SlowCoder Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I've had a little more time to play my Ataris lately. Really, it's actually testing time after I've reuilt them. They need a good 2 days of play for thorough testing, right? Anyway, as I was testing, I got to thinking about which controllers I liked to play with best. I've had a nice set of CX10s, original 1977 joysticks, and CX40s, the updated version that came with the Light-6 and later. Recently I got a Slik Stik and a GemStick. I've been play-testing with each of them in turn, and got a bit serious with Missile Command (top 5 of my favorites). Yada yada yada ... On with my review: Atari CX10 This being the original of originals when it comes to the Atari 2600 makes it awesome by default. I found it quite easy to use, and where direction is concerned, pretty responsive. You can tell the internal springs are doing their jobs. A good thing is that you can pretty well tell when you've reached the end of the travel. It has quite a long travel compared to the newer CX40, and the button needs to be depressed quite a bit before it will register. Response: 3 out of 5 (very long stick/button travel) Comfort: 3 out of 5 (Long travel causes muscle fatigue after extended play) Wear: 5 out of 5 (Excellently built) Atari CX40 As an update to the CX10, it does a pretty good job. However, I've found that, unlike the CX10, these are more likely to wear out faster. This is due to the base of the internal plastic stick flexing as the controller is used. When you reach the end of the stick's travel, there isn't a whole lot of resistance, so it is very easy to overflex and bend the stick base. But if you can find a stick that is lightly used, it can be quite responsive, and twitch control is better. Atari also fixed the travel on button the so it doesn't need to be deeply depressed to register. Response: 4 out of 5 (as long as the stick is not worn out) Comfort: 4 out of 5 (as long as stick isn't worn out, less travel makes less work) Wear: 2 out of 5 (tendency to overflex stick base) Slik Stik The Slik Stik is a smaller, more ergonomic controller. It is excellent in twitch response due to the very short travel on the stick, and the reduced travel on the button. What I didn't like about it was the itty-bitty button, and the very short stick. If they'd lengthened it another 1/2 inch it could be much better. I have medium/large hands and I found that holding the controller was a little more cumbersome, though not totally uncomfortable. Response: 5 out of 5 (excellent twitch response) Comfort: 2 out of 5 (small controller, small stick and button) Wear: 4 out of 5 (sturdy stick overall) GemStick I played with this for a while, and was not happy. Maybe mine is just worn out, but the stick travel was about as bad as on the CX10, and it had the travel resistance of the CX40, which wasn't much. But the controller is larger overall, so it fit pretty comfortably in my hand. Response: 2 out of 5 (very long stick travel) Comfort: 5 out of 5 (fits well in my hands) Wear: 2 out of 5 (tendency to overflex stick base) Overall Scores: CX10 - 3.67 CX40 - 3.33 Slik Stik - 3.67 GemStick - 3.0 My Play Preference: Slik Stik CX40 (when not worn out) CX10 GemStick 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nateo Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Interesting reviews. Have you tried the Wico Command Control? That one is my favorite vintage joystick (my favorite joystick is, of course, the one I custom made for myself ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Interesting reviews. Have you tried the Wico Command Control? That one is my favorite vintage joystick (my favorite joystick is, of course, the one I custom made for myself ) No, I haven't managed to lay my hands on one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nateo Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 It's definitely worth seeking out! If I had an extra, I'd totally sell you one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtshark7 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Nice Review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 (edited) From your review I have a feeling you will like my favorite controller. The TAC-2 was made by Suncom like the Slik Stik. The internals function the same so it is basically a bigger Slik Stik with two buttons. Your only problems with the Slik Stik was it's button and stick size. The TAC-2 has a bigger button and a bigger stick. Edited July 18, 2011 by Schizophretard 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 From your review I have a feeling you will like my favorite controller. The TAC-2 was made by Suncom like the Slik Stik. The internals function the same so it is basically a bigger Slik Stik with two buttons. Your only problems with the Slik Stik was it's button and stick size. The TAC-2 has a bigger button and a bigger stick. +1'd I tried to grab a couple of those baddies a few weeks ago, but they ended up going way high. The looked to be in great condition, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 To firm up your Gemsticks, open them up and glue thin washers over the screw towers under the board. This raises the board slightly and improves response time while reducing throw. I go about a 1/16 to 1/8 inch tops. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 (edited) They made a stick called the last starfighter. It is basically a slik stik without the ball top... its actually my preferred stick. The Tac-2 gives me bad hand cramps. EDIT: If you have an issue with the fire button, in which I ran into both with my Slik-Stik and my Last Starfighter stick... the metal that they use for the fire button gets corroded. Just wrap that piece of metal with aluminum foil. Works like a champ, and its a tad more responsive. Edited July 18, 2011 by keilbaca 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Every Slik Stik and Tac-2 I've ever owned, even brand new back in the day - all have had contact issues. Even after a good cleaning. Doesn't recognize every single button push or joystick movement all the time. I like the looks of 'em though, so I've kept 'em around all these years. Thanks for the aluminum foil tip Keilbaca! