Conference rusure::nintendo

    
      
        Is that the hand held one????
    
              I got the table top one put out by nintendo called the
    NES ADVANTAGE this one is better I think 'cause you can regulate
    the turbo for the A button or the B button (they both have thier
    own (like) volume control. Also the joystick itself is exactly
    like the archade machines. (???Did I enter this before????)
    
                                        Charlie
    

    I have the epyx controllers also. I liked them a lot when I first
    bought them, but am now having problems with the bubble switches.

    The problem with super mario brothers is the auto-fire option. When
    you start the mario game it puts the controller in auto-fire mode,
    hit the auto-fire off button and you should be able to get mario
    to jump.
    
    Has3

    
           <<< MOMAX1::MOMHS0$DUA0:[NOTES$LIBRARY]NINTENDO.NOTE;1 >>>
                       -< Nintendo Entertainment System >-
================================================================================
Note 23.3                         Joy Sticks                              3 of 3
COUGAR::TUCKER "dr. DICK"                            14 lines  24-NOV-1987 12:45
                    -< OH WHERE OH WHERE CAN THEY BE ???? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    RE - .2   Could you tell me where I can get one ?
    
               That is the NES ADVANTAGE Joy sticks
               I've been in a couple of stores but
               have not seen them.
    
    BTW: I live in Marlboro Ma.
                                                    Thank You In Advance
             
                                                           DR. dick
    
    
    
    

    
       RE .3 (transfered reply)  Well where I bought mine Might not
    help you but I got it at STEWARTs dept. store in fitchberg ma.
    
         You might try RICH'S dept. store thats where I got my clip
    on super controllers for $3.99 months before the big toystores and
    even most of the noters got theres.
    
        The price for the NES advantage was $39.99 and is NINTENDO built
    so its very durable. And I though was worth the money, Though it
    should go on sale for X-mas.
    
                                                Charlie
    

    
    
                  AGAIN THANKS CHARLIE,RICH'S IS WHERE I FIRST SAW
                THE CLIP ON CONNTROLLERS.
    
                                                  thanks,
     
                                                         DR. dick

    
    
    I just thought I would put my 2 cents in.
    
    Nes Advantage is the only way to go.
    
    When I first heard of the "Rapid Fire" technique, I said great!
    just what I have been waiting for. I went to Kay Bee's and picked
    up this joystick called the Zinger. It wasn't licenced by Nintendo,
    but at the time I didn't care. I got home and the first game I tried
    it on was Track and Field. It was okay, but I had a hard time selecting
    games because the cord kept comming out of the socket. The joystick
    it self was also very flimsy and made out of cheap plastic. I returned
    it the next day. I was watching tv the next day and I saw the Mike
    Tyson's Punch Out comercial, and at the end they put on the screen
    Now Your Playing with Power, and showed various games, and I saw
    the Advantage. I called around and went to Childworld and picked
    it up, (they only had 10 in the back room).The joystick is great!
    I don't play a game with out it. 
    
    The epyx is good, but I feel that the ability to select which button
    you want rapid fire is a nececity !
    
    				there are my 2 cents,
    					Pat
    

	I have seen several joy sticks for the Nentendo in addition to the 
controller that comes with the original set.  I have only tried a couple.

   1)	There is a little box that converts the standard controller into a 
	joy stick.  1 pair <$5.  My little girl seems to like it.

   2)	Epix (sp?) joy stick.  Hold it in your left hand and move the stick 
	with your right.  A and B buttons controlled by your index and middle 
	finger on your left hand.  Start and select are touch spots on the 
	top of the controller.  Rapid fire on and off are touch spots on the 
	heal of the controller.  I think both A and B rapid fire or neither.  
	The touch spots are somewhat unreliable.  My left wrist got quite 
	sore after using it.  Much too big for my little girl to use - she 
	does not like it.  I found it was better than the original controller.

   3)	Wilco (sp?) joy stick.  No rapid fire.  A and B buttons on the sides 
	of the base and duplicate A button on top of joy stick.  Start and 
	select buttons on top of the base.  I returned it when I found that 
	there was no rapid fire mode.

