Competition Pro
The Competition Pro is a series of digital joysticks for classic computer systems such as the C64 and Amiga from Commodore or the devices from Atari and Schneider . There is also a USB version of the Competition Pro for PCs .
overview
The word "competition" comes from English and means "competition". The Competition Pro should therefore represent a joystick suitable for competition. The shape of the joystick and fire button is closely based on that of the arcade consoles of its time. The term "Pro" (professional) suggests that there are other versions, but was part of the name for the entire series. The Competition Pro 5000 model was the only one available when it was launched in 1983. The first examples still had conventional metal tongue contacts for fire buttons and directional information, which, due to wear, often led to contact paths of different lengths or failed completely. The Competition Pro came to its fame through the microswitches used in later versions , which made it extremely robust, precise and therefore truly suitable for competitions. For some users, however, this version was too precise.
construction
The Competition Pro has a sturdy housing in which metal tongue contacts were operated via the stick in the first copies of the Competition Pro 5000. The fire buttons also switched via metal tongue contacts. The zero position of the stick was released via a thick rubber washer in the housing. This technique was still very fragile, because the metal tongues of the contacts often broke off or no longer gave precise contact. A decisive advantage of the metal tongues compared to the later versions with microswitches, however, was that they could be operated with less effort and thus much faster and thus a higher rate of fire was achieved. It was also possible by manual intervention to reduce the distance between the tongues by bending and thus to increase the rate of fire even more.
The later and more well-known variants were gradually changed inside: First of all, the contactor of the stick in the Competition Pro 5000 was replaced by durable microswitches. One advantage was the audible and perceptible feedback from the microswitches when a contact was closed. As a next variant, the rubber washer for centering was replaced by a large steel spring. Then the contacts on the fire buttons were replaced by microswitches.
The mostly black case remained almost unchanged in shape. Slight changes in the cable entry and in the surface structure can be seen.
Design variants
There are various versions of the Competition Pro. The original model of the Competition Pro 5000 (very rare) has a black housing with a black control stick and red fire buttons, followed by a model with a black housing, red control stick and red fire buttons. The Competition Pro Extra has been optically upgraded with a transparent housing and red control elements, the Competition Pro Star with a blue-transparent housing and chrome-plated control elements. Customizers have also used these models to build a joystick with a transparent housing and chrome-plated control elements that was never officially available for purchase. Further design variants were the Competition Pro 5000 Spezial with a green stick, pink fire buttons and black housing with light dots, the Competition Pro GLO Extra in neon colors with a semi-transparent housing and the Competition Pro Mean Green with a bright green housing and a yellow stick and fire buttons. At the end of 1993, for the 10th anniversary of the Competition Pro, a limited jubilee edition with four different designs and a total of 9999 pieces was published.
The Competition Pro PC had the usual color scheme for office equipment at the end of the 1980s, with gray controls and a beige housing. In the PC version of the Competition Pro Star, the housing was gray-blue and semi-transparent, the slide switch and the triangular buttons were yellow, the stick and fire buttons were chrome-plated.
The Competition Pro Mini, released in 1992, corresponds optically exactly to the other versions of the Competition Pro and was also available in different colors, but is about a quarter smaller and not nearly as stable as the original. The smaller switches on this model are not as robust either.
The PC version with USB connection, which was reissued in 2004, comes in the classic red and black design of the original Competition Pro and, recently, also in a blue-transparent housing with chrome-plated control sticks and fire buttons. What is striking here, however, are the additional fire buttons and the automatic fire switch due to the technical changes made over time.
For the 25th anniversary of the Competition Pro, a gold version was released, which is limited to 10,000 pieces.
Functions
The functions differ depending on the model. But every model has two flat fire buttons at the front and of course a control stick. The fire buttons both have the same function in the classic version (they are simply connected in parallel), so the Competition Pro is equally suitable for right and left-handers. In the game port- based PC model Competition Pro PC from 1989, the two fire buttons have different functions (depending on the game). In the Competition Pro Extra model, a slide switch has been added for continuous fire , slow motion or normal functions. The Competition Pro Star model finally received two more triangular fire buttons on the base of the stick, so a total of four theoretically distinguishable buttons. The third and fourth buttons are often used for continuous fire and a slow motion function, but this varies depending on the game. The Competition Pro Star appeared under the same name as a PC model with a game port connector.
The Competition Pro is a digital joystick , which means that the control commands for directions are only given as absolute values, i.e. either forwards, left, right, back or zero, or in combinations diagonally right-forwards, right-back, left-back and left -before issued. On the other hand, no distinction is made between how far the joystick is pressed in one direction. The function is similar to that of a joypad with a control stick.
connection
The joystick can direct to many classical systems with 9-pin D-sub plug after the Atari 2600 introduced de facto - standard can be connected. These include, for example, most home computers from Commodore ( VC20 , C64 , C128 , Amiga ) and Atari (2600, 7800 , 800XL , ST , STE and Mega ST ), but also devices from Sega , Amstrad / Schneider ( Schneider / Amstrad CPC , but the Schneider-specific connector for the second joystick is missing), Sinclair ZX Spectrum (requires additional interface ) or devices in Microsoft's MSX standard. The C16 / C116 / Plus4 models from Commodore have a mini-DIN socket for connecting joysticks. However, the Competition Pro can also be used on this via an adapter to D-Sub.
Later there were also versions with a 15-pin game port connection that could be connected to IBM compact PCs with a game port or MIDI connection. The Gameport version can also be operated on the Apple II with a slight modification .
The current PC version is connected to the USB interface in keeping with the times . Much to the displeasure of many users, however, the USB electronics of the Competition Pro only transmit the direction and fire button status to the computer 12.5 times per second ( 100 queries per second are common with USB-HID devices ). When the computer is queried at a frequency of 50 queries per second, this leads to errors, sometimes pressing the fire button or very rapid changes of direction are not recognized. The joystick is therefore less suitable for very responsive games.
Left 9-pin D-SUB connector, right USB connector
Variant for game port connection
Manufacturer
The original models were manufactured by the Suzo company in Rotterdam .
The original model was sold by Dynamics Marketing GmbH from Hamburg, a distributor for computer games. In 1986 the sales price for a Competition Pro was 49 DM . Production was stopped in 1993 .
From 2004 the USB version SL-6603 was sold by the company Speedlink in Germany. The manufacturer Speedlink now produces the USB version for the online retailer Koka.
In cooperation with Speedlink , Individual Computers offers a new edition of the joystick under the name Competition Pro Retro . Like the original joystick, the Competition Pro Retro has a 9-pin D-Sub cable and can therefore be operated on old computer systems from Commodore, Amiga, Amstrad and Atari.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lars Craemer: Special Edition of the Competition Pro - Return of a Legend. In: PC Games Hardware . January 26, 2011, accessed March 11, 2019 .
- ↑ Individual Computers Wiki - Competition Pro Retro