Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-tis!oodis01!uplherc!esunix!blgardne
From: blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Joysticks
Keywords: the good the bad and the ugly
Message-ID: <890@esunix.UUCP>
Date: 29 Jun 88 02:51:23 GMT
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Lines: 34


There was some discussion on joysticks a month or so ago. Here's one to
avoid like the plague: Magnum from Mastertronic. It's a pistol-grip
joystick with the fire button at the back for your thumb, and the stick on
top.

It looks pretty good, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to get diagonal motion with
this stick. This might be a feature for Pac-Man, but it renders most
games unplayable. Even worse, the Magnum is unreliable. A friend and I
each bought one, and they broke within a week of each other. They were
about 2 months old when they gave out. One of the microswitches (that the
package brags about) collapsed on each stick. There is a warranty on the
Magnum, but it costs you $3-4 (plus the shipping to Mastertronics). This
is absurd on a $9.95 joystick.


Enough bad news. Buy a Wico if you want a good joystick. The red and
black bat-handle is about $20, and is indestructable, you just can't
damage it. And it's got a good feel to it too. There is a switch on the
base, and one on the handle. Only one can be active, the selector switch
is on the base.

Not quite as nice as the bat-handle is "The Boss". It's black and gray,
and is built a bit cheaper, but it's still better than most. Mine cost
about $15.


On the "must have if you can find them at a garage sale" list are the
Amiga Joyboard, and the tiny Amiga joysticks.    :-)
-- 
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland    540 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108
UUCP Addresses:  {ihnp4,ucbvax,allegra,decvax}!decwrl!esunix!blgardne
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"Nobody will ever need more than 64K."    "Nobody needs multitasking on a PC."