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Atari CX40 Joystick

The Atari CX40 Joystick, manufactured by Atari Corp, became the standard controller for Atari's game and computer systems, sold individually for $10.95 and as a pair under model CX40-04 for $19.95 per pair.

Atari atari-cx40-joystick, archival photo
Photo: Kevin Savetz, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. source

The CX40 Joystick, formally designated the "Joystick Controller (Single)"45, was sold at prices ranging from $7.25 to $10.95 for a single unit according to the Straitline Marketing Catalog Spring 19824. The same catalog lists the CX40-04 Joystick Controller Pair at a retail price of $21.85 and a dealer price of $14.754, while multiple issues of MICRO from 1979 list the pair at $19.95 per pair67891013. A UK listing priced the single joystick at £4.9921112, and noted a promotional bundle valued at £458.97 available with other Atari hardware12111216.

Despite the absence of technical documentation on its internal design or physical dimensions in the surviving record, the CX40 was widely recognized as the "ATARI-TYPE" joystick, a de facto standard referenced in third-party interface products. The YourComputer 1985 01 issue notes its compatibility with the ELECTRON PROGRAMMABLE JOYSTICK INTERFACE, the ORIC ATMOS 48K PROGRAMMABLE interface, and the BBC MODEL 'B' JOYSTICK INTERFACE3. It was also interoperable with the Quickshot II Joystick3, suggesting a shared mechanical or electrical convention. The controller was required for software titles including Basketball (CXL4004), Life (CXL4005), Super Breakout (CXL4006), CXL4008 Super BugTM, and Caverns of Mars (CX8130)567891013, with the cartridge key "(j)" used in catalogs to denote joystick dependency67891013.

A survey published by ComputerEntertainer reported that the Atari 2600 Joystick was preferred by 26% of respondents, the highest percentage among listed joystick types14. The Atari 5200 Joystick was preferred by 6% of respondents and "Le Stick" by 4%14. The CX40 was marketed alongside other Atari controllers such as the CX2C-01 Driving Controller Pair and the CX30-04 Paddle Controller Pair67891013, and appeared in promotional contexts with the SC1224 colour monitor priced at £69812111216. Competing products listed in the same period include the "TG Joystick" and "Joystick II Hand Controllers"15, while "Atari Joysticks" were offered at $8.40 in one 1982 advertisement15.

The documentation is silent on the device's physical specifications, manufacturing origin, designer, release date, and total production volume. No technical details such as connector type, cable length, or number of buttons are present in the source material. The discrepancies in pricing across catalogs suggest regional, temporal, or distribution-tier variations, but the record does not clarify their cause. What remains indisputable is the CX40’s role as the baseline joystick for Atari’s ecosystem, its broad third-party recognition as a standard, and its measurable lead in user preference during the early 1980s.

References

  1. Computer & Video Games 102
  2. Stworldhi037
  3. YourComputer 1985 01 (1985)
  4. Straitline Marketing Catalog Spring 1982 (1982)
  5. AB COMPUTERS CATALOG 1982 (1982)
  6. micro 17 oct 1979[ocr] (1979)
  7. MICRO Vol17-10 79
  8. MICRO Vol19-12 79
  9. MICRO Vol18-11 79
  10. micro 18 nov 1979[ocr] (1979)
  11. atari st user-1989 aug (1989)
  12. ST Action (1990-02) (1990)
  13. MICRO Vol16-9 79
  14. ComputerEntertainer 2-2
  15. micro 46 mar 1982[ocr] (1982)
  16. Computer & Video Games 102