Honeycomb Aeronautical's Echo Aviation controller sent shockwaves through the flight sim gaming community when it was revealed at the end of last year. Depending on who you ask, this thing is a Frankensteinian mess or one of the coolest gaming hardware innovations in years. One thing's for sure, it means there's no need to spend big on a massive flight sim deck or even one of the best joysticks if you play a lot of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Now, the Echo Aviation controller is officially receiving an Xbox version for Series X and S players. Back when the pad was revealed, the initial trailer was filled with comments from excited flight sim fans saying "The coolest hardware I've seen in years", but also disgruntled console gamers who felt left out.
"Needs to be compatible with Xbox, PC, and PS5!" said one user. Even back then, Honeycomb was hinting at bringing this best PC controller for flight sim fans to console, responding to one commenter with "We are thinking of you, console community!"
Marc Küpper, CTO for Honeycomb Aeronautical, commented on the Xbox version's announcement, saying, “We’re committed to broadening the audience for flight simulation, allowing console owners to experience the thrill of flight in a more relaxed environment, and the Echo Aviation Controller XPC is our first flight into consoles but certainly will not be the last”.
Xbox players are indeed being catered to, and the CTO's remarks certainly hint that more console support is coming, but looking back at the initial comments, PS5 players are the loudest outcriers. Hints from the CTO aside, I'm not very optimistic about the Echo Aviation controller taking a quick flight over to PlayStation land. I might be wrong, and I hope I am, but there's a big difference between securing licensing for Xbox Series X controllers and Sony's console.
I know from covering licensed controllers on both platforms for over three years now and talking with insiders on the process that there are reasons we get a whole lot more on Microsoft's platform. Xbox seems to have a tiered system whereby third parties can license multiple controllers per platform, but wired and wireless options will rack up different costs.
Meanwhile, we see very few PS5 controllers launching, with rumours saying that Sony only typically allows one brand to license one controller for its platform per generation. Judging by the price that these tend to cost, Sony's licensing could be assumed to be a lot pricier for the third-party companies too. Moreover, there can sometimes be complications when a brand tries to bring one product from one platform over to the other with minimal changes. I've only ever seen that happen with the Victrix Pro BFG, and I'm still not exactly sure how it happened. Other brands like Scuf and Razer need to put out completely separate models of their products for either platform.
You never know though, Sony may be very eager to make the most of its newly acquired Microsoft Flight Sim access on its store, and with the Echo Aviation pad being such a unique product that no one else can really match, special allowance may be made. I'll be interested to hear if a PS5 version is coming in the future, but again, heading back to those initial comments, there certainly seems to be a market for it.
Either way, the Xbox version of the Echo Aviation controller is set to ship from Fall 2026. I'm not seeing a price listed in any of the press materials, but if it's got parity with the original PC model, which seems to sell out extremely quickly, it'll be $149.99.
For more on gamepads, take a look at the best TMR controllers, the best Switch 2 controllers, and the best PC racing wheels.
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