Editing Joystick (section)

===Electronic games===
[[File:Ch products mach 2 joystick.jpg|thumb|CH Products Mach II analog joystick for Apple II computers. The small knobs are for (mechanical) calibration, and the sliders engage the self-centering springs.]]

[[Ralph H. Baer]], inventor of the [[Magnavox Odyssey]] console, released in 1972, created the first video game joysticks in 1967.  They were able to control the horizontal and vertical position of a spot displayed on a screen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/1107/video-games-turn-forty|title=Video Games Turn Forty|last=Edwards|first=Benj|date=2007-05-15|website=vintagecomputing.com (originally published at [[1UP.com]])|access-date=2019-08-27}}</ref> The earliest known [[electronic game]] joystick with a fire [[Push-button|button]] was released by [[Sega]] as part of their 1969 [[arcade game]] ''[[Arcade game#Electro-mechanical games|Missile]]'', a [[Shooter game|shooter]] [[simulation game]] that used it as part of an early [[Dual analog control|dual-control]] scheme, where two [[D-pad|directional buttons]] are used to move a motorized tank and a two-way joystick is used to shoot and steer the missile onto oncoming planes displayed on the screen; when a plane is hit, an explosion is animated on screen along with an explosion sound.<ref name="Missile">{{KLOV game|10600|Missile}}</ref> In 1970,<ref>{{KLOV game|5190|S.A.M.I.}}</ref> the game was released in North America as ''S.A.M.I.'' by [[Midway Games]].<ref name="Missile"/>

[[Taito]] released a four-way joystick as part of their arcade [[racing video game]] ''[[List of Taito games|Astro Race]]'' in 1973,<ref>{{KLOV game|6949|Astro Race}}</ref> while their 1975 [[multidirectional shooter]] ''[[Gun Fight|Western Gun]]'' introduced [[Dual analog control|dual-stick]] controls with one eight-way joystick for movement and the other for changing the shooting direction. In North America, it was released by Midway under the title ''[[Gun Fight]]''.<ref name=Kotaku>Stephen Totilo, [http://kotaku.com/5626466/in-search-of-the-first-video-game-gun In Search Of The First Video Game Gun], [[Kotaku]]</ref> In 1976, Taito released ''[[List of Taito games|Interceptor]]'', an early [[First-person shooter|first-person]] [[Combat flight simulation game|combat flight simulator]] that involved piloting a [[Fighter aircraft|jet fighter]], using an eight-way joystick to aim with a crosshair and shoot at enemy aircraft.<ref>{{KLOV game|8195|Interceptor}}</ref>

[[Image:Numbered DE9 Diagram.svg|thumb|right|Computer port view of the Atari standard connector: '''1.''' up, '''2.''' down, '''3.''' left, '''4.''' right, '''5.''' ([[potentiometer|pot]] y),{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} '''6.''' fire button, '''7.''' +5&nbsp;V DC,{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} '''8.''' [[Ground (electricity)|ground]], '''9.''' (pot x).{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/06/22/custom-atari-car-seat-joystick/|title=Joyride to Joystick: Atari Controller Custom-Built from a Car Seat Adjuster|author=Jamie Rigg|publisher=[[Engadget]]|date=22 June 2012|access-date=15 September 2015}}</ref>]]

The [[Atari CX40 joystick]], developed for the 1977 [[Atari 2600|Atari Video Computer System]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/156711-evolution-of-video-game-controllers-leading-to-ps4-and-xbox-one|title=Shoulder Buttons of Giants: The Evolution of Controllers Leading Up to PS4 and Xbox One|author=Grant Brunner|publisher=[[ExtremeTech]]|date=27 May 2013|access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref> is a digital controller with a single fire button. The [[Atari joystick port]] was for many years the ''de facto'' standard digital joystick specification. Joysticks were commonly used as controllers in [[First generation of video game consoles|first]] and [[Second generation of video game consoles|second generation]] [[Video game console|game consoles]], but they gave way to the familiar [[game pad]] with the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and [[Master System]] during the mid-1980s, though joysticks—especially arcade-style ones—were and are popular after-market add-ons for any console.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/01/masterpiece-the-nes-advantagegods-own-controller/|title=Masterpiece: The NES Advantage—God's own controller|work=Ars Technica|access-date=2018-10-02|language=en-us}}</ref>

