88B said:

You might recall I have the Gunfighter Mk.III Modern Combat Edition Ultimate used on the desktop with the VPC CM3 Throttle. I am moving my desk to a different room with more space, so I will be able to centremount rather than desktop mounted joystick. The centre mount attraction for me is mostly for the helicopter cyclic use.  (more room also means a Virpil Collective is possible - yay!)

I was planning on getting the getting the VKB 200mm extension plus Monstertech mounts (replicating the setup that you had) and then I saw recently that you have ordered the T-50CM3 Base and Alpha Prime Grip with the 200mm. Gave me a moment of pause.

The CM3 base certainly seems to be a substantial improvement over the CM2 Base and the Alpha Prime grip seems equivalent to the Gunfighter Mk.III
I am very interested in your experience of the T-50CM3 Base and Alpha Prime Grip with the 200mm extension compared to the VKB Gunfighter Mk.III setup you had.

@imacken How you doing with yours? Is it centre mounted too?

 

I will certainly be sharing my thoughts once I have it and spent a few hours with it - which won't take long as I do this stuff daily. The one thing that has really attracted me to the CM3 base is the complete adjustability without having to continually remove the case cover. And changing springs/cams appear might be a little easier. I do not experiment as much as I would like with the VKB setup, due to this. 

[imacken]

11 hours ago, Dallas88B said:

@imacken How you doing with yours? Is it centre mounted too?

Yep, I've had my CM3 base and Alpha Prime for a few months now, and I couldn't be happier.

The CM3 base is easily adjustable for tension etc. so that you can easily get a different degree of stiffness etc. for jets and helis etc.  I don't like the easy return to centre of bases like the WarBRD, so the CM3 as perfect for me.

Re Alpha Prime, this is what I posted on the Virpil forum at the time as a comparison with my original Alpha.  I still feel the same now:

"Now that I’ve had my Alpha Prime (and CM3 base) for a few days now, I thought I’d just share my thoughts on it compared to my original Alpha.
The metal body.  Well, firstly, it feels really good.  A really solid (obviously!) feel and none of the clamminess that can sometimes happen with the original Alpha after a period of play occurs.  The weight difference was not as great as I was expecting, and it doesn’t feel as heavy compared to more solid metal sticks like the Warthog or the TM Hornet stick.  Only downside – and it’s a small one – is that on cold mornings, it takes some time to warm up!
Buttons/Switches. In general, they are all an improvement on the Prime, but I do have some (minor) reservations:
1)    I can see very little difference in the 2 top buttons between the Prime and original Alpha.  Also, I would much prefer if Virpil had kept at least one of them red coloured.
2)    Trim hat.  I’m in 2 minds about this. On the one hand, the new shape makes the old problem of depressing first when a pitch down or up was required (and vice versa), but on the other hand, my thumb doesn’t sit so well on the hat and it doesn’t feel so intuitive for trim. That will probably be something I’ll get used to, no doubt.  
3)    TMS hat.  At first, I wasn’t convinced by this new hat at all, thinking it was very easy to depress it rather than selecting the direction required or vice versa, but after a few days, I realised that a new way of using it was needed.  After that, it turns out to be a big improvement as the thumb doesn’t have to be moved much from the main buttons and hats to make the required presses, whereas before, I had to physically move my thumb to make more definite up/down/left/right movements.
4)    Scroll wheel feels a little more solid, especially the double press.
5)    Mini-stick. Much easier to depress now without affecting the axis movements and the hat shape is nice and allows the thumb to sit comfortably inside allowing very positive movements.  I would have preferred a little more resistance in the movement as it is a lot looser than the original stick, but, again, that is a minor gripe.
6)    Trigger. The flip movement forward and back feels easier and more solid than before with an additional button bind.  We now have 3 flip buttons and 2 for the actual trigger itself, although I have not found a use for the new 3rd button.  The actual trigger movement feels more positive than the original, but I wish there was a more obvious click to both.  The 2 detents activate almost without being able to hear/feel anything. In that respect I slightly prefer the original Alpha, which wasn’t perfect in that respect either.
7)    CMS hat. Feels easier to manipulate all directions with the middle of the thumb than before which is great as that means less re-positioning of the thumb.  The depress is more awkward than before though I feel and requires more of a solid push with the new switch/hat.
 Brake lever.  A lot more resistance than before and it feels like a shorter pull.  The whole lever just feels higher quality and a lot more solid to me.
9)    Side 2-way plus press hat feels not much of an improvement.  Still awkward to make the depress without activating up or down at times. I’m sure this switch could be improved.
10)    LEDs. As I use the stick for flight and not space sims, I can’t really say anything on the LEDs as I always have them switched off!
So, all in all, I am very impressed by the new Prime. In almost all respects, it feels even better, more solid, than the original, which has always been my generic stick of choice for flight sims. It’s not a quantum leap, and the original Alpha is still a great buy, but for about £70 price difference, I would highly recommend the upgrade to anyone who is looking for a near perfect stick."

BTW, I don't have it centre mounted.  Stick to the right and throttle/CP2 on the left for me.

 

[Dallas88B]

1 hour ago, imacken said:

So, all in all, I am very impressed by the new Prime. In almost all respects, it feels even better, more solid, than the original, which has always been my generic stick of choice for flight sims. It’s not a quantum leap, and the original Alpha is still a great buy,

Thank you for taking the time to post the detailed reply. Its most appreciated. Stick to the right, desktop mounted or on a desk mount bracket with an extension?

 

1 hour ago, dburne said:

thing that has really attracted me to the CM3 base is the complete adjustability without having to continually remove the case cover. And changing springs/cams appear might be a little easier

Your thoughts here match my hope too. I sure look forward to your comments when you have been able to get some flight time with it. Thanks for replying.

[imacken]

20 minutes ago, Dallas88B said:

Thank you for taking the time to post the detailed reply. Its most appreciated. Stick to the right, desktop mounted or on a desk mount bracket with an extension?

Virpil mount with 75mm extension.