	I have seen but not tried the following -

	Kay & Bee toys had two joy sticks in addition to the Epix.  One was 
the Zinger and I forget the other one.

	I saw something called the Jabber at Toys R Us.  It had four suction
cups on a large base with a molded grip on the left.  There were two
industrial size push buttons on the right labeled A and B and two small push
buttons labeled Start and Select.  There was a set of 4 leds arranged in a
cross above the joy stick grip and two control knobs labeled A and B along the
top edge.  If I remember correctly, the knobs were also labeled from fast to
slow.  I may have been looking at it up-side down, in which case left and 
right would have been reversed.  It looked pretty solid but I did not get to 
try it since it was locked in the display case and I was short of time and 
did not feel like asking for a closer look.  Price was ~$30.

	I have not seen the Advantage in any of the stores here so far but I
will continue looking. 

	I want to thank the person who reviewed the Zinger.  I was thinking
of trying it and will not bother now.  Has anybody else seen the Jabber and
tried it?  Has anyone seen any other controllers? 

    
    	I got my hands on the NES Advantage controller this weekend.
    I love it. The things it lets you do! Slow motion, Variable Rapid
    fire for both A and B, and you connect it to both controller inputs
    and hit a switch to go back and forth (this way both people can
    use the same controller). This is the best controller I've seen
    (and the most expensive aprox $36). I have the Epix and it is okay, 
    but I really must recommend the Advantage. The only thing I don't
    like about it is the size and weight, but I think this is because
    of everything that is in it. If you want the Advantage, get the
    'Advantage'.
     
    

    
    Is the 'Jabber' licenced by Nintendo ?
    
    If not I wouldn't even try it.
    
    				A guy with some bias,
    					Pat..
    

    	Has anyone played Track & Field with the new joysticks?
    1350 c/pk is pretty damn fast!!  Blows the computer away!!
    
    				-=*>Jason<*=-

    I saw a new joystick when I was in Rich's on Friday. It looked like
    it was manufactured by Nintendo and was pretty big. It even had
    a slow motion button on it. It's supposed to give the feel of real
    arcade...
    
    Anyone seen/used/beat-on/own one of these beauties?
    
    Mike

	I just got the Advantage joystick yesterday.  I'm still
	getting used to it, but was wondering if anyone else had
	the same trouble:  In Legend of Zelda, the slow motion
	button causes the game to continuously go between upper
	and lower screen;  is this supposed to happen?  I figured
	I could use the slow motion button to get me out of trouble
	in the second-time-around game - no such luck!

    Re .12:
    
    The slow motion button does nothing but repeatedly press the Start
    button for you.  If the Start button is used by the game as a pause,
    you get slow motion.
    
    
    				-- edp

Well, I feel the controlers that come with the game are ok, I went looking
to see what was still on the shelves.  I was able to locate the Epyx and the
WICO.  I currently have an Epyx for the second control on my Atari and though
I haven't had much to complain about, I elected to go with the WICO.  Yes,
I know that it does not have the rapid fire (but being a purist I feel that
that is cheating anyways...most arcade machines don't have a rapid fire 
option).  I based this first stick on the quality of WICO products (with the
exception of the "Boss") and am very pleased with it.  I may opt to go with the
NES Advantage at a later time (like when they are back on the shelves) but the
feel and qulaity of the WICO will serve well for the present time.

I may also build a custom controller (having done this for the Atari) using
Arcade replacement parts (or just make some conversion cables).  Has anyone
metered out the cable connections for the NES controllers...if not, then I 
will post it when I make the new controller/cable.  The Custom controller I made
consisted of an "Asteroids" panel layout of 5 Arcade type buttons and an 
8-axis commercial joystick mounted in an old F/S type tool box...makes a big
difference from having to "Hold" the controller with one hand!

If anyone has a broken NES controller, I would be interested if getting it 
if only for the cable/connector.

Ron M.