In 1985, Sega's [[Third-person shooter|third-person]] arcade [[rail shooter]] game ''[[Space Harrier]]'' featured a true analog flight stick, used for movement. The joystick could register movement in any direction as well as measure the degree of push, which could move the [[player character]] at different speeds depending on how far the joystick was pushed in a certain direction.<ref>[http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/906/906935p2.html Space Harrier Retrospective], [[IGN]]</ref>

A variation of the joystick is the rotary joystick. It is a type of joystick-knob hybrid, where the joystick can be moved in various direction while at the same time being able to rotate the joystick. It is mainly used in arcade [[shoot 'em up]] games, to control both the player's eight-directional movement and the gun's 360-degree direction.<ref name="Continue">{{cite magazine |title=「怒」を作った男 |trans-title=The Man Who Made "Ikari" |magazine=[[:ja:CONTINUE (雑誌)|Continue]] |date=March 2001 |lang=ja |url=http://shmuplations.com/snkgoldenage/}}</ref><ref name="CVG">{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action: Tank |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 January 1986 |issue=52 (February 1986) |page=51 |url=https://www.solvalou.com/arcade/reviews/45/351}}</ref> It was introduced by [[SNK]], initially with the tank shooter ''[[TNK III]]'' (1985) before it was popularized by the [[run and gun video game]] ''[[Ikari Warriors]]'' (1986).<ref name="Continue"/> SNK later used rotary joystick controls in arcade games such as ''[[Guerrilla War (video game)|Guerrilla War]]'' (1987).<ref name="RePlay">{{cite magazine |title=Bustin' Out: SNK's ''Beast Busters'' dedicated video gun game makes its mark |magazine=RePlay |date=February 1990 |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=61–2 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-14-issue-no.-5-february-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2014%2C%20Issue%20No.%205%20-%20February%201990/page/61}}</ref>

A distinct variation of an analog joystick is a [[Light gun#Positional guns|positional gun]], which works differently from a [[light gun]]. Instead of using light sensors, a positional gun is essentially an analog joystick mounted in a fixed location that records the position of the gun to determine where the player is aiming on the screen.<ref>{{citation|title=Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology|author=Morgan McGuire & Odest Chadwicke Jenkins|publisher=[[A K Peters, Ltd.]]|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56881-305-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|access-date=2011-04-03|page=408|quote=Light guns, such as the NES Zapper or those used in the ''House of the Dead'' series, are distinctly different from positional guns used by arcade games such as SEGA's Gunblade NY. ... Light guns differ from positional guns, such as in Gunblade NY (bottom), that are essentially analog joysticks. ... Positional guns are essentially analog sticks mounted in a fixed location with respect to the screen. Light guns, in contrast, have no fixed a priori relationship with a display.}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Advances in Multimedia Information Processing-PCM 2005: 6th Pacific-Rim Conference on Multimedia, Jeju Island, Korea|date=November 13–16, 2005|author=Yo-Sung Ho & Hyoung Joong Kim|publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Science & Business]]|isbn=3-540-30040-6|page=688|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-KQDQ0BtG4C&pg=PA688|access-date=2011-04-03|quote=The two routes to conventional gun control are light guns and positional guns. Light guns are the most common for video game systems of any type. They work optically with screen and do not keep track of location on the screen until the gun is fired. When the gun is fired, the screen blanks for a moment, and the optics in the gun register where on the screen the gun is aimed. That information is sent to the computer, which registers the shot. ... Positional guns are mounted stationary on the arcade cabinet with the ability to aim left/right and up/down. They function much like joysticks, which maintain a known location on screen at all times and register the current location when fired.}}</ref> It is often used for [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[Light gun shooter|gun games]], with early examples including [[Sega]]'s ''[[Light gun shooter#History|Sea Devil]]'' in 1972;<ref>{{KLOV game|10632|Sea Devil}}</ref> [[Taito]]'s ''[[Light gun shooter#History|Attack]]'' in 1976;<ref>{{KLOV game|6971|Attack}}</ref> ''[[Light gun shooter#History|Cross Fire]]'' in 1977;<ref>{{KLOV game|7443|Cross Fire}}</ref> and [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[Light gun shooter#History|Battle Shark]]'' in 1978.<ref>{{KLOV game|7050|Battle Shark}}</ref>

