A wheel, HOTAS or keyboard can put the primary inputs within reach. The problem starts when the secondary commands pile up: lights, wipers, pit tools, camera views, engine systems, route information, fuel settings and overlays. Simulation controls work best when they remove that friction without forcing you to remember another page of keybinds.
For sim players, a Stream Deck or Corsair Galleon is not just a desk accessory with buttons. It can become the labelled switch panel your setup is missing - one that changes with the vehicle, the session and the title you are running. The difference between a useful panel and a decorative one comes down to command design, icon clarity and sensible page structure.
What Makes Great Simulation Controls?
The best control layouts do not attempt to place every available command on one screen. They put the actions you need under pressure at the front, then organise deeper functions into predictable pages. In a race, that might mean brake bias, traction control, pit request, fuel mapping and camera controls. In a train sim, it could be doors, passenger lights, safety systems, wipers, cab lights and route display shortcuts.
That hierarchy matters because sims are already information-heavy. A button panel should reduce cognitive load, not add another instrument to decode. When every icon has a distinct colour, symbol and purpose, you can find it with a quick glance while staying focused on the circuit, runway or signal ahead.
Good simulation controls also respect the way different hardware is used. A 15-key Stream Deck rewards concise, high-priority pages. A larger Stream Deck XL can support dedicated vehicle systems, cameras and utilities without excessive page switching. Corsair Galleon users can build an equally capable command surface, but the layout should account for its screen format and the physical position of the keyboard in the rig.
Build for Moments That Matter
A useful way to plan controls is to think in moments, rather than simply copying a game’s control menu. What do you need before starting? What must be available during a high-workload moment? What can sit on a secondary page because it is only used in the garage, depot or pause menu?
For racing simulation controls, the start of a session may need car setup shortcuts, tyre information, weather tools and overlays. During the race, the priority shifts to pit strategy, fuel, tyre compound, brake bias, ABS, traction control, headlights and camera angles. Replay, screenshot and stream controls can sit elsewhere, ready when you are no longer defending into Turn 1.
Flight simulation requires even sharper prioritisation. A cold-and-dark airliner procedure has hundreds of potential actions, but putting every switch on a macro pad creates a panel that is slower than the cockpit itself. Use the device for commands that genuinely benefit from fast, visible access: view changes, pushback, lights, autopilot modes, radio tools, checklists and streaming utilities. If you fly different aircraft, separate profiles or aircraft-specific pages are usually cleaner than one oversized universal layout.
Farming Simulator 25 offers a different type of workload. Your ideal panel may centre on vehicle functions, implement controls, time controls, map tools, course helpers and multiplayer communication. The key is making common actions obvious while keeping less frequent machine-specific commands close enough to reach when a job changes.
Train Sim World 6 is another strong case for a dedicated profile. Driving demands attention to speed restrictions, signalling and braking points, so controls such as doors, lights, wipers, horn, camera views and safety-system actions should be clearly marked and consistently positioned. Familiar placement builds muscle memory across locomotives and routes.
Icons Are Part of the Control System
Text-only buttons are functional, but they are rarely ideal for a fast-moving sim. At desk distance, a short label can blur into every other label. A purposeful icon communicates faster: a headlamp for lights, a fuel pump for refuelling, a camera for views, a flag for session tools, a door symbol for passenger access.
Colour should carry meaning too, but not become noise. Red is effective for emergency or stop-related actions. Amber works well for warnings and adjustments. Blue often suits information, radio or camera tools. Green can signal activation, confirmation or vehicle-ready functions. There is no universal colour rule, but consistency inside a profile is what makes it useful.
Avoid icons that are visually clever but unclear. A beautifully rendered button is wasted if you need to read the label every time. High-contrast symbols, restrained text and a shared visual language make a large profile feel intentional rather than cluttered.
Pages, Folders and Profiles: Choose the Right Scale
More controls do not automatically mean better control. Every extra page adds a decision: where did that command go? The answer depends on how many actions you truly use and whether they belong together.
A compact profile can work brilliantly for casual driving, single-aircraft flying or one vehicle class. Keep the first page focused on live-session actions, then add one or two pages for setup, cameras and utilities. For deeper titles, folders can keep a larger collection manageable, provided the navigation buttons are always in the same place.
Separate profiles are the better choice when the underlying command logic changes significantly. A GT3 car, a Formula car and an endurance prototype may share pit and camera controls, but their vehicle-adjustment needs can differ. Likewise, a modern passenger train and a freight locomotive may need their own layouts despite sharing a few familiar functions.
There is a trade-off. Highly specialised profiles feel more immersive and reduce ambiguity, but they take longer to maintain if keybinds change. Universal layouts are faster to set up, yet can become generic enough that they stop saving time. The sweet spot is usually a consistent core layout with title- or vehicle-specific pages around it.
Keep the Setup Reliable
A polished panel is only useful if it triggers the right command every time. Before building a large set of simulation controls, check the game’s existing bindings. Remove duplicates, identify conflicts and decide which commands remain on your wheel, joystick or keyboard. Your physical primary controls should not compete with your touchscreen-style panel.
Test each page in the conditions where it matters. A pit limiter that works in the garage but cannot be reached quickly in a race is not properly placed. A landing-light shortcut that activates the wrong bind after an update needs fixing before the next flight. Small tests save long troubleshooting sessions later.
It also pays to keep a backup of the completed profile before experimenting with new icons or macros. Game updates, plugin updates and device software changes can alter how commands behave. A saved, known-good version gives you a quick route back to the layout you trust.
Macros deserve restraint. A one-press sequence can be excellent for launching a sim, opening telemetry or setting up your stream. Inside the sim itself, multi-command macros can be risky when timing, vehicle state or online rules matter. Use them for repeatable admin tasks, not actions where one missed input could spoil a race or procedure.
Turn Your Desk into a Proper Command Panel
Pre-configured profiles have value because the design work is already done: command groups are considered, icons match, and the most useful actions are placed where your hand expects them. That is especially valuable in niche sims, where building a complete layout manually can take longer than the setup itself.
iConCity profiles and icon packs are designed for players who want their Stream Deck or Corsair Galleon to look and perform like part of the rig, rather than an unused grid of generic keys. A device-ready panel gives you a cleaner starting point, then leaves room to tailor the final details around your own wheel, HOTAS, preferences and keybinds.
The strongest simulation setup is not the one with the most buttons. It is the one that lets you react without searching, keeps your most-used systems in reach, and makes every session feel a little closer to the real control desk.