The Nintendo Entertainment System was famous for a lot of things, such as introducing Mario to the world (not counting Donkey Kong), introducing consumers to the concept of quality control on their games (remember the video game crash a few years before?), and providing gamers with a slew of accessories to get more out of their games. We had R.O.B. the robot, the U-Force infrared controller, the Track & Field running mat, the Power Glove, and much more. Nintendo was all about bringing the arcade excitement and real-life simulation into your homes and what better way to emulate that than using a joystick to play your games? Enter the the QuickShot Joystick.

Right away you will notice how sturdy and firm the unit is and the traditional matching NES gray and red colors. The joystick itself is insanely ergonomic with grooved finger ridges along the front and a nice rounded backside making for a very comfortable feel on your hand. One button is located on the front which is easily accessible for the index finger, and the other button is located on the top for your thumb’s convenience. Unfortunately there are no markings to indicate which button is A and which one is B, but with a little practice, you’ll figure that one out pretty fast. After all, you have a 50% chance of getting it right! Nerd Bacon believes in your chances. There is an auto-fire toggle switch on rear of the unit’s base and “start/select” buttons on the front. And there you have the QuickShot Joystick. Pretty straightforward.

So you’re probably wondering if this joystick is worth your time and money, huh? It is only a lousy $6.00 minimum on Amazon including shipping and handling. I think the QuickShot Joystick is cool because it’s a Nintendo accessory and is a piece of gaming history, but I can’t endorse it for use on all NES games. I think the unit works best with any flight simulator, shmup game, or dog-fight game such as Cybernoid, Top Gun, Xevious, or Stealth. The joystick itself is firm and has a wonderful range of motion compared to a 4-way d-pad. But as with most aerial battle games, you will be required to fire MANY bullets and missiles, and unfortunately the QuickShot joystick trigger button is UNGODLY LOUD! It clicks louder than those stupid keychain dog-clickers they use for dog-training. But, that can be remedied (for the most part) with the “auto-fire” switch turned on.

Finding out who developed this accessory has proven to be quite a challenge, but most of my research leads me to believe that it was developed by a company known as Spectravideo. But I also found a line of QuickShot controllers that were similar-looking, yet visibly different, bearing the same name yet developed by a company called Bondwell. Confusing, to say the least. There are no markings to indicate the development company on the unit itself, but you can easily see the words “QuickShot” on the base.

Overall, the QuickShot Joystick accessory is a worthy addition to any collector’s arsenal, but it is a mostly unnecessary space-waster for any casual NES gamer. It won’t make your world easier and it doesn’t add that much to your gaming experience. But if you feel like you must get it, I will tell you that it functions exceptionally well compared to other joysticks on the market. One of the best design features are the suction cups on the bottom that allow you to play your games with extreme vigor. You won’t have to use your other hand to hold it in place, a great feature for one-armed gamers out there. There aren’t many features to this simplistic joystick, but if you love using joysticks with your games, then you’ll find the NES QuickShot Joystick to be a more than sufficient device to meet your gaming needs.

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Pros:

• Inexpensive if purchased used
• Easy to find
• Adds a more realistic simulation experience for 3D flying games
• Suction cups keep unit in place while gaming
• Sturdy design
• Ergonomic design
• Compatible with any NES game [/ezcol_1half]

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Cons:

• Not easy to find complete in box for collection enthusiasts
• Very short cord
• Very loud clicking buttons
• Start/Select buttons don’t provide any tactile feedback, weak design
• Makes many games more difficult to control/play
• Suction cups only work on hard surface [/ezcol_1half_end]