In the UK, the Atari 2600+ (or 2600 Plus) is exclusive to Amazon.

This has caused a few issues; with the online retailer being the only source for UK stock of Atari 2600+ consoles, accessories and games, when they sell out of certain products, they either disappear or scalpers suddenly pop up, raising prices to an unreasonable level.

One of the products that’s disappeared entirely is the official, newly produced version of the classic Atari CX40 Joystick, which is a real pain considering that the console itself is bundled with just one controller, and a cartridge which features a few multiplayer only titles.

None of the (presumably) Chinese produced, third party CX40 replicas mention whether or not they’re compatible with the Atari 2600+/2600 Plus, making it touch and go as to whether or not they’ll work with the new version of the classic 70s console.

I took a chance on the Nikou branded Atari CX40 replica, and can confirm that it works perfectly with the Atari 2600+.

In fact, and I didn’t think this would be the case, but I actually prefer it to the official joystick.

Not only do both the button and the joystick’s directions click when pressed, which is genuinely helpful both from an aural and generally sensory point of view, to know that you’ve pressed it, but it also feels much less stiff than the official CX40 too.

Though, as with the console itself, Atari have sought to replicate the original experience without any modern concessions, this is one area where I wish they’d been a bit less conservative; the stiffness of the original joystick is a real problem, and it’s crazy what a difference it makes to use a joystick that’s a little easier on the wrist.

It’s cheaper than the official joystick too, so I’d unquestionably recommend picking this particular joystick up if you’re looking for a second controller for your Atari 2600+, or even as a replacement for the original, stiff and slightly unresponsive official one.

You can buy the Nikou Atari 2600 joystick from Amazon here.