I've read through a long post on visuals and I saw lots of acronyms that I don't understand, and I saw references to Orbx True Earth, FENIX, SimHeaven and DCS. Will any of these do what I need? I'd appreciate any advice on these before I spend days and days installing each only to find that they don't deliver.

Thanks in advance

Foggy

First of all, I feel a little out of my depth on this sub forum. I’ve only ever used MS or P3D. Most recently MS24.

As time goes on, I’d prefer realism over anything else. 

1. Performance wise, is XP12 harder on my PC than 24? (13900k & 4070Ti)

2. Will my WinCtrl hardware just work? 

3. Is buying scenery a thing for this sim or is it just a case of default and enjoy good fps?

4. Do external things like ChasePlane exist?

I really do apologise for my laziness in asking these questions, but, it would be really good to hear from people who have made the switch from one platform to another for realism reasons, and if it has actually been worth it and easy.

Thank you, 

Mike

Follow-up to my earlier thread.

The beta is open now -> https://ffb-bridge.com

Big change since last time: it also runs on Windows 11!

I wrote in the original post that Microsoft had dropped FFB support on Win11, so the app was Linux-only. Turned out I was half right — the old HID-PID path is gone, but DirectInput still drives the stick fine. I ported the device layer, and FFB2 effects now work end-to-end on Windows 11 against both MSFS 2024 and X-Plane 12. So if you've got a Sidewinder FFB2 sitting in a drawer and a Windows gaming PC, you're good too.

What's in the beta:

• MSFS 2024 + X-Plane 11/12, Linux + Windows 11.
• Force effects: centering spring (G-loaded, trim-shifted), airspeed-loaded pitch/roll, rate damping, AP back-drive (the stick physically flies the autopilot), stall / overspeed / Mach / spoiler buffets, turbulence overlay, runway rumble (scaled by surface — grass ≠ asphalt ≠ ice), gear/flap shudders, engine + reverse-thrust rumble, touchdown thump.
• Tuning UI with master gain + 13 per-effect sliders, per-aircraft profiles.
• Bench-test mode — every effect driven from sliders with no sim running, for dialling in the feel.
• A Doctor page that checks permissions / udev rules / SimConnect config / sim reachability and offers one-click fixes.

I've tested the Linux build on Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 44, and CachyOS— works on any systemd distro (CachyOS, Pop!_OS, Arch, Mint, openSUSE, etc.). The udev rule install needs root once (polkit prompt on first run); after that everything is user-space.

How to get it:  https://ffb-bridge.com. Drop your email, confirm, and you'll get one email with both downloads.  The Linux AppImage (~42 MB, self-contained, bundles .NET) and the Windows installer (~36 MB, Inno Setup, per-user, no UAC).

I host the site and the mailserver and everything, no marketing lists. I just want to know who's using this, and to be able to contact you if needed.

Feedback goes through https://ffb-bridge.com/feedback
 

The app's Diagnostics page has a one-click support-bundle export (log + Doctor snapshot + system info, zipped) that you can attach to the form. Nothing goes anywhere until you send it.

FAQ refresh:

• Still free? Yes. Still a super niche product. If it somehow takes off maybe a future version with cloud saves / profile sharing gets a paid version — but this one is and will stay free.
• Source release? Still haven't decided. Beta is binary-only under a short beta testing licence.
• YOU ASKED FOR ROOT!! — only once, for the udev rule. Same story as before; the Doctor page handles it via polkit. If you'd rather write the rule yourself, the README explains how.
• AI SLOP!! — yes, AI-assisted. Yes, I read the code. Yes, I tested it. Feel free to ignore if that's a dealbreaker.
• Windows installer isn't signed  yet. SmartScreen will warn on first launch; click More info → Run anyway. Code signing is planned for 1.0.
• What about Windows 10? Should work! Give it a shot

Demo video from the original thread still holds up for the core feature set.  I'll probably record a fresh one that includes the Windows side once I've got a decent capture setup on that box. But for now you can see the older view, the app has been much improved since then though.

