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Joysticks

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Looking for CoCo help? If you are trying to do something with your old Color Computer, read this quick reference. Want to contribute to this wiki? Be sure to read this first. This CoCo wiki project was started on October 29, 2004. --OS-9 Al

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This page was last updated on 09/19/2024. Total Pages: 744. Total Files: 994.


Home / Hardware - Joysticks


CoCo users used two main joystick types: CoCo-native joysticks and (via adapters) joysticks intended for Atari and other machines that used Atari-compatible joystick ports. The market for Atari-compatible joysticks (and the adapters to use them) was significant among CoCo owners because of the perceived shortcomings of the original standard CoCo joystick - the "Black Beauty".

CoCo-native joysticks came in two generations: those that had 5-pin DIN connectors (and thus could support only one fire button), and those that had six-pin DIN connectors (and could support two fire buttons). As a way to ease the transition it wanted CoCo owners to make to its line of "IBM-Compatible" MS-DOS computers, and as a way to create an exclusive accessory market for itself, Tandy made its 1000-series PCs have CoCo-style joystick ports and able to use CoCo joysticks. But because those joysticks were not specifically labeled as such, many Tandy 1000 owners who picked up a joystick for their PC at their local Radio Shack were no doubt oblivious to the fact that they had just bought CoCo joysticks!

List of Joysticks
Name Cat. No.* Brand Buttons Stick Type First Ad Year Price Notes
Joystick 26-3008 Radio Shack 1 Loose. Metal, then plastic "Black Beauty", sold in pairs
Joystick 26-3008 Tandy 1 Loose. Plastic "Black Beauty", sold in pairs
Joystick 10-1200 TDP 1 Loose. Plastic "Black Beauty", sold in pairs
Deluxe Joystick 26-3012 TRS-80 1 Springback/Switchable
Deluxe Joystick 26-3012 Tandy 2 Springback/Switchable
Pistol Grip Joystick 26-3123 Tandy 2* Springback *2 on stick, 2 on base
CoCo-150 Flight Sim Yoke Alban Scientific Rainbow Apr 85 1985 49.95
ComMander Deluxe Comrex 2* 1988 29.95 *2 on right, 2 on left
Altai Joystick DR-2B Altai
Mach II Hayes
Spectrum Stick Spectrum Projects Rainbow Sept 82 1982 39.95
MAXX Flight Control Yoke 900-2176 MAXX 2 1991 Software Buyers Guide p. 71 1991 99.95
Mark VI Competition Joystick 900-2380 Advanced Gravis Rainbow March 89 1989 59.95
Endicott Joystick Endicott Rainbow Oct 82 1982 18.95
JARB Dual Joystick Unit JARB
PBH Joystick PBH 1 HOT CoCo Jun 84 1984 49.95 "Only the fire button moves!"
PBH Cordless Joystick PBH HOT CoCo Jun 84 1984 99.95 "Coming Soon!"
270-9207 Archer 2 Springback/Switchable Tandy/IBM ports, switch select
TechDungeon 2 Ball on springback short stick TechDungeon Etsy store Archive 2024 49.50 New/current, Sanwa-style, red or black
BT RetroMods 2 Ball on springback short stick Etsy store 2024 79.95 Many button/ball color options

Feature Articles

Y=Year, M=Month, P=Page
Title Device / Program Author Magazine Y M P
Build Your Own Joystick DIY Lalo Martinez HOT CoCo 85 02 26
The Joystick Fix-It Radio Shack Joystick, Stik Fix John G. Williams The Rainbow 85 08 226
The Old Switcheroo DIY Joystick Switchbox Mark Haverstock The Rainbow 86 08 108
The Quick Joystick Fix Deluxe Joystick Bruce W. Goshorn The Rainbow 86 08 116
Joy for Joysticks Joystick Check-Out Richard S. Ellis The Rainbow 87 08 91
The Old Switcheroo II High-Res Joystick Interface, DIY Joystick Switchbox Mark Haverstock The Rainbow 88 08 120
Are Your Joysticks Dead or Alive? Joystick Checker Trevor Boehm The Rainbow 93 03 01

Reviews

Y=Year, M=Month, P=Page
Title Joystick(s) Author Magazine Y M P
This Joystick Package is First Rate JARB Dual Joystick Unit The Rainbow 82 08 25
Two New Joysticks Are Big Improvement Spectrum Stick, Endicott Joystick Jim Reed The Rainbow 82 10 112
Spectrum Stick: Color Computer Joystick Spectrum Stick David H. Ahl Creative Computing 83 02 127
Review Kraft, Radio Shack, Wico, Spectrum, Endicott, JARB Carlos Calle 80 Micro 83 03 53
Jockeying to be the First in the Joystick Race Dragon Data, Radio Shack, Microdeal/Midwich/Clare, Talon, Dragon Dungeon, Cascom Clive Gifford Dragon User 83 06 17
Hayes Mach II Joystick Is A First-Class Performer Mach II Ed Ellers The Rainbow 83 11 244
A2D Deluxe Joystick: What More Could You Ask? Cinsoft A2D Deluxe Joystick Stanley Townsend The Rainbow 86 08 150