The best joystick ever; the list to end all debate

[Retrofan]

I'm really sorry for you guys that haven't tried the best joystick ever. I will repeat my old post (edited a bit):

Originally Posted by Retrofan

Very nice all those joysticks, all poorly designed, sticked to your desk (ejem... or having to split in their suction cups and try again...). The best control (that's what it's made for) was designed for the megadrive Quickshot Chimera 3, that I use in my miggy:


You control all the movements with two fingers, and you use the right hand for the buttons. It's insuperable (IMHO).

Originally Posted by Retrofan

How are all of the joysticks now, Playstation, XBox...? You have them in your hands (both), you control movements with your left hand (one or two fingers) and the buttons with the right hand (some with the left one, sometimes losing control). If there were less buttons (for an Amiga, for example) and without vibration, you would have them exactly like mine that I bought in the 90's... And what about using a button just like a trigger to shoot, can you imagine that?. And having a firm grip of the joystick in your right hand?

It hadn't enough promotion, that was all.

I bought it in the 90's... thousands of hours of gaming and using it....and I'm sure of what I'm telling, this is the best joystick Ever (for 3 buttons and Turbo).

Maybe it won't be the best to smash buttons or violently shake it to the sides in some sport games, but for that you can use some rude greek joysticks clicking all the time. Of course you'll find the same "problem" with the NG joysticks.

[Amiga1992]

I just gave my Powerplay Cruiser a try, after seeing in a review that you can change the tension at which you operate the stick. I had no idea and I think it's brilliant!
Also the thing clicks but NOT AS MUCH as others. Seriously, audible clicks are a HUGE annoyance and I can't stand 3 out of the 4 sticks I have because they all click I can't play like that! How can you people choose to use controllers that click on every moment? It's nerve-wrecking!

So I would say the Cruiser is a pretty darn good joystick. The main problem it has is its very short cable. But love the mild clickiness of it, and the adjustable handle tension setting. Wish I had given it a try before, I had that joystick for ages and never really used it.

[Retrofan]

Click? What's a click?

Edit: Think about a game that needs a fast and acurate precission while shooting like Operation Wolf or moving a helicopter while shooting like on Desert Strike. The QuickShot Chimera 3 is the best.

[voyager_1701e]

The correct choice was made

There was also a slightly smaller, rounded design with the same mechanism, Im sure it was called the Star Cruiser, but I cant find any reference or pics in Google.

Terrific joystick...designed and made in Australia...who would have guessed?

[Cpt. Hindsight]

Originally Posted by voyager_1701e

The correct choice was made

There was also a slightly smaller, rounded design with the same mechanism, Im sure it was called the Star Cruiser, but I cant find any reference or pics in Google.

Terrific joystick...designed and made in Australia...who would have guessed?

You can actually buy new ones atm on Lemon64 for £20, but I'm not sure if they are still available.

http://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=57922

[dreamkatcha]

Originally Posted by Akira

I just gave my Powerplay Cruiser a try, after seeing in a review that you can change the tension at which you operate the stick. I had no idea and I think it's brilliant!
Also the thing clicks but NOT AS MUCH as others. Seriously, audible clicks are a HUGE annoyance and I can't stand 3 out of the 4 sticks I have because they all click I can't play like that! How can you people choose to use controllers that click on every moment? It's nerve-wrecking!

So I would say the Cruiser is a pretty darn good joystick. The main problem it has is its very short cable. But love the mild clickiness of it, and the adjustable handle tension setting. Wish I had given it a try before, I had that joystick for ages and never really used it.

We're joystick brothers! I loved my pastel Cruiser. Not many joysticks of the time looked good, were comfortable to use, and functioned well so this one always stood out for me. Little known fact time: Comp Pros were actually designed for gorillas. This explains why it takes an entire tug of war team to budge the stick 1mm.

I can't fathom how people put up with all that clicking either. It would drive me crazy. No modern control device subjects you to an ear-battering like that and there's a good reason for this!

