View source for Joystick

{{Short description|Control lever used in aircraft and video games}}
{{Redirect|Control stick|the joystick on various game controllers|Analog stick}}
{{Other uses}}

[[Image:Joyopis.svg|right|thumb|Possible elements of a video game joystick: 1.&nbsp;stick, 2.&nbsp;base, 3.&nbsp;trigger, 4.&nbsp;extra buttons, 5.&nbsp;autofire switch, 6.&nbsp;throttle, 7.&nbsp;[[#Hat switch|hat switch (POV hat)]], 8.&nbsp;suction cups.]]

A '''joystick''', sometimes called a '''flight stick''', is an [[input device]] consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Also known as the '''control column''', it is the principal control device in the [[cockpit]] of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a [[centre stick]] or [[side-stick]]. It has various switches to control functions of the aircraft controlled by the Pilot and First Officer of the flight.

Joysticks are often used to control video games, and usually have push-buttons whose state can be read by the computer. A popular variation of the joystick used on modern [[video game console]]s is the [[analog stick]]. Joysticks are also used for controlling machines such as cranes, trucks, underwater unmanned vehicles, wheelchairs, surveillance cameras, and [[Zero-turn mower|zero turning radius lawn mowers]]. Miniature finger-operated joysticks have been adopted as input devices for smaller electronic equipment such as [[mobile phone]]s.

==Aviation==
[[Image:Glidercockpit.JPG|right|thumb|Cockpit of a glider with its joystick visible]]

Joysticks originated as controls for aircraft [[aileron]]s and [[elevator (aeronautics)|elevator]]s, and are first known to have been used as such on [[Louis Bleriot]]'s [[Bleriot VIII]] aircraft of 1908, in combination with a foot-operated rudder bar for the yaw control surface on the tail.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090725/world/english-channel-armada-to-mark-centenary-of-louis-bleriot-flight.266688|title=English Channel Armada to Mark Centenary of Louis Blériot Flight|author=AFP|newspaper=[[Times of Malta]]|date=25 July 2009|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref>

==Origins==
The name ''joystick'' is thought to originate with early 20th century French pilot [[Robert Esnault-Pelterie]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Zeller | first = Tom Jr. | title = A Great Idea That's All in the Wrist | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2005-06-05 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/weekinreview/05zeller.html?ex=1275624000&en=127d9054b0921b1d | access-date = 2006-09-07 }}</ref> There are also competing claims on behalf of fellow pilots [[Robert Loraine]], [[James Henry Joyce]], and [[Arthur Edward George|A. E. George]]. Loraine is cited by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' for using the term "joystick" in his diary in 1909 when he went to [[Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques|Pau]] to learn to fly at [[Louis Blériot|Blériot's]] school. George was a pioneer aviator who with his colleague Jobling built and flew a biplane at Newcastle in England in 1910. The George and Jobling aircraft control column is in the collection of the Discovery Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Joysticks were present in early planes, though their mechanical origins are uncertain.<ref>{{cite web | last = Quinion | first = Michael | title = Questions & Answers: Joystick | publisher = [[World Wide Words]] | date = 2004-07-17 | url = http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-joy1.htm | access-date = 2006-09-07 }}</ref> The coining of the term "joystick" may actually be credited to Loraine, as his is the earliest known usage of the term, although he most certainly did not invent the device.

==Electronic joysticks==
===History===
The electrical two-axis joystick was invented by C. B. Mirick at the [[United States Naval Research Laboratory]] (NRL) and patented in 1926 (U.S. Patent no. 1,597,416)".<ref>{{cite web|year=2011|title=A Timeline of NRL's Autonomous Systems Research|url=https://www.nrl.navy.mil/lasr/sites/www.nrl.navy.mil.lasr/files/pdfs/Autonomous_Timeline.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908010807/https://www.nrl.navy.mil/lasr/sites/www.nrl.navy.mil.lasr/files/pdfs/Autonomous_Timeline.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-08|access-date=2012-10-21|publisher=[[United States Naval Research Laboratory]]}}</ref>  NRL was actively developing remote controlled aircraft at the time and the joystick was possibly used to support this effort.  In the awarded patent, Mirick writes: "My control system is particularly applicable in maneuvering aircraft without a pilot."<ref>{{cite web|last=Mirick|first=C. B.|year=1926|title=Electrical Distant Control System|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US1597416A/en|access-date=2012-10-21|publisher=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]}}</ref>

