Unusual MAME controls

Arcade games had a wide variety of controls. Most of the time, they translate pretty well to a gamepad – by far the most common coin-up configuration involves dual-player 8-way joysticks, each with 1-4 pushbuttons, which any modern gamepad can accommodate with its d-pad and four face buttons, while select/start can serve as coin and start inputs. The gamepad is flexible enough to handle a wide variety of other configurations as well – shoulder buttons are there when you need more than four action buttons, and the dual analog sticks work for twin-stick shooters like Robotron and Smash TV, or you can use the d-pad in conjunction with the face buttons to simulate having a second d-pad, relegating shoulder buttons for actions (if you still need them).

But then there are all those other types of controls. Trackballs. Dials. Paddles. Steering wheels. Those weird fishing rod controllers with a bunch of spinning doo-dads. What do you do about those? Sometimes you can fake them with common input devices, and sometimes you really need specialized hardware. Some time ago, I built an arcade control panel with a Street Fighter-style layout, plus a trackball, spinner, 4-way joystick, and extra buttons mapped to useful keyboard inputs. This covers most of my bases, but not all, and is probably much more than what the vast majority of players have access to.

I wrote this as a guide and partial catalog on MAME’s games with unusual or difficult input schemes, with the assumption that the reader has access to modern gamepads with dual analog sticks and trigger-style shoulder buttons. This is not comprehensive by any means. Most of my data comes from MAME’s own XML output, but this is often incomplete or inaccurate from a user’s standpoint. A very large amount of useful data came from the now defunct “controls.dat” project.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130623202744/https://controls.arcadecontrols.com/controls/controls.php

Additionally, the ongoing Nplayers project categorizes games based on not just the number of players, but also on whether they are simultaneous, alternating, or if it’s more complicated than that.
https://nplayers.arcadebelgium.be/

I’m not interested in the 900+ Gambling/Mahjong/Hanafuda machines in MAME. They’re there, they require specialized controllers or clumsy keyboard-mapping, and I don’t really care about them or expect that many reading Data Driven Gamer would either.

Eight-way joysticks

An eight-way joystick with pushbuttons is by far the most common type of controller configuration in MAME, and are generally not any trouble to map to a gamepad, or keyboard, or whatever. There’s a lot more nuance to these controllers than a casual player might think – for instance, an ideal fight stick will have a square-shaped gate to aid hitting the diagonals, while a more general purpose stick will have a circular one for easier edge-riding. I won’t be getting into this level of detail here.

From a game logic perspective, there’s no difference between this and a four-way joystick. Both involve a stick positioned to hit four directional switches that are wired to four inputs on the PCB. The diagonals are not their own inputs, but rather a function of the game’s programming to recognize when two perpendicular switches are hit at once, which is physically difficult or impossible on a four-way stick.

When arcade controls aren’t available, I prefer using a controller’s d-pad. Analog thumbsticks work too, but are too imprecise for my liking.