[Amiga1992]

I was watching a review on Youtube for teh Epyx 500XJ, which I always wanted but now decided not to get because it ALSO clicks loudly, and the guy was talking about "the satisfying clicking", I can't really believe people don't mind, nay, LIKE such loud noises to be produced at your every move!!

The Cruiser clicks mildly and seems really OK although it's still not my first choice. I am regretting more and more every day my sale of the TAC-2 I used to have, but the fire button used to make my hand hurt. I am going to try a Slik Stik next and see how that compares. Otherwise I might have to hunt one of the leaf contact Quickshots, but those break easily.

In brief: I'm buying a Master System joypad

[Bastich]

I can't say I ever had problems using my Comp Pro 5k. They certainly have never seemed stiff? No more than a Cruiser on medium setting. I have a big box of old joysticks to shift at some point (Been in a box after fixing them for 6+ months). 4-5 Comp Pros, 4-5 Zip Sticks and a load of others including Bugs, Quickshot Turbos etc etc

[trixster]

The transparent Competition Pro, without question.

[dreamkatcha]

Originally Posted by Bastich

I can't say I ever had problems using my Comp Pro 5k. They certainly have never seemed stiff? No more than a Cruiser on medium setting. I have a big box of old joysticks to shift at some point (Been in a box after fixing them for 6+ months). 4-5 Comp Pros, 4-5 Zip Sticks and a load of others including Bugs, Quickshot Turbos etc etc

Watch this (eBay) space then. What did they take to fix, cleaning contacts and replacing micro-switches?

[Bastich]

The main fault was broken cables but due to having a lot of other more fatality damaged joysticks I have got quite a few spare parts Cheap and may ones like the Cheetah 125 and similar all had direction problems mainly caused from snapped internal plastic parts and were un fixable.

Transparent plastic joysticks of the time have not lasted well as the plastic on 90% of them had gone bristle and broken. Of 4 transparent Comp Pro 5ks only 1 red one was unaffected. The more recent blue and silver ones (spring instead of rubber for the return) have all survived. Not a single joystick in black plastic had this problem.

Micro switch wise I ether replaced them or cleaned them with IP. The open micro switches used in Quickshot Turbos and Bugs etc just needed a very slight filling / sanding to make work perfectly again

[Amiga1992]

I just bought a Slik Stik. Looking forward to see how it performs compared to the TAC-2.

[Bastich]

Originally Posted by Akira

I just bought a Slik Stik. Looking forward to see how it performs compared to the TAC-2.

A friend of mine had one and it was one tough stick

[Amiga1992]

Oh the build quality is unquestionable, Suncom made some damn good joysticks! But the TAC-2 had a very uncomfortable fire button that made my thumb muscles hurt. The Slik Stik looks similar but the different form factor might help it being more comfortable. We'll see in a few days when it arrives!

[dreamkatcha]

Originally Posted by Bastich

The main fault was broken cables but due to having a lot of other more fatality damaged joysticks I have got quite a few spare parts Cheap and may ones like the Cheetah 125 and similar all had direction problems mainly caused from snapped internal plastic parts and were un fixable.

Transparent plastic joysticks of the time have not lasted well as the plastic on 90% of them had gone bristle and broken. Of 4 transparent Comp Pro 5ks only 1 red one was unaffected. The more recent blue and silver ones (spring instead of rubber for the return) have all survived. Not a single joystick in black plastic had this problem.

Micro switch wise I ether replaced them or cleaned them with IP. The open micro switches used in Quickshot Turbos and Bugs etc just needed a very slight filling / sanding to make work perfectly again

Interesting. I've been toying with the idea of taking on this kind of fix-it challenge for a while now. What tends to happen though is I come across batches of 'casualties of war', get overwhelmed and pass them on instead. It must be really satisfying to raise the dead like that.

My experience with translucent joysticks has been the same - unscrew them and they disintegrate revealing a collection of dislodged bits of broken plastic.

Originally Posted by Akira

I was watching a review on Youtube for teh Epyx 500XJ, which I always wanted but now decided not to get because it ALSO clicks loudly, and the guy was talking about "the satisfying clicking", I can't really believe people don't mind, nay, LIKE such loud noises to be produced at your every move!!

I've just watched the same clip. What's the emergency number you dial to reach a psychiatrist?

[desiv]

Originally Posted by Akira

I was watching a review on Youtube for the Epyx 500XJ, which I always wanted but now decided not to get because it ALSO clicks loudly

In that case, you obviously don't have your Amiga volume turned up loud enough... No floppy sounds, no clicks...

If the Amiga sound isn't enough, that's where the stereo comes in....
A little Tom Sawyer - Rush, volume to 11... and no more problems.. ;-)
(Or I suppose headphones if you want to save your ears for some reason.. )

I have the Slick Stick, and use it as my primary..
Works great, but I'm not a great gamer.. ;-)

Only things I "wished" it had are 2 fire separate buttons and autofire...
I suppose I could do an external autofire circuit..
Not sure I could add a 2nd fire button tho... Although... ;-)

I know there are genesis pads/sticks that have autofire (and some with variable autofire for multiple buttons), but I assume that part won't work as there's no voltage to the circuit with the Amiga pinout.
I suppose I could swap the wires to give it voltage and remove the button 3 path back (not sure what it might do otherwise???)...
Again, that might be nicer with an adapter. My fine soldering skills aren't that great.. :-)
Judging by a quick internet search, I found this:
The signalling is close enough to the Atari standard that it works if the host outputs the No Connect-pins 5 and 7 high. The Sega controller expects +5V on pin 5, and setting pin 7 high sets the multiplexer in a mode that makes the D-pad work as expected and the A-button work as Fire
So maybe just having Amiga pin 7 to the Gen pad pin 5 to power it, but still leave pin 7 NC??
Enough to power autofires?
The Genesis Arcade Power stick looks decent (no variable autofire..).

A better (above me) approach might be a PIC based adapter to allow the Amiga to use Gen sticks, perhaps even in CD32 mode.. I believe people have made similar adapters for PSX pads, but I am not a fan of those...

desiv

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by desiv

Only things I "wished" it had are 2 fire separate buttons and autofire...
I suppose I could do an external autofire circuit..
Not sure I could add a 2nd fire button tho... Although... ;-)

I was thinking about this myself. I think it'd be very possible and maybe not that hard to do. I'll try to do it.

Originally Posted by desiv

A better (above me) approach might be a PIC based adapter to allow the Amiga to use Gen sticks, perhaps even in CD32 mode..

I have been testing for a while a device by our very own robinsonb5 that did exactly this. It is an ATMega controller based board where you connect a Genesis joypad and it maps everything to a CD32 pad. Works great.

[Retrofan]

This spanish guy is using an old spanish joystick, a Telemach modified to use 4 buttons on the amiga:

[ Show youtube player ]

Maybe Amigakit could make another joystick like this.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Retrofan

This spanish guy is using an old spanish joystick, a Telemach modified to use 4 buttons on the amiga:

[ Show youtube player ]

Maybe Amigakit could make another joystick like this.

It can't be connected to the joystick port only if it triggers ENTER.

[Amiga1992]

I received my Slik Stik and I really love it.
It has the same problem as the TAC-2 though, pressing the fire button too much or trying to hold it for long hurts the thumb part of your palm a lot (Try playing R-Type 2 or another shmup). I tried holding it with my right hand instead like a leftie, and it helped a bit but it's awkward because I have to hold the joystick from the front part to be able to press the fire button.

Construction is solid as fuck like with the TAC-2, this thing can never break. By being smaller I do like the shorter response time. The stick is really really neat.

I wonder if there's any modification I can apply to the joystick button. Perhaps it would benefit from a microswitch replacement.