Joysticks for Amiga

Hy everyone.
I have to buy a new Joystick, my old one is not going well. It's a old one i used to play in Spectrum ... more then 15 years old...

What should i buy? I dont whant to spend to much.
Joysticks/pads from Sega Megadrive work in Amiga right? But my local stores dont have such a old joysticks with 9 pin ports....

In amiagkit.com they have a convertor from 15 pin Pc to 9 pin Amiga, it costs 14.80.
Anyone have to schematics of this adaptador?

Is it a good option? Because i think even 15 pin Joystick could be hard to find. i dont one a flight joy, i want those small arcade joystick.... buying a new one is expensive...

+/- 13 euros + 4.61 euros for shipping ....
i was looking for a less expensive thing...

I could also buy at ebay... but the postmans here in Pt are not delicate... i dont know how the Joy would arrive...

any ideas?

They are making the famous Competition Pro Joystick again. And in two versions. One is a USB version so you can connect it to a PC which is great for emulation, and the other has the classic 9 pin Atari connector so you can use it on the Amiga.

Amigakit sell them for £9.39 and is what I recommend you buy.

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/...roducts_id=610

I have the Competition Pro in both versions (real Amiga and one for WinUAE), and they are ace. Buy one (or two).

If you can you should pick up a ZIPSTIK - try to get an older model with fully microswitched controls. You will never want another joystick again!

Zipstik is still my favourite Amiga joystick. Sadly mine has a broken microswitch now :( But at least you can get the Competition Pro's I mentioned brand new which is great for Amiga fans.

Yes, i think i will buy one of those, they look good, with that arcade style. :)

I'm one of the few people who actually didn't like the Competition Pro (though I did own one). My joystick of choice was always 'The Arcade Pro' stick:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ransparant.png

Neither of the buttons was microswitch though, just the stick itself.

Looks very simple, but nice.
Well i am tracking some joys in ebay... but the prices are similar to one of amigakit (new joys)....
I think i will buy a new one, and hope that the postman make a delicate delivery:unsure:

Sharingan wrote:

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I'm one of the few people who actually didn't like the Competition Pro (though I did own one). My joystick of choice was always 'The Arcade Pro' stick

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Cool! I had that joystick myself and I used it until it broke. A good quality joystick for sure. I favoured the Competition Pro though, and the good old Tac-2.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harrison

Zipstik is still my favourite Amiga joystick. Sadly mine has a broken microswitch now :( But at least you can get the Competition Pro's I mentioned brand new which is great for Amiga fans.

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Can you crack open joysticks? Or are the microswitches so enclosed in the unit that you cant get them out?

Zipstiks are easy to open and so is replacing the microswitches. So if you have any spare ones, or can maybe cannibalise some from a poorer stick, they are quite easy to fix. Failing that you can open the broken microswitch itself, it usually is just a stuck spring that is the problem.

I have a couple of Competition Pros for the Amiga, and have a USB version for the PC. I really liked them just for that reason that they are easy to fix when something goes wrong. Having messed around with both, it seems the only real difference between the Zipstik and the Competition Pro apart from the look is the switches for the firebuttons. While the Zipstik had proper microswithces for them too, the Competition Pro had a pair of long connectors that bent and connected when you pressed the button. These would get worn and not connect any more after some use, so as they got older I had to more and more frequently open my joysticks to bend these a little so they would connect again.

The new USB Competition Pro however has also proper microswitches for firebuttons and is not using that solution the old ones did. So while it looks like a Competition Pro, it's actually built like a Zipstik. So it seems to me it's some sort of hybrid of the two.

I always found the feel of the two quite different. The Competition Pro sticks always felt stiffer and took more effort to manoeuvre, compared to the ZipStik which was slightly looser and less effort, making it nicer to use.

Can anyone remember what the joystick was called that had the variable stick tension? You could rotate a collar around the base of the stick to make the joystick movement stiffer or looser.

There was also a joystick released that had the Xybots arcade game joystick feature where you could rotate the stick 90 degrees left and right. This worked brilliantly for the game Xybots, where you rotate the joystick to rotate the character within the 3D levels by 90 degrees, allowing the actual joystick control for normal movement, but I'm not sure it was much use in many other games. Maybe useful in a Dungeon Master style graphical adventure/fps? :unsure: I think that joystick was based on the Turbo Master II but I'm not 100% sure. Anyone know?

BTW, once I get the hardware section started I'm going to be including a hardware database that will work much like the game and demo sections, and I want to include a joysticks section. :) I don't want it to be as in depth as the Amiga Hardware site, but instead include the most useful hardware everyone used and knew about for quick reference, and include hardware manuals, any software it came with for download, images of the hardware and the packaging it came in. I'm hoping I can get this going next week.

The joystick with the variable stiffness thing was called Cruiser, no?

