With many old games (i.e. Montezuma´s revenge), the joystick will only work correctly with a 4.77 MHz machine. Even a Turbo XT (10 MHz) can break joystick support on these games.

Why didn´t IBM go with digital joystick, like Atari, Amiga, MSX and almost all 80´s vidogame consoles.

Gustavo wrote on 2022-10-07, 10:31:

Why didn´t IBM go with digital joystick, like Atari, Amiga, MSX and almost all 80´s vidogame consoles.

Analog precision? Is it utilized at all in games of that generation?

Gustavo wrote on 2022-10-07, 10:31:

Why didn´t IBM go with digital joystick, like Atari, Amiga, MSX and almost all 80´s vidogame consoles.

Flight simulators? Simulation games were much more playable with analogue joysticks.
And corporate dudes totally loved simulations.
Flight sims, golf sims, ..

Paddles from the Pong and Atari 2600 era were also analogue, afaik.
The C64 has a paddle-input via SID chip, too.
It's used as an X, Y input for the analogue mouse, too.

Edit: The Apple II had an analog joystick, too.
That's how an IBM / Apple II era joystick looked like (stereotypically).

Edit: This blog entry is interesting, too.
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/02/p … sticks.html?m=1

Jo22 wrote on 2022-10-07, 18:05:

Flight simulators? Simulation games were much more playable with analogue joysticks.
And corporate dudes totally loved simulations.
Flight sims, golf sims, ..

Yes, I know, but it really ruined the gaming experience for every other genre.
The king of (bad) joystick is the TRS Coco with its non auto-centering joystick and in many games the joystick control is the only method available.

I had one joystick very similar to these in the pictures. Flying with a flight simulator was really fantastic!

Amiga also supports analog sticks by the way. Need an adaptor for PC plugged ones obviously, but I believe there are some Coleco or Atari ones you can plug right in.

Gustavo wrote on 2022-10-08, 00:21:

Jo22 wrote on 2022-10-07, 18:05:

Flight simulators? Simulation games were much more playable with analogue joysticks.
And corporate dudes totally loved simulations.
Flight sims, golf sims, ..

Yes, I know, but it really ruined the gaming experience for every other genre. [..]

Understandable. But in ~1981-1985, the IBM PC totally was a manager's toy.
It was foremost used by business people.
Stiff people in suits, with neckties and shiny shoes.
They only played "serious" games. Or so it seemed.
Flight simulator, golf, power plant simulator, slot machine, strip poker..
There was no time for playing Galaga, Asteroids or Pac-Man.

Personally, I kind of have a soft spot for the analogue gameport - but not for its, um, playful side.
I too had issues with calibration in games, albeit not so often as the others.
What I like is that the IBM Gameport was a cheap Analog/Digital Converter (ADC).
Not much unlike the microphone input of a soundcard.
It could read natural information of our real world,
like a reading from a temperatur sensitive resistor (NTC/PTC) or a light sensitive resistor (LDR). Yay!
In other words, the IBM PC could be used as a slow oscilloscope or oscillograph.
Nearly out of box!
And the best of it - BASIC had the commands built-in (STICK&STRIG)! Double yay! 😁

Gustavo wrote on 2022-10-08, 00:21:

I had one joystick very similar to these in the pictures. Flying with a flight simulator was really fantastic!

Cool! Me, too! I had the CH Mach 3, I believe.
I used to play this game with it:

https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/mig-29-fulcrum_

I know, it's perhaps not best/right time to admit this, due to the geopolitical situation. 😅

Jo22 wrote on 2022-10-08, 05:02:

It could read natural information of our real world,
like a reading from a temperatur sensitive resistor (NTC/PTC) or a light sensitive resistor (LDR). Yay!

Hey!! I did that in the late 80´s, with QuickBasic, and plotted a graph or made some weird sound with the readings!! Great time!👍👍

Thanks for the replies. I tested my joystick with a multimeter, and the high numbers were pretty high. The right and down movements capped at about 180K or better. It was one of those cheap quickshot sticks. Maybe I'll just put together a homebrew stick out of some arcade controls. Atari 5200 fans have been doing them, and I think the circuits would be pretty similar for a pc.