What's your favourite Joystick.

[Bryce]

Especially if you are lefthanded

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

Especially if you are lefthanded

Bryce.

Wasn't there a left-hand version?


But, no matter, I think joysticks are not really fit only for right- or left-handed people, except for a very few, specialised designs. Like a left-handed footballer is not limited to his left foot, same with joysticks. Just think of the arcades - others had the buttons on the left of the stick, some on the right... and you could play them both equally well (well, I could).

[Bryce]

My best friend was left handed. He complained about the CX40 because the button was on the wrong side for him. He couldn't use the Konix Speedking at all. Only Joysticks like the Competition Pro / Cheetah 125+ that had mirrored fire buttons could be used or where the fire button was on the top of the stick, but I ended up modding one of the CX40s so that the fire button was on the other side (I just swapped the leads to the four directions, to turn it 90°). I don't think there was a lefthanded Speedking released though.

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

IIRC this is just a reverse placebo effect. There's no reason you can't use a leftie stick if you're right-handed and vice versa. It's not like one function requires more dexterity than the other. But, left handed people usually expect to be worse off if they use a 'standard' tool.


I'm sure we got a few lefties in here that could weigh in, though really, can't we all play games with either type of joystick - or at least, weren't we able until we chose one and became accustomed to it?

[Devlin]

IIRC this is just a reverse placebo effect. There's no reason you can't use a leftie stick if you're right-handed and vice versa. It's not like one function requires more dexterity than the other. But, left handed people usually expect to be worse off if they use a 'standard' tool.


I'm sure we got a few lefties in here that could weigh in, though really, can't we all play games with either type of joystick - or at least, weren't we able until we chose one and became accustomed to it?

Yo, lefty here.
I have never had any problems using a speedking but with a lot of other joysticks I find that I don't last long before getting very uncomfortable..

[Gryzor]

Yo, lefty here.
I have never had any problems using a speedking but with a lot of other joysticks I find that I don't last long before getting very uncomfortable..

...then again I guess that's the case with all of us, with most joysticks?


Thanks for the input!

[Carnivius]

I'm mostly right handed but found the Speedking extremely uncomfortable to use due to the shape and fire button placement.  Friend of mine had one and it seemed great for him but when he'd want 2 player games on his Amiga I was quite happy to take one of my various Cheetah's to his house (and sometimes my Amiga 1200 itself for those few link up games, hehe the days before internets)

[Gryzor]

I'm mostly right handed but found the Speedking extremely uncomfortable to use due to the shape and fire button placement.  Friend of mine had one and it seemed great for him but when he'd want 2 player games on his Amiga I was quite happy to take one of my various Cheetah's to his house (and sometimes my Amiga 1200 itself for those few link up games, hehe the days before internets)

I didn't have one back in the day but I got one a couple of years back and tried it. My hands are larger now but it seemed quite uncomfortable, and I think if your palms get sweaty you got no chance...

[Bryce]

Last night I was dis-assembling some of the Joysticks, including one I hadn't mentioned above. It's a no-name "baseless" Joystick. Other than the age-giveaway "Made in West Germany" on the side, there's no other branding.

It looks like this one (although the rubber suction cup is missing on mine):
[attach=2]


Now lately, I've been buying childrens toys for our latest addition to the family and have been bombarded by warnings about sharp edges, small parts, "Not for children under 3", lead based paint from our eastern budget manufacturers etc... Then I go and open this joystick and it's packed full of flimsey (glass) mercury switches, in a plastic case that would fall apart if a child stood on it. Haven't times changed. Imagine trying to get this masterpiece of engineering certified today...and somehow we all survived our childhoods anyway.

Bryce.

[Carnivius]

Haven't times changed. Imagine trying to get this masterpiece of engineering certified today...and somehow we all survived our childhoods anyway.

Ah, we were just tougher kids back then.  Is why we didn't feel the need to go around 'proving it' like kids these days. 

[Gryzor]

Ah! I've seen this joystick; a nice idea, but I doubt it works well.


Glass-mercury switches? Come on, this is really criminal. It's not like they didn't know about mercury back then! That said, you can't imagine the nonsense prevailing in toy (and child-related) designing and manufacturing. Sometimes, I swear, I think they should just outlaw human stupidity instead.

[Executioner]

My favourite joystick wasn't the Speed King, but the other Konix.. The Navigator.

[Gryzor]

Is it really better, ergonomically-speaking?

[Bryce]

My friend used to have a Navigator, I just couldn't get used to the way you had to hold it, it was an unnatural position.

Bryce.

[Executioner]

My friend used to have a Navigator, I just couldn't get used to the way you had to hold it, it was an unnatural position.

Interestingly I found the way you had to hold the Speed King completely unnatural and I couldn't use the fire buttons properly. The only problem I had with the navigator was that I broke both of mine (the fire button broke in half).