As this is such a common input scheme, I won't list the games that use it. It would be too many. Instead, here's a list of games that support three or more simultaneous players with this input scheme:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
2 On 2 Open Ice Challenge	1995	Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Alien vs. Predator	1994	Capcom	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Armored Warriors	1994	Capcom	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Asylum (prototype)	1991	Leland Corporation	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Barricade	1976	Ramtek	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Battle Circuit (Euro 970319)	1997	Capcom	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Battletoads	1994	Rare / Electronic Arts	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Captain America and The Avengers	1991	Data East Corporation	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Captain Commando	1991	Capcom	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Checkmate	1977	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Crime Fighters (US 4 Players)	1989	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Dark Adventure	1987	Konami	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Double Dragon 3 - The Rosetta Stone	1990	East Technology / Technos Japan	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom / Shadow over Mystara	1993-1996	Capcom	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Eliminator (4 Players)	1981	Gremlin	4|4P sim	4x-joy2
G.I. Joe (World, EAB, set 1)	1992	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Gain Ground	1988	Sega	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Gauntlet / Gauntlet II	1985-1986	Atari Games	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Gauntlet Dark Legacy	1999	Midway Games	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Gauntlet Legends (version 1.6)	1998	Atari Games	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder	1992	Sega	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Golfing Greats	1991	Konami	4|4P alt	4x-joy8 4x-paddle	Paddles have unknown purpose
Hard Dunk (World)	1994	Sega	6|6P sim	6x-joy8
Hard Yardage (v1.20)	1993	Strata / Incredible Technologies	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
High Impact Football	1990	Williams	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Hit the Ice (US)	1990	Taito Corporation (Williams license)	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Hook (World)	1992	Irem	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Kick and Run (World)	1986	Taito Corporation	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Knights of the Round	1991	Capcom	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Knuckle Heads (World)	1992	Namco	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Mercs (World 900302)	1990	Capcom	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Metamorphic Force (ver EAA)	1993	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker	1990	Sega	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Mystic Warriors (ver EAA)	1993	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8	Configurable for 2 or 4 players
NBA Hangtime / NBA Maximum Hangtime	1996	Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
NBA Jam / NBA Jam TE	1993-1994	Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
NBA Jam Extreme (ver. 1.04)	1996	Acclaim	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
NFL Blitz '99	1998	Midway Games	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Paddle Mania	1988	SNK	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Pig Out: Dine Like a Swine!	1990	Leland Corporation	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Pit Fighter (rev 9)	1990	Atari Games	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Punk Shot (US 4 Players)	1990	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Puzzle Bobble	1994	Taito Corporation	4|2P sim	4x-joy8
Quartet	1986	Sega	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Rampage (Rev 3, 8/27/86)	1986	Bally Midway	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Rampage: World Tour (rev 1.3)	1997	Midway	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Rim Rockin' Basketball (V2.2)	1991	Strata / Incredible Technologies	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Run and Gun / Run and Gun 2	1993-1996	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Saturday Night Slam Masters	1993	Capcom	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Spider-Man: The Videogame	1991	Sega	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Sunset Riders	1991	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Super High Impact	1991	Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Tecmo Bowl (World, set 1)	1987	Tecmo	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / TMNT: Turtles in Time	1989-1991	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
The King of Dragons	1991	Capcom	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
The Main Event (4 Players ver. Y)	1988	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
The Real Ghostbusters	1987	Data East USA	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
The Simpsons	1991	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
The Three Stooges In Brides Is Brides	1984	Mylstar	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
Thunder Zone (World)	1991	Data East Corporation	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Trog (prototype)	1990	Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
U.S. Championship V'ball	1988	Technos Japan	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Vendetta	1991	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Violent Storm (ver EAC)	1993	Konami	4|3P sim	4x-joy8
Vs. Ice Climber Dual	1984	Nintendo	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Vs. Tennis	1984	Nintendo Co., Ltd.	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey	1996	Atari Games	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa	1992	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
World Beach Volley (set 1)	1995	Playmark	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
World Soccer Finals (rev 4)	1990	Leland Corporation	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
WWF WrestleFest	1991	Technos Japan	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
Xenophobe	1987	Bally Midway	3|3P sim	3x-joy8
X-Men (4 Players ver UBB)	1992	Konami	4|4P sim	4x-joy8
X-Men (6 Players ver ECB)	1992	Konami	6|6P sim	6x-joy8

Four-way joysticks

As I mentioned above, these are logically identical to an eight-way joystick, but isn’t designed to allow you to hit diagonals, and the games aren’t programmed to recognize them. Pac-Man restricts diagonals with a diamond-shaped gate that can be easily ridden from corner to corner, while Donkey Kong uses a plus-sign shaped gate that makes touching diagonals physically impossible.

These are archaic devices that didn’t see a lot of use after 1984. Unfortunately, there aren’t many great options for emulating them. MAME prevents unintentional diagonal inputs by giving horizontal inputs priority, but this can cause unintentional horizontal inputs instead, especially if you’re using an analog stick.

Mr. Brow at Raising the Brow wrote a guide on how to make MAME smarter about translating analog stick movement to four-way inputs:
https://raisingthevgbrow.blogspot.com/2019/11/joystick-mapping-in-mame.html

Personally, I use a Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga 4-way joystick for these games, and if I didn’t have one, I would prefer a keyboard over any gamepad input.

