lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) (09/14/88)
This article is being posted for a friend, Doug Pardee, who no
longer has access to comp.sys.cbm. If you need to contact him, direct
mail to the e-mail address at the end of the article...email gets to
him, but comp.sys.cbm doesn't. If you are not able to reach him, try
me and I can forward any mail.
.oO Chris Oo.
Christopher Lishka ...!{rutgers|ucbvax|...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka
Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene lishka%uwslh.uucp@cs.wisc.edu
Immunology Section (608)262-1617 lishka@uwslh.uucp
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Subject: Joystick review: Wico Ergostick
$25 for a JOYSTICK?
Yes, that's what I paid at Toys-R-Us for the Wico Ergostick. And for me (a
heavy C-64 game player), it was worth it.
The Wico people have finally figured out that many (most?) of us don't plant
a joystick on the table and use it one-handed -- we hold the base in one hand
and operate the stick with the other. The Ergostick is specifically designed
to be held in the left hand (sorry, southpaws). The case is made of
polypropylene (a slightly soft and almost indestructible plastic) and is
shaped like... like... well, I can't really describe it. Try to imagine
taking a lump of clay about the size and shape of a huge potato, then
wrapping your left hand around it and squeezing. The trigger button is
positioned where the tip of your pointer finger ends up, which of course is
right where you want it to be.
The needs of your right hand are also well satisfied. The joystick mechanism
is as good as I've seen. No slop in the center position, and positive clicks
into all 8 positions. Little movement is needed, allowing very fast and
accurate operation.
Minor complaints: I'll probably get used to it, but the case still feels a
bit too big for my left hand (and my hands aren't small). The orientation of
the joystick motion is directly along the axis of the case, but when I'm
holding a joystick in my left hand my right hand is at an angle of maybe 45
degrees off so I have to either bend my wrists or change the direction of my
right hand's motions. The Ergostick is even harder to operate one-handed
(for laid-back actions like selecting a menu item) than a conventional
joystick is. I'd like even more feedback when moving between a straight
direction and a diagonal -- this is a failing of every joystick I've ever
tried, the Ergostick is the best and it's still not as good as I want. And
finally, the dang thing doesn't have a flat surface on it except for the top
face, so when you set it down it just flops over on its side :-)
Major complaint: $25 for a JOYSTICK? :-)
--
Doug Pardee, Edgcore Technology (formerly Edge Computer), Scottsdale, AZ
{ames,hplabs,sun,amdahl,allegra}!oliveb!edge!doug uunet!ism780c!edge!doug
--
Christopher Lishka ...!{rutgers|ucbvax|...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka
Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene lishka%uwslh.uucp@cs.wisc.edu
Immunology Section (608)262-1617 lishka@uwslh.uucp
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"...Just because someone is shy and gets straight A's does not mean they won't
put wads of gum in your arm pits."
- Lynda Barry, "Ernie Pook's Commeek: Gum of Mystery"