Controler Questions?

[worldsurfradio]

I use a Cyborg Evo Wireless and Belkin Joypad.

The trigger on the Evo has given up the ghost, so I reprogrammed the 'fire' to button to, no big deal.

 

But I have been thinking about getting new controlers.

 

Just wondering, given a choice - or going on what you already use - what setup would users here use?- and Why

 

I guess the main contenders are

1) Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar Joystick

2) Saitek X52

[worldsurfradio]

Its looking like the 52 as of the three (including CH) the only one with a twist joystick for rudder is X52.

Also, it seems the Cougar has durability issues

 

And the CH products are very expensive

[159th_Viper]

I guess the main contenders are

1) Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar Joystick

2) Saitek X52

 

Cougar :)

[walternowi]

CH Products. They are durable. My old gameport set served me well over 6 years until I retired them and replaced them with a USB set.

[PoleCat]

Cougar

[PoleCat]

The Cougar is great. Not bad at all stock either. Support is much better now then in the past. Excellent product and contrary to what you may hear can be modded by the end user for very little to no money to reduce center play etc. if that is your wish. Expensive 3rd party mods are NOT required but if used make a far nicer HOTAS than either the stock Cougar or the stock CH IMHO. Highly programmable. All metal. Very heavy feel and very nice. I now own a total of 4 and have had no such troubles as Ruggbutt did, thankfully. I also have a few friends that own them (Stock) and they are very happy with theirs as well.

 

Do your research and choose well. If you can, put your hands on both a Cougar and CH try them and see what you think. These are the two best choices in a good HOTAS today IMHO.

 

Out

[Aeroscout]

I have the X-52 and it's fine. If your willing to spend more, get the CH ones. There more realistic to what your average fighter stick would be, but has the same stiff as the X-52. ad aparently it's more durable.

 

Maybe you should go with CH. I do occationally have trouble with my X-52.

[VMFA-Blaze]

Well I really recommend a Cougar if you really have some money to spend to mod it...

 

Its really not bad out of the box, but modded its extremely accurate...

 

Personally the X-52 is to much like a science fiction controller for my taste but its no too expensive

 

 

~S~

 

Blaze

[Aeroscout]

The X52 is a good one. decent quality for less than $100. (unless you get the pro. thrn its like $200)

[LawnDart]

What is your price range and future plans?

 

Basically, the cheaper you go the more often you'll need a replacement or figure out you should have spent a little more to be completely satisfied. Three years ago I spent a lot of money on a Kitty and it has yet to fail but once aside from preventative maintenance. A year later I got a second one, then a third and between them all I've put in a small fortune of high end parts. That's not the point, but rather that I cannot think of anything I'd rather ever use again... Regardless of what you choose, get a HOTAS setup with rudders!

 

I've put in some serious $$, but I would never trade my Cougar for anything else!!! :thumbup: You don't need to drop everything into it at once, but over time you'll want to given the comminuty and skilled people making mods. Stock parts are under warranty for two years and nowadays they are quicker in responding and sending replacement parts as well, should the need arise. Also, there are many tweaks and tips to improve your stock stick without spending a lot of $$ at http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/index.php

[Kuky]

here are some very nice good quality (I believe) non F-16 HOTAS :D

 

http://www.hirevsims.com/01prod/prod01.htm

[LawnDart]

They don't sell those to end users or retail unfortunately...

[hitman]

I've gone thru 3 Saitek sticks (X45) in the same time frame that I've owned my CH gear.

 

I can say 4...3 X-45s and one cyborg3d. Not to mention the x52 I currently have...

[Pilotasso]

Depends how much you want to spend.

 

-X52 for out of the box working inexpensive HOTAS

-CH for a sofisticated HOTAS, but more expensive, but also more durable and programable.

-Cougar, only worth getting witht MOD's. Its stock electronics are C.R.A.P. and it gets dissed alot over the net for it. With MOD's it becomes the best arround matched only by the ammount of money you need to spend. Arround 500$

[159th_Viper]

Just recently got my Kitty - late serial # and straight out of the box no problems whatsoever. Prescision is remarkable and experienced none of the issues sometimes reported with new stock Cougars. No modding needed at all and personally a vast improvement over my previous Flightstick, the X52PRO.

 

Depending on the amount of time you spend in the virtual skies, durability is a further issue to be taken into account and the Foxy programming Software is outstanding for programming and calibration.Definitely value for money :thumbup:

[Pilotasso]

Just recently got my Kitty - late serial # and straight out of the box no problems whatsoever. Prescision is remarkable and experienced none of the issues sometimes reported with new stock Cougars. No modding needed at all and personally a vast improvement over my previous Flightstick, the X52PRO.

