Is a cougar hotas worth it STOCK?
-
I have the chance to get a cougar for under 200 dollars.
I am currently using a saitek x52 (non pro) and it is very capable and fully functional. I just think it would be awesome having a replica f16 joystick for an f16 sim.
But i dont want to dump a bunch of money into modding the stick. Is it still a worthy stick without doing anything to it?
-
Not in my opinion. X-65F would be better if you are on a limited budget.
-
Not in my opinion. X-65F would be better if you are on a limited budget.
Its not worth the immersion factor of using a replica hotas for BMS?
-
-
Not with that stick, no. If you have the cash to spend on an FCC3 mod… well that is a different story! Very much worth it in my opinion.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thrustmaster-Cougar-/121845009056?hash=item1c5e874aa0:g:n5QAAOSwo3pWdvRQ
That one is already modded with the FCC3, for quite a good price.
The immersion of force sensing is quite good. The feel of the cougar grip is good… but the movement controlling the jet, not so much.
-
Its not worth the immersion factor of using a replica hotas for BMS?
Nope, the cougar was built broken.
-
Nope, the cougar was built broken.
oh wow really?
Like its prone to stop working or is there a problem with how it functions? I figured after people raving about the warthog it would be some quality hardware.
-
The warthog fixed a lot of the design faults with the cougar.
My own cougar has been more prone to stop working than any other stick I have used. I am happy with it, but in fairness there have been multiple occasions I have had to open it up and solder wires back onto their contacts - this inside a grip with essentially no moving parts, no less.
For the best experience short of getting an actual F-16 SSC, I would recommend a Warthog grip on a FSSB R3 modded warthog base, with a TUSBA modded cougar throttle. That comes in quite expensively though. My own setup is just a cougar with an FCC3 mod, which makes the whole thing much cheaper.
-
oh wow really?
Like its prone to stop working or is there a problem with how it functions? I figured after people raving about the warthog it would be some quality hardware.
My Cougar has never stopped working. Never had a problem in 8 years. That said, I modded it with FSSB and Cubpilot throttle mod. That combination is unbeatable for immersion and realism and I have a Warthog that has had plenty of issues (tailpiece broke in half and stick pcb board fried). Stock Cougar gimbals are not great.
-
Unless you are willing to sink in even MORE money on the Cougar, it’s not worth it. There are very rare instances of fully-working stock Cougars, but what are your thoughts regarding gambling on this?
Better get a WH for now.
-
I have a U2Nxt Cougar and while it is a fantastic kit, I’m worried all the time about breaking something on it because I’ve spent about $1,000 USD total on it (purchase+U2Nxt+hall sensors+repairs/spares was/is expensive from Australia). I have to put it away all the time so my kids don’t use it. I also have an old Saitek X52 and I have more fun with it because if it breaks it is disposable. So I throw it around a lot more, can leave it on my PC all the time, the slider on the throttle is great for a zoom, it is easier to program (but less capable), drivers are less of a hassle and the layout is a lot like the Cougar, particularly the throttle.
It used to be the case you could get inexpensive parts for the Cougar. But it is really expensive to get Cougar parts now they come from France. Guillemot charge a lot for “postage”. My package had a 7 Euro stamp on it but they charged me 83 Euro ($90 USD) for two microsticks and two throttle pots (they wanted 59 Euros or $64 USD for one of each). The microstick used on the throttle are no longer being manufactured (so you are reliant on Guillemot’s stocks) and if you have to replace one by de-soldering the existing one on the board, that is a bastard of a job to do.
I wouldn’t give up my Cougar after all I’ve put into it, but I wouldn’t buy one again unless it was cheap enough not to worry me to bin it if it broke.
The slop on my Cougar out of the box due to original crappy gimbals was ridiculous - about 5mm either side of centre at the top of the stick had no input, worse than any stick I’d ever owned (Saitek and CH sticks). I’ve also had to replace the antenna pot and the microstick.
-
Huh. They charged me about 7AUD for a throttle pot a few years back. 64USD seems pretty steep.
-
My advice would be to get it IF YOU CAN afford it. The stick is probably going to be sloppy as hell as the gimbals were/are crap. However the throttle is the cheapest F-16 throttle you can get at that price. To complete your HOTAS you can pick up a Warthog Stick (TM sell these separately, without the A-10 Throttle Quadrant - you’ll pay about the same again though). You can connect the throttle either through the (unused Cougar stick) or for a bit more outlay get a TUSBA.
See in the Cougar thread for a reasonable cheep and well documented way to improve the Cougar throttle to use a Halls Sensor and be a bit more precise.
Hope this helps you.
-
My advice would be to get it IF YOU CAN afford it.
That’s the thing with Cougars… the real price of it is not what the seller is listing it for. In fact, you might not know the real price of the Cougar until you’ve had it for quite some time. It is definitely a “project HOTAS,” and I have two myself. It needs a good investment of time and money before it shines. My WH is very robust, just works out of the box, but I plan to make a realistic throttle setup for the Cougar throttle… idle detent, lift-for-afterburner, etc. I don’t have the time for this yet though so my Cougars are just gathering dust.
IMO, I think the WH stick is better. If the “ultimate” stick was a FSSB/FCC-modded stick, then there’s a mod for the WH stick as well.
-
Unless you are willing to sink in even MORE money on the Cougar, it’s not worth it. There are very rare instances of fully-working stock Cougars, but what are your thoughts regarding gambling on this?
Better get a WH for now.
Except my Warthog has had several serious problems. (crimped wire out of the box, PCB died after one month, and tailpiece broke off) None of that for the Cougar. Its luck of the draw. No hardware is trouble free across the board. Just get the one you want and know there is a likelihood of tinkering in your future. OOTB Warthog gimbals are better than Cougar for sure, but the Warthog gimbals are not without their breaking troubles either.
If reliability is number one concern, I’d go with CH. Most reliable of all.
If realism for a viper is number one get a Cougar and be ready to tinker. Warthog is in the middle of the two. Less reliable than CH, but more realistic than CH.
The Ultimate for realism for the F-16 is Warthog FSSB stick and TUSBA Cougar Throttle.
Sorry, there is no perfect HOTAS.If you can still get a Warthog for half price at Micro Center I’d go for it.
-
so even if I can get it for 150 it wouldn’t be worth it because of the necessary upgrades I would have to do? it seems like it’s just a paperweight when stock
I definetly don’t want to open it up and mod it at all
-
so even if I can get it for 150 it wouldn’t be worth it because of the necessary upgrades I would have to do? it seems like it’s just a paperweight when stock
I definetly don’t want to open it up and mod it at all
If you don’t want to mod at all, you will have to settle for a lesser HOTAS no matter what you buy. There is no great HOTAS without mods. You will have to make compromises. For 150 bucks you should consider buying the Cougar for the throttle and buying the Warthog stick alone. That would be a better combo than stock Warthog or stock Cougar. You could sell the Cougar stick for parts. I sold my gimbals for 30 bucks.
-
A Cougar with an FCC3 upgrade is worth every penny. But it ain’t cheap.
-
how does an unmodded cougar compare to the x52? also do you need a mod to use the WH stick with the cougar throttle?
-
A Cougar with an FCC3 upgrade is worth every penny. But it ain’t cheap.
So is a WH with FCC3
how does an unmodded cougar compare to the x52? also do you need a mod to use the WH stick with the cougar throttle?
Depends. If both are working properly, then the X52 doesn’t hold a candle to the Cougar. Then again, the reliability of an X52 isn’t really that good anyway.