These controllers look almost identical to paddles, with two exceptions. The 2600 paddle controllers were designed so that up to four players could be active at any time. They had two paddles per plug, four if both controller ports were in use.

Driving controllers, on the other hand, are one per plug. The maximum number of driving controllers in use at any time were two.

The other difference is the fact that the Driving Controllers spin all the way around. This is perfect for driving games.

The only game that uses the driving controllers is Indy 500, the game which the controllers came with. It's too bad, because many of the driving games on the 2600 could have been much better if they used the driving controllers.

For some crude information on programming the driving controllers, click here.

If you have programming information for the driving controllers(pinouts or otherwise) please send me email. My address is gchance@ecst.csuchico.edu.

Once again, Atari made a controller which isn't used for any games but one. The Video Touch Pad has 12 buttons, and space for an overlay. The way Star Raiders works is you plug the joystick into port 1, and the Video Touch Pad into port 2. The Touch Pad is for spaceship controls.

When Activision made their clone of Star Raiders, Starmaster, they got around needing a special controller by using the a-b difficulty switches to switch between a starmap and the actual game.

The Video Touch Pad is button-compatible with the Kids' Controller(CX23) and the Keypad Controller(CX50).

Unfortunately, no games were made for the Atari 2600 using true "trak-ball", or proportional, mode. There is a solution, however--the Trak Ball has a switch that toggles between "joystick" and Trak Ball mode.

The Trak Ball works well on games that were originally designed for use with a Trak Ball, like Centipede and Missle Command. It also works well on Space Invaders-type games(i.e. Space Invaders, Megamania, etc.). The games it doesn't seem to do well on are games where you need to have the joystick constantly in one direction or another. Pitfall is a good example--you are moving your man, but with the Trak Ball, to move him you have to keep the ball in constant motion to keep him walking.

The nice thing about the Trak Ball is you can use it either left-handed or right-handed. There are two fire-buttons to either side of the ball. Also, the ball is the exact size as a billiards ball, so if you don't like its whiteness, you could replace it with an 8-ball or something else creative.

Yet another proprietary controller! Or at least that's what Atari wanted you to believe. Yes, it was made for the Sesame Street titles during the later years of the Atari days.

The Kids' Controller is button-equivalent of the Video Touchpad(CX21) and the Keyboard Controller(CX50).

The Remote Control Joysticks were a great idea, but terrible execution.

The base plugs into the wall socket and has an antenna for transmitting and receiving. The josyticks themselves have antennas and take one 9-volt battery each. They're quite uncomfortable to use(they're over 4 inches thick--twice as thick as normal sticks), and I have found you have to rest them on your leg in order to use them. So much for the mobility that would otherwise have been gained with them.

Keep in mind these are my own views, and that many people disagree with me.

Everyone remembers the Paddle Controllers. A set of two came with the 2600, and were used for such classics as Video Olympics(whee, you buy an upgraded system to play Pong again!), Kaboom!, and the Casino games.

If you bought a second set of paddles, you could run 4-player games such as Video Olympics and Warlords.

Do I have to explain it? Geez!

The Remote Control Joysticks were a great idea, but a poor execution.

A transmitter/receiver sits on top of the tv, and you hold your remote-control joysticks. You have full control, since there are no wires to get in the way. The only problem is, as you can see from the picture, they are *very* large.

If you're like me, you hold the joystick in the palm of your hand, with your fingers holding the bottom, and your thumb on the fire button. With your other hand, you have your pinky around the edge of the joystick, and use your other fingers and your thumb for control.

With the Remote Control Joysticks, however, this doesn't work. The joysticks seem about 6 inches thick! The only comfortable way to hold and use them is to rest them on a surface like your leg, and use them that way. But this defeats the purpose of remote-control joysticks, since you then lose the mobility gained by having no cords.

Atari decided to get creative! The Space Age Joystick had the feel of the Colecovision Super Action Controllers in a way. It had a pistol-grip handle, although there was no base. You would hold the stick in your hand, and your fire-button was at your finger, like a pistol(gee, how unique).

The stick was on top of the controller. An alternative to the original joystick, this controller never quite caught on, which is a shame.

I have made available scans of the front of the Space Age Controller box and the back as well. Special thanks go to Galen Tomatsu for sending me the scans.

The Keyboard Controllers were, quite possibly, the best controllers that Atari manufactured. They were made very well, and could easily slide together(they had a track so that each one would interconnect).

About 10 programs were made for the keyboard controllers, but the best one of all of them was the BASIC Programming Cartridge. You could actually write programs with this cartridge. It came with two overlays, one for the left controller, and one for the right. With the overlays put on the controllers, oddly enough, they looked very professional.

That's a strange thought--a professional programming system on a game system.

The Keyboard Controllers are button-compatible with the Video Touchpad(CX21) and the Kids' Controller(CX23).

The Joypad is now quite rare. The Joypad was originally to be released with the Atari 7800, but is compatible with the 2600. It has two fire buttons positioned next to the joystick--obviously an attempt to make a controller similar to the Nintendo ones.

If you ever find Joypads, keep them. They were only available in Europe, and not for very long. For a short time Best Electronics had some, but I don't know anybody who was actually able to purchase any.

Now *this* is incredible!

I'm not sure if this was ever released--the Mindlink Controller was virtual reality before it was called virtual reality. The idea was that as you tilted your head, you could control the action on the screen.

Here's what the scanned ad that's on this page says:

"Looks Like Magic - Works By Relaxation. Atari Mindlink lets you control your 2600 or 7800 ProSystem in ways never before possible, by the power of your mind alone. You guide it without moving your hands. Mindlink sends electronic impulses from your brain to your game console--with no wires or cords between. It looks like magic--but works by relaxation. Special cartridges enable you to use Mindlink to play exciting new games, to reduce stress with bio-feedback programs, and to explore educational and creative software."

I have no specific details on this controller. If anybody has the information on it, PLEASE email me about it. For a better picture of what it was, click here for a scanned ad for the Mindlink Controller.

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