A joystick is the device used to navigate through a video game.

Joysticks have evolved greatly since their origin, including the innovation of the joypad, which is the typical videogame controller today. There are many different types of joysticks, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

1. History
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The first joystick was actually created for controlling airplanes in the 1940s and later for controlling model airplanes. It began to be used in video games in 1967 when the Magnavox Odyssey videogame console was invented.

Significance
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Joysticks, including joypads, are a necessity for playing videogame consoles and certain types of computer games. The evolution of joysticks has greatly increased a user's ability to control a video game and maneuver through the interfaces and menus.

Function
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Joysticks connect to a computer or game console. Once the game starts, the joystick controls can be customized to the preference of the player. From then on, all actions in the game are controlled by the joystick.

Types
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There are three primary types of joysticks, each with modifications based on the brand name and game console: the standard joystick, the joypad and the arcade stick. Standard joysticks are generally used for flight games and simulations, which is close to what they were originally intended for; joypads, which are the default joysticks for game consoles, are good for a variety of games because the versatility of the design; and arcade sticks are modeled on the controls of arcade games and used for games that require simultaneous button pressing, like fighting games.

Features
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All joysticks have two sets of controls: one for moving the the characters or objects in different directions and buttons to execute certain actions. Standard joysticks are used primarily with one hand on the steering stick; arcade sticks have one hand on a smaller version of the steering stick and the other hand pressing the buttons, usually with a different finger; and joypads are held with two hands, but the buttons and directional pad or analog stick are controlled with the thumbs instead of an entire hand.

Identification
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Standard joysticks and arcade sticks feture a large shaft that can move in all directions from the base and buttons spread around the base. Joypads generally have a directional pad, with arrows pointing in all directions, and there are several more buttons for executing actions; however, many joypads now have analog sticks, which is a smaller version of the sticks of joysticks that can be used with a thumb.

Misconceptions
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For years, videogame joysticks have been said to be the cause of carpal tunnel and other similar injuries in kids. However, there is evidence that suggests that this may not be the case. Nevertheless, there is still concern that using joysticks can increase the chances of various hand injuries.

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Introduction to joysticks
There have been many different types of game controllers used in the history of computer games. The most popular controller hase been joystick, which is simple a box with button and stick to control the motion in the game. But there have been many types of joysticks and I try to clear out some facts in this introduction part. Different joystick types Digital Joysticks The most common joystick type in home computers have been Atari-style digital joysticks. Those joysticks are calle after Atari, because this joystick type was first introduced in Atari 2600 videogame and then adopted to the home computers introduced on ever since (VIC 20,Commodore 64, Amiga, MSX-computers and even Sinclair Spectrum joystick adapters used this joystick type). The joystick itself consisted of five whiched which are arranged to that four of them told about the joystick direction (UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT) and one was for fire button. The joystick connector was 9 pin D-shell connector. Normally all of those whiches are open, but when joystick is turned from the center position, one or two position whiched are closed (according to what direction the stick is turned). The fire button worked so that it closes when button is pressed. All of the swiches are connected between ground and corresponding signal pin of the joystick connector. The nicest thing is that those joysticks were standard and there were joysticks available from many manufactureers. Unfortunatelu most of those joysticks broke down quite fast (especially very popula types manufactured by Quickshot) because switches and mechanics were made cheaply. Paddle controllers Paddle controller is a simple controller which consists of one knob which is used to control the game. Paddle controllers were used in videogames since the first TV-games to control the racket on the screen. Paddle controllers use analogue principle for control, and they simply consist of one potentiometer and button in one controller. The analogue information from potentiometer has to be converted to digital for in order the computer to use that information. Nowadays it would be done with Analogue to Digital converters, but ten to fifteen years ago those things were hard to get, hard to use and expensive. So home computer manufacturers needed a simpler and less expensive alternative. The answer was to convert the potentiometer position to pulse width information which can be easily conveted to numbers using counter chip or simple software loop. This was cheap, but not very accurate method, especially when software loop was used for measurement. Analogue Joysticks Analogue joysticks were like a combination of ideas of both joystick and paddle. The idea was that potentiometers were used to measure the movement of tick (instead of swiches like in digital joystick). Digital joystick made is possible to have more accurate control, which was needed in flight simulator programs. Analogue joysticks have been used in Apple, Amiga and IBM PC, which only had analogue joystick inputs.