    I recently picked up TOP GUN, and have the NEED for SPEED.  Oh,
    sorry about that.  I meant to say, that I have been trying to locate
    a NES Advantage joystick, but to no avail.  I have been at Toy R
    us, Kaybee, Entertainment Warehouse, Rich's, called Child World
    (realized late that I bight burn up alot more gas then anything
    else), and can't find one.
    
    Does anyone have any other suggestions?  I am located in the
    Nashua/Merrimack area of NH.
    
    -- Nestor

        Nestor,
        
        KayBee in  the Mall of New Hampshire seems to consistently have
        them in stock, and I saw them in the Bedford Mall at the end of
        last week (both in  Manchester,  NH.) I don't remember the name
        of the store in the  Bedford  Mall,  but  it's  the  one  which
        sells/rents video tapes (Video World?)
        
        Hope this helps...
        
        Andy.
        

    Thanks for the suggestions Andy.  I did in fact try KayBee, and
    they were totally out, not expecting another shipment for three
    weeks.  
    
    The Video place in the Bedford Mall (Video Biz) did in fact have
    it.  They were selling it for $49, but I was able to get it on Sale
    for $42.  Note, other places such as Toys 'R Us, and Entertainment
    Warehouse quoted me a price of $39.97, but were out and did not
    know when they would get their next order.
    
    Now, what do I think of the joy stick?  I must admit, TOP GUN is
    a totally different game with it.  I might even get to Mission 4
    now 8^).
    
    -- Nestor

    got the NES advantage last nite at K-mart in acton, last one tho...
    i'm not sure, but  i think i like the "home made" arcade stick i
    built better, the buttons are on the other side, the reason i got
    the NES stick was the turbo feature, i'm thinking of taking it apart
    and coping that part into my stick...
    
    it is the best stick on the market (ready made) tho...for the NES... 
    
    also FRETTER was advertising the NES at $37. ($39.95 - K-mart),
    but i didn't wan't to drive there...
    
    ...bill...

    Re: .17
    
    So that's what you've been doing instead of diving, Nestor!
    
                                        Roak

    Hey Roger, yep, is there no notes file you don't read?  I decided
    that the Nintendo was cheaper than the Dry suit, but after all the
    games, I'm starting to think otherwise. 8^)
    
    -- Nestor

    I bought the Epyx 500XJ at Electronic Boutique in Nashua - on sale
    for $19.95. My son complained that it was very difficult to use.
    I'm not the game player but it seemed that any joystick movement
    while using the 'A' button would pause the COMMANDO game and require
    one to click both 'A' and 'B' to unfreeze. Similiar problems occured
    with SMB and Rush'n'attack. Do I have a defective stick? Are there
    any other Boutiques around? (I'm in Northboro, Mass.)

        The 'A'  button  on  my  Advantage  has been acting up for some
        time, so I  took  it  apart,  _gently_  cleaned  the gold wiped
        contacts for the 'A'  button  and  the  others,  and  cured the
        problem, or so I thought!   After a few weeks, the button began
        to act up again.  To  cut  a long story short, the answer is to
        resolder  the  links in the 'A' button  connections,  where  it
        looked  as  if there were some dry joints.    This  may  be  an
        isolated thing, but if you have the same problem, it might save
        you $35 or whatever.
        
        Andy.
        

    
    
        Just how good are the controllers that come with the NES ? I
    just recently purchased NES and have been spending quite some time
    with SMB and Punch Out. I've noticed on the the directional pad
    that the right arrow button seems to work intermitantly. This could
    happen with any of the buttons or switches depending on use. Has
    anyone had the same problems ?
    
        Is it worth it to open the thing up and check it out ? My guess
    would be a faulty switch over a contact, but then again,what do
    I know. Should I just go out and get the "Advantage"? How is the
    response/action compared to the basic controllers, features aside?
    