The Germans developed an electrical two-axis joystick around 1944.  The device was used as part of the Germans' ''Funkgerät'' FuG 203 ''Kehl'' radio control transmitter system used in certain German bomber aircraft, used to guide both the rocket-boosted anti-ship missile ''[[Henschel Hs 293]]'', and the unpowered pioneering precision-guided munition ''[[Fritz-X]]'',<ref>{{cite AV media |people=USAAF Wright Field Air Technical Service Command, T-2 Intelligence Department |year=1946 |title=WF 12-105, Captured Film, 'Fritz X' German Radio-Controlled Dive Bomb |medium=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1imE2GwDK8 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131074257/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1imE2GwDK8| archive-date=2014-01-31 | url-status=dead|access-date=July 24, 2013 |format=YouTube |time=13:45 to 15:00 |publisher=The Digital Implosion }}</ref> against maritime and other targets. Here, the joystick of the ''Kehl'' transmitter was used by an operator to steer the missile towards its target. This joystick had on-off switches rather than analogue sensors. Both the Hs 293 and Fritz-X used FuG 230 ''Straßburg'' radio receivers in them to send the ''Kehl's'' control signals to the ordnance's control surfaces.  A comparable  joystick unit was used for the contemporary American [[Azon]] steerable munition, strictly to laterally steer the munition in the yaw axis only.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=United States Office of Strategic Services |year=1943 |title=WW2: Azon (1943) Radio-Controlled Dive Bomb |medium=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qTTgn-PFuM | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205220405/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qTTgn-PFuM| archive-date=2013-12-05 | url-status=dead|access-date=July 21, 2013 |publisher=The Digital Implosion}}</ref>

This German invention was picked up by someone in the team of scientists assembled at the ''Heeresversuchsanstalt'' in [[Peenemuende|Peenemünde]]. Here a part of the team on the German [[rocket]] program was developing the [[Wasserfall missile]], a variant of the [[V-2 rocket]], the first ground-to-air [[missile]]. The Wasserfall steering equipment converted the electrical signal to radio signals and transmitted these to the missile.

[[File:Prototype Gemini Hand Controller.jpg|thumb|upright|A prototype [[Project Gemini]] joystick-type hand controller, 1962]]
In the 1960s the use of joysticks became widespread in radio-controlled model aircraft systems such as the Kwik Fly produced by Phill Kraft (1964). The now-defunct [[Kraft Systems]] firm eventually became an important OEM supplier of joysticks to the computer industry and other users. The first use of joysticks outside the radio-controlled aircraft industry may have been in the control of powered wheelchairs, such as the [[Permobil]] (1963). During this time period NASA used joysticks as control devices as part of the Apollo missions. For example, the lunar lander test models were controlled with a joystick.

In many modern [[airliner]]s, for example all Airbus aircraft developed from the 1980s, the joystick has received a new lease on life for flight control in the form of the "[[side-stick]]", a controller similar to a gaming joystick but which is used to control flight, replacing the traditional [[Yoke (aircraft)|yoke]]. The sidestick saves weight, improves movement and visibility in the cockpit, and may be safer in an accident than the yoke.

===Electronic games===
[[File:Sega_-_Motopolo_-_April_13th_1968_Cash_Box_advert.jpg|thumb|[[Sega]]'s ''MotoPolo'' (1968), an arcade [[electro-mechanical game]] with joystick controls]]
[[File:Ch products mach 2 joystick.jpg|thumb|CH Products Mach II analog joystick for Apple II computers. The small knobs are for (mechanical) calibration, and the sliders engage the self-centering springs.]]
In early 1968, [[Sega]] released ''MotoPolo'', an arcade [[electro-mechanical game]] with joystick controllers, used to move miniature motorbikes in any direction on the table.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 13, 1968 |title=Sega Intros "Motopolo” Game |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1968/CB-1968-04-13.pdf#page=77 |magazine=[[Cash Box]] |page=71}}</ref> The same year in 1968, [[Ralph H. Baer]] developed the first prototype joystick controller for a [[video game]], with a [[golf ball]] mounted on the joystick handle as it was intended for a [[List of golf video games|golf game]] he was working on at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=The Brown Box Golf Game Accessory, 1968 |url=https://www.si.edu/object/brown-box-golf-game-accessory-1968%3Anmah_1302398 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031011902/www.si.edu/object/brown-box-golf-game-accessory-1968%3Anmah_1302398 |archive-date=2020-10-31 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=[[Smithsonian Institution]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/1107/video-games-turn-forty|title=Video Games Turn Forty|last=Edwards|first=Benj|date=2007-05-15|website=vintagecomputing.com (originally published at [[1UP.com]])|access-date=2019-08-27}}</ref>

