Given how the last Cougar I bought had a loose, malfunctioning antenna rotary pot, both stick pots spiking uncontrollably, and a microstick that occasionally spikes along the Y-axis and shows some slight non-linearity at one extreme along with the override and speedbrake switches never having their housings realigned and the stock gimbals being sloppy crap when centered, it is NOT something I can recommend to anyone looking for an out-of-the-box HOTAS that just works.
However, those were issues I could fix with relative ease. The antenna rotary took some careful disassembly, but works like a treat now. Stick pots needed to be disassembled so I could spray 'em with contact cleaner, but they worked afterward with minor non-linearity. Not that it mattered when I just gutted the stock gimbals and pots for an FSSB R2 anyway, but at least it worked out in a pinch.
@Thommo:
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.
Wait a minute: they discontinued the microstick part? I find that hard to believe since it’s such a common microstick found in console gamepads.
On the other hand, when BOTH Cougars I own show the same exact pot symptoms out of the gate and I already had a tedious time swapping out sticks on the last one (why the hell don’t you ship 'em pre-soldered to a new PCB, Guillemot?), I think I’d rather just dodge the issue entirely and devise a new PCB that mounts one of these.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Game-Replacement-Controller-3D-Joystick-Axis-Sensor-Module-for-PS3-Accessorie-/141347615260?hash=item20e8f9721c:g:UGQAAOSwGzlTw52r
Cheap as chips due to being used for the DualShock 3 pads, and more importantly, they have Hall sensors instead of pots. Shaft’s too thick to accept the stock slew control “spiderweb” cap without modification, but I can deal with that for less center play in the gimbal (it’s a noticeable issue with the microsticks TM and CH used) and no more spiky, inaccurate pots.
@Icarus:
The Ultimate for realism for the F-16 is Warthog FSSB stick and TUSBA Cougar Throttle.
No, the ultimate for realism is getting your hands on a surplus F-16C SSC and throttle assembly, then wiring it all up to a USB controller board that presents the whole thing as a game controller for use in PC sims. Can’t get more realistic than what’s in the real jet, right?
Of course, being able to find them for sale AND afford them is the real challenge! And the last time I saw an F-16 throttle arm assembly (actually two, but the second lacked a grip) on eBay, the listing ended prematurely for some reason.