Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar Flight Control System

2. Vast programming abilities (rivaled only by top competition equipment). This is, IMO, the best thing about the Cougar.

3. Impressive looks and design - a real stunner. Better than any other joystick in this regard.

Cons:
1. Poor gimbal construction. The stick will inevitably develop center play which, in combination with stiff springs, makes the center position feel like a detent - this effectively denies any precision control near the center. A fix for this is available as a 3rd party product, but is costly - almost twice as the Cougar itself.

2. Poor quality potentiometers. With joystick this expensive, HAL (contactless magnetic potentiometers) are the way to go, or at least high quality potentiometers found in competition products. HAL potentimeters for Cougar are also available as a 3rd party product, but are costly (a kit of three is slightly less than 200$).

3. Sticky feel with throttle. The material has quite a difference in friction, which means it is hard to move the throttle, but once you do move it, it is hard to stop it in desired position. No precision here. If the resistance is lowered, the throttle lever falls forward/backward due to its own weight !

Verdict: A wannabe quality product which simply falls short in crucial areas. Requires significant additional costs to make it work as advertised. Definitely not recommended, as there are much better options out there.


superficial quality   September 15, 2003
G. McNeil (Anchorage, AK United States)
39 out of 39 found this review helpful

I have been using the Cougar for over a year now and have concluded that it is a combination of the best and the worst in consumer products. In the end analysis it is ok for someone who doesn't mind tinkering, modifying and repairing. If it wasn't for the online community I would have thrown my Cougar away a long time ago. These guys are the BEST thing going for the Cougar. Support from the manufacturer is far from acceptable. Now for the good and the bad.

This product has a great feel about it. Largely because it's all metal, heavy and seems durable. The metal, however, is very soft and, consequently, easy to strip threads. The switches and pots are low quality. Replacement pots are only available through the manufacturer as they were specially made. (I think by CTS) The Throttle Quadrant has a speed brake switch which is on in the forward position, off in the middle position and momentary on in the back position. The switch itself is the toggle variety. It is guided by a plastic guide that works well when properly aligned but there is nothing designed into the product to insure alignment. You'll have to fix this yourself or the guide is likely to break. Fortunately the procedure is detailed in Frugals World Cougar forum.

Programmability is a big plus with the Cougar. Again, if you are not up to tinkering and just want to plug and play, look for something else. If you don't mind spending some time with your face in the manual and working through a profile or two you will have incredible flexibility.

The throttle itself is rather sticky through its range of motion and there are two detents for idle and afterburner. All in all it is clunky and I opted to remove the detents. As far as the sticky motion is concerned I have yet to find a way to fix it.

The Cougar is not really a desktop item. Sure it's heavy and you would think it would stay put but it doesn't. It is a lot more enjoyable when anchored to a platform. If you are contemplating this purchase I suggest that you go to and get familiar with http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/. They will be your primary support group and you can get some insight to the problems and soulutions that the rest of us are working through.
Pay special attention to the instructions when loading the software. There seems to be a problem with version 2.04 that damages the throttle pot.


Simply the best   June 3, 2002
36 out of 42 found this review helpful

The Thrustmaster HOTAS is by far the best flight controller system on the market today. All metal construction makes it unique in a field that is filled with plastic. The joystick and throttle each weigh in at 8 pounds and will not move off your desk no matter how hairy the situation gets. They are as real as you can get without having a plane strapped to the bottom of them.

If you are s serious flight sim fanatic, then this is the system for you. Be warned though that while almost every flight sim that is out there right now is supported by the accompanying FOXY software, you may have to still do some reading and the manual is 183 pages long. :)

The manual is necessary though, with the ability to program every button and switch to perform almost any combination of actions that you want them to, you need a powerful program to do that and FOXY is the answer. It has a very easy to use interface, a helpful help file (which many programs conveniently forget) and will even let you make a graphic of your joystick with all the functions you've assigned to the switches so you can refer to it (hopefully while you're still on the ground).

Again, if you live for flight sims, then this is for you. If you are only going to use it every once in a while to frag your buddy, then I would consider a less expensive stick - unless of course you just like having the best of the best . :)


So close yet so far....   December 14, 2003
C. Delucia (Valencia, PA United States)
27 out of 31 found this review helpful

The only reason I bought the Cougar is simply because I knew they won't be making the "Cadillac" HOTAS's anymore. Not now that Guillemot has killed this particular market with its offering of the Cougar.

Poorly manufactured in China, you WILL have to replace the pots (sensors that detect joystick and throttle movement) within a year or two. You WILL have to realign the speed brake switch YOURSELF because they're too lazy to correct the manufuring process. You WILL curse a blue streak when you realize the latest "drivers" are worse than anything Microsux could cook up for fumbling your USB.

The joystick itself has a terrible clunky, ratchety feel to it. You can tell when you are in the middle of the X axis as well as the y axis.

You shouldn't buy this product unless you realize it will take at an additional $450 worth of modifications to make it what it's supposed to be. This is for new sensors and new gimbals - i.e.: the heart of any joystick.

For $250+ I'd go with a CH Products HOTAS. Don't kid yourself, this joystick is metal and therein lies the only piece of its worth. Makes a great door stop.


Quality at its best!   July 21, 2002
S D Raines III (East Orange, NJ USA)
23 out of 31 found this review helpful

I received my Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar recently. Like a child waiting with anticipation for a Xmas or birthday gift I tracked it everyday maybe two or three times until it arrived! Ah h h yes Christmas in July! This is just about the best gift I have received, mostly because it is what I really wanted. I had seen the first advertisment for it about a year ago I believe and since then I know that I have purchased a least 4 types of controllers. Im not a great Pilot or even a great gammer but when I got my Hotas Joystick my mind saw all kind of new adventures on the horizon. I have purchase several joysticks and pads for my computers and either the buttons have broken or they just lost what little minds the had or did not perform. As a retired Navy Petty Officer I have had my fun filled share of dealing with detailed operating and calibration equipment and have a feel for what is working right and what is not. In less then 10 minutes I had installed the software and "My Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar Joystick" This I could not believe because I have had some problem with each of the controllers that I had purchased before & it was not operator error!
What I find in this Thrustmaster is quality, endurance, style and growth as it will have other componets in the future from what I understand. With each upgrade of my computer system I am sure that my Hotas will perform well beyound the everyday standards of other joysticks and grow as my system grows with my additions to it. For once I feel as though I have an investment in quality and not a waste money on just a mere toy that will fall apart. I could talk about it all day but you wont understand until you to become a proud member of the Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar family. Thanks Thrustmaster!