The earliest known [[electronic game]] joystick with a fire [[Push-button|button]] was released by Sega as part of their 1969 [[arcade game]] ''[[Arcade game#Electro-mechanical games|Missile]]'', a [[Shooter game|shooter]] [[simulation game]] that used it as part of an early [[Dual analog control|dual-control]] scheme, where two [[D-pad|directional buttons]] are used to move a motorized tank and a two-way joystick is used to shoot and steer the missile onto oncoming planes displayed on the screen; when a plane is hit, an explosion is animated on screen along with an explosion sound.<ref name="Missile">{{KLOV game|10600|Missile}}</ref> In 1970,<ref>{{KLOV game|5190|S.A.M.I.}}</ref> the game was released in North America as ''S.A.M.I.'' by [[Midway Games]].<ref name="Missile" />

[[Taito]] released a four-way joystick as part of their arcade [[racing video game]] ''[[List of Taito games|Astro Race]]'' in 1973,<ref>{{KLOV game|6949|Astro Race}}</ref> while their 1975 [[multidirectional shooter]] ''[[Gun Fight|Western Gun]]'' introduced [[Dual analog control|dual-stick]] controls with one eight-way joystick for movement and the other for changing the shooting direction. In North America, it was released by Midway under the title ''[[Gun Fight]]''.<ref name=Kotaku>Stephen Totilo, [http://kotaku.com/5626466/in-search-of-the-first-video-game-gun In Search Of The First Video Game Gun], [[Kotaku]]</ref> In 1976, Taito released ''[[List of Taito games|Interceptor]]'', an early [[First-person shooter|first-person]] [[Combat flight simulation game|combat flight simulator]] that involved piloting a [[Fighter aircraft|jet fighter]], using an eight-way joystick to aim with a crosshair and shoot at enemy aircraft.<ref>{{KLOV game|8195|Interceptor}}</ref>

[[Image:Numbered DE9 Diagram.svg|thumb|right|Computer port view of the Atari standard connector: '''1.''' up, '''2.''' down, '''3.''' left, '''4.''' right, '''5.''' ([[potentiometer|pot]] y),{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} '''6.''' fire button, '''7.''' +5&nbsp;V DC,{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} '''8.''' [[Ground (electricity)|ground]], '''9.''' (pot x).{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/06/22/custom-atari-car-seat-joystick/|title=Joyride to Joystick: Atari Controller Custom-Built from a Car Seat Adjuster|author=Jamie Rigg|publisher=[[Engadget]]|date=22 June 2012|access-date=15 September 2015}}</ref>]]

The [[Atari CX40 joystick]], developed for the 1977 [[Atari 2600|Atari Video Computer System]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/156711-evolution-of-video-game-controllers-leading-to-ps4-and-xbox-one|title=Shoulder Buttons of Giants: The Evolution of Controllers Leading Up to PS4 and Xbox One|author=Grant Brunner|publisher=[[ExtremeTech]]|date=27 May 2013|access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref> is a digital controller with a single fire button. The [[Atari joystick port]] was for many years the ''de facto'' standard digital joystick specification. Joysticks were commonly used as controllers in [[First generation of video game consoles|first]] and [[Second generation of video game consoles|second generation]] [[Video game console|game consoles]], but they gave way to the familiar [[game pad]] with the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and [[Master System]] during the mid-1980s, though joysticks—especially arcade-style ones—were and are popular after-market add-ons for any console.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/01/masterpiece-the-nes-advantagegods-own-controller/|title=Masterpiece: The NES Advantage—God's own controller|work=Ars Technica|access-date=2018-10-02|language=en-us}}</ref>

