View Full Version : Atari 2600 arcade stick
celerystalker
09-05-2015, 02:49 AM
So, one of the things I have hated about the 2600 was those spongy joysticks. The tops would come off, and I always felt like I was really mashing on the things to get my directions and diagonals right. My parents hated them as well, and we had a few aftermarket controllers like Gemsticks to try something else, but they all felt goofy to me. I don't know why I never thought of doing so earlier, but I decided to wire up a real arcade stick using some spare parts I keep on hand for actual cabinets, and it worked tremendously... even easier than I suspected, requiring no soldering. It felt awesome to play some games with a real arcade stick and button, and it didn't take but a few minutes and about $10 worth of parts. If anyone is interested, I'll post some pics and a tutorial. I have to make another one for my mom anyway.
Stringfellow
09-05-2015, 01:56 PM
sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind seeing some pics
o.pwuaioc
09-05-2015, 03:11 PM
Why not just nab a Competition Pro or Wico Command? They're not that expensive, although I don't think you can get them for under $10 anymore (at least not online).
Gameguy
09-06-2015, 01:01 AM
Why not just nab a Competition Pro or Wico Command?
You beat me to it. The Wico joysticks were built using arcade quality parts, I would go with these.
Gamevet
09-06-2015, 07:49 PM
I have a Wico Command sitting around here somewhere. It's pretty cool, but it takes a little while getting used to playing those 2600 games using a better controller.
XYXZYZ
09-06-2015, 09:18 PM
I thought about making a more conventional arcade joystick for the VCS but I don't play it enough to justify building it.
treismac
09-13-2015, 08:33 PM
http://www.lukiegames.com/assets/images/genesis/accessories/gen_arcade_power_stick.jpg
This works for me.
bb_hood
09-13-2015, 08:43 PM
When I play atari 2600 I use an Amiga Power-Stick. Its a joystick so small you can play games using only one hand.
BlastProcessing402
09-19-2015, 06:18 PM
http://www.lukiegames.com/assets/images/genesis/accessories/gen_arcade_power_stick.jpg
This works for me.
Are there any 2600 games (other than the obvious ones like paddle games) that don't work right with Genesis controllers? I only ask because of the way a few Master System games don't even work right with them,.