Archive:

"Monster Stick"

Posted: 07 February, 2021

My Konix Speedking is in storage. In which box, I have no idea, nor do I have the inclination to drive over to the warehouse and dig in my storage for it. This makes an immediate mockery of my plan to do a bit games coding on my Amiga, and worse, it prevents me playing my friends newly released game: (Dodgy Rocks)[https://www.phoenixware.co.uk/product/dodgy-rocks/]

I can't stand the majority of joysticks from back in the day. Most have awful ergonomics and crap switches. That the Competition Pro was ever held in any sort of regard points to how god-awful the selection was, imo. And, to my surprise, the price for a 2nd hand stick on eBay is eye-watering. There's no way I'd pay that sort of money for something I've never liked...

So I had a hunt around, and I found the (Monster Retro Joystick.)[https://monsterjoysticks.com/retro-gaming-joystick-kits]

These aren't cheap either, but they're Sanwa parts, which will last for ever and obviously feel great. And more importantly, they're two-button, something my Speedkingnever was. So I ordered one, and it turned up in the middle of the week.

It's a kit, but not at all complicated to put together.

The parts weren't amazingly well cut; many were a bit rounded and one had some scorch marks. Getting the protective plastic off was an absolute ball-ache (that took me the best part of 40 minutes) but once everything had been cleaned (they were all covered in dust) the end result looks nice and tidy

I'm really pleased with it. As you'd expect from Sanwa, the stick feels fantastic, and the buttons are extremely solid. Not cheap, but with luck it'll last as long as my Speddking has; 25 years and counting.

And of course, because I opted for the clear case, there's a bastard cat hair in there...