The [[Armatron]], a [[toy robot]] [[Robotic arm|arm]] introduced by [[Tomy]] in 1982, was moved by [[dual analog control]] joysticks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keegan |first=Jon |date=2025-04-17 |title=How a 1980s toy robot arm inspired modern robotics |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/17/1114456/toy-armatron-modern-robotics-ai-nostalgia/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=[[MIT Technology Review]]}}</ref>

In 1985, Sega's [[Third-person shooter|third-person]] arcade [[rail shooter]] game ''[[Space Harrier]]'' featured a true analog flight stick, used for movement. The joystick could register movement in any direction as well as measure the degree of push, which could move the [[player character]] at different speeds depending on how far the joystick was pushed in a certain direction.<ref>[http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/906/906935p2.html Space Harrier Retrospective], [[IGN]]</ref>

A variation of the joystick is the rotary joystick. It is a type of joystick-knob hybrid, where the joystick can be moved in various direction while at the same time being able to rotate the joystick. It is mainly used in arcade [[shoot 'em up]] games, to control both the player's eight-directional movement and the gun's 360-degree direction.<ref name="Continue">{{cite magazine |title=「怒」を作った男 |trans-title=The Man Who Made "Ikari" |magazine=[[:ja:CONTINUE (雑誌)|Continue]] |date=March 2001 |lang=ja |url=http://shmuplations.com/snkgoldenage/}}</ref><ref name="CVG">{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action: Tank |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 January 1986 |issue=52 (February 1986) |page=51 |url=https://www.solvalou.com/arcade/reviews/45/351}}</ref> It was introduced by [[SNK]], initially with the tank shooter ''[[TNK III]]'' (1985) before it was popularized by the [[run and gun video game]] ''[[Ikari Warriors]]'' (1986).<ref name="Continue"/> SNK later used rotary joystick controls in arcade games such as ''[[Guerrilla War (video game)|Guerrilla War]]'' (1987).<ref name="RePlay">{{cite magazine |title=Bustin' Out: SNK's ''Beast Busters'' dedicated video gun game makes its mark |magazine=RePlay |date=February 1990 |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=61–2 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-14-issue-no.-5-february-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2014%2C%20Issue%20No.%205%20-%20February%201990/page/61}}</ref>

A distinct variation of an analog joystick is a [[Light gun#Positional guns|positional gun]], which works differently from a [[light gun]]. Instead of using light sensors, a positional gun is essentially an analog joystick mounted in a fixed location that records the position of the gun to determine where the player is aiming on the screen.<ref>{{citation|title=Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology|author=Morgan McGuire & Odest Chadwicke Jenkins|publisher=[[A K Peters, Ltd.]]|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56881-305-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G3PKwgvizEC|access-date=2011-04-03|page=408|quote=Light guns, such as the NES Zapper or those used in the ''House of the Dead'' series, are distinctly different from positional guns used by arcade games such as SEGA's Gunblade NY. ... Light guns differ from positional guns, such as in Gunblade NY (bottom), that are essentially analog joysticks. ... Positional guns are essentially analog sticks mounted in a fixed location with respect to the screen. Light guns, in contrast, have no fixed a priori relationship with a display.}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Advances in Multimedia Information Processing-PCM 2005: 6th Pacific-Rim Conference on Multimedia, Jeju Island, Korea|date=November 13–16, 2005|author=Yo-Sung Ho & Hyoung Joong Kim|publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Science & Business]]|isbn=3-540-30040-6|page=688|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-KQDQ0BtG4C&pg=PA688|access-date=2011-04-03|quote=The two routes to conventional gun control are light guns and positional guns. Light guns are the most common for video game systems of any type. They work optically with screen and do not keep track of location on the screen until the gun is fired. When the gun is fired, the screen blanks for a moment, and the optics in the gun register where on the screen the gun is aimed. That information is sent to the computer, which registers the shot. ... Positional guns are mounted stationary on the arcade cabinet with the ability to aim left/right and up/down. They function much like joysticks, which maintain a known location on screen at all times and register the current location when fired.}}</ref> It is often used for [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[Light gun shooter|gun games]], with early examples including [[Sega]]'s ''[[Light gun shooter#History|Sea Devil]]'' in 1972;<ref>{{KLOV game|10632|Sea Devil}}</ref> [[Taito]]'s ''[[Light-gun shooter#History|Attack]]'' in 1976;<ref>{{KLOV game|6971|Attack}}</ref> ''[[Light gun shooter#History|Cross Fire]]'' in 1977;<ref>{{KLOV game|7443|Cross Fire}}</ref> and [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[Light-gun shooter#History|Battle Shark]]'' in 1978.<ref>{{KLOV game|7050|Battle Shark}}</ref>

[[File:Joystick Cyborg 3D Gold.png|upright|thumb|[[Saitek]]'s Cyborg 3D Gold around the 2000s. Note its throttle, its extra buttons, and its hat switch.]]

