Author Topic: Cougar HOTAS (Read 814 times)

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #30 on:** March 19, 2002, 05:46:21 PM »

Pre-ordered my at Flight Sim Central back in July.

The Cougar looks like a stick designed at the high end market. Something actually built with quality in mind. I'll support that with my $$$. I can afford to.

Of course, if it turns out to be a pile of crap... I'll be plenty upset. But I'm confident that is a low risk result.

BTW... Guillemont was not entirely responsible for TM's demise... not even remotely. Suits moved in when they started getting big and promptly left their core customer behind in search of greener pastures. They quickly discovered that people willing to pay the bare minimum and pay solely on that criteria were a hard crowd to capture. You have to do it with volume and inexpensive manufacturing. That results in the crap they served up in the mid-late 90s. Guillemont bought them after that.

I remember the FCS, the F-16 and the F-22. They were all sticks that set the standard in the marketplace (after the F-22 pot fiasco was resolved). The TQS is still the most coppied format for a throttle on the market.

So... criticise others for doing what they want with their money. I'll sit back and chose to spend mine on a Cougar. Ripsnort would too.. if he didn't blow it all on an overpriced BMW.

AKDejaVu

Zeb · « **Reply #31 on:** March 19, 2002, 05:58:52 PM »

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I cannot disagree that paying more for quality is the way to go, but has anyone tried the Cougar yet? You arent going to tell me that for the first time in your life you are going to believe a sales ad? I hope you dont buy your clothes or shoes just cause Some Jock on TV says they are the way to go.. heh heh. I will wait a year and listen to all those people whine cause they spent 270 on a stick that isnt really any better than their old one cept its alot heavier, and rusts. Anyways by that time the price will have dropped to about 150. then ill buy one.

I am not basing my choice on a sales ad! I knew about this project long before the prats in advertising started to mess around with it. There are a number of respected beta testers who have been trying the Cougar for a while now. The thing has been in development for a few years now and been discussed in various forums to great length, particularly during the beta test period. So from what I have read I have confidence in it and will probably buy it. I am not going by a "sales ad", I am basing my judgement on deep discussions within a forum, similar to this, over a long period of time. Yes the first ones may have bugs, but least it's flash programable. I will take my chances. If you get it for 150 in a years time, good for you mate. I'm not jealous.

You wait a year. I don't blame you, it's a good idea. It's a good job everyone didn't have that philosophy as nothing would ever get developed. Some of us have to put a bit of faith in manufacturers otherwise nothing would ever come to market.

Zeb

Revvin · « **Reply #32 on:** March 19, 2002, 06:04:33 PM »

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And if you do buy it make sure you get an unconditional money back guarentee

It comes with a 2 year warranty, as for not being worth a day's wages...well you'd spend it on a graphics card so why not a joystick, something you will probably use every day, something that has to be comfortable, do everything you need of it and more on top. Perhaps I'm lucky..my girlfriend encouraged me to put it on pre-order as she knows how much I enjoy flight sims so I won't be hiding any receipts

Do shop around, take a look at whats on offer but you won't find anything on the market that will compare to the features of the Cougar.

Zeb · « **Reply #33 on:** March 19, 2002, 06:16:27 PM »

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Originally posted by Samm
Speaking for myself, no joystick is worth a days wages . Secondly I've never had a TM joystick that didn't crap out or that I didn't take back for a refund, so you see why I have little confidence in this one . $270 for a stick throttle combo ! Thats just insulting, and even if I did need it I would refuse to pay that price as a matter of principal .

My advice to anyone considering purchasing this is to shop around first and try out as many sticks as you can before paying that ridiculous price . And if you do buy it make sure you get an unconditional money back guarentee, or order through a merchant like compusa so that if you don't like it for any reason you can take it back withing 30 days for a full refund .

Just watching my fellow flightsimers sixes, looks like someone is trying to make suckers out of us .

I agree. To you it is probably not worth spending much on a joystick. But to other people, thats how they wish to indulge. I am sure there will be many things you have bought of which I would have the same opinion. However, I don't think I would feel insulted by how much you paid for it as that is entirely up to you.
Your are correct, I don't need it. I don't *need* a television or that new mobile phone I bought last week etc. But there we are we all like to indulge now and then. It's all down to personal opinion. If there was no market they wouldn't have developed it.

Karnak · « **Reply #34 on:** March 19, 2002, 07:02:12 PM »

Samm,

It does not require any software to run it, ever.

If you chose to program it, that's great and it does require software to do the programming, but then you upload the file into the stick.

There is no software running in the background taking up proc cycles. High end ThrustMaster sticks have all done it this way since the F-16 FLCS.

I personally don't see why anybody'd do it any other way.

llbm_MOL · « **Reply #35 on:** March 19, 2002, 10:01:31 PM »

GO TO THE CON!!!!!!!

Who knows?! You might get lucky and WIN one at the Saturday banquit!

LLB OUT!!!!!!!

Hristo · « **Reply #36 on:** March 19, 2002, 10:31:15 PM »

Revvin, the freedom of speech is still in power, I believe. I will whine about TM pots wherever I can, because I have a right to. My reason is sitting on my desk and it spikes as mad. It is called F22 with digital upgrade, btw.

