Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar Flight Control System
The most realistic flight simulation controller is here. The HOTAS Cougar - life like in design, life like in performance - this is truly Hands On Throttle And Stick. Based on the actual controller found in the F-16 fighter aircraft, the HOTAS transports you to the furthest reaches of FlightSim technology.From the second you grab hold of both the stick and throttle, you notice the difference. All metal, black, and deadly - this is the HOTAS. This controller offers you up to 28 programmable buttons, multiple programmable hat switches, and adjustable resistance for the throttle, afterburner, and idle detent, These are just a few of the many features of this revolutionary stick and throttle combo. Without question, the HOTAS Cougar is the controller for true flight enthusiasts.
The most realistic flight simulation controller is here: the HOTAS Cougar, lifelike in design, lifelike in performance. This is truly "Hands on Throttle and Stick" gameplay. Based on the actual controller found in F-16 fighter aircraft, the HOTAS transports you to the furthest reaches of flight-simulation technology. From the second you grab hold of both the stick and the throttle, you notice the difference. All metal, black, and ready for business--that is the HOTAS. This controller offers up to 28 programmable buttons, multiple programmable hat switches, and adjustable resistance for the throttle, afterburner, and idle detent. These are just a few of the many features of this revolutionary stick and throttle combo. Without question, the HOTAS Cougar is the controller for true flight enthusiasts.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar Flight Control System Accessories
 CH Products Pro Pedals USB Flight Simulator Pedals ( 300-111 )
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force
Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe DVD
Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals
IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946
Lock On Gold
Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with Three-Lever Throttle (PZ44)
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight
CH Products Flight Sim Yoke USB ( 200-615 )
Microsoft Flight Simulator X Acceleration Expansion
Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar Flight Control System Reviews
easy to programme and to use it. I am completeley pleased with it.The quality is fine. I am a F-16 pilot and this joy stick is like the real one.
You expect to invest a bit more into it in the future. It is a conversation piece. Had a few issues, but once I did get it figured out, it was pretty simple. Imagine ripping a stick and throttle out of a real F-16, and you get the idea of what this is. I mainly fly Falcon 4: Allied Force, and this setup really takes the simulation to a new level. It comes with serious software.
Period. Expect to spend $200-$300 down the road modifying some components. Saitek also has a HOTAS, but it was too toyish to me. This is the real deal. I'm not going to lie to you and say setting it up was a breeze. Different league.
But you also know you have the best HOTAS on the market. It wasn't. IMO, it is worth it. JMHO. They really do not make stuff like this anymore. It is all at your fingertips, where it would be in the real thing. I read a lot of reviews before pulling the trigger on this product. But expect it to be more involved that plugging in one of the above products.
When the Cougar arrived, I was struck by how heavy it is. For reference, I owned a Saitek 290 and liked it, but it didn't have HOTAS so I started looking for a replacement. You know it has some pimples. I bought the Cougar because the only other serious HOTAS, the CH product, would have actually been more expensive. Everything feels super high quality. This is no plastic hunk of crap.
You cannot even compare the CH or Saitek products to this. It is remarkable. No more looking for the right keys on the keyboard. This is a serious setup. Wow. Flying is very natural, and combat operations are much simpler. Some of them scared me off, especially the mentions of problems and cheap quality.
This may or may not be what you are looking for. You know it isn't perfect. But you get this because you want the most realistic setup available anywhere. No. Since this setup is an exact replica of the real F-16 setup (1:1 scale), buttons and knobs are all where they should be. There is a bit of play in the stick, and the claims that some of the components are not great quality are true.
Is the Cougar perfect.
THE THROTTLE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK UNTILL THRUST MASTER PUTS OUT A PATCH FOR IT , BUT THEY HAVNT DONE ANYTHING IN 2 YEARS TO FIX IT NOR DO I THINK THEY WILL ,,,, BOTTOM LINE JUST GET THE JOYSTICK CUZ THROTTLE WIL NOT WORK RIGHT best system you can buy, but only problems are the throttle control will not work , it cannot be calibrated , its a software problem that thrust master will not fix , in fact they haven't done anything with it for a couple years now , so i suggest YOU BUY THE JOYSTICK BUT NOT THE THROTTLE CONTROL.
and yet there is a noticeable slop in the center position in spite of all the excessive resistance. It's more like you point the HAT in the general direction then fine tune it until you find the NW, SW, NE or SE position. Can you fly with a Cougar in spite of all the deficiencies. The HAT switches are void of any positive tactile feedback as well (no clicks in to position)and finding the diagonal positions on the fly is usually a matter of trial and error. The stick feels fine. And while I'm on the throttle, it has the most annoying detents of anything I've ever handled. So I finally bought the Cougar a few months ago.
