One of the coolest things that I got for Christmas was a Jakks TV Game Atari 2600 Paddle . Now I allready have one of the Jakks Atari 2600 Joysticks and a Jakks Namco Joystick.
What this thing is another all-in-one classic video game product that includes 11 Atari 2600 games that used the paddle controller and two paddle arcade games. It comes with
Breakout
Super Breakout
Circus Atari
Street Racer
Video Olympics
Casino
Night Driver
Canyon Bomber
Warlords
Steeple Chase
Demons To Diamonds
and the arcade games
Arcade Warlords
and Pong
This is thicker than the standard Atari 2600 Paddle controller but it still feels almost just like it. They had to extend it for room for four AA batteries (not freaking included) and power and reset buttons.
The paddle games deliver a very unique game play experience based on an analog interface that is second nature. The dial control acts like a radio dial. You don't see a digital number displayed but you twist it until it is right and this happens naturally without you thinking about it.
This thing delivers a classic game play experience right out of a time capsule that pure software emulation does not deliver.
Pong was the first arcade game and the dial controller was a major and totally acceptable alternative to a joystick or gamepad. Actually it predates the joystick. This is not something that you can get from a modern game system and it would be interesting for those gamers who were not around to play video games in the Atari 2600 era (1977 to 1983). To those Gen Xers like myself it is pretty damn fun and nostalgic experience that you can't get through emulation on modern controllers. Not that bad for 25 bucks. Jakks came out with a two player version that I have not tried yet.
I got one of these in November and now I'm addicted to Circus Atari. The paddle control is taking more than a little time to get used to, though. In my limited Atari experience in the 80s it was always joysticks.
pong is best played with this "dial"-controller.
I got my girlfriend the set of two player paddles for her birthday awhile back. I personally never had the paddle controller and just had the basic atari stick and button controller.
Not much is really gained by purchasing the two player version. Oh, and the sound while authentic, sounds like pure Atari hell through a cranked up surround sound system.
The only thing I miss from using this over the actual Atari 2600 is you can't play four player Warlords - the ultimate party game (next to Bomberman '94) to play until three o'clock in the morning.