MewMeowCat Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 May sound like a stupid question, but why didn't America get the gamepad? The controller was much better than the US controller, and they are hella expensive. Also are there any cheaper reproductions?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empsolo Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 (edited) It seems like Atari Corp was under the impression that the NES controller was a bit of a fad and that the American public would come running back to the Joystick? The 7800 and XEGS both heavily advertised the fact that they had "real joysticks" in t.v. ads. Edited October 28, 2016 by empsolo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MewMeowCat Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 It seems like Atari Corp was under the impression that the NES controller was a bit of a fad and that the American public would come running back to the Joystick? The 7800 and XEGS both heavily advertised the fact that they had "real joystick" in t.v. ads. Makes sense, but almost every controller has a D-Pad now. Only a few have like a real arcade joystick. The fighter controller for the 360 comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 They wanted to permanently cramp my generations hands so we could ONLY play video games using the original joystick. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 @OP: do a search for edladdin 7800 and you'll find excellent arcade quality sticks as well as an adapter that plugs into the 7800 and allows you to use Genesis pads and sticks. And yes, both buttons work! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 @OP: do a search for edladdin 7800 and you'll find excellent arcade quality sticks as well as an adapter that plugs into the 7800 and allows you to use Genesis pads and sticks. And yes, both buttons work! Checked that, saw the sticks, looked nice but pricey, saw the adapter and I thought looks alright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Not sure why we didn't get them in the first place, but I ordered 4 of them from BEST in 2005 and I've never looked back. They are Great! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MewMeowCat Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Thanks @save2600 I'll check it out for mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Too bad, I love the pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I don't consider it a big loss. While the joysticks are awful, the gamepads weren't a big improvement. In my opinion, they have a lot of issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78001987 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 The 7800 was originally slated to be released way before the NES, so before anyone thought pads would be viable. Thye likely manufactured so many with the pro-line sticks that there was no reason to switch mid-way through their lifespan. the pads aren't good either, so it's no big loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mord Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Makes sense, but almost every controller has a D-Pad now. Only a few have like a real arcade joystick. The fighter controller for the 360 comes to mind. As shown by the Video Game Crash of the 80's, not everyone is right when they assume something is a fad. Atari was wrong, and we got the painline controllers because of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 As shown by the Video Game Crash of the 80's, not everyone is right when they assume something is a fad. Atari was wrong, and we got the painline controllers because of it. "Painline" controllers? Haha...That's about a perfect description! I still love the pads though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 The joypad controller is better than the ProLine joystick, but only marginally. It feels a little flimsy, the thumbstick is really tough to direct accurately, the D-pad can really cut into your thumb, and the position of the fire buttons is kind of awkward. You're essentially trading a case of carpal tunnel for either really squirrelly thumbstick control or a sore left thumb. (IMO, of course.)As to why we never got the joypads in North America, even belatedly, I couldn't tell you. I do wonder if maybe they were available direct from Atari Corp, though; I've got two boxed ProLine joysticks that show the CX40, ProLine, XE Lightgun, and Joypad controllers on one of the sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Not sure why we didn't get them in the first place, but I ordered 4 of them from BEST in 2005 and I've never looked back. They are Great! I'm with you on that one! I just got a CX-78 joypad from Best Electronics last month and I love mine. A lot of people don't seem to care for the D-pad on it but I actually like it better than the one on the NES controller. Even though there is a hole in the middle I still find it more comfortable to use since the edges of the D-pad (and the controller itself) are smooth and nicely rounded. I like the big squishy rounded fire buttons too, even if they can't be pressed simultaneously. The whole controller just feels very comfy to me from an ergonomic standpoint and it's quickly become my favorite factory produced controller for both Atari 7800 and 2600 games since I got it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Checked that, saw the sticks, looked nice but pricey, saw the adapter and I thought looks alright The adapter is tops IMO.....there's so much nice (and relatively cheap) Sega Genesis gear floating around. Great pads, arcade sticks, joysticks, stuff with turbos, etc. Seems to me some of my six button stuff had issues with it though, I'll have to try that out, I can't recall which gear gave me the issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 My feeling on this was they were starting to wind down the 7800 in North America around the time they were releasing 7800s with joypads in Europe. That's how it felt at the time. The joypads were featured in Atari's posters and also on Atari Canada and Atari US direct price lists but every time I tried to order them, that part of the order got rejected. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 I don't consider it a big loss. While the joysticks are awful, the gamepads weren't a big improvement. In my opinion, they have a lot of issues. I feel the same way. I was so excited to pick up some 7800 gamepads at CGE a while back, but in reality I use the Painlines just as often. Some games work better than others with each one. I use 2600 sticks for every game that doesn't require 2 buttons. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stun Runner 87 Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Am I the only one on the world that likes the 7800 joysticks better? LOL ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 I like them better than the 2600 sticks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Am I the only one on the world that likes the 7800 joysticks better? LOL I recently upgraded a pair of mine to the Best Lifetime boards and will admit now since breaking in, they're a lot nicer than I ever gave them credit for. Then again, so is a nice minty NOS pair. Couple of things though… key here is that the foam adhered to the top plastic that helps keep the actuator in place, is intact - else there's too much sloppy play. Other major consideration are the dome contacts and tape adhesive over them. If these things are all good, the "painline" controllers aren't that bad. For a while anyway. Even on most games where you'd think there should be a lot of rapid fire cramp-induced triggering, seem to be rapid-fire enabled anyway. All in all, I've grown to appreciate the CX-24 more these days - but make no mistake about it, nothing beats a good Genesis pad for certain games or the CX-40 for *most*. I'll always keep a nice pair of Painlines around for my 7800 though, just because it's what the system was born with and from a nostalgic or "authentic" 7800 experience, nice to have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Am I the only one on the world that likes the 7800 joysticks better? LOL Some games are easier with the stick. Scrapyard Dog and the sensitive jumps are easier with the proline, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian63 Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 It seems like Atari Corp was under the impression that the NES controller was a bit of a fad and that the American public would come running back to the Joystick? The 7800 and XEGS both heavily advertised the fact that they had "real joysticks" in t.v. ads. still not fond of pads 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empsolo Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 still not fond of pads Yeah well gaming has moved on from this mentality and rightfully so. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian63 Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Yeah well gaming has moved on from this mentality and rightfully so. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You mean wrongfully so, retro games play crappy with stupid pads,as in 84 and earlier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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