 

Depending on the amount of time you spend in the virtual skies, durability is a further issue to be taken into account and the Foxy programming Software is outstanding for programming and calibration.Definitely value for money :thumbup:

 

only when its new. You need to spend time using it before the issues come at hand. Hope you got none, but if you do, you will still remenber the pain on your wallet.

Why I am so pessimsitic? Well I owned TM stuff before, like the cougar they were all neat and shiny on the outside but they all broke, not before having horrible issues with precision. And as far as I can tell I keep hearing about the very same old issues with the cougar. I gazed at it about a dozen times at stores...I refrained from buying every time.

[VMFA-Blaze]

here are some very nice good quality (I believe) non F-16 HOTAS :D

 

http://www.hirevsims.com/01prod/prod01.htm

 

KUK: I don't think that we can actually order from that company, about 2 years ago they approached some people on the Frugal's forums, and from what I understand it turned out to be a bad experience for them...

And the outcome of that was that they decided not to sell to the public..

 

It's really to bad because they look like some good quality HOTAS, and its (I think) an F-15 replication....

 

 

~S

 

Blaze

[VMFA-Blaze]

only when its new. You need to spend time using it before the issues come at hand. Hope you got none, but if you do, you will still remenber the pain on your wallet.

Why I am so pessimsitic? Well I owned TM stuff before, like the cougar they were all neat and shiny on the outside but they all broke, not before having horrible issues with precision. And as far as I can tell I keep hearing about the very same old issues with the cougar. I gazed at it about a dozen times at stores...I refrained from buying every time.

 

There have been a lot of problems with them in the past, but once there modded they are very accurate... The original gimbals aren't up to par with the rest of the stick. so the outcome is you develop flat spots, and the center shaftway wears and the travel time for the gimbals increases... So to retify this you have to purchase one of the available mod's... I think what actually happend was when the hotas was being developed the design team was pushed into making some bad decisions in order to get the stick on to the market.. And most likely to do the gimbals properly would have priced the stick out of the affordability range...

But even so Thrustmaster has delt with some of the smaller quality issues over the past.. For example they've changed the paint from sprayed on enamel to a powder coat just to name one..

 

So I love my Cougar and won't do without it, even if there are some other sticks released that I would buy, Ill still keep my Cougar..as it will last a lifetime....

 

~S~

 

Blaze

[LawnDart]

Exactly. When originally designed until production many corners had to be cut to keep it affordable. Newer serials have some of the issues solved or improved, but rest assured (hint) there is more being worked on and resolved for future batches.

:smilewink:

 

I think the Cougar has received an unfair amount of bad rep for being a poor joystick (stock), just because the pricetag is higher compared to lesser expensive sticks and the frequency of breakdowns (or wear and tear). It is certainly not half as many of the other sticks on the market and thanks to a very skillful and crafty community, the aftermarket parts are of absolute world-class! Turns your "Ford" into a "Ferrari"...

 

If you get a newer batch Cougar, order some spare pots, and you're off to a good start! Then whether you choose to mod the heck out of it, you'll already have one very necessary piece (the Cougar itself) and much of the cost of your "Ferrarri" covered OR if not, you'll have a stick that's not half as bad as most people here claim it to be with warranty and parts for 2 years. Only downside is the pricetag, but then again, you also get more potential and authenticity than anything else out there...

:joystick:

[Kuky]

so... if those guys don't sell to any retailers or individuals (public), who do they sell it to then? How could I buy one if I wanted, and I would really like those rudder peddals, and maybe even the F-15 HOTAS???

 

I personally have got a Cougar HOTAS that's moded with IJ gimbals (and I love'em :D) but I've built my own rudder peddals but I didn not make them with toe brakes (and now I think I should have).

 

To get a good sturdy and esthetically nice design and think about materials I use and can work on I need to spend lot of time to just think how I should buld them... and then do it with good craftsmanship... which right now I am not so fond of doing (or redoing) which is why I would like to just buy these ones... but man is that is bummer if they don't sell it privatly now... real shame...

[Pilotasso]

Blaze and Dart, I was talking about the stock cougar indeed, not the MOD'ed versions (see my post at the first page). I was considering to buy a MOD'ed one but Im aready commited on buying a new PC wich will open a gaping hole on my budget. :D