What joysticks/paddles work

Ricky Spanish · September 21, 2022

Google is to vague.. so was wondering what joysticks/paddles work with a stock XL? Old, reproductions etc. Thanks.

Beeblebrox · September 21, 2022

A good majority of joysticks and joy pads from the 80s and 90s with the db9 connector work with stock XL and XE A8s as well as the 800, 400 and XEGS AFAIK.

On Ebay it'll mostly say on the listing which 8-bit computers it is compatible with. Some joysticks came with a little switch to alternate between Atari/Commodore/Msx.

I own a few Quickshot and Quickshot II joysticks, a Zip stick, Slick stick, a few Atari 7800 controller pads. Had a few cx40s although some broke and some I sold on. Also had a cx-24 joystick from a 7800 until a little while ago.

Typically even if a joystick had several fire buttons they all just do the same thing as most atari games are one button action only, (ie jump or fire).

I have a modern Snack controller which allows a SNES controller to be connected and multiple buttons used for games that support it, (eg Final assault). I love it.

Paddle wise the original Atari ones work for games that support them, as do the aftermarket copies.

Trackball wise the two main /common trackball models usually have a switch to alternate between the true trackball mod and a joystick mode.

So overall joystick wise there are loads available online which will work. My advice would be look for models with decent micro switches such as the zip stick or competition pro... they look almost identical.

There are a lot of really poor quality joysticks out there and some won't have survived over the years. I've taken a chance on some and received a few none working ones so worth asking if they have been tested as fully working.

I have the zip stick above with the yellow buttons and it still works flawlessly. Had it since the early 90s.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Beeblebrox

Ricky Spanish · September 22, 2022

17 minutes ago, Beeblebrox said:

A good majority of joysticks and joy pads from the 80s and 90s with the db9 connector work with stock XL and XE A8s as well as the 800, 400 and XEGS AFAIK.

GTK, as most I've seen on e-bay says for '2600/5200/7800' or just 'atari'.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Ricky Spanish

+slx · September 22, 2022

3-button Sega Genesis/Mega Drive controllers work as well (with 1-2 buttons) and are quite comfortable to hold if you don't really want to go all the way back to the 80's joystick experience.

Competition Pros are (or were recently) sold new.

It depends a lot on whether you like to really move that stick around (Wicos are great for that) or prefer minimal moves (the Suncom TAC-2 is king in this discipline but the fire buttons are not that great).

For the original Atari sticks there are new switches from Best and microswitch mods as well as 3D-printed replacement "skeletons". I'm not a fan of them as there are better options.

Paddles often get "jittery" over time. Try before you buy if you can or be prepared to buy replacement pots from Best. They are supposed to be better than new and last a lifetime (anyone to confirm this?) but afaik require soldering.