Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Atari 2600 Joystick To USB Adapter Announced

Posted by simoniker on from the classic-controller-lust dept.

TheAlchemist writes "AtariAge and Pixels Past have announced the creation of the Stelladaptor 2600 to USB Interface. This new hardware product allows you to connect standard Atari 2600 joysticks, paddles, and driving controllers to modern Windows, Macintosh and Linux computers. They have worked closely with the authors of the excellent z26 Atari 2600 Emulator, and an updated version of z26 for Windows will be released that automatically recognizes when the Stelladaptor is plugged in and allows you to play joystick, paddle, and driving controller games without any additional configuration. You can also use your Atari 2600 joystick and paddle controllers with the popular MAME arcade emulator, and standard Atari 2600 joysticks will work with any emulators that support standard USB controllers. The Stelladaptor will debut at the upcoming PhillyClassic 5 gaming expo later this month."

18 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Hmmm by Predathar · · Score: 5, Informative
    The joystick was awful, I always found it hard to use and that it lacked buttons (only has 1). The paddle however was cool.

    But if you wanted some nice controllers, Coleco had them, the wheel and the pedals rocked, the super sized controllers for the sports games were great (although I kept getting blisters with them) with the little roller, the 4 buttons, and when you used it, it looked like a killer glove to hit someone with, not that I ever did, mind you :)

    1. Re:Hmmm by zonker · · Score: 2, Informative

      for the most part the coleco controllers were good, the only problems were that it was sometimes hard to do and ^ instead of a as you had to be a little precise about how you pushed the knob. also i found that i lost most of the command inserts for the controllers early on.

      but yeah, the steering wheel with sega's turbo was awesome at the time.

      --

      Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

  2. And don't forget... by Jerf · · Score: 4, Interesting

    that while the Atari 2600 joysticks were awful, you also should be able to use the full range of Commodore 64 joysticks were were identical, or Sega Genesis controllers (where you use the "B" button as the single fire key).

    (Personally, while I enjoy many 2600 games the joystick is a completely loser for me, especially the ones I've used which tend to be old and only marginally working anyhow. Plug one of those other controllers in and the game immediately becomes more fun. Interestingly, sometimes it immediately becomes easier too, and I'm not a fan of a game being difficult because the controller is fighting you.)

    I can't completely guarentee this since I haven't tried it but I see no reason it shouldn't work.

    1. Re:And don't forget... by TheAlchemist · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, any joysticks that are electrically equivalent to the original Atari 2600 joysticks will work fine with the adapter. We've tested several different types, such as the great Epyx 500XJ joysticks.

  3. Instant Nostalgia! by Dr.Dubious+DDQ · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've got a joystick that I used with my C64 that was built from arcade parts...

    I love the idea that I will now be able to hook it back up to my current computer and play games in my C-64 emulator or MAME...

    --
    Hacker Public Radio is our Friend
  4. damn 30 bucks by cyrax777 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    for the same price i could buy one of those atari joysticks that plugs into my tv and have money left over!

    1. Re:damn 30 bucks by TheAlchemist · · Score: 2, Informative

      While the various controller units with built-in games are cool, you are limited to the few games built into those controllers. And with the ones I've tried so far (the Atari and Activision 10-in-1 units), the games aren't quite identical to the original versions. Also, the base of the one based on an Atari joystick is a bit thicker than a real 2600 joystick, so it's not quite as comfortable to hold (in my opinion).

      Additionally, being able to use 2600 controllers with your computer means you are not limited to just playing 2600 games, but can use any emulators that support USB controllers.

  5. gotta love technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A simple old joystick, probably a couple pots or rotary encoders, driving some simple ultra-low-res blocky graphics.

    Never mind the massive amounts of hi-tech complexity in between.. just to get the same result as an old box of 7400-series logic chips.

    And this old box 1) "booted" immediately, just turn it on, 2) didn't get viruses, 3) didn't leak your credit card number to a script kiddy in Russia.

    *shakes head*

    I don't know what the exact point of this post is, except it makes me want to shake my fist at the screen and say "These kids today... " :-)

    1. Re:gotta love technology by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Funny

      "And this old box 1) "booted" immediately, just turn it on, 2) didn't get viruses, 3) didn't leak your credit card number to a script kiddy in Russia."

      It also wasn't very satisfactory in the porn department, either.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  6. awesome!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now somebody needs to come up with a USB card that can go in the 2600 itself, and then we can use this adapter to connect the joysticks direc... hey wait a minute!!!

  7. I had to check the calendar... by Tricot · · Score: 3, Funny

    I thought it was a little early for April Fool's jokes, but an Atari 2600 joystick to USB adapter sounded just about as plausible as a new PCI based Z80 coprocessor card,

    Truth is stranger than TCP over Avian Transport.
    -- Mitch

    1. Re:I had to check the calendar... by oskillator · · Score: 2, Insightful
      It's not so surprising, really. People can get quite attached to the specific interfaces they're used to.

      And there's really no harm in it; human interface hardware becomes obsolete much more slowly than CPUs or storage, because human interfaces are already limited by how fast a human can go. Keyboards and mice, e.g., haven't changed much since the 70s.

  8. Atari 2600 by BladeMelbourne · · Score: 3, Informative

    My parents were cheap - we only had 3 games:
    * enduro (car racing)
    * donkey kong (only 2 levels that repeated)
    * tennis

    I would have killed for that centipede game!

    By far tennis was the most lame. We had two joysticks - whoever had the more expensive one (that form fitted the hand better, had more buttons) always won in a 2P game. The cheap joystick was literally like a chopstick sticking out of a box, it didn't even have suction pads to stick to the table surface.

    Most people do not know that inside an Atari 2600 is a variable pot. Soldered onto the PCB is a component with a groove for a flat-head scredriver. It fine-tunes the RF being sent to your TV - if only I had known about it ~20 years ago!

    http://www.mikeskinner.net/

  9. Good! by schnits0r · · Score: 3, Funny

    MAybe then I could finally beat ET: The Extraterrestrial on my emulator, as I failed miserably in the first go-around.

    --


    -------
    Support Indy Music. Buy
  10. Can make your own... by baywulf · · Score: 2, Informative

    With some resistors and DB9/DB25 connectors.

    http://www.epanorama.net/documents/joystick/pc_c ir cuits.html#fake

  11. the best joystick ever by prockcore · · Score: 2, Interesting

    the best joystick I ever used was an Apple][ joystick

    Pictures are here

    It just had the perfect feel and was fairly well built. It was the only joystick I've ever seen survive Decathalon.

  12. not only atari joysticks. by Gadzinka · · Score: 2, Informative

    Back in the day, when the world was young there was only one standard for joysticks, the Atari joystick. It was one button and four directions (plus four semidirections).

    So if you have a joystick from your old C64, Amiga, Spectrum (connected via interface), Amstrad, Atari (XL, XE, ST, or any Atari console), you can use it with this controler on your PC.

    There were other joysticks using this same plug, but different wiring (Sega, MSX, afair Nintendo), so if the interface doesn't have switches you can't use them.

    Some of them were really cool, and 10 year old Quickshot joysticks are still working fine, in contrary to my overpriced badly designed joysticks bought a year or two ago.

    Robert

    --
    Bastard Operator From 193.219.28.162
  13. You needed suction cups? by notsoclever · · Score: 3, Funny

    Were you born with only one hand or something?

    --
    There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary