The Gamer Boy's Sidekick: A Special Feature on Eccentric Joysticks (Part 1)
The joystick is one of the primary devices that has been used for a long time, from the dawn of gaming to the present day.
During the early days of personal computers, many different types were released, but to be honest, many of them were difficult to use. Have you ever had the experience of getting heated because the controls weren't working well? This time, I've dared to collect only the strange ones.
1. PC Joysticks of the Early Days
Action games on PCs were controlled using the keyboard. The basic controls were the '2', '4', '6', '8', and 'Space' keys. However, it goes without saying that keyboards are not suitable for gaming, and they can also be a cause of failure.
A common story from that time was the case of keyboards breaking due to Hyper Olympic, which was released in April 1984. Since most MSX machines had built-in keyboards, the repair costs must have been no joke.
The characteristic of the earliest PC joysticks, perhaps due to the idea of acting as a substitute for keyboard operation, is that the control section is on the right side. There were also various inconveniences, such as the stick part not returning to the center when you let go of it.
Tsukumo Electric's big hit product, the AMP-99, made in 1981. Originally for the Apple II, it was sold for various models. It is said that over 15,000 units were sold by around 1983.
Since there is no centering mechanism, you have to return it to the center manually every time. It is said that some hardcore users even forcibly modified them with rubber bands. The fact that the exterior is made entirely of metal is rugged and looks like an industrial product, which is cool.
A joystick for the PC-8001 from Tsukumo Electric in September 1983. I don't really understand the mechanism, but it seems that the compatible software was limited. The price was 9,800 yen! 😱
The JOY-Mecha Type 1, the successor to the Tsukumo Electric model released in 1983. According to the advertisement, it later became compatible with the ATARI standard and supported many PCs. It is equipped with a centering mechanism, but it only has one button. However, the stick shaft has become shorter, so it seems difficult to operate with a 'grip-and-stab' hold. It's amazing that 10,000 units were already sold out at this point!
Perhaps because it was popular, a 2-button upgraded version, the JOY-Mecha Type 2, also appeared. Since it was made entirely of metal, it must have been quite heavy. However, it looks difficult to use with the buttons arranged vertically. By 1985, left-handed operation should have been common, but this is a type that stubbornly uses the right side for operation.
The copy 'Handmade feel' is nice. But what on earth is Convenience DOS? 🤣
The FM-7 was a real stumbling block for PC joysticks. It couldn't detect when a key was released, making it unsuitable for action games and the like. Because of this, proprietary joysticks were released, but they were all expensive, leaving users in tears. This trend continued until Dempa Shimbunsha released a joystick specifically for the FM-7 version of Xevious.
This is a joystick exclusively for the FM-7 released by Fuji Onkyo. The price was 11,000 yen—so, so expensive! 😁 My close friend who owned an FM-7 would grumble, 'It's so hard to use!' But it was the only option we had.
There was also an advertisement for a joystick converter for the PC-9801, which was a purely business-oriented machine at the time. For 26,800 yen, you could have bought a brand-new MSX.
For the MZ-700 and X1 in 1983. Getting two in one pack is a good deal, but aren't they a bit small?
For the PC-8801 & PC-8001 in 1983. It features a centering mechanism, but the price is 9,800 yen.
A dual-purpose paddle and numeric keypad for the Apple II, priced at 14,500 yen. Since the dollar-to-yen exchange rate was around 230 yen back in 1983, American-made Apple II products were quite expensive.
② The Blood-Stained Control Stick-Type Joystick
Control stick-type joysticks have gone extinct today, except for those used in flight simulators. This type had poor stability, required you to hold it down with your thighs, and had the fatal flaw of not supporting rapid-fire. It's a mystery why they continued to be used for so long despite that.
This is also the type that our PC-loving hero, 'Basic-kun,' used as his 'blood-stained joystick.'
A joystick made in the USA. I wonder if it's really true that they held an 80% share of the global market. Regardless, it was expensive.
A manufacturer called Spital Industry included a gimmick that allowed you to rotate the position of the switches. However, this was actually quite difficult to use. Even in 1985, this manufacturer was still selling old-fashioned, right-hand-operated joysticks.
They even named it the Family King and released an FC version. Since it was featured in the early days of Famicom Magazine, many of you might know it. It says 'returns to center promptly,' but I think that should be a given in 1986.
It was one of the very first peripherals for the Famicom, and because the design looked cool, many kids were fooled, and it seems there were many victims. There is also information that it was panned in the Famicom Shinken manga.
My friend played Super Mario with this and ended up crying😝
Trackballs for gaming also appeared quite early on. This is a product made in America in 1983. For some reason, HAL Laboratory in Japan showed an unusual obsession with trackballs, but I'll cover that next time.
③ Home Game Console Pads
Pads were the mainstream for home game consoles. Each model had its own characteristics and they were all unique. I wonder if there were so many paddles because there were many block-breaking games. I had a friend in the neighborhood who was a Pyuuta user, and playing games with this pad made the difficulty level skyrocket.
Even with the game-specialized Pyuta Jr. and its successor, the Pyuta mk2, the shape of the pad remained unchanged. Playing games like Scramble with this is incredibly difficult.
The Japanese version of the Atari 2800, a massive hit machine in the US, featured a type where the joystick and paddle were integrated. However, this shape was fragile and reportedly unpopular. The commercial was handled by Kiyoshi Kobayashi and was incredibly cool, though 😅
The Intellivision, the first home console to feature a 16-bit CPU, and its younger sibling, the Bandai Arcadia, were of the type that included a numeric keypad. However, these were too large for a child's hands to operate well. I verified this myself by playing them constantly at department store displays 😁
Takeshi was cast in the commercials.
4. In conclusion... It's not over yet, it's not over!
While games themselves evolved at a tremendous pace, I feel the role of the joystick itself has hardly changed. Doesn't that just go to show what a perfected device it is?
I think the longer someone has been gaming, the more joysticks and pads they have used. I have seen the sight of pads piled up like mountains many times when visiting the rooms of game enthusiasts. It's not a bad idea to look back on the games you've played and recall which pads you used to play them.
While researching joysticks this time, the material became far too vast. Because of that, the main event—the eccentric MSX joystick special—has been postponed until next time. I hope you will join me again if you'd like.