Various Game Controller pics (& things that plug into a Joystick port)

[dafivehole]

My favorites from back in the day. The white Wico is a Canadian version. It had the removeable grip... so you could switch the directional template from 4-way to 8-way.

 

Roger

[Hydro Thunder]

Buncha fun 2600 controllers here, my favorite still being the Tac-2. Hope mine never dies!

 

 

 

 

 

I've got all these except the ProstickII, but I'd like to get one and try it sometime.

 

 

This weird one is kind of fun, but really only useable on Asteroids, Space Invaders, or other left-right games. I mean, the up and down work, but it's just not...natural. But a fun thing to have, I keep it mostly for weirdness.

 

[bobotech]

Out of curiosity, has anyone here ever built an arcade stick for their Atari? I mean it really wouldn't be too expensive, a stick (10-20 dollars), the button(s) 2-4 dollars and a box. Just need to wire in a 9 pin plug/cable to the points on the switches and joystick, would be FAR easier than the arcade stick that I built out of a hacked xbox 360 controller.

[sloopy]

Out of curiosity, has anyone here ever built an arcade stick for their Atari? I mean it really wouldn't be too expensive, a stick (10-20 dollars), the button(s) 2-4 dollars and a box. Just need to wire in a 9 pin plug/cable to the points on the switches and joystick, would be FAR easier than the arcade stick that I built out of a hacked xbox 360 controller.

 

i was going to do this, i have the stick and a couple buttons, but never got a case built... i wired it up, and it worked, but i mostly use an 500XJ for playing games...

 

sloopy.

[Zedex]

I have one of those white Wico joysticks too. I really like it, but I prefer to have the clicky sound of microswitches. By the way, would anyone in the US have a Competition Pro joystick to sell?

[+orpheuswaking]

I pretty much use my Competition Pro 5000 and my Atari Prostick for all of my Atari usage.

[+orpheuswaking]

I have one of those white Wico joysticks too. I really like it, but I prefer to have the clicky sound of microswitches. By the way, would anyone in the US have a Competition Pro joystick to sell?

 

I may have a black one left. make me an offer

[Fox-1 / mnx]

Just a random grip from one the boxes...

 

 

"The Arcade"

 

 

 

My favorite joystick. Has micro switches for directions only but modified one to also have a micro switch as fire button.

 

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Another "The Arcade"

 

 

 

Micro switches on everything and has switch on bottom to exchange fire buttons (only 1 at a time can be used on Atari 8-bit). This one would be my second choice.

 

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CX-40

 

 

Needs no comment.

 

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CX-10 Repair Kit

 

 

Just in case.

 

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CX-24

 

 

Not one of my favorites. Too bad as I have quite a few laying around of these.

 

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CX-75 Light Pen

 

 

Nifty thing. Works actually very good but only on real CRT's of course.

 

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XG-1 Light Gun

 

 

An inaccurate long distance version of the light pen :-) Some are more accurate than others as it seems.

 

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STM1 Mouse

 

 

 

As used on Atari ST. When used on Atari 8-bit only one mouse button can be used but a simple mod will make 2nd usable also.

 

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QuickShot Mouse (SpectraVideo?)

 

 

 

Has switch on bottom the select Atari ST or Amiga mode. Feels nicer then the STM1. Have 2 of them, usually laying side by side. The other one has an "ST" marker on top :-)

 

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CX-22 Trakball

 

[no picture at hand]

 

Nice for playing games which support real trakball mode. Never saw the advantage when used in joystick mode.

 

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CX21 Video Touch Pad

 

 

 

Actually for the 2600 but I think, with the right driver, it can be used on Atari 8-Bit too. Don't remember I ever used it.

 

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Portronic Powerpad 3

 

 

 

Despite the fact handling it is not as nice as a real joystick I like this one. It has everything. It's a game pad and 2 paddles at once and can do movements no other joystick can. Every possible bit value can be send to the joystick port.

 

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Coleco controller

 

 

 

Not sure if it belongs here as I don't know if it can be used at all on an Atari 8-bit. I the right 9-pin connector so it can be connected. If it works is another thing but it looks somehow cool.

 

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Paddles

 

 

Home-made, but not by me. They work and that's pretty much all I can say about it.

 

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SpectraVideo QuickJoy Junior

 

 

 

I fail to see the "joy". Not recommended.

 

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SpectraVideo QuickShot II Turbo

 

 

 

Not too bad I think but only briefly tested it.

 

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SpectraVideo QuickShot V

 

 

 

Micro switches all over but this is a table stand stick, which I don't like.

 

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SpectraVideo QuickShot VII

 

 

 

These came in with lot I got just recently and not tried them yet. It's hard to imagine they'll be any good but only one way to find out.