Here's a list of some games that use 4-way joysticks:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
005	1981	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Ali Baba and 40 Thieves	1982	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Alpha Fighter / Head On	19??	Data East Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Amidar	1982	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Anteater	1982	Tago Electronics	1|2P alt	joy4
Arm Wrestling	1985	Nintendo	1|1P	joy3 (half4)	Left-up-right joystick
Armored Car (set 1)	1981	Stern Electronics	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Assault (Rev B)	1988	Namco	2|1P	2x-doublejoy [4-4]
Bagman / Super Bagman	1982-1984	Valadon Automation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Blasto	1978	Gremlin	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Bomber Man World / New Dyna Blaster - Global Quest	1992	Irem	4|4P sim	4x-joy4
Boulder Dash / Boulder Dash Part 2	1990	Data East Corporation (licensed from First Star)	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Burger Time (Data East set 1)	1982	Data East Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Buster Bros. / Super Pang	1989-1990	Mitchell	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Chinese Hero	1984	Taiyo	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Commando (Sega)	1983	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Crash	1979	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Crazy Kong	1981	Kyoei / Falcon	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Crazy Kong Part II (set 1)	1981	Falcon	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Crush Roller (set 1)	1981	Alpha Denshi Co. / Kural Samno Electric, Ltd.	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Dig Dug / Dig Dug II	1982-1985	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Digger	1980	Sega	1|2P alt	joy4
Dodgem	1979	Zaccaria	1|2P alt	joy4
Domino Man	1982	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Dominos	1977	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Junior / Donkey Kong 3	1981-1983	Nintendo of America	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Dynablaster / Bomber Man	1991	Irem (licensed from Hudson Soft)	4|4P sim	4x-joy4
Eyes (US set 1)	1982	Techstar (Rock-Ola license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Fire Trap (US, rev A)	1986	Woodplace Inc. (Data East USA license)	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy [4-4]
Frogger	1981	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Frogs	1978	Gremlin	1|1P	joy3 (half4)	Left-up-right joystick
Gals Panic (Unprotected)	1990	Kaneko	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Ghostmuncher Galaxian	1981	bootleg	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Ghouls'n Ghosts (World)	1988	Capcom	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Guzzler	1983	Tehkan	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Hard Hat	1982	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Haunted Castle (version M)	1988	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Head On (2 players)	1979	Gremlin	1|2P alt	joy4
Hustle	1977	Gremlin	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Invinco / Head On 2	1979	Sega	1|2P alt	joy4
Iron Horse (version H)	1986	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Journey	1983	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Joyful Road (Japan)	1983	SNK	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy [4-2]
Jr. Pac-Man (11/9/83)	1983	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Jungler	1981	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Karate Champ (US)	1984	Data East USA	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy [4-4]
Karate Champ (US VS)	1984	Data East USA	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy [4-4]
Kicker	1985	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Klax (version 6)	1989	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Lady Bug	1981	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Lasso	1982	SNK	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Levers	1983	Rock-Ola	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Lock'n'Chase	1981	Data East Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Loco-Motion	1982	Konami (Centuri license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Lupin III (set 1)	1980	Taito	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Mikie	1984	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Minesweeper	1977	Amutech	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Monster Bash	1982	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Mouse Trap (version 5)	1981	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Mr. Do! / Mr. Do's Castle / Mr. Do's Wild Ride / Do! Run Run	1982-1984	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Mr. Driller (US, DRI3/VER.A2)	1999	Namco	2|1P	2x-joy4
Ms. Pac-Man	1981	Midway / General Computer Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
NATO Defense	1982	Pacific Novelty	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Naughty Boy	1982	Jaleco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Nibbler (rev 9, set 1)	1982	Rock-Ola	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Oli-Boo-Chu	1981	Irem / GDI	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Pac-Man / Pac-Man Plus / Super Pac-Man / Pac-Man & Chomp Chomp	1980-1983	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Pengo (set 1 rev c)	1982	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Pepper II (version 8)	1982	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Ponpoko	1982	Sigma Enterprises Inc.	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Popeye (revision D)	1982	Nintendo	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Pulsar	1981	Sega	1|2P alt	joy4
Punch-Out!! / Super Punch-Out!!	1984	Nintendo	1|1P	joy4
Pushman (Korea, set 1)	1990	Comad	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Qix (Rev 2)	1981	Taito America Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Rally X (32k Ver.?)	1980	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Roc'n Rope	1983	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Rolling Thunder (rev 3)	1986	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Route 16 (set 3, bootleg?)	1981	Tehkan / Sun Electronics (Centuri license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Samurai	1980	Sega	1|2P alt	joy4
Side Trak	1979	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Solar Fox (upright)	1981	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Space Attack / Head On	1979	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Space Panic (version E)	1980	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Spectar (revision 3)	1980	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Super Qix (World/Japan, V1.2)	1987	Kaneko / Taito	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Tank Battalion	1980	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Tapper (Budweiser, 1/27/84)	1983	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Targ	1980	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy4
Tetris (set 1)	1988	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-joy3 (half4)	Left-down-right joysticks
Tetris The Grand Master	1998	Arika / Capcom	4|2P sim	4x-joy4
The Adventures of Robby Roto!	1981	Dave Nutting Associates / Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
The Electric Yo-Yo (set 1)	1982	Taito America Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Thief	1981	Pacific Novelty	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Timber	1984	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy [4-2]
Tomahawk 777 (rev 5)	1980	Data East	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Toypop	1986	Namco	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Tranquillizer Gun	1980	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Triple Punch (set 1)	1982	K.K. International	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Trog (rev LA5 03/29/91)	1990	Midway	4|4P sim	4x-joy4
Turtles	1981	Konami (Stern Electronics license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Tutankham	1982	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy [4-2]
Warp & Warp	1981	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Zero Zone	1993	Comad	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Zoo Keeper (set 1)	1982	Taito America Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy4

