real joysticks

[tyroney]

So after discovering that go beryllium would take joystick input with glee, (that can be read two ways, both correct,) I immediately plugged in the flight-stick like device which I keep by my desk. However, I found it was just a little unwieldly for constantly scooting myself around masses of bullets. (flinging your arm out of socket is the quickest way to describe the experience)

I'd go for one of the ubiquitous borrowed from modern-day console pads with their analog hats, but as you may recall I hate thumbsticks on modern controllers. (with upward thumb orientation thanks to their ergonomic designs.)

Then I remembered back in the day. Once upon a time, my father got us an Atari ST. One of the accessories we had was a red and white joystick. (see artists rendition below. The buttons might have been on the other side, I don't recall specifically.) This joystick had a key feature which I've been unable to find just recently when I looked: a ball-topped joystick that is analog.


There are loads of fight sticks, and flight sticks, and thumb sticks, but none of what I dream of. Granted, the applications of such sticks aren't universal and limitless, but then again I can find many varieties of yoke/pedal/throttle which I doubt I could justify buying.

Is it hopeless? Does anyone know of something that I just haven't been able to find? Would such joysticks cure cancer as I sincerely believe, or is that kind of gaming already gone and never to return? (or do some of those fight sticks have more than digital switches in their sticks?)

edit: only interested in usb at this point.

[Demaar]

I remember when game sticks used the "game port" on soundcards. Man... those were annoying times lol

[Captain Awful]

What do you mean by analog? That the joystick part clicks buttons? Forgive my stupidity.

It's incredibly easy to make a joystick these days. If you can get yourself a corded XBox 360 controller, some wire, a soldering iron, and some arcade parts you can make a controller in half an hour. Alright, it's not that easy, but after you make it the first time, reading diagrams and taking apart electronics will be second nature.

http://slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_dia...0_diagram1.jpg

http://www.lizardlick.com/pages/joysticks.shtml

Just put everything together in a box and presto! You have a USB enabled joystick, that also happens to work with a 360.

[tyroney]

Analog: the further you tilt the stick, the faster you will move. (Exactly what I want for go beryllium.) Unfortunately, everything analog today is a tiny thumb stick or a huge flight stick. The arcade-style controllers nowadays are all micro-switches which you are either pushing in a direction or not. They're great for the accuracy desired for shoryukening, but there's no measurement of how-far-to-the-right.

Edit: maybe I'll just buy a cheaper-than-cheap flight stick and whack off the stick.

[Captain Awful]

Originally Posted by tyroney

Analog: the further you tilt the stick, the faster you will move. (Exactly what I want for go beryllium.) Unfortunately, everything analog today is a tiny thumb stick or a huge flight stick. The arcade-style controllers nowadays are all micro-switches which you are either pushing in a direction or not. They're great for the accuracy desired for shoryukening, but there's no measurement of how-far-to-the-right.

Edit: maybe I'll just buy a cheaper-than-cheap flight stick and whack off the stick.

You could try modding a PS2 controller, though making a base for it, adding a stick to it, and making sure everything works properly might be more trouble than it's worth. I'm pretty sure a PSX controller is analog also.

[shMerker]

You know they make joysticks for computers. He doesn't have to build one from scratch.

[Captain Awful]

Originally Posted by shMerker

You know they make joysticks for computers. He doesn't have to build one from scratch.

Aren't they all flight sticks?

Also, where's the fun in that?

[shMerker]

I mean they make sticks that already have most of the parts (The base, the mechanical parts, the USB support, and it all works properly) and are just a little too long and not ball shaped. If you used a Dual Shock controller you'd be practically building from the ground up.

Presumably the fun would come when you start getting awesome scores in Go Beryllium.

[monoRAIL]

I think you want one of these:



It's an xbox 360 controller so it should work fine with Windows. Google Xbox Live Arcade Joystick.

And on a somewhat related note... I have a rather sweet joystick of my own for a certain shmup:

[shMerker]

I knew that top one existed but every time I tried finding it I just got fighting sticks which I think are bound to the D-pad. I could be wrong about that though. No one seems to bother mentioning it in the product descriptions.

That Ikaruga stick is pimp.