The best joystick ever; the list to end all debate

[eXeler0]

How did that go then?

[Bastich]

I've made a converter that takes a 9pin joystick input and converts it to a HID USB joystick device. I've not noticed any lag It even has a switch to make the second button work as jump.

With a little more hardware and software development it should be possible to make it wireless also.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by Bastich

I've made a converter that takes a 9pin joystick input and converts it to a HID USB joystick device. I've not noticed any lag It even has a switch to make the second button work as jump.

Something you would like to share?

[Bastich]

It started off as a simple Arduino project to convert an old Quickshot Megastar (3 buttons) to work on WinUAE, MAME and other emulators. Cost estimate would be be around £10 but probably less. If anyone is interested please PM me and I will see what I can do

[demolition]

I thought about making something similar with an Arduino but never got around to it. No need to start all from scratch if someone already did all the ground work. Will PM.

[vulture]

@exeler0:

Well, he has his ad on Amibay, but he may pop up here as well. In the mean time, anyone can order from there.

[hansel75]

I have one of these awesome Star Cursor joysticks, and according to this it is the best joystick out of them all with a rating of 10.

So happy i have this bad boy, it is rock solid, arcade quality stuff, they were quite common in Australia back in the day, not sure if they were released elsewhere though.

I also did a small mod to mine and rewired the duplicate 2nd yellow fire button to act the same as up on a joystick.

This way i have the 2 normal red fire buttons, and in platform games to be able to jump, or racing games to accelerate, i can either use up on the joystick, or preferably the yellow button.
Essentially making the joystick a 2 button stick for those genres of games.

[s2325]

Is it for Sega Master System because of grid?

[hansel75]

Originally Posted by s2325

Is it for Sega Master System because of grid?

I don't think so, while it probably still works on a SMS, i am quite sure it was sold as a commodore/atari etc style joystick.

I just looked at mine and it says on the bottom of it that it was made in Brisbane Australia, so maybe it was only sold here to.

The joystick also has a switch to change to different button configs but i never found it useful on my C64 or Amiga, that is why i modded the yellow button to act as up instead.

It also has a 4way and an 8way movement switch on the bottom as well, but i just use it in 8way mode all the time as most games need diagonal movements.

The precision and movement of the stick is also really good, i went through countless joysticks when i was young like quickshots etc, but this Star Cursor i got in the end has outlasted them all and still works like new.

Review here- https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5...25282%2529.png

And pic i found-

[ZEUSDAZ]

Out of all the joysticks I grew up with back in the 80's I have to say my favourite and what worked the best for me was and still is the Quickshot II Turbo joystick,...looked good, nice Black and Red colour, 2 fire buttons in case your thumb or dialling finger got tired so you could swap from one to the other and can be used easily with 1 hand, best shooter joystick out there for me.

[voyager_1701e]

Originally Posted by hansel75

I don't think so, while it probably still works on a SMS, i am quite sure it was sold as a commodore/atari etc style joystick.

I just looked at mine and it says on the bottom of it that it was made in Brisbane Australia, so maybe it was only sold here to.

The joystick also has a switch to change to different button configs but i never found it useful on my C64 or Amiga, that is why i modded the yellow button to act as up instead.

It also has a 4way and an 8way movement switch on the bottom as well, but i just use it in 8way mode all the time as most games need diagonal movements.

The precision and movement of the stick is also really good, i went through countless joysticks when i was young like quickshots etc, but this Star Cursor i got in the end has outlasted them all and still works like new.

Review here- https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5...25282%2529.png

And pic i found-

Good find on the ad....the last computer related thing "made" in Australia?

