Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!husc6!uwvax!uwslh!lishka From: lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Joysticks Message-ID: <347@uwslh.UUCP> Date: 3 Jul 88 15:25:45 GMT References: <890@esunix.UUCP> <1656@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU> Reply-To: lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison, State Hygiene Lab Lines: 46 Regarding joysticks: I have used a fair number. My experiences are: 1) First joystick was an Atari 2600 joystick. It lasted maybe four months after being used for many tense sessions with my brother and father. I am sorry to have seen it die...it just wasn't built strong enough. 2) Second joystick was called something like a Specta Video bugger. It had suction cups on the bottom, and a very comfortable hand grip. Lasted less than a month. Too bad, but it was built worse than the Atari. 3) I've used Amiga joysticks, but I can *never* get the darned things into the diagonal, and the buttons have a less-than-adequate response for me. The computers are much better than the joysticks, IMHO ;-) 4) The third joystick I bought was a Wico, and I payed $30 on sale for it. It has lasted 4 or 5 years (I don't remember how long its been), and is still in excellent condition. It is a bit hard to get in the diagonals, but whenever I get disgusted with it, I just go inside the bugger and re-bend the leaf switches. I've seen a personal computer joystick stand up to so much punishment, either. A great value. 5) I've used my brother's Wico Boss joystick, which doesn't have as much metal in it as the red Wico's, but is still built like a truck. It does have a nice feel, and a good grip, though. Basically, I've found that it looks like it is built solidly, it is. All of the cheasy plastic joysticks always seem to break (including those my friends have owned), whereas the impact-resistant plastic and metal joysticks will probably survive the next World War. A little trivia: there was once a joystick on the market that used mercury switches instead of mechanical ones. I never did get one, and I bet they were not that responsive, but I also would bet they *never* wore out. Did anyone here ever own one of these? -Chris -- Christopher Lishka | lishka@uwslh.uucp Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene | lishka%uwslh.uucp@cs.wisc.edu Immunology Section (608)262-1617 | ...!{rutgers|ucbvax|...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka "...Just because someone is shy and gets straight A's does not mean they won't put wads of gum in your arm pits." - Lynda Barry, "Ernie Pook's Commeek: Gum of Mystery"