Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick

by ThrustMaster

Product Details

Product Manual [194kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 17.2 x 10.2 inches ; 17 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 18.8 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000062SSB
• Item model number: 2960534
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #26 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Game Hardware > PC Game Hardware > Controllers > Flight Controls
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The most realistic flight simulation controller is here: the HOTAS Cougar, lifelike in design, lifelike in performance. This is truly "Hands on Throttle and Stick" gameplay. Based on the actual controller found in F-16 fighter aircraft, the HOTAS transports you to the furthest reaches of flight-simulation technology. From the second you grab hold of both the stick and the throttle, you notice the difference. All metal, black, and ready for business--that is the HOTAS. This controller offers up to 28 programmable buttons, multiple programmable hat switches, and adjustable resistance for the throttle, afterburner, and idle detent. These are just a few of the many features of this revolutionary stick and throttle combo. Without question, the HOTAS Cougar is the controller for true flight enthusiasts.

Product Description

Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick. When you¿re looking for the best of the best in flight simulation, three words come to mind: precision, realism and performance. The new partnership between Thrustmaster and the Virtual Thunderbirds demonstrates the perfect union of these concepts, bringing the most advanced flight stick on the market to the most skilled hands in aerial simulation. Thrustmaster¿s HOTAS Cougar is unlike any other simulation device on the market. A replica of the legendary F-16, the benchmark in terms of modern fighter planes, the HOTAS is the product of long and considerable investment in Research and Development. Thrustmaster¿s partnership with the prestigious U.S. Air Force adds unique credibility to the HOTAS, since the product¿s functionalities are in every way identical to the controls of the real aircraft. The Virtual Thunderbirds, a leading aerobatic simulation group, are well-known for their skills at reproducing aerial shows performed by the United States Air Force¿s Thunderbirds demonstration squadron, composed solely of F-16 fighter aircraft. A replica crafted for performance. Our all-metal HOTAS Cougar is a real powerhouse of technologies, featuring 28 programmable buttons, adjustable throttle resistance, adjustable Afterburner and Idle detents and a variety of programmable hat-switches, in particular. All of this results in formidable efficiency and great realism in aerial simulation games, notes Eric Mindjimba of Thrustmaster¿s International Marketing Department. We are very happy to be collaborating with leading members of the simulation community such as the Virtual Thunderbirds, as this gives rise to far-reaching ambassadors able to demonstrate all the possibilities offered by the HOTAS Cougar. Co-engineered in collaboration with US Air Force and used by US Air Force for pilot training - a reference in the aircraft sector. Endorsed by the Virtual Thunderbirds and the Russian Knights.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars superficial quality, September 14, 2003

By 

G. McNeil (Anchorage, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick (Personal Computers)

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.

110 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars All show, no go, December 14, 2003

By 

Ninoslav Tomlinovic "hristo32" (Koprivnica, N/A Croatia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick (Personal Computers)

Pros:
1. metal and sturdy (except throttle lever support which is plastic and actually broke on mine). Metal makes for great feel of the stick, much better than any plastic joystick.

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.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Hobby unto Itself. Softcore Simmers Beware., July 8, 2005

By 

R. Bowen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick (Personal Computers)

For two years I owned a Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS, touted as the ultimate flight simmer's controller, and in that time I all but stopped simming. Honestly, in two years I flew perhaps a dozen hours at most. Before the Cougar, I simmed much more--off and on for years--and did so on lousy to middling equipment: bargain-bin trash, a CH Flightstick, and later, a CH Combatstick USB. By then I found myself playing Falcon 4.0 religiously, so when it became "necessary" to pick up a throttle, I passed over the homely CH Pro Throttle and reached for the sexy, uber-F16 controller, the Cougar.

Next to the Cougar, any other controller looks like it came free with a Happy Meal. It's so sleek yet solid and rugged--it's simply gorgeous. You'll find yourself ogling it, polishing it, displaying it, and even fashioning dust covers for it. You'll also appreciate its features, ergonomics and simplicity. The trigger is dual-stage. Every button on the throttle falls under a finger. And that throttle, along with gameport rudder pedals (should you have them), plugs directly into the stick base, forging a single mega-controller with a gazillion buttons and axes, all routed to your PC through a single USB plug. Elegant.

Packaged with the Cougar comes a simmer's dream date: a 183-page manual, your guide to the complex software suite that drives the Cougar. You'll want to take it to bed, curl up under a reading lamp and spend the night with it. But that's where the problems start. It doesn't illuminate; it obfuscates. If the Cougar Reference Manual concerned baseball, chapter one would be "The Infield Fly Rule," and the first page would delve into the Old English etymology of "field." In other words, one must learn Cougar-programming in spite of it. Expect to spend several Saturdays getting nowhere. Expect to procrastinate, and, for the thin-skinned among you, expect to give up. And that's too bad, because the point of owning a Cougar, besides its looks, is to harness its powerful programming features for your own purposes.

Ultimately, though, the Cougar is a piece of hardware, and yes, a great looking one. So how does it feel? In a word, STIFF. As a former (and current) CH user, I found it difficult to make small, discreet motions with the stick and tiring to hold precise bank angles. I also found it tough to move the throttle; to paraphrase another reviewer, it's tough to get it going, and once going, tough to stop on a dime (though to be fair, it's the only throttle I've tried). Then there's the issue of bad potentiometers, a common Cougar complaint. Bad pots mean dead axes, and dirty pots mean "spiking" or sudden input surges. I experienced neither. Yet reading Cougar forums induces a nagging fear that those pots will eventually require replacement, or at least periodic cleaning. That's off-putting, to say the least; I thought the whole point of buying the best is so you don't have to do this. In fact, many a happy Cougar owner does this and more, tackling its shortcomings through third-party upgrades: new potentiometers, softer springs, precision-machined brass gimbals, aluminum switch casings, and so on. These mods require not only cash--lots of it--but time, technical expertise and a modest workshop, complete with soldering iron, multimeter and an assortment of lubricants and cleansers. Even getting the Cougar to work as advertised with CH Products' Pro Pedals Gameport (arguably the standard in analog pedals) takes a rewiring job. Not exactly plug-and-play.

Clearly, there's a type of simmer who revels in this. He's the kind of person who loves to work on his car over the weekend. Personally, I'd rather drive my car and leave repairs to my local mechanic. In the case of the Cougar, unfortunately, that mechanic is you, baby, you! Do yourself a favor and take a personality test before buying one. If you lack the tinkerer temperament, not to mention time (sims take enough time already!), engineering smarts and excess cash, consider looking elsewhere. Or you just might end up doing what I did: nothing. I let my Cougar sit idle until one day I sold it.