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243:. True (potentiometer-based) paddles are almost never employed any more because they stop reading accurately when the potentiometer contacts get dirty or worn, because turning them too far can break them and because they require more-expensive analog sensing, whereas quadrature encoder-based controllers can be sensed digitally. Any recent game that has paddle-type control uses a quadrature encoder instead, even if the game uses paddles on screen (like
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195:, so as to generate an output voltage level varying with the wheel's angle relative to a fixed reference position. A paddle is thus an absolute position controller. That is, without any previous knowledge, the sensor can be read and the result directly indicates the position of the paddle knob. This is in contrast to a
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In comparison to the driving controllers, paddle controllers rotate just under one full rotation before hitting a hard stop. They also come in pairs that plug into a single port, whereas the driving controllers were one to a port. Finally, they have a picture of a tennis racquet and the word "paddle"
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On the Atari 2600, the paddle controllers look very similar to the driving controllers. The driving controllers emulated the steering wheel controls found in contemporary games, where one spun the wheel to cause the car to turn one direction or the other, and stopped the spinning to drive straight.
285:, which requires wheels that can spin around continuously in one direction. Driving controllers have a picture of a car and the word "driving" on it and a single controller attaches to each controller port. The driving controller is not compatible with paddle games. Like a mechanical
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on it, as opposed to a racing car and the word "driving". Because two controllers connect to each port and the 2600 has two controller ports, four players simultaneously can play in games that support it. The Atari paddles are also compatible with the
162:, whose racquets are commonly called paddles. Even though the simulated paddles appeared on-screen (as small line segments), it was the hand controllers used to move the line segments that actually came to bear the name.
289:, the driving controller is a quadrature encoder-based device and thus only sensed relative position, not absolute position. This controller is functionally identical to the spin-dial controller used in Atari's
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The driving controllers for Atari consoles operated in the same way, although they did not have a wheel, the controller was reduced to a single large knob identical to the one on the paddles.
141:, where the wheel is typically used to control movement of the player object along one axis of the video screen. A paddle controller rotates through a fixed arc (usually about 330
306:, including spinners from Oscar Controls and the SlikStik Tornado spinner. These devices are typically made to plug directly into a computer as a single-axis mouse.
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arcade game. Since only one controller attaches to each port, only two people can play driving games simultaneously.
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357:"Blisters And Frustration: Joysticks, Paddles, Buttons and Game Port Extenders for Apple, Atari and VIC"
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Several similar relative spinner controllers have emerged as part of the home-built
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used paddles for several of its games, as did early home computers such as the
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Atari also offered driving controllers for use with games like
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in 1972, while the first console to use paddles was
Magnavox's
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Paddles first appeared in video arcade games with Atari Inc.'s
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The paddle wheel is usually mechanically coupled to a
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152:is derived from the first game that used it,
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51:introducing citations to additional sources
361:Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games
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302:scene to facilitate play of such games as
165:Some famous video games using paddles are
41:Relevant discussion may be found on the
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235:shipped with paddles until 1980. The
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34:relies largely or entirely on a
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16:One-dimensional game controller
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259:A driving controller for the
62:"Paddle" game controller
211:A paddle controller for the
199:-based device or "spinner".
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659:List of game controllers
700:Computing input devices
515:Virtual reality headset
406:Video game controllers
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274:Atari 8-bit computers
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231:that same year. The
118:Two Paddles for the
47:improve this article
612:Gesture recognition
485:Musical Instruments
251:Similar controllers
450:Interactive urinal
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475:Motion controller
420:Arcade controller
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45:. Please help
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64: –
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58:Find sources:
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36:single source
32:This article
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679:Toys-to-life
669:Reset button
572:Start button
563:Scroll wheel
543:Analog stick
504:direct drive
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326:Scroll wheel
321:Racing wheel
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203:Applications
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180:Night Driver
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139:fire buttons
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639:Touchscreen
627:Digital pen
520:Wired glove
367:(1): 106ff.
216:PlayStation
694:Categories
558:Hat switch
548:Arrow keys
470:Microphone
332:References
261:Atari 2600
237:Atari 2600
120:Atari 2600
73:newspapers
595:Sensitive
581:Trackball
465:Light gun
435:Dance pad
148:The name
43:talk page
664:Multitap
634:Touchpad
460:Keyboard
455:Joystick
355:(1983),
316:Joystick
310:See also
282:Indy 500
245:Arkanoid
233:Apple II
174:Breakout
103:May 2023
652:Related
586:Trigger
440:Gamepad
304:Tempest
292:Tempest
229:Odyssey
143:degrees
87:scholar
674:R.O.B.
622:Stylus
490:Paddle
241:VIC-20
187:Design
177:, and
150:paddle
127:paddle
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553:D-pad
500:Wheel
495:Pedal
480:Mouse
135:wheel
129:is a
94:JSTOR
80:books
224:Pong
213:Sony
168:Pong
155:Pong
66:news
247:).
49:by
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351:;
340:^
183:.
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125:A
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502:(
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91:·
84:·
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