Rating: 
Summary: Badly disappointed
Review: At a cost of $269 this was touted as "the last joystick (HOTAS) you'll ever buy." Wrong!! In less than 2 months, the potentiometers (pots) started giving out and caused a lot of stick spike in Aces High. Thrustmaster pointed me to Amazon and Amazon pointed me to Thrustmaster. I pointed to a hole in my wallet and a stick that was barely usable. This seems to be a well known problem and new pots can be had for another hundred bucks. I sold mine as is, took a $100 hit and bought CH USB stick, throttle and peds. It will be a cold day in hell before I spent another nickel with Thrustmaster.
Rating:
Summary: Badly disappointed
Review: At a cost of $269 this was touted as "the last joystick (HOTAS) you'll ever buy." Wrong!! In less than 2 months, the potentiometers (pots) started giving out and caused a lot of stick spike in Aces High. Thrustmaster pointed me to Amazon and Amazon pointed me to Thrustmaster. I pointed to a hole in my wallet and a stick that was barely usable. This seems to be a well known problem and new pots can be had for another hundred bucks. I sold mine as is, took a $100 hit and bought CH USB stick, throttle and peds. It will be a cold day in hell before I spent another nickel with Thrustmaster.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy Thrustmaster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Before you go and spend a ton of money on Thrustmaster, go to this site and read for yourself reviews about thrustmaster quality or lack of it: http://cougar.frugalsworld.comI bought a new set from Amazon last June, and when I finally got it hooked up (alot of work btw), the TM pedals were not recognized by the stick. I had to send it back to Thrustmaster in Montreal, and it took 3 months to get them back, unrepaired.
Their customer service is AWFUL-they promise and don't deliver. The sticks look and feel great, but don't let that sway you. The pots and gimbels go after about a year of playing, and virtually everyone replaces them both at great expense with after market companies. If you have unlimited funds, great, you will need them to replace components . The buttons on the throttle are not aligned correctly and are very stiff. I found programming them difficult but the software TM has is pretty good for that. The programming is complex though, so get ready to read the manual for a few hours. Please take the time to go to the Cougar site I listed above, and read about the myriad of problems that occur with these sticks. They are NOT good quality, despite the hype you read. Don't be taken in by their marketing. Being honest, the stick feel is very good but very stiff. Thats about the only good thing I can say about them. Caveat emptor!
Rating: 
Summary: The Deadly Duo is back and BETTER THAN EVER!!!!!!!!
Review: Bill 'Spektyr' Laskorski noses down, throttles back for a second and lets the MIG fly right over him. Instant missle lock! FOX TWO! Splash another MIG! ;-) YES!!!!! Thrustmaster's best controller combo, my codename for it: The Deadly Duo, is finally back and it's SAHWEEEEEET!!! They've toughened it up and made it more deadly than ever! The guys at Thrustmaster/Guillemot have really outdone themselves with this one. The design improvements and tough construction earn my "Built to Last!" seal of approval. It's vastly improved programability make the HOTAS Cougar the most versitile game controller combo ever produced. It even has a DB15 connector for rudder peddals! This setup is deffinitely worth the money! I've waited a very long time for this one and it's finally here!!!!! To Thrustmaster/Guillemot: Great job, guys!!!!! YOU DA BEST!!!!!!!!! Watch your six, people! And Happy Flying! ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Immediate Bad POT
Review: Feels great but I too have been burned with a bad POT. If this was a car it would be recalled immediately ! Too bad they did not go to extreme measures to ensure a quality product. Looks feels great. Currently just a nice looking conversation piece.
Still waiting on my replacement POT.........
Rating:
Summary: Hardware problems ruin Hotas Cougar.
Review: I always loved Thrustmaster products but the Hotas Cougar is a dud. Far too many of the units have hardware problems. Mine has a problem that every few minutes causes the computer to think that it is not attached to the computer. It loses calibration when it does this. After a lot of effort I got the company to accept a return on it, but they sent it back saying it was fine. I have bought the CH products controllers and have had absolutely no problems. They are the way to go.
Rating:
Summary: Great Id-Fun!
Review: I first bought this joystick on a visit to the Seattle Space Needle, but I've had for a few years now, and it's great! Take that, Dad!
Rating: 
Summary: superficial quality
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Quality at its best!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Cougar HOTAS is Sierra Hotel!
Review: I've been using Thrustmaster products since 1994 and have always been impressed with their quality and functionality. The Cougar HOTAS system is light-years ahead of any of their previous products, as well as (IMO) any competing joystick/throttle combos out there today. The Cougar's physical presence alone makes it a winner; add in its smooth-as-silk control response and amazingly powerful programming software and you've got THE controller set-up to own, period. If you like plastic, force-feedback "twisty" sticks, the Cougar is not for you. If you're serious about flight sims, get a Cougar now!
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