Hi ppl,

My HOTAS Cougar just broke while flying an heli in BFBC2 of all things! Guess it was all the violent jerking evading RPG's that led to it's demise

After opening it I found that a metal part at bottom of the stick had broke after years of loyal service.

So, I've read the Warthog reviews and it seems really nice, but is it worth the upgrade?

Also, I don't own a Cougar just for playing Battlefield, I've always been an hardcore simmer and I'm also type-rated on R22 and R44 helicopters, but the Cougar never reproduced the sensitivity of a real helicopter cyclic, BTW I use X-Plane for emergency, procedures and instrument training, not BFBC2.



Should I order the broken part and fix the Cougar or is the Warthog worth the upgrade for the added precision?

BR

PedroACE, The Warthog is a Great set up, not twist , so you must have rudder pedals as well???You would love both stick and duel
throttle. All need two USB Connections, Target Software is WIP but getting better.Cheers, Jim

Own both Cougar and Warthog. Use the Warthog exclusively, keep the Cougar as back up only. Bought the extension listed lower on this page for the Warthog, really makes a difference.

I think it might depend on how much the fix for the Cougar costs, and how comfortable you are doing the repair. If it's cheap and easy, I'd say stick with the Cougar.

I have a Warthog, and so far I really like it. The tension is less than the Cougar, the precision is nice, the extra buttons are nice, and I really like the throttle. There have been reports of throttles failing, which hasn't happened to me (yet?), but I think the quality is probably better on the Warthog than the Cougar. I had a Cougar and it had a few buttons go bad, and then a couple of pots. After the second pot went bad, I bought a CH stick rather than fix it. I am hoping that the Warthog is better built. At least I won't have to worry about pots going bad.

All that said, a Warthog is pretty pricey, so I'm not sure it's worth the extra money unless you have the disposable income and like to have the latest gadget.

Yes, I have the ooooooold RCS pedals, from the FLCS/TQS combo times, but they're up for a swap too.

BR

If you're flying F-16s, I would say "maybe"... the Warthog stick has a better feel than the Cougar IMHO, and the buttons also feel better. The CMS switch is actually useful for me this time. So perhaps go with the Warthog stick and the Cougar throttle. If you're flying A10s, I suggest you go get it NOW. Don't think about it, just do it.

If you're flying other aircraft, that's harder to say.... and harder to justify such a purchase.

Can I only buy the stick? I've only seen throttle/stick combos for sale so far

BR

No, I think you get them both. The throttle is an excellent piece of work, though not as ergonomic as the Cougar's throttle. Point was if you were flying the F-16, you may want to keep the throttle.

Right, it's possible to have both the Cougar stick/throttle combo connected along with the Warthog stick/throttle combo, so if you had the space you could use the Warthog stick and swap throttles depending on which sim you were flying.

I had a Cougar joystick and CH Pro Throttle combo for years. First the Cougar throttle went South on me, several buttons crapped out and I could not completely shut the power off. Bought a used Cougar throttle and that lasted an other 3 years. When that started having problems I used the CH Pro Throttle I had laying around. Then, 6 months ago I had the same problem PedroAce had. Luckely I had my old CH F16 Combat stick laying around. Ordered a Warthog today. Moral of this story? When you buy expensive Thrustmaster gear make sure not to throw away your old CH goodies.

By the way I still use the Cougar stick base with my serial CH Pro pedals. For some reason the CH USB Pro pedals refuse to work. Maybe to many USB controls? I had USB:

pro pedals
throttle quadrant
F16 combat stick
pro throttle
track ir 4

As soon as the Warthog is in, the 2 old Cougar throttles are going into the garbage dumpster. If anyone is interested in the buttons let me know.

I doubt it, I have 7 usb GoFlight devices + TrackIR + broken Cougar and some more stuff. Powered USB hubs are usually necessary, though.

BR

No, don't throw away the throttles entirely! I may need parts of them to perfect my current throttle. (Especially if the microstick pots are still in perfect working order.)

Anyway, my Cougar isn't really broken, but my curiosity about the Warthog still remains unsated. The problem is, it was expensive enough at around $407, but $500+ is just too much. Is it really THAT good when coming from an FCC Cougar + Hall sensor-modded RCS and a SWFFB2 for the prop sims?

I still have an all mod NXT2 cougar for sale. I give it away for a reasonable price.

Winger

I can't answer that for you....I can only answer in context to myself.

As much as I loved flying the FCC....I simply fly better with a moving stick. The extra controls on the Warthog are nice as well...and unlike jumping to another product...although the ergos are a bit different...there's still natural choices for speedbrake/dogfight switches with appropriate hold positions.

You might actually like an extension if you fly helos often, it does mean you have to somewhat commit to center mounting it which may be an issue.

My center mounting consists of concrete masonry block.

Thanks to everyone for their input

Decided on upgrading everything, Cougar to Warthog and the RCS to the new Saitek pedals. Going for the stick extension too.

BR.