Using Sega controllers with a Commodore Amiga?

Hey back in the day I noticed that the controller plugs on a Genesis controller seemed to match the ports on my Commodore Amiga 500. Well I just did some searching and apparently you can indeed use them... I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried this, and how well the controllers work? Is it better to get an Amiga-specific controller or do the Genesis ones work fine? I also read that Master System controllers should work.

And while I'm on the subject, does anyone have a recommendation for Amiga-native controllers (and links to where I could buy them)?

I had a Commodore 64 and would use my Genesis controllers on those games. Worked perfectly from what I can recall.

[quote name='BustaUppa']Hey back in the day I noticed that the controller plugs on a Genesis controller seemed to match the ports on my Commodore Amiga 500. Well I just did some searching and apparently you can indeed use them... I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried this, and how well the controllers work? Is it better to get an Amiga-specific controller or do the Genesis ones work fine? I also read that Master System controllers should work.[/QUOTE]

I used a Genesis controller on my Amiga once and it seemed to work just fine. If I remember correctly, "B" was the fire button. C=64, and by extention Atari 2600 VCS, joysticks should work too.

[quote name='BustaUppa']And while I'm on the subject, does anyone have a recommendation for Amiga-native controllers (and links to where I could buy them)?[/QUOTE]

The Konix Epyx stick is pretty good, as is the Wico that shaped like it. http://www.cedmagic.com/tech-info/remote-control/epyx-500xj-joystick.jpg
The Quickshot II Plus works pretty well, too. http://svi.s31.pl/quickshot/qs2_plus.JPG

Your best bet for finding one? eBay, thrift stores, garage sales... I've seen new ones before at "Classic Computing" conventions but those are just excuses for vendors to try to get rid of old stock at premium prices.

i got rid of my genesis a couple years ago, but kept two controllers for my 2600. They work like a charm, especially for COMBAT!

[quote name='fivecardstud']i got rid of my genesis a couple years ago, but kept two controllers for my 2600. They work like a charm, especially for COMBAT![/quote]

:shock: I never, ever even thought of this.

Never tried them on Amiga, but used them all the time on the 2600.

My friend and I beat Golden Axe for the Genesis back in the day with the original Atari 2600 controllers plugged into the Genesis. Only one button so there was no magic to be had at all.

Fascinating! So how come three different companies had platforms with interchangeable controllers? That just seems bizarre. I suppose there must have been some weird commodore/atari connection, since the manual for many Amiga games had a subsection for some platform called the "Atari ST." I never really knew what that was, all I knew was that apparently all my Amiga games were compatible with it. Still, I have no idea how Sega fit into all of this.

Maybe Commodore figured, theres millions of Atari systems out there, lets make it so our computer works with their controllers. Or maybe those were the cheapest or only connector that these companies could buy by the millions? But I dont know what Sega was thinking...

[quote name='Rig']:shock: I never, ever even thought of this.[/quote]

You should try it. I haven't tried genesis, but I use master system controllers whenever I play atari. It makes the games so much better and easier to control. Though, I only played atari a few times as a kid, so it may be different if you were more familiar with it.

[quote name='dratsacras']The Konix Epyx stick is pretty good, as is the Wico that shaped like it. http://www.cedmagic.com/tech-info/remote-control/epyx-500xj-joystick.jpg[/QUOTE]
That controller rocked. We had two to use with our C-128 (always ran in 64 mode for our GAMES! ). Ahh... winter games and Impossible Mission, and that wizard game with the little purple guy. Maybe just Wizard?

[quote name='dratsacras']The Konix Epyx stick is pretty good, as is the Wico that shaped like it. http://www.cedmagic.com/tech-info/remote-control/epyx-500xj-joystick.jpg
The Quickshot II Plus works pretty well, too. http://svi.s31.pl/quickshot/qs2_plus.JPG[/QUOTE]
I had both of those sticks. The Epyx stick was quite clicky, but worked well. The Quickshot was nice. I remember I had an analog version too that would never quite calibrate correctly.

I also had this contraption. Quite awkward to control at times.

Come to think of it, my cousin had some weird controller for her Commodore 64. This long rectangular thing with a numeric keypad, a control "knob" near the top, and I think a button on the side of the unit. It looked almost like an old phone. Was that an old Atari, or perhaps Colecovision controller? I know my cousins used to have a colecovision so that may be it. See I always assumed that was the standard c64 controller, but now I know that may not be the case.

For Amiga I originally had this thing called the "Ergostick." It was this shapely off-white joystick that fit into the palm of your hand, you held it kind of like a wine glass and your index finger rested on the fire button, while your RIGHT hand manipulated the stick on top. I had two other joysticks and they had right-handed stick control as well... wow, looking back that just seems so counterintuitive. All were of the "hand-held joystick" design. Heck it's probably gonna feel weird going back and playing some of those games with a gamepad.

back in the day I used a stick called the TAC-2. I loved this stick for Atari and Commodore cos it was INDESTRUCTABLE. I cant count hpow many lesser joysticks I have destroyed, but my TAC-2's still work to this day. The stick shaft is STEEL, and around the base of the joystick is an aluminum or steel plate. That thing was as strong as any stick ever made for the home. Plus the buttons felt good, and not 'clicky' and it had a button on each side so if you had any freaky left handed friends they were good to go.