[[File:Joystick Cyborg 3D Gold.png|upright|thumb|[[Saitek]]'s Cyborg 3D Gold around the 2000s. Note its throttle, its extra buttons, and its hat switch.]]

During the 1990s, joysticks such as the CH Products Flightstick, [[Advanced Gravis Computer Technology|Gravis Phoenix]], [[Microsoft SideWinder#Precision Pro 1995|Microsoft SideWinder]], [[Logitech]] WingMan, and [[Thrustmaster|Thrustmaster FCS]] were in demand with PC gamers. They were considered a prerequisite for flight simulators such as ''[[Falcon (video game series)|F-16 Fighting Falcon]]'' and ''[[LHX Attack Chopper]]''. Joysticks became especially popular with the mainstream success of [[space flight simulator game]]s like ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing (video game series)|X-Wing]]'' and ''[[Wing Commander (franchise)|Wing Commander]]'', as well as the "Six degrees of freedom" 3D shooter ''[[Descent (1995 video game)|Descent]]''.<ref name=scifi>{{cite web|last=Peckham |first=Matt |title=DarkStar One |publisher=SciFi.com |date=September 26, 2006 |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/games/sfw13762.html |access-date=2007-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017014353/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/games/sfw13762.html |archive-date=17 October 2006 }}</ref><ref name="mygamer">{{cite web|date=November 9, 2004|title=Space Interceptor: Project Freedom|url=http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?id=550484&page=gameportal&mode=reviews|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310123556/http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?id=550484&page=gameportal&mode=reviews|archive-date=March 10, 2012|access-date=2007-11-17|publisher=MyGamer}}</ref><ref name=gamecritics>{{cite web |last=Weise |first=Matt |title=Freelancer |publisher=GameCritics |date=May 28, 2003 |url=http://www.gamecritics.com/review/freelancer/main.php |access-date=2007-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106234548/http://www.gamecritics.com/review/freelancer/main.php |archive-date=January 6, 2008 }}</ref><ref name=escapist>{{cite magazine |last=LaMosca |first=Adam |title=Lost in the Void |magazine=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |date=July 18, 2006 |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_54/324-Lost-in-the-Void |access-date=2007-11-17 |archive-date=2008-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225101232/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_54/324-Lost-in-the-Void |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=esm_stf>{{cite magazine | last = Wen | first = Howard | title = What Happened To The Last Starfighters? | magazine = [[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] | date = February 12, 2008 | url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_136/2918-What-Happened-To-The-Last-Starfighters | access-date = 2008-06-20 | archive-date = 2009-02-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225135411/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_136/2918-What-Happened-To-The-Last-Starfighters | url-status = dead }}</ref> VirPil Controls' MongoosT-50 joystick was designed to mimic the style of Russian aircraft (including the [[Sukhoi Su-35]] and [[Sukhoi Su-57]]), unlike most flight joysticks.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[Ars Technica]] |title=VPC's MongoosT-50 joystick: A rare Russian-style controller for skies or space |first=Matthew |last=Hirsch |date=June 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605202404/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/hand-it-to-the-new-guys-ars-reviews-the-vpcs-mongoost-50-joystick/ |quote=Unlike most flight sticks for sale on the US market, which tend to be based with varying levels of verisimilitude on US fighter aircraft control columns, the MongoosT-50 is built to mirror the control stick on Russian aircraft—specifically, the fifth-generation Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and PAK FA (T-50). |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/hand-it-to-the-new-guys-ars-reviews-the-vpcs-mongoost-50-joystick/ |archive-date=June 5, 2017}}</ref>

