Difference between revisions of "Atari 2600 Joystick"

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[[Image:Atari 2600 - CX40 Joystick.jpg|thumb|256x256px|The Atari 2600 joystick.]]
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[[Image:Atari 2600 - CX40 Joystick - Orange.jpg|thumb|256x256px|The Atari 2600 joystick.]]
  
 
The '''Atari 2600 Joystick''' is the original joystick controller for the [[Atari 2600]]. It was created by [[Atari]] and released on 1977-09-11 along with the release of the console. It features a 4-directional joystick and a fire button. Although the joystick was made for the Atari 2600, it was also used for all models from the [[Atari 8-bit]] home computer line, and is compatible with the  [[VIC-20]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Atari ST]], and [[Amiga]]. It can also be plugged into the [[MSX]], [[Master System]], [[Genesis]], and [[Atari 7800]], but it lacks the necessary number of buttons to play most games properly. Adapters were even made which allowed the Atari joystick to be used on the [[Apple II]], [[IBM PC]], and [[TRS-80]].
 
The '''Atari 2600 Joystick''' is the original joystick controller for the [[Atari 2600]]. It was created by [[Atari]] and released on 1977-09-11 along with the release of the console. It features a 4-directional joystick and a fire button. Although the joystick was made for the Atari 2600, it was also used for all models from the [[Atari 8-bit]] home computer line, and is compatible with the  [[VIC-20]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Atari ST]], and [[Amiga]]. It can also be plugged into the [[MSX]], [[Master System]], [[Genesis]], and [[Atari 7800]], but it lacks the necessary number of buttons to play most games properly. Adapters were even made which allowed the Atari joystick to be used on the [[Apple II]], [[IBM PC]], and [[TRS-80]].
  
Despite being woefully outdated now, the Atari 2600 joystick has become a pretty ubiquitious symbol for video gaming, and is even recognizable to many gamers who never used them.
+
Despite being woefully outdated now, the Atari 2600 joystick has become a pretty ubiquitous symbol for video gaming, and is even recognizable to many gamers who never used them.
  
The Atari my parents bought from a garage sale had a couple joysticks, and I had one in my hand for a couple years after that.
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The Atari bundle my parents bought from a garage sale had several joysticks, and for several years after that I played many games using them.
  
 
==Variations==
 
==Variations==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
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{| class="wikitable"
 
! Image !! Released !! Model !! Description
 
! Image !! Released !! Model !! Description
 
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==Media==
 
==Media==
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===Pictures===
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<gallery>
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Atari 2600 - Joystick Comparison.jpg|Side-by-side comparison of a CX40 (left) and CX10 (right).
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Atari 2600 - Joystick Internals.jpg|Internal components of a CX10 (left) and CX40 (right).
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</gallery>
  
 
===Videos===
 
===Videos===

Revision as of 16:03, 4 June 2019

The Atari 2600 joystick.

The Atari 2600 Joystick is the original joystick controller for the Atari 2600. It was created by Atari and released on 1977-09-11 along with the release of the console. It features a 4-directional joystick and a fire button. Although the joystick was made for the Atari 2600, it was also used for all models from the Atari 8-bit home computer line, and is compatible with the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari ST, and Amiga. It can also be plugged into the MSX, Master System, Genesis, and Atari 7800, but it lacks the necessary number of buttons to play most games properly. Adapters were even made which allowed the Atari joystick to be used on the Apple II, IBM PC, and TRS-80.

Despite being woefully outdated now, the Atari 2600 joystick has become a pretty ubiquitous symbol for video gaming, and is even recognizable to many gamers who never used them.

The Atari bundle my parents bought from a garage sale had several joysticks, and for several years after that I played many games using them.

Variations

Image Released Model Description
Atari 2600 - CX10 Joystick - Logo.jpg 1977-09-11 CX10 The original model was CX10 designed by Steve Bristow and shipped with the first batch of Ataris. Although the internals were made of high-quality materials, they had a lot more components were still more prone to breaking so they were replaced by the CX40 a year later. The top of the joystick had an indentation where an aluminum hexagon disc could be inserted which had the Atari or Sears logo. This disc frequently fell off and most surviving controllers do not have them intact.
Atari 2600 - CX40 Joystick - Orange.jpg 1978-??-?? CX40 The CX40 was designed by James Asher to replace the CX10. A plastic ring was added around the joystick cover to prevent it from being removed as easily and the word "top" was added to the raised ring to denote which way the controller should be held. The internals were changed to use cheaper components, but these joystick were still incredibly rugged. The top of the joystick cover no longer features a slot for the hexagon disc logo.
Atari 2600 - CX40 Joystick - All Black.jpg 1982-??-?? CX40 In order to bring the joysticks inline with the new all-black "Darth Vader" style 2600, the orange paint on the raised ring around the joystick was removed.
Atari XE - Joystick.jpg 1987-Q3-?? CX40 A model with a gray shell was created to fit the theme of the the Atari XE console. Unlike the black plastic, this gray plastic was prone to discoloration from UV light.

Review

Good

  • Both models were particularly rugged. Many of them made in the late 1970s are still working today.

Bad

  • With only a single button, it just wasn't possible for game developers to make any complicated user interactions with their games.
  • The rubber sheath could be pulled off without too much force, and, for the CX40 model, it could only be put back in place by unscrewing the base.
  • Both models had some mechanical flaws that caused them to fail over time.

Ugly

  • Nothing.

Media

Pictures

Videos

Links

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