The Arcade (joystick)
Encyclopedia
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
produced by Suzo International
Suzo
Suzo International was founded in 1955 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and supplies components and solutions for the amusement, gaming, casino, and vending industries....
on the European market. It distinguished itself from the competition because of its robust construction as the stick had a reinforced inside made of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and used microswitches for the controls
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
and fire buttons.
It was a home version of the joystick used by the professional gaming industry
Computer and video game industry
The video game industry is the economic sector involved with the development, marketing and sales of video games...
in many video arcade halls
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
across the world. It had an accurate response and is considered by many gamer
Gamer
Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing games and wargames. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games...
s as one of the best joysticks ever made.
The Arcade appeared in several variations:
- The Arcade Classic, without a fire button
- The Arcade, with just one fire button
- The Arcade Turbo, with two fire buttons (one on the base and one on the top of the stick)
- Prof Competition, with two fire buttons (two on the left and righthand side of the base)
- Prof Competition 9000, with three fire buttons (two on the lefthand and righthand side of the base and one on top of the stick)
- Prof Competition 9000 de luxe, with three fire buttons (two on the lefthand and righthand side of the base and one on top of the stick), and an adjustable rapid-fireTurbo buttonA turbo button refers to a button on a piece of electronic equipment, which makes the equipment run faster in some way. Although the name is based on that of a forced induction air compressor which makes a car go faster, automotive turbochargers are not manually operated, but are directly linked...
switch.
The digital joystick was suitable for most 8 bit and 16-bit home computer systems
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
such as MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amiga, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
.
Technical specifications
- 8-way stick (with 4 digital microswitches)
- fire button (not on all models, each fire button has its own microswitch)
- 9-pin DE-9 connector