- Commodore 64 joystick adapters
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Commodore 64 joystick adapters are hardware peripherals that extend the number of joystick ports on the Commodore 64 computer. The additional joysticks can be used on games with dedicated support for the specific adapter.
A few different joystick adapters have been constructed for use with the C64. The Classical Games / Protovision adapter is supported by the largest number of games. It is also the only adapter presently available commercially, but building instructions are available for most of the adapters. Some of the adapters are also emulated in C64 emulators.
Contents
Adapters
Starbyte adapter (1990)
Supports 2 additional joysticks. Released by Starbyte Software in 1990 for use with their game Adidas Championship Tie Break. At the time sold separately under the name Tie Break Adaptor.[1][2]
Kingsoft adapter (1992)
Supports 2 additional joysticks at the userport. Introduced with the game Bug Bomber by Kingsoft in 1992, but might be compatible with (or identical to) the Starbyte adapter.[3] The game came with instructions to build your own 4-player adapter.
Building instructions (plugs, wires and diodes) are also available on the web.[4]
Classical Games adapter (1997) / Protovision 4 player interface
Supports 2 additional joysticks at the userport. Developed by Chester Kollschen (CKX) of Classical Games and released in 1997 with the game Bomb Mania. Kollschen later joined Protovision and the adapter is now available as the Protovision 4 player interface.[5][6][7]
Building instructions (plugs, wires and an IC), sample code, shop and list of supported games are available at the Protovision website.[7]
O. Stillers adapter
Supports 8 joysticks (at the expansion port). Developed by Oliver Stiller. Building instructions and documentation probably appeared in a 64'er mag.[8]
L. Pantarottos adapter (1998)
Supports 8 joysticks, all connected to the user port and one joyport. Appears with the game Space Balls (1998) for 2-8 players by Luigi Pantarotto. (No claim of originality, so this could also be a reuse of another adapter.)
Building instructions (plugs and wires only) is provided with the game SpaceBalls.[4]
Ninjas SNES pad adapter (1998)
Supports 8 SNES pads at the joyports. Developed by Ninja of The Dreams. Only a few games are available for this adapter.[9]
Building instructions (plugs and wires only) are available at the Hitmen 4 player adapter website.[10] Code interface is demonstrated in the SNES-Pad-Tooldisk #1.[11]
Digital Excess & Hitmen 4 player joystick adapter (1999)
Supports 2 additional joysticks at the userport. Developed by Groepaz of Hitmen and Thomas Koncina and Bjoern Odendahl of Digital Excess in 1999 as an easier to build alternative to the Classical Games adapter.[12] A few 4-player games are available for this adapter.
Building instructions (plugs and wires only) and sample code is available at the Hitmen 4 player adapter website.[10]
Related
Adapters for a few related computers can also be used with the C64.Those adapters include PET (normally only used on the PET/CBM2), Hummer (normally only used on the C64DTV) and OEM (normally only used on the VIC20).[13] There are probably no game supporting those adapters on the C64.