This stick is packed with potential. If you're a die-hard fan of the COUGAR in spite of any logic to the contrary then you won't want to read any further. Pull it out of the box and you say "ooooooooh yes, this feels the way a joystick should". Then you put it in place, start moving it through its range of motions and realize, this is going to take some getting use to.
The difference in quality between the two is like night and day. Then put the CH parts into it and you'll have feel you feel you felt you lacked, but you'lll also have QUALITY. just like you could fly with any $20 joystick for that matter. My recommendation - if like me all you really lacked in your CH gear was the metal skeleton is to take your $600-$700 of aftermarket modding money needed to fix the Cougar properly and instead have a metal casting custom made for your CH gear. It's disheartening to wrap your hands on something you dearly hoped would finally be your favorite item only to find out it is a candy coated piece of crap but that's the way it is.
Sure you can. But if you're on the fence, let me tell you - believe what you've been reading in these reviews by people like me who WANTED this thing to work but had to come to a painful conclusion in the end. I suppose you could make an argument that for JET fighters alone it could be viewed as a potential positive, but what if you fly many different kinds like a piper cub or helicopter in FSX or a WW2 fighter in IL2. The stick itself is apparently OK, but the pinky lever has no tactile feedback, and feels broken when using it even though it is not.
And plenty of Cougar owners prove that this sentiment is not unusual by hanging onto a Cougar HOTAS that sits unused on the shelf - perhaps as a reminder of how close we came to "feeling" like we finally found our love if only. But I couldn't help continually wondering why I should HAVE to compensate for so many idiosyncrasies and quality control issues when the Cougar is touted as the "pinnacle of flight controllers" by so many owners. Get a CH setup and be done with it. Then you're simply out of luck as the detents make small adjustments nearly impossible no matter where the resistance adjustment knob is set. I've had a flawless CH Fighterstick, Pro rudder and Pro throttle for about the last 2 years, but I always wanted to experience the supposed "nirvana" only a metal HOTAS was purported to deliver. I have since read that these are issues that can be fixed via the Cougar community either by doing it yourself or buying better quality aftermarket parts to put in the stick. but that is ALL it's packed with and in the end you'll have to take it upon yourself to finish an unfinished product on your own - at great expense in both time and money - about 3 to 4 times the cost of the HOTAS itself for those who wonder. The springs are unusually tight.
that is until you actual fly with it. Right out of the box on mine, one of the buttons on the throttle is misaligned making proper use almost impossible without a fix and one of the rotaries has no center detent. As much as I've want this setup to be my "go-to" hotas, I cannot get past the shoddy workmanship. Although there are only two detents, the flat spot between the entrance and exit of each detent gives the feeling of having 4 separate detents while you try in vain to make small throttle adjustments in those areas. Or better yet, spit the Cougar Koolaid out entirely and once again appreciate the simple beauty of a precision HOTAS that works regardless of "feel". Once again the Cougar community banded together with a number of fixes - some of which you can do yourself and others which grab another bundle of cash for higher quality aftermarket parts.
It seems that Mac can also use almost all functions since the setup is saved in hardware at a joy stick if there is a Windows machine and the key of a keyboard will be assigned with the program software for Windows. In that case, it seems that it becomes the same reaction as the case where the USB keyboard for Windows is used by Mac. It purchased in order to use by Mac also recklessly, but it is not likely to be necessary to become useless investment. In Mac (OS9) in which Iiput sprocket is installed, even if it remains as it is, it can use to some extent. a genuine article it is similar and textures are also good. Although the present state was also able to use a stick, a throttle and a hat switch, and main buttons,. the button or knob which neither Iiput sprocket nor game software supports cannot be used. this is wonderful.
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