    George

    IN RESPONSE TO NOTE 23.0, REGARDING THE EPYX JOYSTICK, I HAVE ALSO
    PURCHASED AN EPYX 500XJ JOYSTICK. SO FAR I AM VERY PLEASED WITH
    ITS PERFORMANCE. I DO AGREE THAT THE START/SELECT BUTTONS ARE DIFFICULT
    TO USE, HOWEVER, WHEN THE START BUTTON ON MY JOYSTICK CEASED TO
    OPERATE, I REPLACED THE ORIGINAL BUTTONS WITH NEW BUTTONS WHICH
    ARE RAISED 1/4 INCH ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE JOYSTICK.  THIS MADE
    ACCESS TO THE BUTTONS MUCH EASIER, AND CONSEQUENTLY, GAME PLAY MORE
    ENJOYABLE. BUTTONS SUCH AS THE ONES I HAVE INSTALLED CAN BE BOUGHT
    INEXPENSIVELY A STORES LIKE RADIO SHACK.
    

    I looked at the instructions for the Mega joystick.  It doesn't seem
    that impressive, but maybe some people could use its features.
    
    It will let you "lock" the joystick or a button in place, so that it
    acts as if it is still pressed when you release it.
    
    You can specify an amount of "ammunition" you have; when the fire
    button has been pressed the specified number of times, the controller
    pauses the game.  I do not see how this would be very useful,
    especially since the amounts you can set are limited to numbers like
    500, 1000, et cetera.
    
    The joystick will remember a password sequence for one game.  However,
    the instructions were not too clear; they said you could remember up to
    16 "characters", but since you use the joystick for up, down, left,
    right, and the buttons, I do not know if they really meant characters.
    Anyway, some games use more than 16 characters.
    
    There were a few other features, but the above ones were the most
    interesting. 
    
    
    				-- edp 

          From what I've read in this note, the NES Advantage appears
      to be the "aftermarket" joystick to buy. My question is: should
      I plan on buying one or two?
    
          I just purchased my Nintendo this weekend, supposedly as a
      Christmas present for my kids, and I haven't had a chance to try
      it out yet. As a result, I don't know too much about the games
      that are available. Are most of them the type that are "one
      player at a time", or are there also enough "head-to-head" games
      that make two joysticks necessary?
    
          Besides that, the toy store I bought the game at has plenty
      of the Advantage joysticks now, but the clerk said that both
      the game sets and joysticks are going fast, and he wouldn't be
      surprised if they were put on some kind of allocation in the
      very near future. So if the recommendation is for two, I want
      to get them now, while they're available.
    
         By the way, have you ever noticed how kids seem to have a
      built-in radar for things like this! They've done nothing but
      pester me about buying a Nintendo since I walked in the door
      with it. It's as if they now I have it hidden in the house
      and figure that enough pestering will make me bring it out
      before Christmas!!!!   I must admit, though, that I am trying
      to find some way to "get rid" of them for an afternoon so I 
      can take the darn thing out of the box and try it.
    
          Thanks in advance for the advice.
    
    
     Bob 
    

	Use a simple pragmatic approach - Get one Advantage now and the second
    when you get a game that requires two joysticks.

    Re: .26 by BTO::SURRELL
    
    I believe that the NES Advantage comes with two cords to plug into
    both of player receptacles.  There should also be a slide switch
    on the joystick base labeled to indicate which receptacle is active.
    
    	Stapes

Re .28:

	There are now some games that require both joysticks at the same time.
    For those rare games you will need two Advantages.

