Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-16
18:02:54
|  What's the best joystick for the Plus/4?
My joysticks on my Plus/4 computers are very old, I need replacements. What would you recommend as a friend has a joypad on his like on the NES console, so what joystick should I buy?
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-16
18:56:18
 | Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
I actually don't really know much on joysticks for our machines, I did have one (I can't remember) many years ago, but it was horribly bulky, flimsy and broke easily.
After that I was wise enough to buy a cheap adapter and use some half decent C64 joysticks.
You can pick them up cheaply enough in the Commodore16 dot com shop 
Edit: ah, I see in an earlier thread you already know about this. Someone might recommend a good C16/Plus4 stick, but any good ones I feel would be quite rare things nowadays. Aren't they?
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Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-16
19:07:31
| Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
THANKS baz a good C64 joystick would work through my adaptors when I get the new ones as the ones that came with my plus 4 computers are bust they don't work properly anymore on games too much time playing FIRE ANT and TOM THUMB all night but ill get some great joysticks I now have this joypad that looks like a nes pad but works on my c64 so when I get my adaptors it will work on my PLUS 4s and perfect for MR PUNIVERSE, TREASURE ISLAND and KIKSTART plus ill download some games here I never had this will be great!
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-16
19:14:29
| Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
I just looked in the hardware section here. It was the Magnum joystick I once had. It was a horrible piece of shit 
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Posted By
MIK
on 2014-09-17
07:03:15
 | Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
commodore69,
Unlike the C64 the C16 & Plus4 joyports are not shielded if a stick or pad is wired differently than that of a classic joystick. As an example, if you plug a Sega MegaDrive pad into a C16/Plus4 you will permanently damage the TED chip.
The best joysticks where you can't go wrong from the C64 side with C16/Plus4 are the Competition Pro and Zip Stick brands.
As well as using many other kinds of sticks I also use the Cheetah 125+ joysticks more times than not as they are much like the original Plus/4 joystick in feel. One purely for the C64 will be fine but if they have the double ended plugs being black and grey then there is a Resistors that needs bypassing for them to work 100% properly on C16/Plus4. The C64 version is named the Cheetah 125 which is fine out of the box, the double ended versions are the Cheetah 125+. If you ever plug the grey end in to a C16/Plus4 and start using the joystick then you may also damage your Plus/4 permanently.
There are many more people can recommend but it's better to be safe than sorry. If your are unsure then ask.
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Posted By
TMR
on 2014-09-17
08:23:29
 | Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
Since you're going down the adapter route, look for a Competition Pro or Zipstik; they may not be the cheapest option at the moment, but they're both responsive joysticks, should work without issue since the most complex versions only have autofire (make sure it's not one of the special Comp Pros with four buttons of course...) and they're built like a feckin' tank! i'm more a Zipstik bunny than anything, - there's about fifteen knocking about on work machines and for when i take machines to events - but i have a couple of Comp Pros as well.
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-17
09:02:39
| Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
I use a Konix Navigator. I find them extremely easy to use and very responsive.
It is a digital switch joystick though but so far have had no problems with my C16 after lots of use.
I'd definitely recommend it, but what's the chances of it causing any damage to my C16?
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Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-17
09:03:42
| Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
Thanks Baz and everyone else you are so kind!
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Posted By
MIK
on 2014-09-17
11:51:12
| Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
Baz,
As long as you don't have auto fire on max while at the very same time your mashing at the keyboard like a crazy lunatic to do the same thing in hope the C16 fires more shots than is possible your be fine. I think I said before a friend of a friend did this playing some game or other with that very stick and knocked out both joystick ports. I think he said he was playing Oblido or something like that,... like WTF.
Obviously TED could not take the beating of the joystick to keyboard pinging between each other on overload. It could happen to any stick I'm sure. Most people are not that stupid. Cost me a TED chip though, just so I could dump his copy of Room 10 on floppy for us. 
Your be fine as you have already proven for many years! 
I'm sure it's wired up the very same as the classic Konix 1986 which is like much like the Comp Pro and Zip Sticks, just yours has auto fire unlike the Konix 1986 version.
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Posted By
Gaia
on 2014-09-17
14:47:15
| Re: whats the best joystick for the plus 4?
Has anyone fancied the Kraft joystick (with adapter of course)?
http://www.robohara.com/?p=1032
It was magic. Kinda Atari 2600 joystick but then better.
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Posted By
commodore69
on 2014-09-17
20:28:32
| Re: What's the best joystick for the Plus/4?
I will say the joypad I have was designed to work on the Commodore 64, so with my new adaptors will work on the plus 4, but I wouldn't use a MEGA DRIVE pad. I think the SEGA pads cause problems, as a friend uses a MASTER SYSTEM pad on his plus 4, it works sometimes but not every game he plays! THANKS AGAIN!
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Posted By
MIK
on 2014-09-18
06:09:18
| Re: What's the best joystick for the Plus/4?
A pad designed to work on a C64? Do you know what it is, can you find a picture of if using google images so I can see?
If it's an Action Pad AM by Logic 3 there is a good chance that will work. The pad was originally made for the Amiga.
If it's a Technoplus Swift I wouldn't chance it as it may also support the Atari ST. All it takes is for 5 volts to be sent down the wrong wire on a C16/Plus4 and TED will be damaged.
Gaia,
I'm going by memory. I thought the stick was a bit loose or rather the left to right angle was more than the average stick? I like a good stick lol, sadly that Kraft one it not for me.
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Posted By
bszggg
on 2014-09-18
16:18:06
| Re: What's the best joystick for the Plus/4?
Én is KRAFT joystick "hívő" vagyok..
Azért szeretem, mert a karnak kicsi a tömege, és emiatt ideális ügyességi játékokhoz,
és ezekből több van, mint repülőszimulátorból.
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2014-09-18
19:49:29
| Re: What's the best joystick for the Plus/4?
I'll take your word for it then MIK. Some people tend to play games like it's a sex organ 
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