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VCS Classic Controller Discussions (various)


jerseystyle

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13 hours ago, RedWolfJC said:

This was on the discord page today. 

Yikes.

image0.jpg

There will always be some ham fist.  I like them very much and like Clint said, they nailed it.  They all seem to be a bit wobbly but it doesn't hinder game play at all.  With a four inch tall stick I'm actually surprised it isn't more wobbly as I would expect that as you get further from the axis.  BTW Clint, What kind of speakers are in your pic?  Do they sound as good as they look?

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On 1/8/2021 at 10:18 AM, justclaws said:

"This is NOT cheap plastic!"
He's very impressed with it, and says there is a lot of quality to it. Go see.
 

 

On any other os, if the spinner is seen as an analog axis it's not going to work properly with mame arcade tempest or arkanoid or any other game that uses a digital spinner.  Should work with mame arcade games that use an analog paddle e.g. super breakout, and of course the atari 2600 paddle games.  If it were seen as a mouse axis, it would work fine with all emulators.  It's not working with steam probably because the joystick is seen as a pov hat rather than an x/y axes.  Maybe it's different in xbox/xinput mode.  I also heard something about these controllers behaving differently between USB and bluetooth modes.

Edited by mr_me
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Just for fun, I had my 66-year old dad actually try out the Atari VCS. He's not really a gamer at all, but he played Pong a few times back in the day and Donkey Kong in the arcades. He tried out the new VCS joystick in Pong and noticed that the paddle control had some "give" to it when it shouldn't. It was difficult for him to describe, but he said it made playing the games a lot harder/less enjoyable.

 

I think I know what he means, because it isn't very smooth when you turn the handle. I would expect the paddle functionality to feel like adjusting the volume control on a stereo receiver (if that makes sense xD).

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On 1/9/2021 at 10:49 AM, joeatari1 said:

BTW Clint, What kind of speakers are in your pic?  Do they sound as good as they look?

They're Creative Labs Pebble Speakers, like 20 bucks on Newegg. Very decent for basic lower level music and all-around listening, they have nice little sub-like mini woofers in the back that give them a little extra punch but for $20 you can't go wrong. If I'm ever feeling like blowing my ears off, I've got a nice pair of 80s headphones I can use :D

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maybe I'm different but I never gripped the stick with my fingertips.

 

I put the stick at the bottom of the V between thumb and index finger.  and if there was a ball on the stick, the V would be right underneath the ball.  Played this way with all the good sticks (and no, the atari stick gave me blisters):  Epyx 500XJ joystick, Slik Stik, and WICO Ergostick (looks like the Epyx but works better).

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I'm watching closely those new controllers, I think that in my case, would be much better than the VCS console itself (I have little space right now and need new controllers for my PC right now). Specially the modern controller seems a nice addition, albeit the classic joystick seems fun for playing some classic ones (I have the full Atari Vault collection on Steam).

 

Just asking: How works the classic controller outside the VCS? And how is the Modern controller in quality/price terms?

Edited by KD-0082
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  • 2 weeks later...

There have been a few times where I have caught myself pushing much harder on the stick than I intend to, I think it just comes naturally because that's how its been my whole life. Thankfully nothing has broken yet and hopefully that remains to be the case. Still love using it with the 7800 emulators.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My appologies for the necrobump. Yeah I was that one of those goofballs who only backed the stick for $30.

 

I did a quick teardown and took pics of the internals. I was hoping to mod it to work with the old school atari, but no dice. There is nowhere to pull the connections from.

 

The joystick itself is pretty basic, digital button membranes, and the shaft has an optical grey encoder embedded in it. Three ribbons connect the battery, rumble motor, and encoder to the pcb.

 

Edited by Andromeda Stardust
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  • 3 weeks later...
23 minutes ago, eobet said:

I am deeply disappointed with the quality.

 

 

Seems deeply subjective. So there's a little play in the stick, there's going to be, since it's also a paddle. Not sure what quality aspect otherwise you dislike since overall it's a really nice stick.

 

Lucky for you there seems to be plenty of people wanting to buy one, so... sell it.

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I have dozens of different first party controllers in my house, possibly more. 

 

These controllers, the joystick and modern style, are really nice high quality efforts all around.  The looks and feel quite slick in fact. 

 

My only gripe might be the dpad on the modern controller; just prefer the traditional cross style vs the big circle, but ymmv and really its a nit-pick.

 

Good job Atari!

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is also very interesting, about the classic controller, but it's more a programming topic, so...

 

Screen Shot 2021-03-28 at 22.54.50.png

Now there's a link to an extended video in my later post below, also.
 

Edited by justclaws
Edit: Added reference to linked video - https://youtu.be/bpBjXCxH0Sw
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

I haven’t had any issues with the classic joystick, it does feel a little cheap but it gets the job done. The modern controller however is excellent. This guy did a teardown of the Atari modern controller and found it’s actually better designed than PS5 and Xbox controllers with metal shafts built into the sticks as opposed to plastic.

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On 1/9/2021 at 10:49 AM, joeatari1 said:

There will always be some ham fist.

 

Agreed. I mean that type of damage really only happens if you are intentionally TRYING to break it...and then rag on it on Discord. Got to love the internet.

 

For me I really like it. I have been getting kind of used to smoother/easier to use joysticks since those Hyperkin Trooper joysticks were released (which are excellent as well) so I was expecting it to me a smoother modern experience vs the super hard rubber sticks we used as kids.

 

I like the design, really like the lights (what a cool idea really) and it is neat that they incorporated the paddle into the stick. It's not the best and can be improved upon (like a much smoother paddle) but for what it is and what it does it is not bad at all. 

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On 3/6/2021 at 2:48 PM, Rick Dangerous said:

My only gripe might be the dpad on the modern controller; just prefer the traditional cross style vs the big circle, but ymmv and really its a nit-pick.

 

 

When I took the modern controller out of the box that was the first thing I said to myself. Like "why not a cross style d-pad, this is going to suck" more or less. But, I was shocked actually. the round d-pad feels great. I have used it now on a bunch of titles and it feels superb to me at least.

 

I have no issues with U/D/L/R or diagonals. This may be one of the very few instances where I actually like (and maybe even prefer!) a d-pad that is round. At least on this particular controller. That d-pad is actually one of the major things that I love about that controller to be honest.

 

 

Edited by eightbit
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21 hours ago, eightbit said:

 

Agreed. I mean that type of damage really only happens if you are intentionally TRYING to break it...and then rag on it on Discord. Got to love the internet.

 

For me I really like it. I have been getting kind of used to smoother/easier to use joysticks since those Hyperkin Trooper joysticks were released (which are excellent as well) so I was expecting it to me a smoother modern experience vs the super hard rubber sticks we used as kids.

 

I like the design, really like the lights (what a cool idea really) and it is neat that they incorporated the paddle into the stick. It's not the best and can be improved upon (like a much smoother paddle) but for what it is and what it does it is not bad at all. 

Thanks for your thoughts. I’m glad it’s a good controller and I gotta grab one someday.

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  • 5 weeks later...

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