Simming is a passion. Much like hunting, off roading, archery, sking, ect. And with any passion you will always find the sense of loyalty/snobbery you speak of. Dont we all have a sense of snobbery concerning IL2 when compared to other WW2 combat sims?I do feel that there is a certain amount of 'snobbery' concerning joysticks in the flight sim community.
S!
Some, yes, but not all. I'll dissuade people from buying Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and Saitek Evo not so I can brag about my hot setup, but because they're garbage. The best cheap stick remains Thrustmaster Fox2 Pro.Originally posted by JG52Uther:
Best post here.I have used a Logitech attack 3 (the uber cheap non twisty one)for over 18 months now and its still perfect.£20 and a 3 year warranty!
I do feel that there is a certain amount of 'snobbery' concerning joysticks in the flight sim community.
I may be the Logitech extreme 3d Pro voice crying in the widerness here but that doesnt mean I havent/wont try new/other sticks...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ThrustMaster-Stick-X-T-Flight-P...id=1208118222&sr=8-1
Got one of these on the way ...I know its just the fairly ancient Fox (and even earlier Guillemot version?)dressed up a bit but Im still curious and for 20 quid its got to be worth a try.
This must be one of the very few 'new' joystick releases in the last 2 or 3 years
I can't speak for Logitech as I was warned off it. Saitek I tried (X52) and I found the build quality not quite up to scratch.Originally posted by R_Target:
Some, yes, but not all. I'll dissuade people from buying Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and Saitek Evo not so I can brag about my hot setup, but because they're garbage. The best cheap stick remains Thrustmaster Fox2 Pro.
The Fox 2 is indeed a good stick. The one I used to own, I gave to a friend and he still uses it. I simply wanted more buttons and axes, plus some programability.
Originally posted by JG52Uther:
...I do feel that there is a certain amount of 'snobbery' concerning joysticks in the flight sim community.
Not even a small amount here, but a good amount of passion. Especially when there are so many poor choices that could ruin many people's flight-sim experience.
As I stated, I've tried MUCH more than my share of joysticks and I am probably more dedicated to my flight-sim hobby than your "average" poster. Accordingly, I don't expect everyone to agree with "my personal choices" but they are made from experience and as unbiased as I can possibly be. I say Unbiased to include both personal opinion as well as cost.
I can say this, though, without question; If you're left-handed and want the absolute best functionality, highest precision and unrivaled durability in your flight controllers, there is no better setup than the one I have...period.
Expensive? absolutely. Take up a lot of space? yup. Will it aggravate your other half? most likely. Will it last a long long time and provide the most precise input for your virtual aircraft? No doubt.
All this discussion has got me thinking. (Dangerous activity, thinking!)
I have renewed my enthusiasm for flight simming recently, after a break of over a year. I had a HOTAS Cougar set from new and never modded it. It worked great for about a year, then the stick started to get sloppy and imprecise, with my aircraft beginning to wander off line and other woes. Obviously, something inside the stick had cacked itself.
When confronted with the cost of the mods (including shipping to Australia) and seeing all the messing around I'd have to do, I became discouraged and just put my Cougar back in the box, where it has remained ever since. The odd bit of casual simming I've done after that has been using a cheapo Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, which is barely acceptable but functional.
Having seen the very favourable opinions on the CH stuff here, I'm seriously tempted to invest in that and 'cut my losses' with the Cougar.
What do you guys think? Should I invest more $ in the Cougar or start again with the CH set? If I buy the CH gear, I'll have a Cougar for sale - if anyone is interested.
I have an unmodded cougar likeyou.
The sloppiness is caused by wear of the internal mechanics, faster if the Cougar arrived without grease in the gimbals. I have modded the stick myself, replacing the weared parts with parts that can be substituted. Now the sticks works greatly, probably not as a NXT with Cub all sensors , but still better than any other stick I had (I got also a fighterstick pro throttle combo and used x45 and 52's). Obviously the cougar is a stiffer stick and if the stiffness isn't suited with your flying stile CH an X52's can be an alternative.
Progrmmability is unmatched by any other stick.
Originally posted by panther3485:
What do you guys think? Should I invest more $ in the Cougar or start again with the CH set? If I buy the CH gear, I'll have a Cougar for sale - if anyone is interested.
Totally depends on what you can live with. CH is incredible and most people that say they don't like them likely haven't tried them (I said most so those that aren't in that category...save your fingers). If you go the CH route, you'll likely not care what happens to your Cougar, but if you can afford to sit on it, you could peacemeal some mods on it over time and have a choice that most never would.
My one sentence answer: Cut your losses and go CH.