While it seems that most of the energy for airsoft innovation is being devoted to gas blowback in the recent years, we thought that the AEG has already reached the pinnacle of innovation with  the recoil and blowback series that were introduced by Tokyo Marui and followed by a few others. Others have decided that the AEG rather than follow the leader as usual, be further enhanced by improving the efficiency and configurability through firing control units such as the use of MOSFETs.

Ares Airsoft is in this camp. They just recently announced their Next Generation Firing Control System that is first installed in their M4 Series then to be followed by the G36 and TAR21 series. I  have to admit that when writing this story, I am still confused with this system as I see in one poster a control box for the Firing Control System, and in another poster the M4 Series that don't show the control box but announce the same features as in the first poster.

So many of us will be confused if this is a new innovation in gearbox technology as "there are no moving parts" which means that our issues about stripped gears will soon be a thing of the past. One commented on Facebook Page if this system uses the same thing in RC Toys, the use of brushless motor to power model planes. We are not sure about it though until we get to see an actual demo and a walkthrough of this new system. And the control box is a configuration system that the airsoft player can use to tweak the AEG.

But just like the MOSFETs we see in the Control Box that it will be easier to configure the AEG to such as adjusting the firing modes which we do it with the trigger with the add-on MOSFETs in the airsoft market, now just turn the knob. It will also be more power efficient as it will be able to maximize power usage when the type of battery is also inputted into the memory. It can operate from 6.0v to 15v ones, making it a powerful one.

Will it be a game changer? We don't know, but this design puts Ares Airsoft on the other side of the camp in terms of AEG technology, together with ICS and Systema Engineering more focused on the electronic side of things. On the opposing side are two formidable companies: Tokyo Marui and KWA, the latter with their ERG (Electric Recoil Gun), and a new brand, Bolt Airsoft, which see improvements in the AEG mechanically such as better blowback, better recoil, firing operations like a real steel firearm or a gas blowback rifle rather than add more electronic gizmos to it to provide more realism which a good number of airsoft players demand.

As the implications for us airsoft players, we say bring them on! We love innovations in airsoft to enhance our playing and "realism" experience. At the end of the day it is us airsoft players who will vote with our money as to what innovation we will like better.