During the 1990s, joysticks such as the CH Products Flightstick, [[Advanced Gravis Computer Technology|Gravis Phoenix]], [[Microsoft SideWinder#Precision Pro 1995|Microsoft SideWinder]], [[Logitech]] WingMan, and [[Thrustmaster|Thrustmaster FCS]] were in demand with PC gamers. They were considered a prerequisite for flight simulators such as ''[[Falcon (video game series)|F-16 Fighting Falcon]]'' and ''[[LHX Attack Chopper]]''. Joysticks became especially popular with the mainstream success of [[space flight simulator game]]s like ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing (video game series)|X-Wing]]'' and ''[[Wing Commander (franchise)|Wing Commander]]'', as well as the "Six degrees of freedom" 3D shooter ''[[Descent (1995 video game)|Descent]]''.<ref name=scifi>{{cite web|last=Peckham |first=Matt |title=DarkStar One |publisher=SciFi.com |date=September 26, 2006 |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/games/sfw13762.html |access-date=2007-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017014353/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/games/sfw13762.html |archive-date=17 October 2006 }}</ref><ref name="mygamer">{{cite web|date=November 9, 2004|title=Space Interceptor: Project Freedom|url=http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?id=550484&page=gameportal&mode=reviews|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310123556/http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?id=550484&page=gameportal&mode=reviews|archive-date=March 10, 2012|access-date=2007-11-17|publisher=MyGamer}}</ref><ref name=gamecritics>{{cite web |last=Weise |first=Matt |title=Freelancer |publisher=GameCritics |date=May 28, 2003 |url=http://www.gamecritics.com/review/freelancer/main.php |access-date=2007-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106234548/http://www.gamecritics.com/review/freelancer/main.php |archive-date=January 6, 2008 }}</ref><ref name=escapist>{{cite magazine |last=LaMosca |first=Adam |title=Lost in the Void |magazine=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |date=July 18, 2006 |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_54/324-Lost-in-the-Void |access-date=2007-11-17 |archive-date=2008-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225101232/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_54/324-Lost-in-the-Void |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=esm_stf>{{cite magazine | last = Wen | first = Howard | title = What Happened To The Last Starfighters? | magazine = [[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] | date = February 12, 2008 | url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_136/2918-What-Happened-To-The-Last-Starfighters | access-date = 2008-06-20 | archive-date = 2009-02-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225135411/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_136/2918-What-Happened-To-The-Last-Starfighters | url-status = dead }}</ref> VirPil Controls' MongoosT-50 joystick was designed to mimic the style of Russian aircraft (including the [[Sukhoi Su-35]] and [[Sukhoi Su-57]]), unlike most flight joysticks.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[Ars Technica]] |title=VPC's MongoosT-50 joystick: A rare Russian-style controller for skies or space |first=Matthew |last=Hirsch |date=June 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605202404/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/hand-it-to-the-new-guys-ars-reviews-the-vpcs-mongoost-50-joystick/ |quote=Unlike most flight sticks for sale on the US market, which tend to be based with varying levels of verisimilitude on US fighter aircraft control columns, the MongoosT-50 is built to mirror the control stick on Russian aircraft—specifically, the fifth-generation Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and PAK FA (T-50). |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/hand-it-to-the-new-guys-ars-reviews-the-vpcs-mongoost-50-joystick/ |archive-date=June 5, 2017}}</ref>