Emulation
The C64 emulator VICE supports the Classical Games / Protovision and the Digital Excess & Hitmen adapters from version 2.3.[13]
Games
List of games with original or added support for the various adapters. [7] [10] [14] [15] [16]
Title Year Description # Joystics Adapter Interfaced by Alone in the Green 2009 original 1-4 C Edikles[17] Amazing Maze 2005 Amazing Maze (1983) hack 1-3 C Triad Bomb Mania 1997 Bomberman clone 2-4 C Protovision[7] Bomb Mania patch 1998 Bomb Mania (1997) patch 2-4 C, N Da!NyL[18] Bomb Mania patch 1999 Bomb Mania (1997) patch 2-4 C, D DXS & HIT[19] Bug Bomber 1992 Bomberman clone 1-4 K Kingsoft Garrison 2007 Gauntlet (1986) hack 1-4 C, D Nostalgia[20] Grubz (preview) 2004 Worms clone 2-4 C Singular Crew[21] Hockey Mania 2004 original 2-4 C Protovision[7] International Karate + Gold 2001 International Karate + (1987) hack 1-3 C, D, N The Dreams[22] Marble Madness+ 2004 Marble Madness (1986) hack 1-4 C Nostalgia[20] Pac It (preview) 2000 Pacman clone 1-4 C Protovision[7] Phong 2004 Pong clone 1-4 C, N Instinct/Triad[23] Quadris 1998 Tetris clone 1-4 C Protovision Quadtron 2000 Snakes clone 2-4 C Protovision Rampage Gold 2003 Rampage (1987) hack 1-3 C, D, N The Dreams[24] Snakes 4 Snakes 2002 Snakes clone 2-4 C Protovision[7] Space Balls 1998 original 2-8 P Pantarotto Square Attack 2011 original 4 C Prof. Pi^2[25] Super Off Road+ 2007 Super Off Road (1990) hack 1-3 C, D Nostalgia[20] Tanks 3000 2006 original 2-4 C Protovision[7] Team Patrol 2005 original 2-4 C Protovision[7] Tie Break 1990 original 1-4 S Starbyte Tour de France 2005 original 2-4 C Hack n' Trade[26] Adapter: S = Starbyte, C = Classical Games / Protovision, D = Digital Excess & Hitmen, N = Ninjas SNES pad, K = Kingsoft, P = Pantarotto, O = O. Stiller.
Description: original/clone = new implementation, patch = patch for existing game, hack = unautorized release based on existing game.
Interface origin: Publisher or official source of joystick adapter support. In order to use hacked versions legally, you should own the original game.
References
- ^ "Zzap!Test! Tie Break", Zzap!64, 1990 Nov (67), p 12. zzap.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ "Adidas Championship Tie Break", Ocean Software & Starbyte Software, 1990. Stadium 64 Manuals Archive. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Christoph Gutjahr. "C64-games supporting four joysticks". Delirium BBS. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ a b Synnes, Stig: Joystick adapter schematics
- ^ "Commodore Free interview with the Protovision team", Commodore Free, 2011, issue 51, p 37. Commodore Free. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Classical Games 4 Player Interface". CSDB. http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=3683. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "4 Player Interface". Protovision. http://www.protovision-online.de/hardw/4_player.htm. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Groepaz. "4 player adapter". Hitmen. http://hitmen.c02.at/html/hardware.html. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ Ninja. "How to connect 8 snes-pads to your c64 v1.1". Hitmen. http://hitmen.c02.at/files/hardware/4player/ninja_snes_adapter.txt. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ a b c "4 Player Adapter". Hitmen. http://hitmen.c02.at/html/hardware.html. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ "SNES-Pad-Tooldisk #1". CSDB. http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=6098. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Groepaz. "The Digital Excess & Hitmen 4-Player Joystick adapter". Hitmen. http://hitmen.c02.at/files/hardware/4player/4player.txt. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ a b "What is NEW with the 2.3 release?". VICE team. http://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/plain/NEWS. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ "Nostalgia releases". http://cosine.org.uk/n0s/games.php?srt=0&dir=0. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Gutjahr, Christoph. "C64-games supporting four joysticks". Delirium BBS. http://deliriumbbs.freehostia.com/C64_games_supporting_four_joysticks.bbs. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ Synnes, Stig. "4-joystick adapter". http://www.synnes.org/c64/c64_4player.html. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Alone in the green. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 20111.
- ^ Da!NyL's workspace. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ DXS & HIT 4-Player Joystick Adapter. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ a b c Nostalgia releases. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ Grubz. Singular Crew. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ International Karate+ GOLD. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Phong. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Rampage Gold. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Square Attack. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Tour de France. CSDB. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
External links
- Protovision 4 player interface page, shop and list of compatible games
- Hitmen building instruction on 4 player adapters and list of 4 player games
Categories:- Commodore 64
- Home computer peripherals
- Commodore 64 games
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