For other uses, see Joystick (disambiguation). Joyopis.png|right|thumb|200px|Joystick elements:
1. Stick
2. Base
3. Trigger
4. Extra buttons
5. Autofire switch
6. Throttle
7. Hat Switch (POV Hat)
8. Suction Cup''']] A joystick is a personal computer peripheral or general control device consisting of a handheld stick that pivots about one end and transmits its angle in two or three dimensions to a computer. Most joysticks are two-dimensional, having two axes of movement (similar to a mouse), but three-dimensional joysticks do exist. A joystick is generally configured so that moving the stick left or right signals movement along the X axis, and moving it forward (up) or back (down) signals movement along the Y axis. In joysticks that are configured for three-dimensional movement, twisting the stick left (counter-clockwise) or right (clockwise) signals movement along the Z axis. These three axis - X Y and Z - are, in relation to an aircraft, roll, pitch, and yaw, respectively.

Joysticks are often used to control games, and usually have one or more push-buttons whose state can also be read by the computer. Most I/O interface cards for PCs have a joystick (game control) port. Joysticks were popular throughout the mid-1990s for playing the Descent series and flight-simulators, although they have declined with the rise of first-person shooters which instead promote the mouse and keyboard. Modern joysticks (as of 2003) mostly use a USB interface for connection to the PC. The term joystick has become a synonym for game controllers that can be connected to the computer since the computer defines the input as a "joystick input".

Apart for controlling games, joysticks are also used for controlling machines such as elevators, cranes, trucks, powered wheelchairs and some zero turning radius lawn mowers.

More on [ Joystick ]

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