The Powerplay Cruiser was a

joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, 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. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

released in 1986, during the time that the Commodore 64 and

Commodore Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved grap ...

were both popular home computers. It was compatible with many

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data buses of ...

and

16-bit 16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors. A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two mos ...

machines, and boasted many features that were considered

high end In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good for which demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a greater proportion of overall spending. Luxury goods are in contrast to ...

at the time: * Fully

microswitch A miniature snap-action switch, also trademarked and frequently known as a micro switch, is an electric switch that is actuated by very little physical force, through the use of a tipping-point mechanism, sometimes called an "over-center" mechan ...

-based operation (clicking with every move or shot) * 8-directional control *

Ambidextrous Ambidexterity is the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well. When referring to objects, the term indicates that the object is equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed people. When referring to humans, it indicates that ...

design (

symmetrical Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definit ...

with two fire buttons positioned at the front end, away from the joystick shaft) * Adjustable

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of t ...

control (a 3-position rotating collar at the base of the shaft, giving manual resistance) * Rugged plastic body & sturdy, long-lasting design (working examples appear for auction on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

and similar sites to this day) * Available in a range of colours/models (all with black cable): ** All Black ** Blue body, red stick, white fire buttons ** Pastel green body, with pastel yellow fire buttons, pastel pink joystick shaft and pastel blue torque controller ** Transparent body, black stick and buttons featuring a rare autofire working-type, as it operates automatically when any of the 2 buttons is held down ** The black and red Cruiser Turbo, featuring an autofire facility
(the pastel version was arguably the most popular, matching the fashions of the era, followed by the sleek black model) Other features included a cable that was longer than that used by many other joysticks, and four strong suction cups to attach the unit to a flat surface, for general stability or to enable control of rare (at the time) games that used the keyboard and other input devices to control play, such as ''

Gunship A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support. In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mo ...

''. The joystick had two DE-9 connectors. The primary connector was Atari compatible, with a shorter grey cable and connector attached to this. The secondary connector is compatible with the non-standard

Amstrad Amstrad was a British electronics company, founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar at the age of 21. The name is a contraction of Alan Michael Sugar Trading. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 1980. During the late 1980s, Amstra ...

built

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

computers; the Sinclair Interface II and other popular

joystick interfaces were Atari compatible.

Market value

The Cruiser retailed in the UK at £14.99 when released, at a time when this was two or three times as expensive as many joysticks with lower manufacturing or design standards, and when most C64 games (on cassette) would cost less than £15 (their disk-based counterparts usually costing £15 or more) and with Commodore Amiga games costing approximately £20-£30. It was therefore a "luxury" joystick, aimed at serious gamers who required style and resilience in their

peripherals A peripheral or peripheral device is an auxiliary device used to put information into and get information out of a computer. The term ''peripheral device'' refers to all hardware components that are attached to a computer and are controlled by th ...

External links

* *{{cite news , last1=Collins , first1=Barry , title=Is the Powerplay Cruiser the best joystick ever? , url=https://bigtechquestion.com/2017/07/24/gaming/powerplay-cruiser-best-joystick-ever/ , accessdate=16 May 2020 , work=The Big Tech Question , date=24 July 2017 Game controllers