	After reading this note,  and it's replies I find that there is no
discussion on the Spectravideo Quickshot stick.  Does anyone have,  used,
or seen this controller in action?  I just recently purchased the second of
these controllers for $9.99 on sale.  In my opinion,  well worth the money.
        They are fairly large controllers with four suction cups on the
bottom,  which we never attach to anything.  They are constructed with spring
loaded micro-switches which are somewhat noisy but in the heat of a battle you
don't notice (unless you need quiet in the house,  forget peace if you own
a NES).  It has a molded handle grip (I think may be too large for small
players) with A and B switches at the top, (one index trigger finger type
and the other thumb operated) which are also spring loaded micro-switches.
There is an auto fire feature that is nice to use for many games.
        I was wondering how the auto fire on the Advantage worked with
Top Gun.  I have found that the Quickshot doesn't work very well on this
game as far as firing the gun,  approximately one shot per second).  It is
nice for firing missiles (just hold the button down for lock-on and fire)
and controlling the aircraft.  It's ruggedly built and I've had no problems
mechanically or electrically with either unit.
        Use of this controller has enabled the completion of RAD Racer, (I
can't believe the guy let's her drive off with the car) and Jackal, and is
used on Top Gun,  Commando,  and Section Z.  If anyone would like some more
info on this controller feel free to ask.

	Bob

    9.99?  That's cheap.  I have had some trouble with my Advantage
    controller when playing PAC-MAN, it won't recognize that I am trying
    to change direction.  Anybody else ever have this problem?
    
    Ed

    From all the previous replys I can see that the Advantage is probably
    the best joystick. What I'd like to know is if anyone has any
    experience with the Nintendo controller that looks like a little
    pair of bicycle handlebars. It has a slide control for direction
    that is under the left thumb, A and B buttons under the right. I
    think it also has turbo buttons. It looks like this controller
    would work much better when playing from an easy chair (my favorite
    position). My problem with joysticks is that they really need to
    be sitting on a table for ease-of-use and my family room just isn't
    set up that way.
    
    Oh yes, the price for this controller and the Advantage are similar,
    with the Advantage being 1 or 2 dollars more.
    
    Thanks,
    Randy

    re: -.1
    
    I seem to recall that the Advantage was priced at $39.99 and the
    handle bar type you speak of (the name escapes me now) was priced
    at $19.99. I may be wrong on this as I have not been in  the market
    for another joy stick, but I seem to recall that there was a $20.00
    price differential. You may want to price around a tad, at least these are
    the prices in Colorado Spings. Can anybody from the Springs confirm
    my prices???
    
    Chuck

    Chuck,
    
    You may be right. I was shopping around for the best price on the
    base system and really wasn't paying much attention to the controllers.
    I could very easily have mis-read something.
    
    BTW, the best price on the console only package in C/S seemed to
    be Lionel Play World. Their price was $79.00, and they had Zelda
    I on sale for 34.99. I may have missed a store or two, but I doubt
    it.                                                   
    
    Randy

The game stick controller is called the Nes MAX, and notes discussing the performance of the 
controller can be found in this notes conference, 71.*.

    re .31:
    
    I noticed the same thing happening when I play PAC-MAN.  I thought
    maybe it was because I am not very good at the game just yet.
    
    -Paula

    Has anyone tried the wireless joysticks/controllers?

    
    	Are there any extension cords available for the normal controller
    and the "ADVANTAGE"? I have found that the cord is just a bit too
    short to be able to lounge in a comfortable position in relation
    to where my tv set is. 
    
    Steve 
    

>    	Are there any extension cords available for the normal controller
>    and the "ADVANTAGE"? 

TOYS "R" US, KAYBEE Toys, etc have them.  A set of two cords (6 feet long).
Somewhere about 4$ in price.

-Joe

    I have a set of these extension cords.  They do not fit properly
    in the console, if you move around too much they will pull right
    out of the sockets.  For an adult they work all right, but my 9
    year old can't use them at all.
    
    

    Thanks, I'll check around and see if I can find them. Are they made
    by Nintendo? 
    
    Steve 

    	We have the extension cords.  Contrary to a previous reply,
    we've not had any problems with them not fitting properly ans therfore
    falling out.  (It's not for lack of an ecuse to fall out weither,
    we've jerked them, accidentally tripped ver them, and had the cats
    pull on them, etc...) (Maybe ours are a different brand?  I of course
    do not remember the brand, but they were NOT nintendo Brand.  We
    got them at the Electronics Boutique.)  (EB is a chain, but I don't
    know if you habve them in the NE.)
    
    tlh
    

    Does anybody know of an infrared joystick which is both Nintendo and
    Sega compatible at the same time?
    