03:53 Mock mode walk-through

Thanks for the early interest on the first thread @jcomm, @Murmur, @Bjoern

Hi all,

I've been working on a side project for a while and want some feedback. (TLDR: Video Below)

I wrote a small Linux program that makes a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 work again in modern flight sims. It reads flight state from MSFS 2024 (running under Proton) or X-Plane 11/12 (native Linux), and drives the stick's motors through the Linux kernel's evdev force-feedback interface. No plugin needed in either sim. It should also work for other old FFB joysticks, I just don't have any others to test. This is coded in C# (Dotnet 10) and Avalonia for the UI. 

Have posted in the MSFS forums as well, but guessing more people run XP on Linux and it works great for XP 12. Havent' tested 11 yet, but should work.

I'm about to open a small beta if there's any interest. I want to be sure the app doesn't fall over on hardware and distros I haven't touched. I've only tested on my own machine (CachyOS + KDE Plasma 6). If you fly on Linux (Fedora,
Ubuntu, Mint, Pop!_OS, openSUSE, Arch, anything with systemd) and you've got an FFB2 or even any other force feedback joysting sitting in a drawer, I'd really appreciate you trying it.

If you're interested, leave a comment here and I'll come back to you with how to get it. It really makes flying XP 12 fun.. 

FAQ

1. Is this free -> YES. The version I'm showing will be released as a totally free version. This is a super niche product.. if it takes off, I could perhaps build a version with cloud saves, profile sharing and other value added features, and maybe charge 5 bucks. but that's far away, and this version will be free. 

2. Will the source be released -> Maybe, haven't decided yet. 

3. YOU ASKED FOR ROOT!! -> Yes, many people are new to Linux. If you know what you're doing, just create that one file yourself and you don't need root. 

4. AI SLOP!! ->  Yes, I used Ai to help me build this. Yes, I tested it and read the code.. I do know some programming. Feel free to ignore this if you hate it.

Demo video covering Mock mode, MSFS 2024, and X-Plane 12: (it's not a polished marketing demo, just a quick demo)

Three screenshots:


t

I have been using FSX on Windows 7 and 10 since it was released in 2006(?). It was a great sim for what I used it for. Flying a Continental 757 out of KEWR. I had the game "tweaked" the way I wanted. Everything was great and enjoyable.

However, I dumped Windows 7/10 and switched to using Linux Mint last month (and loving it!).

I currently have 2 systems running Linux Mint 22.3.

Here are the system specs...

System 1 (2013).

Motherboard: ASUS M4A87T AM3 AMD 870
CPU: AMD AthlonII X3 Triple-Core 3.3GHz
PSU: Enermax 500W
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2x 4GB) Value Ram DDR3 1333MHz
Video Card: ASUS ENGT430/DI/1GD3(LP) 1GB DDR3 1600MHz

System 2 (2020).

Motherboard: ASUS Prime H310M-E R2.0 Intel H310 Chipset, LGA 1151, HDMI
CPU: INTEL CORE i3-8350K 4-Core 4.0 GHz, LGA 1151, 91W TPD
PSU: EVGA 600 BQ, 80 PLUS Bronze 600W, Semi Modular, ATX
Memory: KINGSTON 16GB DDR4 2400Mhz, CL17 DIMM
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 1030, 1189 - 1430MHz, 2GB SDDR4

I am think of downloading and trying X-Plane 10. Are these systems OK for running it? (I might have to turn the game settings down to low..)

Thanks for your help. I will have more questions after I try to install it.

Scott

P.S.

I tried to run the "demo" versions of XP 11 and 12. They installed but when I tried to run them, they just froze the computer and I had to re-boot. This is why I want to see if 10 will run on my system specs.

Is it worth the price?

I also noted that searches at the Org are repeatedly timeout and an error message is delivered to wait 20-secs+ before doing another search - which may be as simple a demand as going back to the original Org list of files not having conducted a search at all merely asked for a list of displayed files. I am finding it is easier to do a Google search for a file and then go to it that way rather than the Org search function which is a bust again I am sure what they are doing is not adding server capacity but limiting access or demand on their servers.

