Yep, if you just want an excuse to buy new equipment, no shame in that.
If you don't have a game-port on your current PC, a cheap MIDI-card (less than 20 bucks) will do and allow you to connect your current controllers.
If you've been content with your game-port CHs you might wanna consider upgrading to their USB-models. A set of Fighterstick plus Pro Throttle can be had at e.g.
Provantage for 185 dollars. Being USB you'd be on the safe side for another long time, and you could use CH's Control Manager, the most powerful means for programmable controllers ever.
If you're running (or planning to run) 64-bit, CH's drivers (for their USB-controllers only) are in open beta and should be released to the public soon. According to Guillemot, 64-bit drivers for the HOTAS Cougar won't be available before the public release of Windows Vista, i.e. 2007.
I've got both the HOTAS Cougar as well as a set of CHs (FS, PT, PP and TQ) and love both of them. Both do just fine and can be programmed to do most (TM) to all (CH) any day's tasks just fine. The CHs are much easier to program for complete beginners, while TM's HOTAS Cougar requires a bit more learning at first. CH's scripting is an enhanced and improved programming language that's based on TM's rather raw logical programming (both introduced by the same guy, Bob Church). Scripting is much more capable but may require more learning, though if you speak English you should grasp the meaning of its statements easily (though not necessarily the syntax), while TM's logical programming is more limited in its means and thus may be easier to grasp for simple tasks.
The Cougar's dual-stage trigger rocks, and it's got the paddle-switch which CH's FS doesn't have. All of its coolie-hats can be used fully 8-way, while the CHs only feature one single true 8-way coolie-hat, the others are 4-way only (which usually is sufficient , though). The Cougar's TQS features 2 rotaries which the CHs don't have, plus 1 coolie hat (4-way, can be set up to work 8-way, though, though this requires some logical programming) and 2 3-way switches, while CH's PT features no rotaries but a total of 4 coolie-hats (1 of them 8-way, the rest 4-way); both throttles feature an analog microstick which can be depressed, too. TM's TQS has the common arced travel but is not as smooth as the straight travel of CH's PT. Only TM's TQS features an (adjustable) idle-detent (CH's TQ features idle-detents, too, though).
Anything else? Just ask...