Two-way joysticks

A joystick that moves left and right only, or less frequently, up and down only. MAME can be inconsistent about using this; for instance, Phoenix uses pushbuttons for moving left and right, but MAME lists this as a two-way joystick. Other games with a similar input scheme are listed as “buttons_only.” Electronically there’s no difference, and physically the only difference is that a true 2-way joystick can’t hit left and right simultaneously. I’m not really sure if MAME does anything to prevent this.

There are a lot of suitable options for emulating a two-way joystick. I prefer using shoulder buttons on a gamepad, depending on the game, for quicker response than real arcade controls would provide.

 Some games with two-way joysticks:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
4 En Raya (set 1)	1990	IDSA	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Ace	1976	Allied Leisure	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Alpine Ski (set 1)	1982	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Balloon Bomber	1980	Taito	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Bank Panic	1984	Sanritsu / Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Black Hole	1981	TDS & MINTS	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Bubble Bobble	1986	Taito Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Cheeky Mouse	1980	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Circus Charlie	1984	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Cosmic Guerilla / Cosmic Alien	1979	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Defend the Terra Attack on the Red UFO	1981	Artic	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Defender / Stargate	1980-1981	Williams	1|2P alt	joyvertical2
Devil Zone	1980	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Driving Force	1984	Shinkai Inc. (Magic Electronics Inc. license)	1|1P	joy2
Enigma II	1981	Game Plan (Zilec Electronics license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Freeze	1984	Cinematronics	1|2P alt	joy2
Galaxian / Galaga	1979-1981	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Galaxy Wars	1979	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Guided Missile	1977	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Gyruss	1983	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Hunchback (set 1)	1983	Century Electronics	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Invader's Revenge	1980?	Zenitone-Microsec Ltd.	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
IPM Invader	1979	IPM	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Joust / Joust 2 - Survival of the Fittest	1982-1986	Williams	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Kaos	1981	Game Plan	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
King & Balloon (US)	1980	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Looping	1982	Video Games GmbH	2|2P alt	2x-joyvertical2
Lunar Rescue	1979	Taito	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
M-4	1977	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-joyvertical2
Magical Spot	1980	Universal	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Mappy (US)	1983	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Mario Bros.	1983	Nintendo of America	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Megatack (set 1)	1980	Game Plan (Centuri license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Moon Alien Part 2	1980	Namco / Nichibutsu	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Moon Patrol	1982	Irem	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
New York! New York!	1980	Sigma Enterprises Inc.	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Pooyan	1982	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joyvertical2
Radar Scope	1980	Nintendo	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Return of the Invaders	1985	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Rolling Crash / Moon Base	1979	Nichibutsu	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Rotary Fighter	1979	Kasco	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Satan of Saturn	1981	SNK	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Satan's Hollow	1981	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Sky Diver	1978	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-joy2	Pullable parachute ripcord as a joystick
Space Attack	1979	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Fever / Space Fever High Splitter	1979	Nintendo	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Invaders	1978	Taito / Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Invaders II (Midway)	1980	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Space Launcher	1979	Nintendo	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Stranger	1978	Yachiyo Electronics, Ltd.	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Speak & Rescue	1980	Sun Electronics	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Speed Coin (prototype)	1984	Stern Electronics	1|2P alt	joy2
Spiders (set 1)	1981	Sigma Enterprises Inc.	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
The FairyLand Story	1985	Taito	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Traverse USA / Zippy Race	1983	Irem	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
UniWar S	1980	Irem	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Wonder Boy	1986	Escape (Sega license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Yosaku To Donbei (set 1)	1979	Wing	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Zzyzzyxx (set 1)	1982	Cinematronics / Advanced Microcomputer Systems	2|2P alt	2x-joyvertical2

