How to get a nice, cheap, working Joystick for you CPC when you hang in the USA?

[TFM]

First you go to ebay and buy a cheap nice Nintendo joystick, like this:
Quickshot Joystick Controller Model QS 112 for NES Nintendo Entertainment System

Then you need a plug for the CPC and a cable with at least 7 wires (directions and 2x fire). Like this one:
Amazon.com: StarTech.com 10-Feet Straight Through Serial Cable - M/F (MXT10010):

Well, then just do a little solder work and you have a great working joystick!


But what can you do if the sucker which is supposed to send you a monitor is just not doing that and you want to know if your joystick works?
Well, use BASIC, you can type in that even blind! 

1 sound 1,100+50*joy(0):goto 1

Now listen to you successful soldering. 

[Velktron]

I just tossed two old POS Atari 2600 style joysticks. Really crude construction, and both were faulty (one had a damaged cable somewhere, the other a broken metal "cross". I've thought of using one of the many famiclone joysticks I have, but I have only a vague idea of the soldering/modding required, the NES and Famiclones use a much more complex serial protocol and less cables that Atari-style joysticks. Though it would be cool to have a CPC gamepad with two plus two autofire buttons 


On a related note, I never understood why joysticks meant to be used on platforms on which the majority of games were platformers and had no analog inputs, were made in this awkward faux-flight-sim shape with the fire button on top of the stick. No, they were not "cool". 

They were awkward to use, broke easily due to the force exercised on them and their flimsy construction. If there ever was a joystick type less suitable for playing platform games with  (especially those that have "jump" mapped on "up"...) it's precisely the "classic" Atari 2600 "flight sim" joystick    

[Guy0me]

First you go to ebay and buy a cheap nice Nintendo joystick, like this:
Quickshot Joystick Controller Model QS 112 for NES Nintendo Entertainment System

Then you need a plug for the CPC and a cable with at least 7 wires (directions and 2x fire). Like this one:
Amazon.com: StarTech.com 10-Feet Straight Through Serial Cable - M/F (MXT10010):

Well, then just do a little solder work and you have a great working joystick!

Maybe you can begin a good business here.. this is a pain in the ass to have a good quality joystick with 2 buttons working on Amstrad..
That is what is missing in the community..
Or maybe an adaptor to plug a playstation pad ..something like that

[MacDeath]

any one button "atari db9" joystick should work...

Master system, Megadrive (genesis), Amiga, Atatri ST and so on...
For the "2 buttons gx4000 compliant" don't hesitate to solder a few cables though.

Main issue is concerning US market : close to no MAster system...
Genesis sold well so it can be stapple source.
Nintendon't ! they always had shitty specific plugs so unless you re-cable fully, you won't go anywhere.

Not sure if Atari ST and Amiga500 sold as well and were as mainstream as in europe... but their joystick should work as well.
C64 too ?

[pelrun]

Nintendo didn't just use proprietary plugs, the data was transferred via clocked serial instead of exposing a key matrix. So definitely don't bother with them.


Edit: but thinking about it it'd be really simple to make a converter for them with a uC...

[Velktron]

The funny thing is that Famiclones actually use DB-9 connectors but with a specific wiring -only 5 wires are used- , and that somehow all Famiclones use the same wiring , effectively turning it into a de-facto official standard for an unofficial product 

In the golden age of home micros though, while there certainly were some good joysticks in the classic Atari format , like the various Greek Sticks, gamepads for the home computer and PC market  were few and far between - on the PC, the Gravis Gamepad was considered a kind of Holy Grail among gamers.

The type of joystick linked by the OP would be a BOTL model even back in the 80s -sadly that made it all too popular 

[TFM]

The Nintendo joystick I got  was similar. Had a 9 pin plug, but the cable only had 5 wires.

Wished I would have the time to follow @Guy0me 's advice.