[Swevicus]

Here's a list of all the joysticks I've handled:

1. Alberici Albatros (All 3 revisions - Standard, Ball and Ball 2)
2. Suncom TAC 2
3. Zipstik
4. Competition Pro (All versions - Standard, 5000, Extra, Star and USB)
5. Suzo Arcade (Microswitch fire button version)
6. Powerplay Cruiser (Standard and Turbo versions)
7. QuickShot 2+
8. QuickShot 2 Turbo
9. QuickShot Python 1 (Microswitch version)
10. QuickShot Maverick 1 (Microswitch version)
11. Cheetah Bug
12. Cheetah Tortoise
13. Cheetah 125+
14. Atari CX40
15. Emax Arcade Professional
16. Star Cursor
17. Sinclair SJS1
18. Amstrad JY2
19. Commodore 1311
20. Le Stick

Out of the 20 joysticks I have handled, only 5 have impressed me - the winners (in no particular order) are:

1. Zipstik
2. Suncom TAC 2
3. Emax Arcade Professional
4. Powerplay Cruiser
5. Suzo Arcade

However, if I have to pick just one, then I would go with the TAC 2 - late 70's/early 80's design, popular with Atari 2600, C64 and Amiga users, simple, durable, reliable and affordable, like a Glock.

[Amiga1992]

The TAC-2 (and by proxy the slik stik) make your thumb hurt after heavy operation of the fire button. Something like R-Type where you need to press it a lot just kills you in not too long of a gaming run.

It's a shame because I love mine in every other aspect, but the button has always been complicated. Could use some microswitch love. Maybe I should modify one.

[Swevicus]

It can be modified to use microswitches (not sure how, though, although you could put in an arcade button - maybe not Sanwa or Seimitsu 30mm buttons, but 24mm ones might fit - IL buttons might work).

[Michael Sykes]

Didn't use any joystick for most games after using my first Master System pad on the Amiga.Got a better version with rapid fire soon.

But for games where it comes to shaking the stick like hell for example caveman ughlympics or summer/winter/california games it was and will allways be
the Competition Pro. That thing had MilSpec quality back in the day. Not like the crapy replicas from China. It was indestructible and still very exact. Later models had even rapidfire and a second button. For me the best Stick ever. And for us kids it was the closest thing to the real arcade that we could efford for our homecomputers. So we did hotglue(later even skrew) two of them to a wooden plank and attached them to a table with some screw clamps to play street fighter...

[Swevicus]

Wait... the Competition Pro had 2 separate buttons!? How'd that work? I'm assuming it was the CP Star model, which autodetected which computer/console was plugged into it?

[Michael Sykes]

I know that a friend had a mini version on his C64 that worked with second button support in some of my Amiga games. Don't ask me what the exact model was. It was 20 years ago...
I checked the web and there are models with a second button set(triangular) but for rapidfire only. Maybe it was a mod. He was pretty good on a soldering iron.

EDIT: Asked him and he told me, as far as he remembers, it was just the pcb of an old Master System gamepad. He did cut it, fold it, resolder the traces, then soldered the wires from the microswitches and buttons to the sega pcb. He managed to quench everyting back into the housing plus a ton of hotglue.
Since he slaughtered an old Competition Pro gamepad even the auto fire switch was still working. From the outside it looked and felt like a normal Competition Pro.
I could have sworn he bought it that way.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Swevicus

It can be modified to use microswitches (not sure how, though).

How do you know if not sure how? If you ever opened one of those you'll know fitting something like that wouldn't be trivial and not even know if possible because of the way Suncom contacts work (they are very basic but effective).

Regular arcade buttons won't fit because of size, most switches are gigantic and I don't want to use a puny little button. Got any buttons you think would fit?

Originally Posted by Swevicus

Wait... the Competition Pro had 2 separate buttons!? How'd that work?

Competition Pro Star Extra did, not any others I think.
(the ones with the two triangular buttons on the shaft base)

[Swevicus]

Because I've seen and heard of such modifications (eyewitness), but I'm not too good when it comes to soldering and desoldering stuff, so while I have a basic understanding of how it might have been accomplished, I'm not the best person to actually carry out the task (not on my own, anyway).

As for buttons... Sanwa and Seimitsu buttons are too big, and the IL buttons are a little too deep. Shit. I have an idea: Try measuring the buttons' diameter and their depth. It might help with providing a further solution to mod the joystick (I've seen the before and after, but never the during).

[Fiery Phoenix]

Never liked the 'trigger' style joysticks. I tell you what is fast becoming my fave - The Cruiser joystick.

You can even adjust the stiffness. Great, well made, durable joysticks