Input Devices : Joystick

Joysticks are popular for playing computer games and controlling computer simulations. You can move a standard joystick in any one of eight directions. The joystick tells the computer in which direction it is being pulled and the computer uses this information to e.g. move a spaceship on screen. A joystick may also have several buttons which can be pressed to trigger actions such as firing a missile.

The best joysticks, called analogue joysticks measure how far the joystick is being moved in the direction it is being pulled. This information is used to set how quickly the object on the screen moves. The further you push the joystick the faster the object moves.

Small joysticks called trackpoint devices are sometimes built into the keyboards of portable computers and used instead of a mouse.

GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004