Special Microsoft Flight Simulator controller for Xbox could ship early after sales mix-up

Honeycomb sent out purchase links for the Echo Aviation Controller XPC earlier this week, weeks ahead of the planned November 20 release. Since then, it has switched them off again.

A reader who reserved the Xbox flight sim controller shared both emails with us. The first one said a unit was ready and held for them until October 29 at 9:46 PM UTC, at $179.99. We know that's the 48-hour window Honeycomb promised when it opened reservations, so the email likely went out on October 27. A second email followed. In it, Honeycomb admits it "jumped the gun a little" and says the link is disabled for now.

The hold-up is because of software, not hardware. The XPC is meant to work with ready-made controller profiles that owners download straight from the in-game Marketplace in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. However, those profiles aren’t live yet, and Honeycomb says it didn’t want buyers unboxing the controller only to set everything up from scratch. Back in July, we hoped Microsoft would add proper profiles for the Xbox version. Now, interestingly, that looks to be what the launch depends on.

The second email looks like a standard template as well. So the first one probably reached more people on the list than just our reader. Anyone affected goes back on the waiting list, though they also keep their original place in line.

Honeycomb says it is still aiming for November 20 and is on track to hit that date. Buyers will get a fresh link the moment the profiles go live. The company also tells early sign-ups there’s "a good chance" their controller arrives before the 20th. While that's not exactly a promise, it most likely means the units themselves are ready to ship. Reservations are US-only for now, and other regions are set to follow from November 20.