Starplex controller

[tatman1975]

I recently came across a Starplex controller new in box yet just wondering if these are hard to come by and if they are of any intrest to people out there

[tremoloman2006]

I recently came across a Starplex controller new in box yet just wondering if these are hard to come by and if they are of any intrest to people out there

 

They aren't that common but also not too hard to come by. I'm not a hardcore collector and have 2 or 3 of them myself. I prefer the wood grain model over the all black one.

[tkarner]

Last time I was at the Digital Press store in NJ they had one. It was boxed but not sure if it was NIB. Price was $25, if I recall. So I'd say, probably not something you'd find at an average garage sale but not expensive to acquire if you're looking for one.

[SoundGammon]

I have one and just out of curiosity, I measured the buttons against my Asteroids cocktail game and the buttons have the same spacing!

[atari_envy]

I really like this controller for a couple games. It is perfect for Asteroids on the 7800. I have one with the faux wood grain, which I think is sexy, errr, anyway.....

 

Here is something weird though with my Starplex. It has the switch for Normal and Astroblast. I thought, Cool, gotta try that. Plugged Astroblast in and sure enough it is a great controller for that game. But then shortly into gameplay, it (the game) freezes up. Reset, try again, same result. I try the game with a CX-40, no problems.

 

I think that it must be a problem with the cart -- How could a controller cause a game/system to freeze? So I buy a loose copy of Astroblast but have the same problem.

 

Has anyone else experienced this, or am I the lucky one?

[keilbaca]

I really like this controller for a couple games. It is perfect for Asteroids on the 7800. I have one with the faux wood grain, which I think is sexy, errr, anyway.....

 

Here is something weird though with my Starplex. It has the switch for Normal and Astroblast. I thought, Cool, gotta try that. Plugged Astroblast in and sure enough it is a great controller for that game. But then shortly into gameplay, it (the game) freezes up. Reset, try again, same result. I try the game with a CX-40, no problems.

 

I think that it must be a problem with the cart -- How could a controller cause a game/system to freeze? So I buy a loose copy of Astroblast but have the same problem.

 

Has anyone else experienced this, or am I the lucky one?

 

Did you put a battery in it? The Astroblast part is auto fire.

[atari_envy]

Did you put a battery in it? The Astroblast part is auto fire.

 

Yeah, doesn't make any difference. I can see the autofire with the battery in but the game still goes crazy whether or not battery is in or the switch is on Normal or Astroblast (although it seems to go crazy faster in Astroblast mode).

 

The ship will quickly turn invisible (but I can still fire), the game goes super fast, and when my ship explodes it stays on the red exploding screen and the ship count churns from 01-99 super fast forever. Quite bizarre. But no problems with a regular joystick.

 

Oh well, just curious if anyone else had this happen, but I figured I was the only one.

[boxpressed]

Thought I'd revive an old thread for a cool controller. Mine arrived today from seller on eBay:

 

 

Very fun. Great for Asteroids and Space Invaders and probably many other games. The thing was new in box. The woodgrain sticker is peeling up a little, which I guess is to be expected. The seller still has some, if you're interested.

 

Recommended!

Edited July 29, 2011 by boxpressed

[Lord Helmet]

I've always wanted one of these but never got around to picking one up.

[tz101]

I picked one up today at GW for $2. Looking forward to trying it out.

[Prodos8]

In the '80s my brother and I used to use it with Combat and since you could push opposite directions at the same time the tank would go faster. We trashed it after our dog chewed the cable off.

 

I probably need to look for another one to pick up.

[Rob Mitchell]

The great thing about the sparplex controller is that it is robust! You can beat on it!

 

It works with all "death from above" games aka Space Invaders etc

 

and all "LR*TF" games .. Left, Right, Hyperspace / tractor beam, Thrust and Fire .. aka Asteroids, Gravitar,

 

With a digital to analog adapter you can connect the Starplex to the Vectrex and the 5200.

 

I plan to add a connector to my new icade so I can use the Starplex to play games on the iPad.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Rob Mitchell

[boxpressed]

With a digital to analog adapter you can connect the Starplex to the Vectrex and the 5200.

