Rating: 
Summary: Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS is in a Class by Itself
Review: This the BEST joystick/throttle combination in the market today -- period. Ever been inside the cockpit of an F-16? These controllers are modeled almost identically to their real world conterparts on F-16 fighter jets,and will make you fell like you are inside an F-16. In fact,these controllers are so real you will ask yourself -- Where is the rest of the cockpit? -- when you take them out of the box.The joystick,throttle,and housing are constructed in metal and do not feel like any other joystick in the market today. The software package includes set-up's for the most popular flight sims. You can program the sticks to work with any flight sim. One of the included software programs (FOXY) has a wizard which will teach you basics of programming. If you are a beginner, programming will take patience. However, once you master the programming package, you can program each button to perform several tasks. The bottom line is: if you can afford these controllers (Amazon's price is among the best), and you enjoy combat flight sims -- buy the Cougar.
Rating:
Summary: Love my Cougar
Review: Well to start out this is quite possibly the best feeling joystick setup I have ever owned. Sure its cost's big money but its worth it just for the programming and ease of use. Let me get the bad points out of the way first. There are significant "flat" areas at 12, 3, 6, 9 o clock positions. And in some reports there is significant center play. Now with those gone let me tell you about mine. I have had it for about a year now and I have loved and hated it all in a 24 hour period. However the love aspect overrules the hate 99% of the time. There are times when it needs some harsh words but those are few and far between and mainly related to the software and my Via chipset motherboard. So be careful which Via chipset you use. My suggestion is stay away from the KT266. I love the feel of the stick and I am one of the few who like to hear the clicks within the throttle from the detents. You can move or remove the detents as needed and it makes for a highly customizable stick before you even attempt to mod it. The software (Foxy) is utterly amazing. There is nothing that I haven't been able to do with it even having used the old versions of Foxy and Thrustmapper way back when. So in closing if you have the money buy this stick and use it. ... Good Luck with your Cougar.
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