Wico the Boss

Wico from the United States was one of the early manufacturers of Atari compatible joysticks. They stood apart from Atari products with their high quality, as the design used leaf switches similar to those in the arcade machines of the time: A plastic pin pushes the metal leaves together in order to connect a direction. Compared to the inexpensive membrane switch, this structure is more durable by some margin; it is not exceptional for a controller from the 1980s to work today without any special maintenance.

The downside was the high cost of the controller: The black and red Wico Command Control (on display in the glass case) cost many times the price of a basic Atari controller. The Boss, displayed here was slightly less expensive while still being well made – it was only about double the price of a basic controller. The high level of finish is apparent in the internal parts of the joystick.