Analogue joysticks are not so standardized as digital ones. Each manufacurer had it's own specifications of the stick and their own connector model.

PC analogue joystick interface

Nowadays the most common analogue joystick type is PC analogue joystick. This joystick model was presented by IBM together with their first IBM PC computer. The joystick is just a basic analogue joystick with two buttons. The original joystick interface had circuit for connecting two joysticks, but had only one joystick connector. A special Y-cable was needed if there was need for two joysticks at the same time. Later time some manufacturers put two connectors to their interface card and some card manufacturers implemented only one joystick input. Fortunately most of the card nowadays have option for two joysticks like the original IBM joystick card. The joystick interface card was designed to be as simple and cheap as possible. The card consisted only of bus interface electronics and four monostable multivibrators (all in on 558 chip). Those monostable multivibrators were simple timer circuits which put out a pulse with width directly proportional to the joystick resistance value. The pulse width was then measured using software loop. This has caused anormous amounts of problems to game programmers when computers have become faster and faster all the time. On faster machines, the joystick routine in the software does not read the joystick signal properly resulting in a timing problems. Some dedicated joystick cards are designed to vary the joystick signal so the software can properly detect the joystick and process the data. The joystick consists of two potentiometers with variable resistance value between 0 Ohm and 100 kohm (in some joysticks up to 150 kohm). The potentiometer resistances have the minimum values when the joystick is at the top left position. One end of the potentiometer is connected to +5V pin and the center pin is connected top the analogue input of the joystick. The other end of the potentiometer is left not connected to anywhere. There are two commonly used ways how PC analogue joystick stick mechanism is constructed. Some joystick convert the stick position to linear motion, whcih then changes the position of the slider in about 100 kohm linear potentiometer. More popular construction is to use normal axial potentiometers and the joystick movement directly turns those potentiometers. Some joystick used special 100 kohm potentiometer which can only turn that 60..90 degrees which joytick can turn. The more common construction is to use the standard 470 kohm (lin) 270 degree potentiomer and use about one fourth of the scale from the beginning (in this way getting 0..120 kohm value range). Usually those potentiometers are normal carbon slider potentimeters which do not last long in intense gaming.

Joysticks were originally used in helicopters and other modes of aviation. When flight simulators were developed, joysticks naturally went along for the ride to make the simulation more realistic. Since then, joysticks have become the most popular form of game controllers for arcade games as well as home video game consoles.

1. Digital Joysticks

Atari 2600 Joystick

Digital joysticks are the most common joysticks used for PCs, employing simple left, right, up, down and firing commands. They are also called "Atari-style" digital joysticks, since they were first implemented with the Atari 2600 video game system.

2. Paddle Joysticks

Atari Paddle Joystick

Paddle joysticks consist of one knob used to control the game and one firing button. This is one of the oldest joysticks, as it was first introduced with the very first home video game consoles.

3. Analog Joysticks

Dual Analog Joystick

Analog joysticks combine both concepts presented in the digital and paddle joysticks; they control the game like a digital joystick, but also use potentiometers to measure the movements like the paddle joysticks.

4. PC Analog Joysticks

USB Joystick

IBM first presented this joystick with their personal computer. It's a simple analog-styled joystick with multiple buttons that usually connects via an USB port.

5. Joypads

NES Controller

Joypads are joysticks without the sticks. Instead, they employ a directional pad (D-pad) to control the game. Joypads are considered a bit primitive, but they are still featured among the current video game controllers.

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