Want a retro joystick for your PC? How about a classic game controller that you can also play on a Commodore 64, Amiga, or many other game consoles and emulators? What you need is a UNITHOR retro joystick.
Designed with USB port and a DE9 (DB9) adapter, the UNITHOR is a new Kickstarter project, set to close on July 21st and at the time of writing is already over 50% fulfilled. Backers have pledged £31,863 of the project’s £55,186 goal, which is pretty good going.
Newly designed classic-styled game controller for Amiga, Commodore, Atari, PC with USB and an array of game consoles and emulators.
UNITHOR is a new, classic-styled joystick for the Amiga, Commodore and Atari computers, fitted with the standard DB9/DE9 plug that 80s-90s gamers certainly remember well. No adapters, no workarounds.
If you don’t own any of these machines but still would like to relive the good time you used to have playing games as a kid, the joystick will also come in a USB version, meant for PC-based software emulators, modern retro-styled consoles and some raspberry fruit. 🙂 No need to stop here either – it’s a nice back-to-the-roots solution for indie games that waits to have its full potential harvested.
While joystick as such is hardly a novel idea, the exciting thing about UNITHOR is that you can have it in different flavours, some of them unseen in its predecessors: alternative colour schemes, sophisticated aufofire, extra fire buttons, LED backlight and force feedback motor.
Designed as a solution to a shortage of joysticks, the UNITHOR is intended to look and feel like a classic joystick, but with modern electronics and design and fabrication techniques.
The cheapest option for backing the UNITHOR that will also bag you a joystick (as opposed to a digital wallpaper or a “just because you believe in it” contribution) is £51. For this price, you’ll get the joystick, DE9 (DB9) cord, and 3M bump on adhesives. When pledging, you can also select the configuration – perhaps rewired for Amstrad CPC, MSX, and ZX Spectrum computers, or to have USB functionality added.
More expensive options simply multiply the number of UNITHOR joysticks you’ll end up with.
It can get complicated, to take a look at the video above and make sure you know exactly what to expect and what add-ons to select when pledging.
To learn more, or back the project, head to the UNITHOR Kickstarter page.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.