Really time for an alternate website for XPlane stuff (Alas good sites like AVSIM and a couple of others have become almost moribund these days for XPlane stuff. Not sure if Laminars store will fix this or help out but the Org is just a source of frustration and annoyance these days. 

https://navigraph.com/blog/survey-2026

primary sim usage vs last year:
Xplane - 13.9% to 13.6%
MSFS - 76.9%  to 77.3%
 

After my MSFS2024 installation became corrupt and needed fixing, I opened the latest X-Plane Update for a change and was amazed by how smooth its become!

I'm now running high settings and no lag - not even on the Felis 747 at 60FPS.

Today, I Joshua757 am getting back in the 757! I'm going to be flying the New Pacific Debut Route from KONT - KLAS in the 757, following Real ATA 757 Normal Proceedures.

Thanks,

Russ (b1bmsgt)

Violation by XPUIPC/XPWideFS (XPUIPC/XPWideFS.)

Typical its the only plugin i use as my VA uses it for its flight monitoring software

Paid version of SimHeaven X-World

Public Beta 12.4.2-R1
(Yes we know it's called R1... this is still a Beta release! Please check the beta box or use the beta_channel)

ATC

• Fixed a crash when entering a flight plan on the ATC screen (XPD-17948)

Avionics

• Fixed a crash when using a secondary monitor for avionics display, such as the G1000 PFD

Graphics Engine

• Fixed an issue where aircraft LODs (Levels of Detail) were not switching correctly with distance, causing only the highest-detail model to render at all ranges and leaving visual artifacts at maximum distance (XPD-17984)
• Graphics engine improvements, including updates to the VMA allocator and Vulkan transfer coordinator for better performance and stability (XPD-17946)

Flight Model

• Loading an in-flight situation file is now significantly more stable. Aircraft previously exhibited pitch oscillations and erratic behavior when resuming a mid-flight save (XPD-17832)

Scenery

• Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (LFMN) - improved custom airport scenery with enhanced detail and accuracy. Many thanks to Matthias Gerstberger for this update!
• Windsock indicated airspeed accuracy - windsock deflection now more accurately reflects actual wind conditions (XPD-17994)
• Updated Global Airports with the latest approved submissions from the X-Plane Gateway.

User Interface & Controls

• Fixed a crash when displaying "All Planes Altitude" in the Data Output window (XPD-17962)
• Added a dedicated pause/freeze command for Tobii Eye Tracker users (XPD-17867)
• Fixed the joystick configuration for the Honeycomb Echo Controller, as four buttons were not registering correctly and are now fully functional (XPD-17983)

Also, a separate post about an X-Plane Gateway update has been posted at https://developer.x-plane.com/2026/04/x-plane-gateway-update-12-4-2-april-2026/

Even MOAR performance now! 😁

I was just doing a flight in rainy weather in Alaska with a default Zibo -800 and it was raining pretty bad but none of it was on the windshield as with some other aircraft. I seem to remember it working back in the day, but no joy now. Any ideas? Anyone else experiencing this?

https://www.x-plane.com/2026/04/x-plane-12-4-3-early-preview-lets-talk-vr/

Im sure i saw somewhere there is a 45 in the works somewhere

After a little over a year of design work, testing and more prototypes than I can count, I finally reached a point where I’m happy with the Project-X GA modules I’ve been building.

The goal from the beginning was simple — create solid, realistic, plug-and-play controls inspired by General Aviation aircraft, something that actually feels right in the hand and not like a toy.

Everything went through multiple revisions until it felt mechanically right and reliable. It’s been a long process but a really fun one.

Just wanted to share the result with the community that inspired a lot of this project. I’d love to hear what you guys think.

If you are interested i added links to all the photos of all the modules below!

Calm Skies to all!

Mike

Throttle Quadrants: https://imgur.com/a/CYwIC9I

Standalone Modules: https://imgur.com/a/dJ7r2jO

Carb Heat Module: https://imgur.com/a/yxTKO68

Primer Module: https://imgur.com/a/9uCw7MR

Simple Flaps Module: https://imgur.com/a/yxBTk0W 

Cessna 172SP Flaps Module: https://imgur.com/a/6A5pnIL