However, since the beginning of the 21st century, these types of games have waned in popularity and are now considered a "dead" genre, and with that, gaming joysticks have been reduced to niche products.<ref name="scifi"/><ref name="mygamer"/><ref name="gamecritics"/><ref name="escapist"/><ref name="esm_stf"/> In [[NowGamer]]'s interview with Jim Boone, a producer at Volition Inc., he stated that ''[[FreeSpace 2]]''{{'}}s poor sales could have been due to joysticks' being sold poorly because they were "going out of fashion" because more modern first-person shooters, such as ''[[Quake (series)|Quake]]'', were "very much about the mouse and [the] keyboard". He went further on to state "Before that, when we did ''[[Descent (video game)|Descent]]'' for example, it was perfectly common for people to have joysticks – we sold a lot of copies of Descent. It was around that time [when] the more modern FPS with mouse and keyboard came out, as opposed to just keyboard like ''[[Wolfenstein 3D|Wolfenstein [3D]]]'' or something.".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/volition-would-commit-murder-to-make-freespace-3/|title=Volition Would "Commit Murder" to Make Freespace 3|author=Tom Senior|magazine=[[PC Gamer]]|date=7 February 2011|access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref>

Since the late 1990s, ''[[analog stick]]s'' (or ''thumbsticks'', due to their being controlled by one's thumbs) have become standard on controllers for video game consoles, popularized by [[Nintendo]]'s [[Nintendo 64 controller]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/24/nintendo-64-launching-a-legacy|title=Nintendo 64: Launching a Legacy|author=Jonathan Drake|website=[[IGN]]|date=24 September 2011|access-date=9 September 2015}}</ref> and have the ability to indicate the stick's displacement from its neutral position. This means that the software does not have to keep track of the position or estimate the speed at which the controls are moved. These devices usually use potentiometers to determine the position of the stick,<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=5436640|status=Patent|title=Video Game and Simulator Joystick Controller with Geared Potentiometer Actuation|pubdate=(1995-07-25)|gdate=(1995-07-25)|fdate=(1994-11-30)|pridate=(1993-10-29)|invent1=David W. Reeves|assign1=Thrustmaster, Inc.}}</ref> though some newer models instead use a [[Hall effect sensor]] for greater reliability and reduced size.

In 1997, ThrustMaster, Inc. introduced a 3D programmable controller, which was integrated into computer games to experience flight simulations. This line adapted several aspects of NASA's RHC (Rotational Hand Controller), which is used for landing and navigation methods.<ref>{{Cite book|title=It came from outer space : everyday products and ideas from the space program|author=Bijlefeld, Marjolijn|date=2003|publisher=Greenwood Press|others=Burke, Robert (Robert L.)|isbn=0313058415|location=Westport, Conn.|oclc=61247073}}</ref>

In 1997 the first gaming joystick with force feedback ([[Haptic technology|haptics]]) was manufactured by CH Products under license from technology creator, [[Immersion Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Manes|first=Stephen|date=1997-02-25|title=For Your Games, a Joystick That Pushes Back|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/25/science/for-your-games-a-joystick-that-pushes-back.html|url-status=live|access-date=|issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521221047/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/25/science/for-your-games-a-joystick-that-pushes-back.html |archive-date=May 21, 2023 }}</ref> The product, called the Force FX joystick was followed by force feedback joysticks from [[Logitech]], [[Thrustmaster]], and others, also under license from Immersion.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hutsko|first=Joe|date=1999-02-04|title=When Joystick Starts Shaking, Hang On|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/04/technology/when-joystick-starts-shaking-hang-on.html|url-status=live|access-date=|issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521200547/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/04/technology/when-joystick-starts-shaking-hang-on.html |archive-date=May 21, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Good Vibrations|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/08/mousing-with-good-vibrations/|url-status=live|access-date=|issn=1059-1028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405121752/https://www.wired.com/1999/08/mousing-with-good-vibrations/ |archive-date=Apr 5, 2023 }}</ref>

===Arcade sticks===
{{Main|Arcade controller}}
An arcade stick is a large-format controller for use with home consoles or computers. They use the stick-and-button configuration of some [[arcade cabinet]]s, such as those with particular multi-button arrangements. For example, the six button layout of the arcade games ''[[Street Fighter II]]'' or ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' cannot be comfortably emulated on a console joypad, so licensed home arcade sticks for these games have been manufactured for home consoles and PCs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/842/842386p1.html|title=Arcade in a Box Xbox 360 Arcade Stick|website=IGN|author=Gerry Block|date=December 18, 2007|access-date=2009-04-21}}</ref>

===Hat switch===
[[Image:JoystickDirections.svg|thumb|upright|Hat switch – at top, in green]]
A hat switch is a control on some joysticks. It is also known as a POV (point of view) switch in electronic games, where it allows one to look around in one's virtual world, browse menus, etc. For example, many flight simulators use it to switch the player's views,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&ean=9780735611764&displayonly=EXC |title=Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2, EU-Inside Moves Series, Jeff Van West, Book - Barnes & Noble |publisher=Search.barnesandnoble.com |access-date=2010-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929131538/http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&ean=9780735611764&displayonly=EXC |archive-date=2007-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  while other games sometimes use it as a substitute for the [[D-pad]]. Computer gamepads with both an analogue stick and a D-pad usually assign POV switch scancodes to the latter.

