Which joystick is recommended for 1040STfm?

[calfranklin0598]

Which joystick is recommended to use with the 1040STfm?  Thanks, Cal

[Shredder11]

My preference has always been the Cruiser Powerplay of which I have two, and they are easily found to buy online especially Ebay.  Built like a tank and can take some real abuse.  Arcade machine quality of build and performance. Very precise and the stick stiffness can be adjusted via a collar on the base of the shaft.  The top of the stick has a flat head, making those fast action games requiring "waggling" much easier.  There are suction feet to make it stick and stay in a fixed position on a suitable table surface if you so desire.  I used mine with the Atari STE / Falcon 030 / Mega STE, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum 48K and 128K/+3, Commodore 64.

 

 

[theboyfromanotherplanet]

16 hours ago, Shredder11 said:

My preference has always been the Cruiser Powerplay of which I have two, and they are easily found to buy online especially Ebay.  Built like a tank and can take some real abuse.  Arcade machine quality of build and performance. Very precise and the stick stiffness can be adjusted via a collar on the base of the shaft.  The top of the stick has a flat head, making those fast action games requiring "waggling" much easier.  There are suction feet to make it stick and stay in a fixed position on a suitable table surface if you so desire.  I used mine with the Atari STE / Falcon 030 / Mega STE, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum 48K and 128K/+3, Commodore 64.

 

 

 

Yep I have two of these and they're great. My favourite of which is the very 80s pink and green variant. 

The zip stick also seems to be quite well regarded although I've not used one.

[calfranklin0598]

Thanks for the Cruiser Power Play joystick suggestion.  Did Atari release a ST specific joystick controller to be used along with the standard STM1 mouse?  Thanks again, Cal

[TGB1718]

38 minutes ago, calfranklin0598 said:

Did Atari release a ST specific joystick controller to be used along with the standard STM1 mouse?

I don't think so, I believe they only produced the same joystick as for the 2600 and 8 bit line

although I think I may have seen a grey one on Fleabay many years ago ?

[calfranklin0598]

You're probably referring to the joystick released with the XEGM back in '89.  I'll give that one a try on my ST!  It would at least match the console color scheme.  Thanks, Cal 

 

[bfollowell]

I always recommend these. They have to be, hands down, the best new joystick available for the money.

 

https://retroradionics.com/ArcadeR-9-pin-ATARI-standard-Joystick-With-new-extra-soft-and-durable-cable-p168982750

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by bfollowell

[Zogging Hell]

Ideally you'll want a couple of different ones, as some joysticks seem to work better with some games than others. I have a Quickshot Python 1m for some games, AM Action Pad and Cheetah Bollostick joypads for others, and a zipstick and competition pro for games that require the joystick to take a beating. The Python (make sure it is the 'm' version as the non microswitch version is not great) is a bit fragile for some people, so if you want a tank it is probably not for you, I liked the precise movement though. The Bollostick was great for platformers, but gave you hand cramps if you had to hold a direction for too long (like in a driving game say). The AM Action pad had astonishing autofire (great for Xenon 2) but also had hyperactive movement.  The latter two seem to be the most popular and always seem to come up in best joystick lists. I have a collection of about 40 or so joysticks and those were the ones I liked the most, but it is quite a personal thing.

[theboyfromanotherplanet]

4 hours ago, Zogging Hell said:

Ideally you'll want a couple of different ones

I second that. I generally prefer gamepads and use a jagpad (with adapter when required). However, for some games it just makes my hands ache so I switch to a stick.

Some games just work better with a stick anyway but I get annoyed with having to hold them to the desk.

 

[+DarkLord]

I personally prefer the Wico "Boss" or "Ergostick". Both are durable, responsive - just plain excellent, IMHO. 

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&_nkw=wico+the+boss+joystick&_sacat=0

 

http://tinyurl.com/ye29kckm

 

 

[oky2000]

Euromax Zipstik, there is no other arcade quality option. If you want a joypad, the Sega official 6 button Megadrive pad is technically the best in the world too.

 

Everything else is beneath those two options, both are dead easy to find.

[Zap!]

I use the Suncom TAC-2 joystick:

 

 

[Shredder11]

On 2/17/2024 at 11:09 AM, theboyfromanotherplanet said:

Yep I have two of these and they're great. My favourite of which is the very 80s pink and green variant. 

The zip stick also seems to be quite well regarded although I've not used one.

I used a Zip Stick and it was decent, although nowhere near as good as the original Kempston Pro it was cloned from. I also owned the original Kempston and it was excellent, but the Powerplay Cruiser improved upon the usability aspects and added useful features.

[Zogging Hell]

On 2/25/2024 at 12:33 AM, oky2000 said:

Euromax Zipstik, there is no other arcade quality option. If you want a joypad, the Sega official 6 button Megadrive pad is technically the best in the world too.

 

Everything else is beneath those two options, both are dead easy to find.

It's a good stick but not arcade quality imo, those fire buttons definitely aren't anyway. It is great on some games and not so good on others like all joysticks, presumably down to the stick the particular developer was using when they wrote the game. Doesn't the Megadrive pad damage your ST if it's used due to the way it is wired?

[pjedavison]

For authentic classic devices, Zipstik is lovely. I also like the Wico Command Control quite a bit; you'll enjoy that one if you don't like clicky microswitches. If you like unconventional and a bit weird but still actually usable, the Konix Navigator is a lot of fun.

 

For a modern DB9 connector device, I use a Monster Joysticks Deluxe Mini Monster. It has two buttons, one of which you can optionally map to "up" on the joystick with the flip of a switch. No more "up to jump" or "up to accelerate"!