Best Simulation Hardware of 2009
Sims love a beefy processor and right now nothing is more stout than Intel’s Core™ i7 processors. In a very competitive grouping of products that greatly impacted our simulation hobby, the staff and readers agreed on the Intel Core™ i7 processors as the winner, and that demonstrates the strength of these number-crunchers.
SimHQ Award
Winner: Intel Core™ i7 Processors
Runner-up: Intel Core™ i5 processors
SimHQ Reader’s Choice Award
Winner: Intel Core™ i7 Processors
Runner-up: ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 Video Card
SimHQ Review
Intel Core™ i7 Processors
![]() |
![]() |
Best Simulation Peripheral of 2009
To have a great sim experience you must have a great sim controller. The Logitech HOTAS Flight System G940™ got the nod from the staff while longtime sim favorite, the latest NaturalPoint product, the TrackIR™ 5 won the readers over.
SimHQ Award
Winner: Logitech Flight System G940™
Runner-up: NaturalPoint TrackIR™ 5
SimHQ Reader’s Choice Award
Winner: NaturalPoint TrackIR™ 5
Runner-up: Logitech Flight System G940™
SimHQ Reviews
Logitech Flight System G940™
NaturalPoint TrackIR™ 5
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Best Non-commercial Software Update / Add-on / Mod of 2009
Providing capabilities beyond what the original product featured is the force behind these winners.
SimHQ Award
Winner (2-way tie): Battle of Britain II: Wings of Victory 2.10 and IL-2 Series 4.09
Runner-up (3-way tie): Rise of Flight: The First Air War 1.009, RSRBR09, TSH 4.02 for Jane’s F-18
SimHQ Reader’s Choice Award
Winner: IL-2 Series 4.09
Runner-up: Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell 1.32
SimHQ Interview and Review
IL-2 Series 4.09
Over Flanders Fields: Between Heaven and Hell 1.32
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Best Commercial Software Update / Add-on / Mod of 2009
Devotion to their product and a passion for expanding its capability are hallmarks of this category.
SimHQ Award
Winner: Steel Beasts Professional PE 2.460
Runner-up: Yankee Air Pirate 2
SimHQ Reader’s Choice Award
Winner: Yankee Air Pirate 2
Runner-up: Steel Beasts Professional PE 2.460
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
So there we are, the SimHQ Best of 2009. If you did not see your favorite as a winner, you’ll get the chance to nominate the 2010 entries at the beginning of December. We should also mention that titles that were released after our poll was published will be eligible for contention in 2010. These include PT Boats: Knights of the Seas; Hat in the Ring; and Wings of Prey.
To refresh your memory, you can view the polls for the SimHQ Awards, the SimHQ Reader’s Choice Awards, and the Reader’s Choice comments thread.
We want your Feedback. Please let us know what you thought of this article here.