Free!MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 11/12 · Windows/Linux

Real force feedback for a joystick that deserved better.

Brings your Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 back to life inside modern flight sims. Works with MSFS 2024 and X-Plane 11/12, on Windows and Linux. Everything stays on your machine. No account, no telemetry, no cloud.

Version 1.0.0-beta.2 · 34 MB (Win) / 40 MB (Linux)

Requires a Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 joystick (VID 045E PID 001B). Not currently compatible with other sticks.

Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 joystick next to a laptop running the FFB-Bridge app
The App

The same clean, modern interface on Windows and Linux.

Dashboard page

Dashboard

Live telemetry, force output meters, arm toggle.

Tuning page

Tuning

Every slider applies on the next 50 Hz tick. Saves per aircraft.

Profiles page

Profiles

A saved set of tuning values. Starter presets included.

Diagnostics page

Diagnostics

Session metrics plus a rolling event log. Export a support bundle in one click.

Doctor page

Doctor

On-demand checks against the device, sim reachability, and runtime health.

Mock Sim page

Mock Sim

Bench-test the whole pipeline from sliders, with no sim running.

Features

Effects the pipeline ships with.

Every value is local: no servers, no telemetry. Dial them in from the Tuning page, save as a named profile per aircraft.

Centring spring, G-loaded.

The spring pulling your stick toward neutral stiffens as G-load increases. Same behaviour a real stick exhibits under load. Adjustable base coefficient, G-gain, and min/max clamps.

Aerodynamic loading on elevator and aileron.

Deflect the stick at cruise and feel it press back proportional to airspeed. Separate gains for pitch and roll, both adjustable from the Tuning page.

Ground effects, buffets, one-shots.

Runway rumble scaled to surface type and speed. Gear bumps. Brake shudder. Stall buffet that builds as airspeed decays. Mach buffet at high-altitude cruise. Gear-deploy and flap-step shudders. Engine rumble gated on combustion state. Thirteen effects total; each has its own gain slider.

Compatibility

What works today.

Joystick

Hardware

Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 only (VID 045E PID 001B). No driver install needed on modern Windows or Linux. The stick uses the built-in HID-PID class driver.

Not currently compatible with other sticks.
Simulators

Sims

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 via SimConnect TCP. X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 via UDP RREF. Both auto-detected at startup; use whichever you like.

MSFS 2020 untested. DCS, P3D, FS2004 not supported.
Platforms

OS

Windows 10 version 1809 or later. Any modern Linux with evdev (tested on CachyOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, NixOS). Both installers bundle the .NET 10 runtime. Nothing else to install.

Per-user install on both platforms. No admin/sudo required.
Pricing

Free now. Free at 1.0.

The beta you download today is free. Version 1.0, when it lands, will also be fully free. Every feature on this page ships to every user, forever. No trial clock, no feature flags, no asterisks.

Free, the whole app

Everything you've seen here.

  • All thirteen force effects, every slider, every profile you save locally.
  • Both simulators (MSFS 2024, X-Plane 11/12).
  • Windows and Linux, self-contained installers.
  • Updates through 1.0 and beyond.
  • Local-only by design. No account required.
Maybe later, a paid add-on

Nothing is decided.

We're thinking about a paid tier on top of the free app for pilots who want more than the defaults. Early ideas we're turning over:

  • A larger (or unlimited) local profile library.
  • Profile sharing: publish a tune, subscribe to one a friend made.
  • Cloud sync so your profiles follow you between machines.
  • A curated community library of aircraft-specific presets.
  • Telemetry / force-trace recording you can replay and compare.

Still very early. None of this is promised, none of it is on a roadmap. If we can't build a paid tier that feels genuinely worth paying for, we won't ship one. Whatever happens on that side, the free app stays free.

Questions

Frequently asked.

Why?

Because I wanted my stick to work. I've been simming for years and always missed how good the force feedback was back in the day. Still had the FFB2 in a drawer, so I built this to make it work again.

Why a beta?

FFB-Bridge is a solo project, built for simmers by a simmer. The beta exists to put the force model in front of a wider range of aircraft and flying styles than one workbench can cover.

Everyone tunes a stick differently, and different airframes load it differently. Once feedback settles we'll freeze it as 1.0.

What if I don't own a Sidewinder FFB2?

Then this isn't for you yet. The bridge is hardcoded to that stick's USB VID/PID, and the force model is tuned to its motor characteristics. Support for other force-feedback sticks is on the "maybe 1.1" list. No promises.

Will my antivirus or SmartScreen flag it?

The Windows installer isn't code-signed. Code-signing is on the 1.0 roadmap.

On first launch SmartScreen may warn "Unrecognized app". Click More info → Run anyway.

If your AV flags the installer outright, please email the flagged sample to feedbackffb-bridge.com so we can investigate.

Does it send anything over the internet?

No. The app makes no outbound network calls. It talks to MSFS or X-Plane over local loopback (127.0.0.1) and to the joystick over USB.

When you export a support bundle for debugging, it's a local .zip you send to us manually if you choose.

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