Pardon me for not sharing your euphoria on an unseen product. Sorry for not cheerleading it either. Right now I am preoccupied in finding another set of replacement pots for my TM stick.

TM is using pots AGAIN to make the production cheaper. And we all know how pots do after a year or two.

Resolution has nothing to do with reliability.

Every pot, no matter how expensive or high-precision, wears down. The one in Quickshot, the one in Dexxa, the one in Cougar. After that you are left on your own usually, trying to findreplacement pots, only because the manufacturer was reducing production costs. I suspect this is the very same reason why MS has went he pot way either.

J_A_B · « **Reply #37 on:** March 19, 2002, 10:48:03 PM »

Maybe I'm just out of step with the times, but I think $275+ for a joystick is a massive RIP OFF.

I'd feel like a total sucker, like a complete retard, like a fool, if I paid even 1/10 that much for a joystick.

Everybody has different needs, I guess.

J_A_B

Karnak · « **Reply #38 on:** March 19, 2002, 11:41:38 PM »

J_A_B,

How much did your video card cost?

How about your car? Could you have gotten one for cheaper?

If you have the money to spare, and it is something you want and will get use out of, why not get what you want?

If it was the same thing for 3-4 times the money, then you'd be right. But its not.

GunnerCAF · « **Reply #39 on:** March 19, 2002, 11:52:18 PM »

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Maybe I'm just out of step with the times, but I think $275+ for a joystick is a massive RIP OFF.

The TM FLCS and the TQS listed for $300 each when they first came out. They took an electrician to wire them, and a computer programmer to program. I would say the $275 is a steal, and I will be one of the idiots who will own one

Five years of hard use has taken it's toll on my old gear and it is time for a replacement.

You think this is crazy, I hear some people have payed more per year to play the same game!

Gunner

J_A_B · « **Reply #40 on:** March 20, 2002, 01:01:45 AM »

"If you have the money to spare, and it is something you want and will get use out of, why not get what you want? "

I agree 100%. Like I said, everyone has their own needs

For ME, I couldn't rationalize that kind of purchase. Just like I can't rationalize spending more than $100 for a videocard (my own is a VooDoo 3 2000 that was something like $80 when I bought it several years ago).

J_A_B

Flossy · « **Reply #41 on:** March 20, 2002, 06:17:49 AM »

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Originally posted by J_A_B
that was something like $80 when I bought it several years ago

With inflation, wouldn't the equivalent of something that cost $80 several years ago now be over $100?

Samm · « **Reply #42 on:** March 20, 2002, 07:32:59 AM »

I don't pay 500% markup for a vid card, or a car . TM has never made a good stick before, why are you guys betting that this one would be so different ? By paying their outragous price you are only hurting the community, if TM shows the controller market that their target customer is willing to pay $250 for a controller set what do you think that is going is to do ? . It has nothing to do with being able to afford it or not, like a dumb kid that tips a stripper way too much, pretty soon all the bunnys will be expecting it as the norm .

Like I said, buy it from someone who offers a full refund if your not satisfied for any reason, so that the first time it ever spikes or drifts (it will) you can get your $250 back .

MOTJD · « **Reply #43 on:** March 20, 2002, 08:54:43 AM »

I wouldnt pay 270 for a vid card either.. heh heh. Im cheap.

I have an ATI Radeon 64 SDR that i paid 119.00 for and it gets me 50 fps avg. That works fine for me

I paid 175.00 for my Mobo and Chip Combined. AMD Duron 900 .

Cheap ram too 28.95 for 128 meg. but hey..it works. I applaud your wanting to support TM. I have the Afterburner like i stated before. Nice stick no problems.. 55 bucks.. im sure someone made a profit. The thing i was getting at is i dont see how the Cougar Hotas can be 200 dollars more than the Afterburner Hotas. 100 yes, but IMO 200 more is just not realistic
.

Also i worry about any product that seems over advertised before it is released. Ive never seen another HOTAS that had this much hype before it was released. Pre-order.. sheesh.. doesnt that make the hairs on your neck stand up? Something funny goin on.

To all you who do pay the price to get a Cougar...I dont expect you will admit that the stick is ordinary after you try it.. so good luck.

Smut · « **Reply #44 on:** March 20, 2002, 10:43:14 AM »

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Originally posted by Samm
TM has never made a good stick before, why are you guys betting that this one would be so different ?

I disagree. My several year old F-22/TQS/RCS combo works like a champ. I have an identical set in storage that used to be in my office. The home set is digital, the office set is not.

The only TM stick I had troubles with was my old FCS Pro, which had issues with the pots. That was over ten years ago however. Not all pots are created equal BTW...

At my last job, I was the POC between our team and the various hardware companies. In fact, I was flown out to Microsoft at their expense to provide developer feedback on a proposed game hardware item (sorry can't say what). I got all the latest toys, from all the companies...TM, Microsoft, Logitech, Satiek, and others. Five years worth of sticks...I had shelves full of them, literally.

I tested them all, and always came back to my TM setup.

-Smut