The right Joystick
Over the last few years I have tested many different joysticks from many different manufacturers. These nine joysticks in the photo are just the ones I’ve looked at and tried out over the last few months.
I have been playing arcade games for almost 40 years now and in my experience a good joystick has the following features:
- It is not too long and not too short
- It fits well in the hand and is comfortable to use
- The reaction path is as short as possible
- The tension is low enough so that it can be moved easily
- But it has enough tension to return to the center quickly and precisely
And it is precisely these requirements that quickly become a problem, as they sometimes contradict each other. For example, you need a stronger spring and greater tension so that the joystick quickly and precisely returns to its original position without moving in the opposite direction. And a joystick with a very short reaction path will move to the opposite direction even faster when it moves back to the center and therefore needs an even stronger spring or another approach to prevent this.
Some manufacturers achieve this by keeping the distance between the axis of the joystick and the buttons as small as possible. In some cases, these buttons are even slightly pressed in, but not to the point of contact. However, this requires very precise manufacturing and this usually makes the joysticks more expensive.
Other manufacturers take advantage of the lever travel and simply position the buttons further away from the top plate. This means that the joystick has to be moved less at the top in order to cover a greater distance at the bottom. This makes production cheaper, but the joysticks are longer and do not fit into a flat housing.
The worst cheap joystick I’ve ever tested
You can often get this joystick for less than $5 each. However, it’s much easier to just throw the money away or burn it. In the end, you achieve the same thing. The game controls are so imprecise that demanding games are unplayable. If you see this joystick anywhere, don’t buy it!
As you can clearly see, the spring has so little tension that the joystick wobbles loosely back and forth and remains crooked even outside the center position.
The manufacturing is so poor that there is a lot of space between the axis and the switches. This leads to an increased reaction path and an unnecessarily long reaction time.
The best cheap joystick I’ve ever tested
You can get this joystick on AliExpress for under $15. I bought it here and I’m super happy with it. The dealer shipped the joystick quickly and the joystick works great out of the box. No modifications are necessary. The controls are fast and precise and the spring is perfectly chosen. You can get this joystick cheaper from other retailers, but then the square insert that can be seen in the photo is missing. And that is a crucial part of the precision of this joystick.
This joystick is robust and precise and does not move even a tenth of a millimeter from the center.
The axis touches the buttons and every movement of the joystick, no matter how small, is transmitted directly.