The term hat switch is a shortening of the term "coolie hat switch", named for the [[asian conical hat|similar looking headgear]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cantrell|first1=Paul|title=Helicopter Aviation|url=http://www.copters.com/mech/cyclics.html|website=www.copters.com|access-date=20 December 2015}}</ref>

In a real aircraft, the hat switch may control things like [[aileron]] or [[elevator (aeronautics)|elevator]] trim.

===Cameras===
Apart from buttons, wheels and dials as well as [[touchscreen]]s also miniature joysticks have been established for the efficient manual operation of [[camera]]s.<ref>[https://www.dpreview.com/news/2200224348/fujifilm-x100f-steps-up-to-24-3mp-adds-af-joystick Fujifilm X100F steps up to 24.3MP, adds AF joystick], dpreview.com 19 January 2017, retrieved 19 August 2020.</ref><ref>Richard Butler: [https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmclx3/3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review],  dpreview.com 11 April 2008, retrieved 19 August 2020.</ref><ref>Carey Rose, Rishi Sanyal, Dan Bracaglia: [https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a7-iii-review/3 Sony a7 III Review], dpreview.com 23 April 2018, retrieved 19 August 2020.</ref>

<gallery caption="Miniature joystick on a [[mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera]]" widths="220" heights="220" perrow="2">
Joystick.Kamera.P1078740.jpg|Miniature joystick to be operated by the right thumb, next to an [[electronic viewfinder]]
Joystick.Kamera.P1078738.jpg|Detailed view
</gallery>

==Industrial applications==
In recent times, the employment of joysticks has become commonplace in many industrial and manufacturing applications, such as cranes, assembly lines, forestry equipment, mining trucks, and excavators. In fact, the use of such joysticks is in such high demand, that it has virtually replaced the traditional mechanical control lever in nearly all modern hydraulic control systems.  Additionally, most [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s (UAVs) and [[Remotely operated underwater vehicle|submersible remotely operated vehicle]]s (ROVs) require at least one joystick to control either the vehicle, the on-board cameras, sensors and/or manipulators.

Due to the highly hands-on, rough nature of such applications, the industrial joystick tends to be more robust than the typical video-game controller, and able to function over a high cycle life. This led to the development and employment of [[Hall effect]] sensing to such applications in the 1980s as a means of contactless sensing. Several companies produce joysticks for industrial applications using Hall effect technology.  Another technology used in joystick design is the use of strain gauges to build force transducers from which the output is proportional to the force applied rather than physical deflection.  Miniature force transducers are used as additional controls on joysticks for menu selection functions.

Some larger manufacturers of joysticks are able to customize joystick handles and grips specific to the OEM needs while small regional manufacturers often concentrate on selling standard products at higher prices to smaller OEMs.

==Assistive technology==
[[File:Stephen Hawking.StarChild.jpg|thumb|[[Stephen Hawking]] ]]
Specialist joysticks, classed as an [[assistive technology]] [[pointing device]], are used to replace the [[computer mouse]] for people with fairly severe physical disabilities. Rather than controlling games, these joysticks control the [[pointer (user interface)|pointer]]. They are often useful to people with [[Athetosis|athetoid]] conditions, such as [[cerebral palsy]], who find them easier to grasp than a standard mouse.<ref>{{cite news|author=Darleen Hartley|date=22 May 2009|title=Robotics Improves Movement in Kids with Cerebral Palsy|publisher=[[geek.com]]|url=http://www.geek.com/gadgets/robotics-improves-movement-in-kids-with-cerebral-palsy-781412/|url-status=dead|access-date=16 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820115501/http://www.geek.com/gadgets/robotics-improves-movement-in-kids-with-cerebral-palsy-781412/|archive-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref> Miniature joysticks are available for people with conditions involving muscular weakness such as [[muscular dystrophy]] or [[motor neuron disease]] as well. They are also used on [[wheelchair#Electric Powered Wheelchairs|electric powered wheelchairs]] for control since they are simple and effective to use as a control method.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5905966/if-you-dont-find-this-video-about-robot-wheelchairs-for-babies-heartwarming-you-probably-dont-have-a-soul|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429094231/http://gizmodo.com/5905966/if-you-dont-find-this-video-about-robot-wheelchairs-for-babies-heartwarming-you-probably-dont-have-a-soul|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 29, 2012|title=If You Don't Find This Video About Robot Wheelchairs for Babies' Heartwarming, You Probably Don't Have a Soul|author=Andrew Liszewski|website=[[Gizmodo]]|date=28 April 2012|access-date=17 September 2015}}</ref>

