Crc_Error Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 Bought this joystick locally off of Craigslist and I highly recommend to anyone not to buy this Chinese made joystick. They were sealed in a box brand new not opened until I bought them. I wanted a better joystick than the old Wico Boss I have as it's becoming very loose and has a lot of play in the movement. These 2 Troopers I bought almost have a brain of their own. Play Ms.Pacman going up, down, left or right is quite a pain. They work but the movement is very sticky. I heard the original Atari joysticks were re-engineered with better contacts and parts does anyone know where or who sells them. I would like the original Atari joystick just for sentimental reasons and if it's improved even better. I guess we all learn from our ventures in buying stuff off of Craigslist. Buyer beware! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 (edited) They sell these on Amazon and eBay too, I have ads "suggestions" for them constantly popping all the time ever since I did a search for joysticks a year or so ago. I'm glad I never bought one, I figured they were cheap. I ended up buying a NOS Kraft Starmaster joystick from Video61 for $10-12. They are Chinese made, but from back in the 80's and are pretty good quality, especially for price, if you like or don't mind a pistol grip style. They use the same contact and board type as Atari joysticks (different design) and are a bit heavier duty. A button on base and stick. (a perfect candidate for a Joy 2B upgrade). They come with suction cups that work well on a smooth surface. I have two of these controllers and one I removed the suction cups (they just pull off and plug in) on one and kept them on the other. Either MyAtari (B&C) or Best Electronics sells re-engineered boards and contacts and sticks to put in original Atari CX40 controllers. Edited December 20, 2020 by Gunstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 I bought a Trooper last year. I used it a few times and then packed it away. It was entirely too loose feeling for my taste and I had a hard time with games that needed precise control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 I find that with most of the flight controller type joysticks, I much prefer a short amount of play joystights like TAC2 etc, a lot is made of the micro switch sticks but just ball to contact is fine with me.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crc_Error Posted December 20, 2020 Author Share Posted December 20, 2020 Do you have a photo of the TAC2? Where did you buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 AFAIK there's no places doing them as new, refurbished possibly, you just look out for them on Ebay (or get one in a set given to you in my case) Here's a video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 19 hours ago, Crc_Error said: Bought this joystick locally off of Craigslist and I highly recommend to anyone not to buy this Chinese made joystick. They were sealed in a box brand new not opened until I bought them. I wanted a better joystick than the old Wico Boss I have as it's becoming very loose and has a lot of play in the movement. These 2 Troopers I bought almost have a brain of their own. Play Ms.Pacman going up, down, left or right is quite a pain. They work but the movement is very sticky. I heard the original Atari joysticks were re-engineered with better contacts and parts does anyone know where or who sells them. I would like the original Atari joystick just for sentimental reasons and if it's improved even better. I guess we all learn from our ventures in buying stuff off of Craigslist. Buyer beware! Find an original Atari joystick and get the Best Gold contact board upgrade. It really is the best, and I have almost ALL joysticks ever made for the Atari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 5 hours ago, Mclaneinc said: I find that with most of the flight controller type joysticks, I much prefer a short amount of play joystights like TAC2 etc, a lot is made of the micro switch sticks but just ball to contact is fine with me.. TAC 2s, while expensive now, are the best...along with the Best upgraded CX-40s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 I bought the one off e-bay called 'retro-bit' a couple weeks ago, it worked literally for the first 10 minutes, and then I heard a loud snap, and that was it. What junk. I think I'll just pick up a genesis controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisible kid Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 I loved the Kraft joysticks back in the day. Can't get those anymore so I got an arcade stick and button and put it in the smallest case I could find and wired it up. This is my fav atm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 The handle broke off of my tropper II shortly after buying it. I replaced the stick with a homemade one from a bolt. But discovered the rubber boot is what centers the stick. Added a washer and nut to the bolt and it's been working great for me since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manterola Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 Unexpectedly, the Atari Flashback 2 joysticks are quite good. Easy to do diagonals, nice feedback feeling, and cheap if you've got some patience. The only thing I can think of is that the joystick connector goes a bit too tight. These joysticks are a good cheap option, but not at level of quality of the expensive ones like the TAC mentioned above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 The only other J/S I'd go for is a competition Pro (preferably the Mini version), love those. Not seen the modded CX40 Best ones, what did he do to them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 12 minutes ago, Mclaneinc said: The only other J/S I'd go for is a competition Pro (preferably the Mini version), love those. Not seen the modded CX40 Best ones, what did he do to them? upgraded dome contacts new pcb new thicker handle thingy. I have a couple of them and they are really nice, almost clicky like a proper switch. Definitely one of my favourites to use. I do like my tac-2 but it's getting a bit worn and the fire button doesn't always register correctly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 The only bugbear of the TAC 2's is that they start to 'grind' after a LOT of use, the ball gets scraped (oww) as does the contact it hits and then the grinding starts, you can sand it out but it comes back real quick..Never tried to make new contacts, should be doable.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crc_Error Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 Just checked out TAC 2 prices. On eBay it's highway robbery. $212 dollars! Really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Has no one tried the ArcadeR joystick? I swapped the spring and actuator on mine (I have two) for a tighter more retro feel and modded the pcb for multiple fire buttons. It's a great quality joystick and it's cheap. https://retroradionics.co.uk/#!/ArcadeR-9-pin-ATARI-standard-Joystick/p/168982750/category=0 Website is in the UK, ships from China. He has a UK distributor and a USA one will be starting soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 Just spotted that I don't have a Tac 2 anymore I've been using a Starfighter (same people) and its just spot on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutterminder Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 I usually us an Epyx XJ500 or an original Atari joystick that been upgraded with a modern switch board. I've got a few Tac 2s but they don't have enough travel or tactile feedback for me. There's a guy on ebay that makes NES style Joypad controllers that are Atari compatible. I got one for my 7800 and it's definitely better that the original one from the 7800. Looks like the price is up a bit, but the quality is pretty good and they come with a nice long cord. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-7800-2600-Controller-Joystick-Control-Pad-Gamepad-Classic-Rainbow-CX78/264477702289?hash=item3d94197891:g:lvMAAOSw3~dfoAut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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