Use Your Classic 9 Pin Joystick on TheA1200
TheA1200 isn’t just another mini-format reissue — it’s the first full-size Amiga replica from Retro Games Ltd with a genuine working keyboard, which is exactly why preorder demand has been so high. Now confirmed for release on 4 December 2026 at £169.95, and recently made an officially licensed Amiga product following a new partnership with Amiga Corporation, TheA1200 is shaping up to be the most authentic Amiga experience yet available new. This is the closest thing to owning an original A1200 again, and for a lot of returning Amiga owners, that means it’s finally worth digging out the original joystick too.
If you’ve still got a real Competition Pro, Zipstick, or Quickshot gathering dust in a drawer, there’s no reason to leave it there once TheA1200 lands. A simple USB adapter is all it takes to bring your original joystick back to life on it — and honestly, playing Speedball 2 or Lotus Turbo Challenge with a proper microswitched stick feels completely different to a modern analog pad.
Why not just use the included controller?
TheA1200’s bundled controller is fine for most games, but it’s not the same experience as an original Amiga-era joystick. Anyone who grew up gripping a Competition Pro knows the difference the instant they pick one up again — the snap of the microswitches, the weight, the exact throw of the stick. If you’ve held onto an original controller, this is how you actually use it.
What you’ll need
- A classic 9-pin (DB9/DE9) joystick — Atari or Kempston standard. This covers the vast majority of retro sticks ever made, including Competition Pro, Zipstick, Quickshot, Cheetah, Konix, and TAC-2.
- A DB9 to USB adapter (see link below).
- A USB cable to connect the adapter to TheA1200.
How it works
TheA1200 doesn’t have an original Amiga joystick port — instead, like its accessories generally, it works over USB. The adapter sits in between: your joystick plugs into the 9-pin socket on one end, and the other end connects via USB straight into the console. No drivers, no software, no configuration menus — it’s detected as a standard USB game controller the moment you plug it in.
Setup steps
- Plug your classic joystick into the adapter’s 9-pin port.
- Connect the adapter to TheA1200 via USB.
- Power on TheA1200.
- Your joystick should be recognised automatically — no setup required.
Which joysticks are compatible?
Anything built to the standard Atari or Kempston 9-pin protocol works, which covers the overwhelming majority of joysticks made for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and similar systems throughout the 80s and 90s — including Competition Pro (original and reissues), Zipstick, Quickshot, Cheetah, Konix Speedking, Suncom Tac2, Atari 2600, Powerplay and modern 9 pin sticks like the ArcadeR and Monster
Want two-player local multiplayer?
If you’re planning classic two-player sessions — think Speedball 2, IK+, or Lotus 2 split-screen — there’s also a two-player version of this adapter. It lets you connect two classic 9-pin joysticks at once, both running through a single USB port on TheA1200, rather than needing two separate single-joystick adapters taking up two ports. Since TheA1200 doesn’t have unlimited USB ports to spare, this keeps one free for storage, a mouse, or anything else you want connected at the same time.
How to Get One
Two-player classic joystick adapter will also be available in December, great for 2 player games
If you’ve already got a 9 pin classic joystick, all you need is the adapter