this post was submitted on 23 May 2026
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What happened to (arcade-type) Joysticks? (piefed.zip)
submitted 1 day ago by 1Fuji2Taka3Nasubi@piefed.zip to c/pcgaming@lemmy.ca
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I realized I haven't gamed with arcade-type joysticks for a long time and kind of missed them.

It seems to me gamepads are way more popular than large joysticks nowadays, when joysticks used to be a popular gaming accessory.

Is it because they take up too much space?

Is it because they lack the modern gamepad features (analog sticks / triggers / buttons, side / back buttons)?

Do you still use joysticks for gaming, and what kind of games do you play with them? What do you like about them?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

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[–] alessandro@lemmy.ca 2 points 21 hours ago

The popularity of joystick was strongly tied to arcade machine; they are associated with fighting games because fighting games were the latest great thing Arcades had at their time to die out: home consoles such as DreamCast and N64 couldn't give you the thrilling experience of beat "on the street" a random kid (as per "one quarter per virtual beating"). We talk about Tekken being an arcade experience before the world transitioned toward the triangular bosom of Lara at home (for those who were kids at that time). Arcade was the "mythical gaming”, the one all the kids knew they couldn't have at home. Joystick, as such, was the ultimate "mythical" gaming device... to bad it was shit. Yeah, you could get the hang of "the moves", the "feeling to push with your whole forearm if needed" just... not for too long. Not for pick a dialogue option, not for command trops, not for "dogeroll then attack"...or basically anything which wasn't whatever arcade game was designed around that dumb, red clown-nose, big lever.

Nostalgia makes remember some things correctly: "yes, you had fun" but forget the fine details "the 35th side scrolling beat 'em up of this year... Cool!"

Joystick (emphasis on "joy"), Joypad... then a "joy-less" but more tame name as "controller" with added "thumb stick" if you need details... now everything seems to turn in touch, and maybe haptic... or probabily "let's just wait for the AI reach the end of it" kind of controller device