VKB-SIM

Looking at the product pages, the only difference seems to be

Different Hat Designs Included for Customization by the User

Is that accurate? The functionality of the two sticks is the same other than extra hats?

Just realized the Pro also has 5 more buttons. Where will these extra buttons be located?

There looks to have been some last second model changes ahead of the production this month based on feedback from Russian simmers. From what I can decipher, the thumb button may be changed to a hat, and the index finger two-way toggle on the side may be changed to a 4-way hat.

The other major change looks to be changing the two stage trigger from a button to a contactless MaRS sensor axis. This would mean better longevity and customisation, the an associated loss of tactile feedback on pull. It will allow "virtual" button presses throughout the travel range, so I suppose you could turn it into a 3 or more stage trigger if you really wanted. Not sure how I feel about that, but I like that they are doing several versions so it is the user choice.

Hopefully Ilya will release some updated renders/mock ups of the Pro version soon for us westerners to get our head around

22 buttons on the normal MCG, huh? *counts* ...assuming they're not counting the 16 buttons that the analog sticks can be turned into as two 8-way hats, the render we've seen for the MCG is at least four buttons short, even with the changes we know are happening, in adding a pinkie switch and turning the two-way hat on the 'hood' into a four-way hat.

Check me on this, please - new four-way hat on the 'hood', finger-operated; 4. Four-way hat in the middle of the cluster, thumb-operated; 4+4=8. Four individual buttons; 8+4=12. Two pressable analog sticks, two triggers, one of them dual-stage; 12+5=17. Pinkie switch; 17+1=18.

You only get twenty-two buttons if you count only what we've actually seen in renders (so no pinkie switch, hood hat is two-way), and count both analog sticks as four-way hats - in which case counting them as eight-way hats bumps it up to thirty buttons. Keeping the analog sticks at four-way, adding a pinkie switch, changing the two-way hood hat to four way, and counting "trigger safe" as another button only gets you to 26 buttons, rather than the 27 of the Pro - but in that case, the analog-axis trigger should probably not be counted as a button, so you're back down to 25.

I'm interested to see what changes have happened to the base MCG to make it add up to 22. I'm really hoping the base MCG has the pinkie switch.

Does this help? (the Red coloured text are the standard/pro differences)