The name Cruiser does sound very familiar so could be the one. :thumbs:

That would be this baby then:

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7...rcolouryn1.jpg

That one looks very cheap but seems to have the same shape as a Comp Pro. And the Comp Pro was very reliable and solid.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sharingan

That would be this baby then:

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7...rcolouryn1.jpg

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That was the shittiest joystick I ever used. The adjustment ranged from 'ridiculously stiff' through 'like bending a steel girder' to ' components completely encased in concrete'. Also very gay colours (even the name 'cruiser' has dodgy connotations).

ZIPSTIK FTW.

Hang on! I feel very stupid now. I have one of those Cruiser joysticks! :lol: :doh:

In my defence I have a lot of joysticks for the Amiga (and compatible systems). Must be 30+ joysticks + gamepads. Over the years many have come with systems I've obtained or have been given. The one I have looks the same, but is plain black so none of the Amstrad/Fisher Price colouring.

In that picture is does look a bit similar in shape to a Comp Pro, but actually it's quite different. The base is much long with the fire buttons a lot further forward and the joystick close to the back of the base.

Tiago

In my opinion The best joystick for the amiga 600 is the bug joystick by Cheetah fact.

I got the amiga 600 when it was released and I got the black cheetah bug joystick I still have it now boxed mint condition no scratches.

It is the best Joystick for the amiga 600 and amiga 600 games if you going to get a joystick the bug is the best one to get.

You grasp "The Bug" with one hand under it (that hand also presses the buttons) and steer with the other. It has turbo and a double cord so even Master system and Sinclair Spectrum users could use it. It's very comfortable. The cord is splitted in a weird way at the first socket. That's why the cordlength says 125 + 21 cm.

Company: Cheetah
Made in: Unknown
Year: 1990?
System: Commodore, Amiga, Atari, Sinclair ZX Spectrum etc.
Buttons: 2 + joystick + turbo switch
Turbo: Yes
Autofire: No
Cordlength: 125 + 21 cm
Color: Green, Black
Other: Can be connected to both of the ports on the computer at the same time due to the double cord.

http://i8.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/a5/bb/d579_1.JPG

Ergonomically designed Body for Supreme Comfort
Suitable for Right or Left Hand
8 Directional Microswitched Control
2 Ultra-sensitive Microswitched Fire Buttons
Auto-fire Function
Indestructible metal shaft
Automatic centering

It come in lots of different colours including green and it also comes in iluminus colours aswell as seen below.

http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy007.jpg

http://onlinerock.com/musicians/meta...om4_04_030.jpg

I also had one of the classic joysticks for flying games.

http://i12.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/ba/ef/ee8d_2.JPG

I dont want tiago to get one of these.

http://www.pelikonepeijoonit.net/kuv...tahsimpson.jpg

or the power glove although I like the power glove.

http://www.vintagecomputing.com/wp-c...er_1_small.jpg

go here to see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYBzKFm-rd0

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Originally Posted by Blue Jedi

The best joystick for the amiga 600 is the bug joystick by Cheetah fact.

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Opinion actually. And my opinion is that the bug is too small and fiddly - I prefer to grip the stick with my hand as opposed to thumb & a finger. (Only on classicamiga can you say that without people looking at you strange)

Anyway, my personal favourite is the Zipstick (technically the ZipStick Super Pro - the original Zipstick is a different joystick).

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/3079/zipstickoz5.png

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Originally Posted by Demon Cleaner

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It is the best Joystick for the amiga 600.

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Don't forget that YOU think that it is the best joystick, that doesn't count for everyone here. Try to be more objective when you post such comments.

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Exactly! Everyone knows the Zipstik was the best anyway :p

Thanks for the tips everyone, i finaly buy it.
I went to Amikit and i order one "Competition Pro Joystick" :D

the Zipstik Super Pro Joystick looks good also, and on ebay they were at a goo price, but 2nd hand joysticks ... ... :unsure:

So i order the red one :D

Good choice. You will enjoy Amiga gaming much more once it arrives. :)

I got it !!
It arrived yesterday.
THe red Competition Pro Joystick !! Uaauuuuu ! So nice !

I have 3 of them:

- 1 USB
- 1 Original
- 1 DTV

:tease:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Demon Cleaner

I have 3 of them:

- 1 USB
- 1 Original
- 1 DTV

:tease:

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:mad:

Getting jealous :D I didn't buy them together at one time, I also got the real one first, as I needed it with my Amiga, then I bought a USB one to use with WinUAE, and finally I also bought the one you can plug to the TV with 30 C64 games on it. I never tested this one, as it needs 4 AA batteries :o

I just have an original Comp Pro that I use on a real Amiga, and on the PC using a USB to Atari Joystick adaptor and that works nicely. I'm still tempted to also buy one of the newer USB ones though.

I got a few quickshot Js im sticking on ebay soon, if anyone is intrested!

:lol: I still have 4 Quickshots myself, I used to break a lot of them during C64 time.