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

As for as Atari compatible joysticks go this is one of the better ones. It has a good heavy feel and the response to the joystick movement seems spot on. Now this is not the same joystick that comes packaged with a stock Retro77. This one is a more heavier build. The one that came with my R77 had some internal parts break free and now rattle around inside. the stick is still functional but I am afraid with much continued use will fail altogether.I have bought 4 of the 'Trooper's and they have held up great. They work across all the 8Bit Atari systems that can us a single button joystick. (even though it has 2 buttons, they both function as the same button.)

If you read the other reviews, they say "nice controller, just like the old ones I had" but slightly mention the fact that this controller has dual fire buttons. Are you a lefty or a righty? The fire buttons allow left or right hand control. The buttons come in handy with pinball games, being able to use either fire button. For the buttons, the price and that they work with Atari computers - I bought it.

This is a decent replacement for a stock Atari joystick. However, the stick might be too loose compared to a standard CX-40.

Maybe used for 3 hours over a 2 day period and the stick snapped right off, normal play, no rough housing. My original 2600 controllers are still intact after 35 years, just some wear. This would be a great product if made more sturdy.

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.

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.

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...

High quality for the price. Works and responds great