The yellow and black things come with the X-65 HOTAS. The left one has 5 programable buttons and 4 buttons to select different force presets. The right panel is a dummy panel without buttons that I plan on modding in the future. I have an x-keys controller sitting in a box just waiting for me to start wiring up some inputs . Maybe I'll have time this winter...

The pedals are elevated up and also tilted at about 25-40 degrees. I don't think the tilting is necessary as much on non-CH pedals... Elevating the pit was all in an effort to allow me to "roll into" it with my chair, which works great. I entertained the "car door" idea but decided it would take too long, and plus I don't have another Playseat to dedicate to the pit only. (I'm not gonna hack up my Playseat office chair!! although it did cross my mind...)

Here is a picture of the frame only showing the pedals: