Quote:
Originally Posted by TUSA/TX-Gunslinger
1. Stick tension of the Warthog joystick is noticably greater than U2Nxt Cougar without the rubber boot. For jet sim people, this may not mean much - particularly since I'd imagine most of the "Kept the rubber boot". I was a little miffed at this, because I read SIMHQ previews and reviews which said just the opposite. I remember from the first preview - the SIMHQ reporter saying:
"SimHQ's preview article was short on details about how the HOTAS Warthog felt to use. My initial impressions were very favorable; I have a Cougar modded with NXT gimbals and I think that the HOTAS Warthog stock gimbals feel even better. The HOTAS Warthog throttle feels very nice, too, and has a detent system that is worlds better than the Cougar's. However, for a true comparison SimHQ needs more time with the controller and the ability to do side-by-side A/B testing. When we review the HOTAS Warthog we will publish more thoughts on how the HOTAS feels."
|
Hi everyone, Joe here from SimHQ (I wrote SimHQ's HOTAS Warthog Review).
Gunslinger, I wrote that the HOTAS Warthog feels better than an NXT-modded Cougar. This is a statement of opinion. I did not write "the HOTAS Warthog requires less force to displace from center than does an NXT-modded Cougar", which seems to be what you are implying I said (i.e. "better" does not equal "easier to move / less stiffness"). The reasons I think it feels better are because of its more equal force distribution (i.e. the force required to displace the stick from center does not change at the ends of its motion) and because of its complete lack of resistance to pure diagonal motion. I'm sure that an NXT-modded Cougar without a boot comes closer to equal tension than does an NXT-modded Cougar with a boot.
Clearly the preference of the NXT-modded Cougar or the Warthog is up to the individual. I happen to prefer a stick feel where I know where the center is absolutely, and sometimes I feel with the NXT Cougar that I can wobble about the center too much for my liking. I truly do believe that the HOTAS Warthog feels better than an NXT-modded Cougar, but readers must understand opinion for what it is. My intent in composing that comment was certainly not to mislead anyone.
FYI, there were two SimHQ reviews of the Cougar written. The first was by me; I focused on the stick and throttle hardware (including the internals), the T.A.R.G.E.T. GUI, and the T.A.R.G.E.T. Script Editor. My previous controller experience is based on a Gravis Blackhawk, a Logitech Wingman Strike Force 3D, a stock Cougar, and an NXT-modded Cougar. I am not an aviation professional.
The second review was written by BeachAV8R, who is a commercial pilot. He used the HOTAS Warthog with a variety of sims and reported on the experience, based on his professional and sim experience. Previously he has used an X-45 and X-52.