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Joysticks are used in about 95% of all arcade games.  No arcade control system would be complete without at least one, and preferably two or more.

There are so many different models of joysticks that discussing a preference with someone is almost like a religious debate.  We'll let you decide which one's the best, but there are several factors to consider.

• Directions

 
• There are two-way joysticks that only move left/right or up/down.  Space Invaders is an example of a game that uses two-way joysticks.
• There are four-way joysticks that move left/right and up/down, but not diagonal.  Pac Man is an example of a game that uses four-way joysticks.
• There are eight-way joysticks that move in all four cardinal directions and the diagonals as well.  Most space shoot-em-ups use eight-way joysticks.
• There are also a variety of varients, such as the 49-way joystick.  However, the bulk of joysticks are 4 or 8 way.


You might think that you get the most versatility out of the 8-way joysticks, and for the most part you'd be right.  However, there are some times that a 4-way is a better choice.  For instance, in Donkey Kong, when you're trying to climb the ladder, you want to be able to go from moving right to moving up without hesitation as a flaming barrel tries to make your acquaintance.  With a 4-way, if your timing is good this isn't hard.  With an 8-way however, it's easy to accidentally hit the up/right diagonal when you're trying to move from right to up, leaving poor Mario standing still while the flaming barrel barbecues him.  The same kind of reasoning applies with a 4-way in an 8-way game.
 

• Style

 

 

There are two primary styles of joysticks - the bat shaped handle, and the ball shaped handle.  There's no technical differences between the two shapes, it's just a matter of preference.
 

• Switches(?)

 

 

There are three types of switches that sit on the bottom of the joystick under the panel that send the actual signals to the game.  The microswitch(definition opens in a separate window, close it to return here) is a tiny pushbutton that's pressed when you move the stick, with an audible click.  Leaf switches have two flat metal blades that contact each other when the bottom of the joystick pushes in that direction, with no audible sound.  Finally there are optical joysticks that use optical encoders to determine which direction the joystick is pushing.  Microswitches are the most common, but many people complain they do not feel as good as leaf switched joysticks, and they find the clicking distracting.  Leaf switches are not made anymore, and are thus hard to find.  Optical joysticks have the benefit of one less mechanical part to need maintenance/repair, a consideration with micro or leaf switches.

The Controls section of the main FAQ is a good place to start reading about joystick options, but the best place to find out which joystick is "the" one to get is on the message board, where it's a frequent topic of conversation.  Hint - presently the favorite seems to be the Happ Super 8 joystick, a bat handled microswitch joystick that can be switched from 4-way to 8-way.

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Trackballs were used in many games, such as Centipede, Crystal Castles, and Marble Madness.  You can substitute a joystick, but it absolutely does not feel the same.  Imagine madly going from one side of the screen to another by push a stick instead of slapping across a trackball - no comparison.

Other than choosing the size of the trackball, there's really only two main options:  The first is to purchase a trackball meant for PCs, and hook that into your arcade controls.  The second is to find a real arcade trackball, and find a way to interface it to your computer.  The first method is easier, but the feel of a PC trackball is not as authentic as an arcade trackball.  Trackballs essentially function as a mouse, moving in the X and usually also Y directions.  There's more about how to hook up arcade trackballs in the main controls section of the FAQ.

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Spinners were also used in many games - either to aim your weapon, or to move your character.  In games where it was used to move your character, such as Tempest, a joystick can be substituted for a playable but horrible feeling game.  In games where you have a joystick to move and the spinner to aim, such as Tron, it's nearly impossible to play without a spinner.  Spinners work much like a trackball in that they function as a mouse, however they move only along either the X or Y axis (only horizontal, or only vertical).

Spinners are one of the more complicated components to add.  The only two ways I know of to obtain a spinner for your project are to either purchase one from a place such as TwistyGrip, or to build your own.  Fortunately, judging from the number of people who have sucessfully built one, it is very possible to do so albeit somewhat difficult.  The controls section has more information on building spinners.

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Steering wheels, of course, are the control of choice for driving games and such.  The only acceptable alternative I might use would be a flight-yoke.

There is not much on the FAQ presently about steering wheels.  Almost no one has incorporated one into their project to speak of, and those that talk about them usually just purchase one such as the Thrustmaster series.  There are a couple of excellent sites devoted to building racing simulators, that include building steering wheels.  Look for these on the links page of the FAQ.

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Flight yokes (or StarWars yokes) are used obviously for flying/space games.  Games that work well with these are Flight Simulator and StarWars for example.  There really is no adequate substitute for a flight yoke if you are going to play these kinds of games.

There are a couple of options here.  You can purchase flight yokes for PCs from most any gaming store.  For the StarWars style yoke, you can purchase one from TwistyGrip when they are available (rare, sell out quick), or attempt to make your own based on the TwistyGrip plans.  There's also one project on the examples page that built their own yoke that is just incredible looking.  Learn more about flight yokes on the controls page of the FAQ.

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A control system's not good if you can't shoot or jump, right? :)  You push, something happens, life is good.

Buttons are probably the most painless part of putting together a control system.  They have the same two options that joysticks do, that being microswitch or leaf style.  Leaf are no longer being made, but can often be found in aftermarkets.  There are really no reports of a preference in buttons, they all seem to give the same feel and gameplay.