    I have seen one unit which will connect to both joystick ports on the
    Nintendo or both on the Sega, but not one to Nintendo and one to Sega.
    I would have bought it otherwise, because I wanted to buy two of them
    and connect one unit to Nintendo port one and Sega port two and the
    other unit to Sega port one and Nintendo port two.  That way, I would
    have one joystick that would work with both systems with no wires or
    switching.  And two people could use both joysticks simultaneously, or
    one joystick could be switched back and forth between 1/2 to alternate
    turns, depending on the game.
    
    If anybody knows of anything capable of that, I'd appreciate knowing
    about it.  Also, how good are infrared joysticks in general?  Is there
    a noticeable delay between pushing a button and game response?  Does
    the joystick ever miss a button, particularly when two people are
    playing simultaneously?
    
    
    				-- edp

    I just bought two Camerica Freedom Sticks.  These are infrared remote
    joysticks, and they can be used with the Nintendo system as well as
    systems using the Atari joystick connectors (Sega, Commodore, et
    cetera).
    
    By buying two packages, I got two receivers.  Each receiver comes with
    a pair of plugs for the Nintendo and a pair of plugs for Atari-type
    connections.  I connected one receiver to both ports of my Nintendo
    system and the other receiver to both ports of my Sega system.  And I
    got two joysticks.
    
    The joysticks can be set to player one or player two.  With one
    joystick set to player one and the other set to player two, two people
    can play a two-player game together.  And the joysticks work with both
    the Nintendo and the Sega systems -- whichever is turned on.
    
    I thought I might need joystick extension cords so that I could place
    the receiver in a good position to receive the signals while leaving
    the game systems where I want them, but the joysticks seem very
    powerful -- enough to bounce of a couple of walls.  I tried putting a
    joystick under a cushion with only an opening facing away from the
    receiver, and it still worked.  I wonder how long the batteries will
    last.
    
    The joystick sends out a signal as long as any button or direction is
    pushed.  My guess is that pushing a button causes the receiver to send
    the Nintendo/Sega the signal for that button and to keep sending that
    signal for a very brief period.  If another signal arrives from the
    joystick before that period expires, the signal to the game system
    continues, so the game system sees only a continuous signal.
    
    The joysticks are shaped light the Advantange, but aren't as good in
    quality.  There is too much free play in the joystick before it
    triggers.  Also, one joystick is fairly tight; the other is a bit loose
    -- and one of its buttons has a bounce problem, so I am going to take
    it back to trade it in for one in slight better condition.
    
    On the whole, I think they are useful -- I now need only one joystick
    for both systems, so that reduces clutter.  The person playing a game
    does not need to sit near the machine, so people do not have to keep
    trading places, and there is no need for wires to stretch across
    anybody's lap. 
    
    
    				-- edp

    My son got a infrared joystick from "Santa" called The Dominator and it
    is great. No problems with it at all and the best thing is that you can
    plug any of the other Nintendo controllers into it and they become
    wireless, even the powerglove. The only disadvantage between it and the
    other wireless controllers "Santa" looked at was cost, $69 at Lionels
    Play World, and the effective range of 18 feet; no problem in my living
    room. I would recommend them to anyone. I even seem to play better with
    them at least I am a little better competition for my son!

         I haven't found any mention of these anywhere in the
    notesfile so here goes. does anyone have any experience
    with the infared controller units ?? Are they any good,
    worth the investment, etc. ? I think they would be great
    for playing with. Any info would be appreciated.
    
                              Jim Cooper

    so as note to confuse anyone - the previous note (23.46) was moved
    from 434.0 - a DIR/TITLE would have helped Jim put his note in the
    right place, but then again - that's what moderators do, occasionally.
    
    jack
    NINTENDO co-moderator

    I have an Arkanoid controller that plugs into the Japanese version
    of the Nintendo (FAMICOM).  This controller has a DB15 (15 pin)
    connector, and I would like to convert this into the regular 9 pin
    connector for my Nintendo system.  Does anybody have the pin-out
    configuration of the 9 pin controller?  
    
    
    		thanks in advance,
    
    			bobby c.