However, since the beginning of the 21st century, these types of games have waned in popularity and are now considered a "dead" genre, and with that, gaming joysticks have been reduced to niche products.<ref name="scifi"/><ref name="mygamer"/><ref name="gamecritics"/><ref name="escapist"/><ref name="esm_stf"/> In [[NowGamer]]'s interview with Jim Boone, a producer at Volition Inc., he stated that ''[[FreeSpace 2]]''{{'}}s poor sales could have been due to joysticks' being sold poorly because they were "going out of fashion" because more modern first-person shooters, such as ''[[Quake (series)|Quake]]'', were "very much about the mouse and [the] keyboard". He went further on to state "Before that, when we did ''[[Descent (video game)|Descent]]'' for example, it was perfectly common for people to have joysticks – we sold a lot of copies of Descent. It was around that time [when] the more modern FPS with mouse and keyboard came out, as opposed to just keyboard like ''[[Wolfenstein 3D|Wolfenstein [3D]]]'' or something.".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/volition-would-commit-murder-to-make-freespace-3/|title=Volition Would "Commit Murder" to Make Freespace 3|author=Tom Senior|magazine=[[PC Gamer]]|date=7 February 2011|access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref>

Since the late 1990s, ''[[analog stick]]s'' (or ''thumbsticks'', due to their being controlled by one's thumbs) have become standard on controllers for video game consoles, popularized by [[Nintendo]]'s [[Nintendo 64 controller]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/24/nintendo-64-launching-a-legacy|title=Nintendo 64: Launching a Legacy|author=Jonathan Drake|website=[[IGN]]|date=24 September 2011|access-date=9 September 2015}}</ref> and have the ability to indicate the stick's displacement from its neutral position. This means that the software does not have to keep track of the position or estimate the speed at which the controls are moved. These devices usually use potentiometers to determine the position of the stick,<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=5436640|status=Patent|title=Video Game and Simulator Joystick Controller with Geared Potentiometer Actuation|pubdate=(1995-07-25)|gdate=(1995-07-25)|fdate=(1994-11-30)|pridate=(1993-10-29)|invent1=David W. Reeves|assign1=Thrustmaster, Inc.}}</ref> though some newer models instead use a [[Hall effect sensor]] for greater reliability and reduced size.

In 1997, ThrustMaster, Inc. introduced a 3D programmable controller, which was integrated into computer games to experience flight simulations. This line adapted several aspects of NASA's RHC (Rotational Hand Controller), which is used for landing and navigation methods.<ref>{{Cite book|title=It came from outer space : everyday products and ideas from the space program|author=Bijlefeld, Marjolijn|date=2003|publisher=Greenwood Press|others=Burke, Robert (Robert L.)|isbn=0313058415|location=Westport, Conn.|oclc=61247073}}</ref>

In 1997 the first gaming joystick with force feedback ([[Haptic technology|haptics]]) was manufactured by CH Products under license from technology creator, [[Immersion Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Manes|first=Stephen|date=1997-02-25|title=For Your Games, a Joystick That Pushes Back|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/25/science/for-your-games-a-joystick-that-pushes-back.html|url-status=live|access-date=|issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521221047/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/25/science/for-your-games-a-joystick-that-pushes-back.html |archive-date=May 21, 2023 }}</ref> The product, called the Force FX joystick was followed by force feedback joysticks from [[Logitech]], [[Thrustmaster]], and others, also under license from Immersion.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hutsko|first=Joe|date=1999-02-04|title=When Joystick Starts Shaking, Hang On|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/04/technology/when-joystick-starts-shaking-hang-on.html|url-status=live|access-date=|issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521200547/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/04/technology/when-joystick-starts-shaking-hang-on.html |archive-date=May 21, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Good Vibrations|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/08/mousing-with-good-vibrations/|url-status=live|access-date=|issn=1059-1028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405121752/https://www.wired.com/1999/08/mousing-with-good-vibrations/ |archive-date=Apr 5, 2023 }}</ref>