Atari 2600 Wireless Joysticks
Long before the XBox 360, the Wii, and the PS3, before the Wavebird for the Game Cube, even before the NES Satellite, the Atari 2600 had a set of wireless joysticks. They were massive. The base of the joysticks were twice as high as normal and they sported a non-retractable antenna that's at least six inches long. Each joystick uses a 9-volt battery, and there's no indication when the battery is going to die, it's just game over. And the on/off switch makes it really easy to accidentally drain the battery. The base station is a box almost the size of a Wii with a retractable antenna. This radio has two joystick cords coming out of it, one for left player, the other for right. It also has a power cord. In order to supply power to the base, you have to run your Atari power supply into the radio, then plug a cord from the radio into the 2600.
The artwork on the box is awesome. Stereotypical 1982 family, with Brother and Sister showing Dad how all this magical new technology works, as they sit around their 13 inch TV that's integrated into their furniture. A touch that I particularly enjoyed is that the game Warlords is prominently displayed in the pile of games on the coffee table, despite the fact that Warlords is a paddle game and is incompatible with these joysticks.
Atari 2600 Wireless Joysticks
Long before the XBox 360, the Wii, and the PS3, before the Wavebird for the Game Cube, even before the NES Satellite, the Atari 2600 had a set of wireless joysticks. They were massive. The base of the joysticks were twice as high as normal and they sported a non-retractable antenna that's at least six inches long. Each joystick uses a 9-volt battery, and there's no indication when the battery is going to die, it's just game over. And the on/off switch makes it really easy to accidentally drain the battery. The base station is a box almost the size of a Wii with a retractable antenna. This radio has two joystick cords coming out of it, one for left player, the other for right. It also has a power cord. In order to supply power to the base, you have to run your Atari power supply into the radio, then plug a cord from the radio into the 2600.
The artwork on the box is awesome. Stereotypical 1982 family, with Brother and Sister showing Dad how all this magical new technology works, as they sit around their 13 inch TV that's integrated into their furniture. A touch that I particularly enjoyed is that the game Warlords is prominently displayed in the pile of games on the coffee table, despite the fact that Warlords is a paddle game and is incompatible with these joysticks.