Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!gatech!mcnc!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!prls!philabs!micomvax!vedge!lurch
From: lurch@vedge.UUCP (Lurch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: which joystick should I buy?
Summary: One to avoid.
Message-ID: <124@vedge.UUCP>
Date: 23 Mar 88 18:05:06 GMT
References: <882@astroatc.UUCP>
Organization: Visual Edge Software, St. Laurent,PQ, Canada
Lines: 75
Posted: Wed Mar 23 13:05:06 1988

In article <882@astroatc.UUCP>, jojo@astroatc.UUCP (Jon Wesener) writes:
> After deciding to get a joystick, I found that there are many to choose
> from, but without pictures or descriptions, names are just meaningless.
> Does anybody have a favorite brand/type of joystick they'd recommend?
> 

I am also in the market for a new joystick. Why am I looking for a new one?
Why doesn't my current joystick provide me with many soul-satisfying hours
of Romulan/Martian/Evil-Gooey-Looking_Things_From-Hell bashing?

I'll tell you why. SLOPPY DESIGN.

Several years ago (when I was a true computer neophyte) I purchased a
VIC-20 (wince!). At that time I found what appeared to be a truly
revolutionary joystick. It had suction-cup feet!!  Gee-whiz! That was
neat! Imagine... one hand for the joystick, and one on the keyboard.
I was going to be king of the galaxy in a little less than 14 minutes.
It was not meant to be.

I must appologize, I don't recall the brand name (it is now collecting
dust in my parents basement), but if I describe it, somebody else may
be able to supply the name. It was black, and one of the first ones with the
molded fighter-pilot grip, with a thumb trigger (big red sculpted button)
and a base trigger (same button). The base came fitted with the standard
foam pads, but it also came with four suction-cups that could be inter-
changed with the foam.

I have seen it in stores recently (otherwise this warning would be 
useless) and, according to my dealer, is quite popular. 

Now, the guts of my beef. After using it extensively for about 3 weeks,
my fighter-plane lost the ability to turn left. (oh-oh! flame-out on 
engine number 2) This was NOT a feature of the software. After careful
inspection I discovered how they worked and why mine didn't. 

This particular model has a little plastic ring (inside) at the sticks base.
When the stick rocks around, the ring depresses at most two of the four
quadrature (correct terminology?) switches which are placed around it.
It was easy to see that after very little use, the ring (I reiterate PLASTIC!)
was fated to fracture. Since the ring was a literal ring, supported by 4 spokes
emanating from the base of the stick, such a fracture was fatal. (No pressure
could be applied to the side with the fracture as the ring just flopped around).
I tried glue and also splints, but it kept breaking somewhere new. Some day
I may build a steel ring for that sucker, but til then 
the moral of the story is...
				1) Stay away from whatever brand that was.
				2) Inspect the mechanism before buying
				   any other brand. (I've found most
				   stores will let you look inside a demo
				   stick.)


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|  Witty quote coming soon to this space.                          |
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|   |   |\ |\     -------------+-.                                 |
|   |   || ||    |__        o  | |_                                |
|   | _ || ||       | |/|/| |  | | |                               |
| |_| X_/__/_  _____| | | | |__| | |___     Jeff Smith             |
|       |\ |\                               Visual Edge Software   |
|       || ||                               Montreal, Quebec       |
|       |/ |/                                                      |
|                                                                  |
|		 ....sun!decwrl!decvax!watmath!musocs!vedge!lurch  |
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| I'm not sure who's opinions these are.....                       |
|                                                                  |
|       .... I hear voices...                                      |
|                           ...calling...                          |
|                                         telling me what to say.  |
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