==Non-human use==
{{multiple image
| total_width       = 400
| width1            = 
| footer            = 
| image1            = Croney 2021 pig adapted controller.jpg
| alt1              = A joystick designed specifically to be used by pigs
| caption1          = A joystick designed specifically to be used by pigs
| width2            = 
| image2            = Croney 2021 pig using controller.jpg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Joystick on the left when in use<ref name="Croney2021" />
}}

In 1996, a [[scientific study]] established that both [[chimpanzee]]s and [[rhesus monkey]]s could be taught to move a pointer on a screen by using a joystick. Both have consistently managed to demonstrate "conceptual knowledge" of the task required of them during trials, although rhesus monkeys were notably slower to do so.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hopkins |first1=William D. |last2=Washburn |first2=David A. |last3=Hyatt |first3=Charles W. |title=Video-task acquisition in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): A comparative analysis |journal=Primates |volume=37 |pages=197–206 |year=1996 |issue=2 |doi=10.1007/BF02381407 |pmid=11541941 }}</ref>

In 2021, another pair of researchers investigated the level of [[intelligence]] in domestic [[pig]]s by designing a joystick which could be controlled with their snout. Unlike the chimpanzees or the rhesus monkeys, none of the four pigs was able to fully meet the 1996's test criteria for "[[motor skill|motoric]] or conceptual acquisition" of the task, but they still performed "significantly above chance". Notably, the pigs experienced additional difficulties in comparison to the primates, as they were all [[Hyperopia|far-sighted]] and so may have struggled with the details on screen, and they could not move the target with a joystick without taking their eyes off the screen first.<ref name="Croney2021">{{cite journal |last1=Croney |first1=Candace C. |last2=Boysen |first2=Sarah T. |title=Acquisition of a Joystick-Operated Video Task by Pigs (Sus scrofa) |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=12 |date=11 February 2021 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631755  |doi-access=free |pmid=33679560 |pmc=7928376 }}</ref>

==See also==
* 3D CAD motion controllers like the [[3Dconnexion|Spacemouse or Spaceball]]
* [[Aircraft flight control system]]
* [[The Arcade (joystick)]]
* [[Flight simulator]]
* [[Game controller]]
* [[Gamepad]]
* [[Glossary of computer hardware terms]]
* [[Gravis PC GamePad]]
* [[Kempston joystick]]
* [[TAC-2]]
* [[Trackball]]
* [[Yoke (aircraft)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |title=Fire-Control and Human-Computer Interaction: Towards a History of the Computer Mouse (1940–1965) |author-first=Axel |author-last=Roch |author-link=:d:Q102435890 |others=Mindell, David |publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], Program in Science, Technology, and Society |url=http://moon.zkm.de/hp_new/pdf/mouse.pdf |access-date=2021-08-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628210444/http://moon.zkm.de/hp_new/pdf/mouse.pdf |archive-date=2021-06-28}} (11 pages) (NB. This is based on an earlier German article published in 1996 in ''Lab. Jahrbuch 1995/1996 für Künste und Apparate'' (350 pages) by [[Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln]] mit dem [[Verein der Freunde der Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln]]; {{ill|Buchhandlung Walther König{{!}}Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König|de|Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König}} in Cologne, Germany. {{ISBN|3-88375-245-2}}.)

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

{{Game controllers}}
{{Basic computer components}}
{{Flight instruments}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Joysticks| ]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Aircraft controls]]
[[Category:Computing input devices]]
[[Category:Game controllers]]
[[Category:Computer peripherals]]