SegaSnatcher Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Lets face it the original Atari 2600 controller has some engineering flaws, so I was hoping to find a nice upgrade for my original 2600 and MiSTer FPGA setup. My price range is up to $80. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tavi Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 I have tried a few different joysticks on my Atari 2600 and I have to say the one I keep going back to is a Quickshot II. It is comfortable to use, has both a top thumb and trigger fire button, and has mechanical contacts so it is quite solidly constructed. I also find it to be a very responsive joystick. A quick look on eBay shows them at around 25$ plus shipping. However, if you are looking for something a bit more like the original Atari joystick, I have a pair of Gemstik controllers and I find they are quite decent to use. As a bonus they are quite common and relatively cheap. Another quick search on eBay I see them anywhere from 10-25$ plus shipping, and quite a few listings I see are part of a joystick lot; meaning you would get a few other joysticks to try out as well. Of course, ask ten people what is the best joystick and you will likely get ten different answers! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SegaSnatcher Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 9 minutes ago, Tavi said: I have tried a few different joysticks on my Atari 2600 and I have to say the one I keep going back to is a Quickshot II. It is comfortable to use, has both a top thumb and trigger fire button, and has mechanical contacts so it is quite solidly constructed. I also find it to be a very responsive joystick. A quick look on eBay shows them at around 25$ plus shipping. However, if you are looking for something a bit more like the original Atari joystick, I have a pair of Gemstik controllers and I find they are quite decent to use. As a bonus they are quite common and relatively cheap. Another quick search on eBay I see them anywhere from 10-25$ plus shipping, and quite a few listings I see are part of a joystick lot; meaning you would get a few other joysticks to try out as well. Of course, ask ten people what is the best joystick and you will likely get ten different answers! Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeatari1 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 My personal favorite is The Boss from Wico. It is usually priced very well and is of very good quality as it is made by Wico. It too has mechanical switches but only one fire button in the handle. Here is a link for a Boss and a couple of Quickshot sticks as mentioned before. Very reasonably priced... https://www.ebay.com/itm/WICO-Boss-and-2-SVI-Quickshot-Controllers-for-Atari-2600-Joystick-Tested/383520909103?hash=item594ba0a72f:g:orIAAOSw5j9enHTE 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 https://www.hyperkin.com/trooper-premium-controller-for-2600-retron-77-hyperkin.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 My personal favorites are the Suncom TAC-2 and Slik Stik. The TAC-2 seems to be stupid expensive on eBay right now, but the Slik Stiks are pretty reasonable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SegaSnatcher Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 6 minutes ago, KaeruYojimbo said: My personal favorites are the Suncom TAC-2 and Slik Stik. The TAC-2 seems to be stupid expensive on eBay right now, but the Slik Stiks are pretty reasonable. Oh I've seen those a lot, especially for computer use. Must have been really popular back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 On 4/27/2020 at 4:57 PM, 0078265317 said: https://www.hyperkin.com/trooper-premium-controller-for-2600-retron-77-hyperkin.html I read somewhere that it won't survive a throwdown. I like the TAC-2 but I also like the standard stock joysticks so what do I know. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I ordered a hyperkin. Feels very good. I got a tac 2 also from ebay and feels very stiff. I don't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadZiontist Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 As much as the new Atari VCS gets clowned on, they murdered that joystick design! I think that's going to be a lot of people's alternative 2600 joystick choice, even if it takes modding to use on a real VCS. I suspect an adapter will be available to take care of that though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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