 

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SpectraVideo QuickShot

 

 

 

The original one. This is a joystick I spend cold hard cash on back in the 80's. My Atari came without joysticks so I had to buy some but all I had left was 50 Dutch guilders. These were the cheapest ones around over here and I bought 2 of them for 25,- a piece at "Kijkshop" (a shop much like Dixons). These 50,- box are in my top 10 list of the most unuseful money ever spent. The only positive thing about it was the auto-fire. It has no micro switches, was very unresponsive and the suction cups suck because they don't suck (uh, something like that). The first one already broke within 2 months or so. I ripped the cable from it and made my own game pad from keys taken from an old checkout system. As of today I still have it and it still works!

 

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Commodore

 

 

 

What can I say? It's about as bad as the one above.

 

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SpectraVideo QuickShot QS-113

 

 

 

Have this one laying around for years and never even connected it. When moving the stick it feels like an analog stick, which it probably isn't. The sliders at the top look like they're bogus as they can't be moved at all. There are 2 switches on the bottom (A/B) but I have no idea why these are there and what they should do. At the side is an auto fire switch but it also has a "CPC" position so maybe it's just a multi system joystick.

[Gunstar]

"I have this controller in pieces. I was trying to use this as a Intellivision 2 replacement. I was trying to do this as a 10 year old. Maybe I should put it back together. I wonder how good it was with a Colecovision."

 

Not sure, I should try it on the DinaVision and see if it works. Other than that, was tempted to cut the controller down make a small stick.

 

 

I would not do that. They made sticks just like that without the numerical pad. I have one and its like that stick just without the keypad. I bet that joystick might be a rare Colecovision stick. That was what my stick was. I do not like to use it its a bit hard to use. Probably because I used the hell out of it back in the day.

 

The reason my 500xj are my favorite is because they work without fail.

 

Work without fail?!? HELL NO! I bought one of those 500XJ pieces of JUNK back in the 80's and it lasted me 2 weeks and suddenly didn't work right, and there was a rattling when I shook it. I opened it up and the case parts that held the joystick in place had broken. I tried super glueing it, but that lasted for 5 minutes. Biggest piece of junk joystick I ever bought! It was a HUGE disappiontment too, becuase I did like the way it felt in my hands. Now the micro switches inside work without fail, but it doesn't matter if the case plastic is so cheap and brittle that it can't hold the micro-switches in place!

 

Below are the controllers I use every day, a standard Atari stick with the 'Stick Stand', the Atari track-ball controller and a generic, but very good mouse (lasted me 25 years and still works perfectly (though I did have to give it a new cord some years back.

Edited October 11, 2011 by Gunstar

[+orpheuswaking]

I've never had an issue with any of my Epyx 500j sticks...

 

Fox, if you don't like those CX-24 prosticks I know someone who REALLY likes them (ME)

[JohnBuell]

I've been looking to add a CX-24 to my collection. I'm not going to post pics because nearly everything's been photographed, but I've got the Atari XE light gun, the Sega phaser modified for Atari 8-bit, the Atari and Koala branded tablets, the Atari Light pen, the numeric keypad, a couple of CX-40s, the Sears Arcade controller, a pair of CX-50s, the Track & Field controller, and the CX-80 version of the trak-ball.

[puppetmark]

I just got a pair of tac-2 joysticks at a garage sale this past weekend for $1.00 They seem pretty solid.

[Bryan]

The thing that bothers me about the Suncom "metal ball" contact sticks like the Tac-2 is that there's no contact prior to the end of travel. Most sticks will make contact in mid-travel and then you can push a little further.

[Gunstar]

I've never had an issue with any of my Epyx 500j sticks...

 

Fox, if you don't like those CX-24 prosticks I know someone who REALLY likes them (ME)

 

I suppose it's always possible that I just happened to get a "lemon," a defective case, but it turned me off of ever trying one again (unless it's for free).

[Gunstar]

I just got a pair of tac-2 joysticks at a garage sale this past weekend for $1.00 They seem pretty solid.

 

Tac-2's I'll stand behind, comfortable and solid. Had one that lasted me for years without problem, though I think I sold it at some point or lost it in a move. I once also owned something that looked a felt very much like the Tac-2, but was a smaller or "micro" version if I recall. I can't remember what happened to that one either.

[labrat]

Just some photos of interesting things that have not been posted yet...

 

The Joyboard - I like this thing more for the idea than the execution. Romox put out a Mogul Maniac for A8 but I'll probably never find one.

 

Powerstick - Another Amiga item like the above. It has a partial-sphere guide for the stick.

 

A Wico version of the 500-xj. It has a rubberized texture like the ball from a mouse, the same clicky action as the Epyx.

[Gunstar]

That white controller there, I saw a pic of it somewhere above too, it's styled like the 500XJ but if I'm not mistaken is rubber coated and really is as sturdy as the 500XJ. I remember using one of those, either at a friends or I may even own it and it's lost in a box somewhere. I had most of my Atari stuff in storage for a year or 2 and have recently been setting it up again. My 1200XL broke and I put it up instead of fixing it, until now.

[Zedex]

I have one of those white Wico joysticks too. I really like it, but I prefer to have the clicky sound of microswitches. By the way, would anyone in the US have a Competition Pro joystick to sell?