 

I plan to add a connector to my new icade so I can use the Starplex to play games on the iPad.

 

Does anyone sell the digital to analog adapter, or do you have to make your own? I'd love to use the Starplex to play Minestorm.

[Rob Mitchell]

With a digital to analog adapter you can connect the Starplex to the Vectrex and the 5200.

 

I plan to add a connector to my new icade so I can use the Starplex to play games on the iPad.

 

Does anyone sell the digital to analog adapter, or do you have to make your own? I'd love to use the Starplex to play Minestorm.

 

I made my own .. from a circuit on the internet ..

[Rob Mitchell]

j

Edited August 9, 2011 by Rob Mitchell

[boxpressed]

Wanted to update this thread once I got my 7800 with Galaga. I played a few games with the CX-40, then pulled out the Starplex for kicks. Obliterated my scores with the CX-40 on the first try. I've got lots of fighting/arcade sticks for my PS2 that I've used with Namco compilations, but there's something better about this little controller for games like Galaga, Space Invaders, and Asteroids. While not arcade quality, the buttons are spaced just right (I've heard the spacing is the same as the buttons on the arcade Asteroids) and have a long throw that I like. Makes the 7800 that much better.

 

Now, if I could just find the right glue to keep that vinyl lining stuck to the case...

Edited August 18, 2011 by boxpressed

[+save2600]

Ohhh... Combat and Armor Battle would be fun with one of these and don't forget about Space War!

 

@Boxpressed: how much did you pick yours up for? I already have one, but might be interested in getting another. Doesn't seem to be any on eBay right now...

Edited August 18, 2011 by save2600

[boxpressed]

When I bought mine a few weeks ago, the seller had a BIN / or Best Offer price of $25. IIRC, bids under $20 were automatically declined. So, I got it for $20 plus about $5 shipping. Nice seller -- I think he lives in eastern Washington state where these were manufactured originally. He had about 8, which were all NOS. He still had 7 when the auction ended, so I don't know if someone bought them all or if he is waiting to relist them. If you want to check, I can send you his user ID via PM.

[BrianC]

Starplex also looks like something that's good for Track and Field.

[BigErn]

I really like this controller for a couple games. It is perfect for Asteroids on the 7800. I have one with the faux wood grain, which I think is sexy, errr, anyway.....

 

Here is something weird though with my Starplex. It has the switch for Normal and Astroblast. I thought, Cool, gotta try that. Plugged Astroblast in and sure enough it is a great controller for that game. But then shortly into gameplay, it (the game) freezes up. Reset, try again, same result. I try the game with a CX-40, no problems.

 

I think that it must be a problem with the cart -- How could a controller cause a game/system to freeze? So I buy a loose copy of Astroblast but have the same problem.

 

Has anyone else experienced this, or am I the lucky one?

 

I just picked up a Starplex controller, and mine does the same thing! On Astroblast, the ship turns invisible, and if I get hit the game freezes in the exact same manner you described. It's pretty frustrating, although I actually prefer the Paddle on Astroblast, so I'm not too upset about it.

 

Also, does anyone know what games work best on "Astroblast mode?" So far I've only noticed Asteroids.

[Machine]

Anyone have one of these Atari Starplex controllers for sale? Send me a PM please.

[+bcombee]

I wonder if the Astroblast problem is due to hitting both left and right at the same time. That's not something that can normally happen with a joystick, but seems quite possible with this controller.

[mykgerard]

[quote name="atari_envy" post="1975167" timestamp="1269885843

 

Here is something weird though with my Starplex.

 

I think that it must be a problem with the cart -- How could a controller cause a game/system to freeze? So I buy a loose copy of Astroblast but have the same problem.

 

Has anyone else experienced this, or am I the lucky one?

 

I have a similar problem with fast food with a Wico controller works ok on others. You might want to open up your controller and see if any contacts are touching. Because I know I did a wire fix before noticing the problem on my Wico controller and it might not have been a perfect job.