Hi all,

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

 

Edited April 23Apr 23 by JonathanC

FFB-Bridge 1.0.0-beta.6 is out.

Quick update with one new physics effect, a much faster way to get your stick polarity right on first install, and it's much easier now to do tuning as per-slider and per-section reset to defaults has been added.

New: Stick drop

Real GA aircraft have a forward-pulling bias when the elevator is unloaded — gravity + cable rigging pull the surface down, which pulls the yoke forward. You feel a steady forward pull while parked or taxiing, and it fades out once airflow loads the elevator. Now modelled.

Find it at Tuning → StickFeel → Stick drop. Defaults to a Cessna-class feel (Force 0.25, fades by 30 kts) — the stick will rest roughly halfway forward against the default spring. For jet/heavy profiles, drop the Force toward 0 to silence it. (Thanks to IceManDBB for the report that started this.)

New: Live polarity test on Doctor There's a new Hardware compatibility card at the top of the Doctor page. Click Start, drag the puck around an X-Y pad, the stick follows in real time. Click Stop, answer "Did the stick follow the puck?" — Yes (no change) or No (auto-invert). Done in 30 seconds.

Quality of life

Per-slider and per-section reset arrows on the Tuning page. Click the arrow next to any slider to revert just that one. Click the arrow on a section header (Forces, StickFeel, Engine, etc.) to reset the whole group. A new Discard button on the Profile card reverts everything back to the loaded profile. Mouse wheel on sliders only captures when the slider has focus. Hovering and scrolling no longer hijacks the page scroll on the Tuning page.