Joysticks and Analog Sticks

The Joystick

A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or side-stick. They often have supplementary switches on them to control other aspects of the aircraft's flight.
Joysticks are often used to control video games, and usually have one or more push-buttons whose state can also be read by the computer. A popular variation of the joystick used on modern video game consoles is the analog stick. 

Joysticks are of three types :

Competition - The Competition joystick is most comfortable joystick.  It's a microswitch based joystick with a smooth 360 degree circular motion, meaning you can't feel any "corners" as you move it 360 degrees.

This joystick comes in 5 different colors: Black, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow. Image is in the left side

Perfect 360 - The Perfect 360 from Happ Controls uses an optical sensor to sense which direction you are  moving the joystick rather than microswitches.  It's a very quiet and precise joystick with smooth 360 degrees of motion.  The only draw back with this joystick, besides the price, is it comes stock with a fairly tight spring making it tiresome to use for long periods for some people.  This joystick only comes in black. Image is below this text.

Sanwa JLF - The Sanwa JLF Joystick offers quick response and a ball top.  This is the preferred joystick in Japan and many U.S. players have adopted this joystick because of it's precise movement and quick reaction time.  The default joystick comes with a square gate that really lets you know when you are at a diaganol.  The optional Octogon gate makes the joystick more fluid in a 360 degree motion.Image is below this text.

The Analog Stick

An analog stick, sometimes called a control stick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller (often a game controller) that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joystick, consisting of a protrusion from the controller; input is based on the position of this protrusion in relation to the default "center" position. While digital sticks rely on single electrical connections for movement (using internal digital electrical contacts for up, down, left and right), analog sticks use continuous electrical activity running through potentiometers. The analog stick has greatly overtaken the D-pad in both prominence and usage in console video games.

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