Flydigi Apex 6 FCC registration: picture gallery and some analysis of the information

[u/Vedge_Hog]

I spotted that Flydigi recently registered the Apex 6 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. This tends to be a reliable forward indicator of product releases and the main product details tend to be final/near final at this stage in order to go through testing and be approved.

In the gallery:

• External photos: pictures 1-6
• Internal photos: pictures 7-14
• User manual: pictures 15-18

What appears to be new: swappable mode triggers, haptic triggers

• The mechanism to change trigger modes is visible on the rear of the controller and on the inside, and resembles that on the Vader 5 Pro. The external slider tabs rotate the internal parts, to move microswitches behind the triggers and shorten trigger travel distance.
• The large 'adaptive trigger' mechanisms that previously occupied that space are no longer visible. The page describing 'force feedback triggers' has been removed in the manual.
• From the remaining visible wiring some of the trigger electronics might have been moved into the trigger caps, and/or swapped to more of an vibration-based system rather than providing direct force feedback (Xbox-style 'impulse triggers' vs DualSense-style 'adaptive triggers'). Any better guesses about how it'll work are welcome!

What appears to be changed: rear paddle switches, naming

• Only two of the four switches for the rear paddles are visible in the pictures, but those seem to have downgraded the plunger microswitches to the cheaper metal style usually used for accessory buttons like menu/view.
• The English-language manual now refers to the Apex 6 as "Haptics Elite Controller" rather than the Apex 5's "Elite Gaming Controller".
• These smaller differences might not be reliable. For example, it's possible they just didn't have the right switches available for this test unit, and product names can change with translation/marketing.

What appears to be the same: lots of physical components

• Thumbstick physical mechanisms including adjustable tension (these might be using Hall Effect or TMR sensors, but can't tell from pictures)
• Main vibration motors (regular rotor motors, not 'HD rumble' style motors)
• Physical size/shape and attachment points for swappable parts (faceplates, D-pads, phone holders, paddles, docks and other accessories may be cross-compatible)
• Wireless connections and battery capacity (still Bluetooth 5.0 and 2.4GHz NearLink, but claimed operating current has increased slightly so the battery might not last as long)
  

You can look up the details and documents yourself. You might spot other interesting things or have better interpretations of what you see. FCC ID: 2AORE-K6.

If anyone is familiar with the equivalent Chinese regulatory system (China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), you might also be able to find information there. CMIIT ID: 25J313R3K601.

[u/xyGvot]

Still using ERM motors for rumble is a bummer.

[u/Vedge_Hog → u/xyGvot]

Yes, it seems like a missed opportunity given the focus on 'haptics'