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Despite being woefully outdated now, the Atari 2600 joystick has become an iconic symbol for the early era of video gaming, and is even recognizable to many gamers who never used them.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. This was the very first video game joystick I ever got my hands onto, and, for several years after that, I played hundreds of hours of games with it.
Variations
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
- youtube.com/watch?v=OhoggQ5XYZQ - Comparison between the CX10 and CX40.