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 ihnp4!utah-cs!esunix!blgardne usna!esunix!blgardne "Nobody will ever need more than 64K." "Nobody needs multitasking on a PC."