New Combat Ready Panel in 2025?

[PacFlyer23]

I got the new PTO2 last month, and really like it with my F/A-18C. It's clearly been designed with that plane's cockpit in mind. I'm new to WW products and their approach to product release cycles. I saw on the WW website that both the original PTO and Combat Panel are at end of life, so should we expect a new Combat Ready Panel this year? 

[speed-of-heat]

we have no idea.

the Combat Panel was the first of its generation , the PTO is the only one to have a refresh so far, both the PTO and Combat Panel launched at the same time.

[Nightdare]

I don't think so

I think it's like the Super Taurus/Orion(2), the PTO2 must have been developed with the cost and sales of the original panels in mind

Cheaper to produce and 'all the functions' people bought either one or the other PTO for

(Though I still question the decision why there are zero axes on the PTO2, but this may have to do with the type of controller they decided on)

[PacFlyer23]

Interesting. They took non-combat items like Emergency Jett and pylon station controls from the Combat Panel and put them on the PTO2. There's also overlap with their UFC/HUD in the Alt (BARO/RDR) and COM 1/2. There's also overlap of the PTO2 with the Orion2 Throttle (I don't own, I have the Warthog) - Wing Fold. 

My ideal Combat Panel would replace the Alt, pylon, and Com areas with basic engine switches like on the Warthog - APU, L/R Crank, and Battery and L/R Generators.

[n0pe]

They told me at the start of last year to "keep my eyes open" when I asked about a CR2 panel and said by the end of 2024....but here we are. 

Personally, I think they have realised they can make a hell of a lot more money and sales in the commercial aircraft market and we wont see any combat kit for a long time now. They have done nothing apart from make Airbus kit through most of 2024 and nothing for combat sims was even shown at any of the tradeshows they have attended apart from the FFB base. 

[Nightdare]

7 hours ago, n0pe said:

they can make a hell of a lot more money and sales in the commercial aircraft market

I sincerely doubt that market is greater than the combat aircraft market

[Dragon1-1]

It is. The other civilian sim is much bigger than DCS is, and it's not even the only one out there. For most people flying is apparently daunting enough, fighting doesn't even enter into it.

[n0pe]

On 2/27/2025 at 8:28 PM, Nightdare said:

I sincerely doubt that market is greater than the combat aircraft market

Really? You know MSFS has been around since 1982 and is absolutely enormous. 

 

Using Steam alone...

DCS

Currently playing  = 642 players

All time peak = 3,328

MSFS

Currently Playing = 4097

All time peak = 61,775

 

Its not only a greater market but absolutely dwarfs the combat aircraft arena.  

Based on this, I doubt we will see very much, if not anything at all from Winwing for us combat simmers. They will go where the money is (and rightly so...they are a business afterall) It started as a hobby for them most likely, and now its putting food on tables. 

[Dragon1-1]

Well, they've got a pretty nice range of sticks and throttles for fighters already, plus PTO2, the MFDs, and two UFCs. I think that's a good lineup going forward.

Right now I don't feel like I need anything more except maybe FFB, but that is extremely bulky and expensive. In fact, if I were to go that route, I'd probably need a dedicated sim station instead of mounting things to the desk, especially since I'd probably want the stick base to be in the center. I'd probably get a UFC then, too, and the MFDs.

I hope someone does the F-35 throttle once that's out. It's got a cool shape that looks pretty ergonomic.

Edited March 6 by Dragon1-1

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

3 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

I hope someone does the F-35 throttle once that's out. It's got a cool shape that looks pretty ergonomic.

https://realsimulator.com/linear-throttles/

[Dragon1-1]

Well, hopefully someone less costly than RS, anyway. Plus, I don't like the idea of a linear throttle, the real thing moves in an arc, and that's quite important for ergonomics (your hand can sense grip angle more precisely than position). The original WW Taurus had a realistic mechanism, at the cost of being a huge chunk of hardware.

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

2 hours ago, Dragon1-1 said:

Well, hopefully someone less costly than RS, anyway. Plus, I don't like the idea of a linear throttle, the real thing moves in an arc, and that's quite important for ergonomics (your hand can sense grip angle more precisely than position). The original WW Taurus had a realistic mechanism, at the cost of being a huge chunk of hardware.

Ohh an upgraded WW Taurus would be fantastic indeed

[Phantom711]

Am 6.3.2025 um 20:38 schrieb Dragon1-1:

 

Well, hopefully someone less costly than RS, anyway. Plus, I don't like the idea of a linear throttle, the real thing moves in an arc,

 

Are you sure about that? From the pics of F-35 cockpits on the internet it might very well be a linear throttle.

[Nightdare]

On 3/6/2025 at 10:58 PM, Ala12Rv-Tundra said:

Ohh an upgraded WW Taurus would be fantastic indeed

They teased an auto throttle-equiped Taurus a year ago, but I'm guessing that's too niche for most planes

The Taurus IMO seems to have been the eye catcher for WW to get the ball rolling, I don't know their marketing if they are willing to invest in another as a prestige product

[Dragon1-1]

1 hour ago, Phantom711 said:

Are you sure about that? From the pics of F-35 cockpits on the internet it might very well be a linear throttle.

Now that I look at it, it might be, it doesn't appear to change its angle regardless of its position. That'd be very unusual for a Western aircraft, though, I've only seen linear throttles in Russian jets.

57 minutes ago, Nightdare said:

They teased an auto throttle-equiped Taurus a year ago, but I'm guessing that's too niche for most planes

Well, it'd work for Hornet and Tomcat, at least. Could also use it to adjust throttle friction. It even had a name, Cyber Taurus.

[PacFlyer23]

Rather disappointing that WW didn't announce a new Combat Ready Panel at FSWeekend. I watched their presentation with my fingers crossed. I still don't get their approach to their DCS ecosystem of products. It just seems incomplete and overlapping when it comes to the F-18 HOTA and panels.

https://fselite.net/content/fsweekend-2025-winwing-unveils-new-products/

[Nightdare]

3 hours ago, PacFlyer23 said:

Rather disappointing that WW didn't announce a new Combat Ready Panel at FSWeekend. I watched their presentation with my fingers crossed. I still don't get their approach to their DCS ecosystem of products. It just seems incomplete and overlapping when it comes to the F-18 HOTA and panels.

https://fselite.net/content/fsweekend-2025-winwing-unveils-new-products/

seeing the slew of products the are gonna release, I'd say they got their hands full