 

I may have a black one left. make me an offer

 

Could you post a picture? I'd pay like $15. I'm going to be getting a Commodore 64C for my birthday (Nov 23), so could you perhaps hold onto it until then?

[HiassofT]

SpectraVideo QuickShot QS-113

 

 

 

Have this one laying around for years and never even connected it. When moving the stick it feels like an analog stick, which it probably isn't. The sliders at the top look like they're bogus as they can't be moved at all. There are 2 switches on the bottom (A/B) but I have no idea why these are there and what they should do. At the side is an auto fire switch but it also has a "CPC" position so maybe it's just a multi system joystick.

Back in the early 90ies I had an analog joystick for my PC which looked exactly like this one - and it was utter crap. With the sliders on top you can adjust the zero/center position, the "switches" on the bottom attach/detach springs so that the joystick is auto-centering or not. IIRC you had to move the joystick to one corner and then could attach/detach the springs with the switches. Can't remember about the autofire/CPC switch.

 

Best thing to do with this stick: put it in the garbage can, don't try to use it. It was very unprecise, the auto-centering/return-to-zero feature didn't even work when it was new, and after a short while it started jittering as hell (most certainly due to bad contacts). Then I opened it, hoping I'd see some pots to exchange/clean, but instead of standard pots this thing used the cheapest slider "pots" I'd ever seen - no case, just the bare naked PCB.

 

I cut off the cable, threw the joystick in the garbage can, and then built a pcb so I could connect my digital Atari joysticks (my favourite being the Quickshot IX) to the analog PC gameport.

 

so long,

 

Hias

[Fox-1 / mnx]

Back in the early 90ies I had an analog joystick for my PC which looked exactly like this one - and it was utter crap. With the sliders on top you can adjust the zero/center position, the "switches" on the bottom attach/detach springs so that the joystick is auto-centering or not.

 

I first thought this may be a digital version of the stick. The sliders on top look like they're glued onto the surface.

 

Anyways, I opened it to see what actually is inside. It looks pretty much what you were describing except this one is a disaster. There is a home made auto fire circuit inside and about all traces on the original PCB are cut and rewired to make it work with the non-standard 9-pin cable. Both fire buttons are connected so they act as one single button.

 

Connected the thing to an XE and it even works! :-)

 

Might be a nice basis to make an analog controller for my 5200 as the mechanics to attach regular round pots are there. The size even allows to mount Start/Pause/Reset buttons. As it is now... nah, it sucks.

[Hydro Thunder]

 

 

Below are the controllers I use every day, a standard Atari stick with the 'Stick Stand', the Atari track-ball controller and a generic, but very good mouse (lasted me 25 years and still works perfectly (though I did have to give it a new cord some years back.

 

I just wanted to say after seeing your pics and talk of this Stick Stand I hopped over to Ebay and nabbed one (for more than it's probably worth, $19 with original box shipped). I just LOVE it! Good recommendation! Best part is that if one of my Atari joysticks goes bad, get another and pop it in the Stick Stand. It's not _quite_ as ultra as the Tac-2 for precision and feel, but it's getting there. And it looks very Death Star / Tron somehow, which I totally appreciate. :thumbsup:

[Gunstar]

Below are the controllers I use every day, a standard Atari stick with the 'Stick Stand', the Atari track-ball controller and a generic, but very good mouse (lasted me 25 years and still works perfectly (though I did have to give it a new cord some years back.

 

I just wanted to say after seeing your pics and talk of this Stick Stand I hopped over to Ebay and nabbed one (for more than it's probably worth, $19 with original box shipped). I just LOVE it! Good recommendation! Best part is that if one of my Atari joysticks goes bad, get another and pop it in the Stick Stand. It's not _quite_ as ultra as the Tac-2 for precision and feel, but it's getting there. And it looks very Death Star / Tron somehow, which I totally appreciate. :thumbsup:

 

You are welcome, and instead of replacing broken Atari sticks, rapair them with the superior quality replacement parts that Best Electronics and B&C Computervisions sell. Those heavy-duty parts will keep your "Stick Stand" operating for decades.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Gunstar

[bennybingo]

Flight Commander Controller:

 

Battlestation II (top) and VPI High Score (lower right) Controllers:

 

Tron Joystick, Track and Field Controllers and XE Light Guns (top);

Epyx controllers (below):

 

ComMander Deluxe by Comrex (iv'e never seen one of these elsewhere...not that they are anything to write home about)...looks like a weird old phone or something:

 

 

I absolutely love the Battlestation II. Highly recommended!!!!

[Gunstar]

Here are a couple of unusual controllers, not after market though, they are 100% original Bally Astrocade controllers, pistol grip with trigger button, and both joystick and paddles built-in, and 100% Atari compatible! Very comfortable and responsive too, though I rarely use them becuase the plastic cases are brittle.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Gunstar

[sloopy]

since other people have posted pics of every other device i own that connect to the joystick ports... this is all i have left to post...

 

i got it in a CL find a year ago...

 

if anyone is interested in it, pm me an offer... trades preferable over cash offers (mostly interested in A8 stuff, or an A3640 )

 

 

sloopy.