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Interesting review. I'm a CX-40 man. I've never found a satisfactory alternative. I've never had a Slick Stick though. I've tried a CX-10, Gemstick, and Tac-2, and at least half a dozen others, and disliked them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 To firm up your Gemsticks, open them up and glue thin washers over the screw towers under the board. This raises the board slightly and improves response time while reducing throw. I go about a 1/16 to 1/8 inch tops. I'll give this a try when I have a little time. Thanks for this tip. I guess this same thing could be done with CX40s too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 To firm up your Gemsticks, open them up and glue thin washers over the screw towers under the board. This raises the board slightly and improves response time while reducing throw. I go about a 1/16 to 1/8 inch tops. I'll give this a try when I have a little time. Thanks for this tip. I guess this same thing could be done with CX40s too. I've done this on a few cx40's as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 From your review I have a feeling you will like my favorite controller. The TAC-2 was made by Suncom like the Slik Stik. The internals function the same so it is basically a bigger Slik Stik with two buttons. Your only problems with the Slik Stik was it's button and stick size. The TAC-2 has a bigger button and a bigger stick. +1'd I tried to grab a couple of those baddies a few weeks ago, but they ended up going way high. The looked to be in great condition, though. If you get one on ebay don't let them use untested as an excuse. All one needs to do to see if they could possibly work is to move the joystick around to see if metal is making contact with metal. I bought one that felt all loose because the ball inside was broke off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 To firm up your Gemsticks, open them up and glue thin washers over the screw towers under the board. This raises the board slightly and improves response time while reducing throw. I go about a 1/16 to 1/8 inch tops. I have to try that. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 They made a stick called the last starfighter. It is basically a slik stik without the ball top... its actually my preferred stick. The Tac-2 gives me bad hand cramps. EDIT: If you have an issue with the fire button, in which I ran into both with my Slik-Stik and my Last Starfighter stick... the metal that they use for the fire button gets corroded. Just wrap that piece of metal with aluminum foil. Works like a champ, and its a tad more responsive. I like that one as well. They also have one called a Blaster. As far as I can tell it is a Slik Stik with a different label but I haven't opened it up yet to see. Good tip. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigErn Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) Great reviews! I always wanted the CX-10, but after reading about the travel time, I opted for the Slik Stik. I couldn't be happier, It's definitely my new favorite. I have the Wico Command Control, but I'm not a fan. However, On the inside of the Slik Stik, there seems to be Vaseline coating the steel ball and contacts. Is this normal? The screws are all worn down, so someone's been in there... Edited August 13, 2011 by BigErn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmetal88 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I'd be curious to hear your opinions on the Epyx stick: It's one of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 I'd be curious to hear your opinions on the Epyx stick: It's one of my favorites. Send me one and maybe I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianC Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 If the Epyx stick is anything like the NES one, it has a nice click to it, but the button is in an odd place and it's terrible with diagonals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Nice reviews, and I can see your preference for the Slik Stik over the others. This one isn't too bad either: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amstari Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Great review! I have several CX40s and there is a big difference between them when it comes to travel. I'm so used to them having some travel that when I use one in good condition it feels strange. I want to do the microswitch mod to the one them http://www.atariage....600-controllers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmetal88 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I'd be curious to hear your opinions on the Epyx stick: It's one of my favorites. Send me one and maybe I will. Maybe if I had two of 'em. I only have one though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmetal88 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 If the Epyx stick is anything like the NES one, it has a nice click to it, but the button is in an odd place and it's terrible with diagonals. I haven't seen the NES one, but the Atari version I have has you grip the base, and has the button right where your index finger naturally rests. Diagonals can be a little awkward with it, but I wouldn't say they're terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I'd be curious to hear your opinions on the Epyx stick: It's one of my favorites. I had high hopes for that, but it gave me hand cramps. I took it back to the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.