I’ve owned pretty much every Atari system there is at one point or another, and the one thing that I love about these systems is the classic, rubbery, 9-pin joystick. The Atari CX40 joystick has become a classic gaming icon, and was compatible with almost all of Atari’s systems from the original 2600 VCS to the ultra-rare, ultra-modern (for 1992) Falcon030.

Now I’ve parted ways with all of these great systems thanks to eBay, and I have to get my fix using the various Atari emulators out there. Trouble is, that classic joystick doesn’t work with a modern PC, so I’m stuck using either the keyboard (eugh) or an Xbox 360 controller (better, but not very authentic).

So it comes as a pleasant surprise that NY-based Legacy Engineering Group are now making a USB version which works with all modern systems, including Linux, Mac OS, and of course Windows. The joystick is recognised as a standard USB joystick meaning that it is compatible with all of the emulators out there, as well as commercial games and maybe even some modern games, providing they work with just one button.

That said, the joystick is designed to be highly hackable, with internal connections for up to 10 more buttons, just in case you wanted to build some sort of Frankenstick (like this one perhaps?)

The “Classic USB Joystick Controller” is available directly from LEG’s website, priced at a avery reasonable $14.99.

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