    Your fat-fingered co-moderator deleted the pointer to a solution for .48.
    
    It was 444.1
    
    jack
    (who should know better than to type when he's going though caffeine
    withdrawal...)

    Thanks for the fast response.  In fact, I read the reply that was
    accidentally deleted.  Reply 444.1 was useful, but not that much.
    The Arkanoid controller has an DB15(15 pin external connector) and
    in the inside has a 8 pin connector where all 8 pins are connected
    to a wire.  I'm looking for either a way to convert that 15 pin
    connector to a 9 pin connector.  I can use either the pinout for
    the 15 pin connector(Japanese Family Computer version),  or if anybody
    out there owns an Arkanoid controller, you might be able to see
    what pin connects to where.
    
    			thanks in advance for any help,
    
    				bobby cabreira

    
    	I bought a $10 "[something] XII" from Kay Bee a couple weeks
    	ago and hated it.  The buttons are on the stick itself, one on
    	top and one at the front [towards the TV], and that made any
    	kind of simultaneous move/fire action hard to control.  I es-
    	pecially noticed it on "Bases Loaded II" when trying to swing
    	at a pitch without moving the bat out of the strike zone.
    
    	Last night I put the NES Advantage on my Christmas list.  8^)
    
    							GTI

    Is the NES Advantage compatible with Super Nintendo?

    I found in anther conference that the NES Advantage is not compatible
    with the Super Nintendo.
    Thanks.

    Re .52:
    
    None of the old joysticks/control-pads are compatible with the Super
    Nintendo.  There's an entirely new plug with more pins (and which is
    easier to plug in), and the control pad has 12 buttons, four more than
    the old ones.  The old ones have Up, Down, Left, Right, Start, Select,
    A, and B.  The new ones have all those plus X, Y, L, and R.
    
    
    				-- edp

    I received Supersonic, the Joystick for Christmas.  It is a wireless
    joy stick made by Camerica.  After playing Ultima on it for a couple of
    weeks, one of the spring loaded contacts appears to have been unsprung
    and I can no longer move characters to the left.  There is a rattling
    when I shake it which suggest that the contacts fell out and into the
    housing.  It is warranted for 90 days, but to get it repaired or
    replaced (their option of course), I will have to pay to ship it to
    Camerica plus pay them $5.
    
    Is it worth getting repaired or should I take it to point of purchase
    and request a refund?  I like the idea of wireless controllers - it's
    one less thing for my toddler to get in trouble with.  Is this a good
    one or are there better?  Does Nintendo make one?  I thought I read
    that the Nintendo sattelite was wireless or was I mistaken?
    
    When it was working, the Joystick was pretty good.  It takes a bit to
    get used to as I don't think the joystick portion is as responsive as
    the Advantage Joystick.  Supersonic is stiffer and noisier than the
    Advantage.  It has a rapid fire button, but unlike the Advantage, it
    converts both A&B buttons into rapid fire at once.  One nice feature is
    that it has 2 sets of A&B buttons with a switch to let you change from
    one set to another.  This would be advantagous to any leftys out there.

I bought a Mother Ship joystick at Toys R Us.  Only $10 so I didn't waste
too much money.  The Nintendo controller slips inside and you can control
what the fire button on top of the controller does, A, B or both.

It has 4 suction cups on the base, but doesn't seem to stick to things
very well.  It seems to help with a hockey game we're borrowing, but 
doesn't seem to add anything to SMB.

It's not produced or licensed by Nintendo.

Dave

    To answer part of my own question about the Nintendo Sattellite, it is
    a wireless unit.  There is a receiver that plugs into the console and a
    transmitter that has 4 receptacles to plug any Nintendo compatible
    controller into it.  This way you can still you use your favorite
    controller as a "wireless" system.
    
    Nintendo has another accessory that allows you to plug 4 controllers
    into the console that is not wireless.