Hyperkin "Trooper" Premium Controller for Atari 2600/ RetroN 77 (Color May Vary)

This came with the Retron 77 console and after using this Hyperkin Trooper joystick controller to play Atari 2600 games I can't go back to using the original controllers. What makes this controller great is that it is just like the original joystick in every way except... 1) It's more comfortable with the rear edges cut out so they don't dig into the palms of your hands. 2) It has a button for left handed players. 3) The responsiveness is much better than the original Atari spring based joysticks. 4) It feels smoother than original internal plastic rocker Atari joysticks that replaced the spring based controllers. 5) The cord is longer than the original Atari joystick controller.Those first original internal spring joysticks tended to break and were later replaced with an internal plastic rocker design which was more durable but had a less tactful and clunky feeling. This Trooper controller by Hyperkin seems to capture the perfect balance of the smoothness of the original internal spring joystick controller with a more tactful precision than the original replacement that Atari used. This is the best Atari style joystick design I've tried so far and after using it for a month any other Atari style controller I try feels inferior in comparison.The main thing going for the internal plastic rocker design was that it was extremely durable. I'm hoping this Trooper controller also has similar durability of the original Atari brand replacement joysticks which are still working. It would be nice if Hyperkin would also release a set of their own paddle controllers.

One of the best feeling controllers I've ever used!

I bought these to replace ancient original 2600 joysticks. I have a vivid recollection of The originals being responsive enough but when I took them out after decades they seem to have degraded. These new replacements are after trying on several games far more responsive. People have said that they are a little mushy but I have no problem with that. They have made it so I can actually play some of the ill so I intend to keep them. Fire button is responsive as well. The sheared off lower corners of the joystick make it far more comfortable than the old ones. My young hands used to have no problem with that but my 58-year-old hands cramp up more easily so these flattened off corners make a huge difference.

I needed a new stick for my 2600 and this was a little cheaper than ones for sale at my local retro game store so I decided to take a chance on it despite some of the negative reviews. So far, I've not been disappointed with its performance. It definitely feels looser than an original stick, which I thought might bother me, but for many games, I find I prefer it to my original CX-40. I love the look of it and the blunted corners are awesome. When I challenged my son to a game of Combat, he picked this stick over the CX-40 based solely on feel. Plus, the longer cord lets me sit on the couch. As far a durability goes, I definitely think I could snap this in two easier than a CX-40, but I'm also a lot nicer to my controllers now than I was when I was 10.

So I use this to game with my Atari 800 XL Computer system. For the price this is an excellent value and really breathes life into my retro system by providing nice accurate input that in itself can make or break these older games. the joystick as a 10ft. cord and a nice weighted feel. Also, the corners have an indentation which makes them more comfortable to hold in your hands.The joystick has two fire buttons for ambidextrous use, any Atari system will only recognize them as one button.If you are into retro Atari gaming, this joystick will really breath new life into your older system. Although serious retro gamers will most likely spend much more on professionally restored or modded joysticks, again, for the price this a great product which works with the Retron77 Emulator and real Atari hardware, Atari 2600, Atari 400, 800, 800XL and XE systems.

This controller looked and worked great but it only worked for less than a month. I wound up tossing it in the trash because it became nothing more than a doorstop. The joystick was the issue. It stopped working in one direction. I should have listened to the other review that mentioned the joystick breaking. Buyer beware.

Compared to the original CX40 Atari joystick (on the right):- The handle is screw-in hard (all likely ABS) plastic compared to a tough nylon insert of the original which has a bit of flex making it last a long time and is covered by a rubber sleeve, which feels more comfortable to use. This makes the new version more likely to break when abused.- The contacts are rubber-dome, which is used e.g. in SNES controllers etc. since it is acceptable for buttons and has some tactile feedback. Not sure how it will cope with forces amplified many times by the stick leverage (also does not seem to give much tactile feedback for the stick itself... For this price, I would prefer microswitches for the buttons though. The original has tactile metal dome switches, which can crack after many years of hard use, but can be easily replaced (for cheap).- It feels substantial, which feels higher quality, but most of the weight is added using four metal weights in the base, so it is more like a trick than feature with clear functionality. I cannot get that they put a lot of metal in the base instead of having a metal bar in the stick instead, which would make much more sense and make the joystick last way longer...- The stick has a longer throw, which I found performing worse when I played galaxian, seems like making the reactions a bit slower compared to the original.My personal recomendation would be to forget this for $20 or even the original and buy something like used Slik Stik / Star fighter (or a bigger Tac-2 for 2x-3x the price), which with minimum maintenance can last probably many times longer than this one on top of the 30 years of use... and will likely cost you less...