These games use buttons for directionality, but MAME treats them as if they used joysticks. Most are two-way, a few are four-way:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs
Arlington Horse Racing (v1.40-D)	1991	Strata / Incredible Technologies	1|1P	joyvertical2
Armor Attack	1980	Cinematronics	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Astro Blaster (version 3)	1981	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Astro Fighter (set 1)	1979	Data East	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Astro Invader	1980	Leijac Corporation (Stern Electronics license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Astro Wars	1980	Zaccaria / Zelco	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Attack Force	1979?	Electronic Games Systems	1|1P	joy2
Barrier	1979	Cinematronics (Vectorbeam license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy4
Blockade	1976	Gremlin	2|2P sim	2x-joy4
Carnival (upright, AY8912 music)	1980	Sega	1|2P alt	joy2
Challenger	1981	Game Plan (Centuri license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
CoMOTION	1976	Gremlin	4|4P sim	4x-joy4
Cosmos	1981	Century Electronics	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Depthcharge	1977	Gremlin	1|1P	joy2
Eliminator (2 Players, set 1)	1981	Gremlin	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Gravitar (version 3)	1982	Atari	1|2P alt	joy2
Intruder	1980	Taito (Game Plan license)	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Invinco / Deep Scan	1979	Sega	1|2P alt	joy2
Meadows Lanes	1977	Meadows Games, Inc.	1|2P alt	joy2
Moon Cresta (Nichibutsu)	1980	Nichibutsu	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Phoenix (Amstar, set 1)	1980	Amstar	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Pleiads (Tehkan)	1981	Tehkan	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Quasar (set 1)	1980	Zaccaria / Zelco	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Red Alert	1981	Irem (GDI license)	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Rip Off	1980	Cinematronics	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Robot Bowl	1977	Exidy	1|2P alt	joy2
Solar Quest (rev 10 8 81)	1981	Cinematronics	1|2P alt	joy2
Space Duel (version 2)	1980	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-joy2
Space Firebird (rev. 04-u)	1980	Nintendo	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Fury (revision C)	1981	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Intruder	1980	Shoei	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Space Invaders Part II (Taito)	1979	Taito	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
Star Castle (version 3)	1980	Cinematronics	1|2P alt	joy2
The End	1980	Konami	2|2P alt	2x-joy2
The Invaders	1979?	Zaccaria / Zelco	1|2P alt	joy2
War of the Worlds	1981	Cinematronics	1|2P alt	joy2

Double joysticks

Two joysticks meant to be gripped in each hand. I play these with my arcade stick using the second player’s stick in my right hand, but if this isn’t an option (or if I want to play a two-player game like Smash TV) I would play these with a gamepad, using the d-pad for one stick and the face buttons for another stick.

Usually these are 8-way, but another configuration is vertical 2-way, which is most often seen with tank-style games, with each joystick controlling a tread direction. These are also not really a problem to map to a gamepad.

Some games with double joysticks in the 8-way and 2-way configuration are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
Angel Kids (Japan)	1988	Sega / Nasco?	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Battle Zone (rev 2)	1980	Atari	1|1P	doublejoy[vertical2-vertical2]
Black Widow	1982	Atari	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Captain Flag (Japan)	1993	Jaleco	1|1P	doublejoy[vertical2-vertical2]
Cloak & Dagger (rev 5)	1983	Atari	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Crazy Climber / Crazy Climber 2	1980	Nichibutsu	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Front Line	1982	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]	Right "joystick" is a push-dial with 8 positions
Inferno (Williams)	1984	Williams	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Krull	1983	Gottlieb	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Lost Tomb (easy)	1982	Stern Electronics	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Mars	1981	Artic	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Minefield	1983	Stern Electronics	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Rescue	1982	Stern Electronics	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Rescue Raider	1987	Bally Midway	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Robotron: 2084	1982	Williams / Vid Kidz	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Sarge	1985	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy [vertical2-vertical2]
Screw Loose (prototype)	1983	Mylstar	1|2P alt	doublejoy[8-8]
Sheriff	1979	Nintendo	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]	Joystick for movement. 8-position trigger dial for aiming/shooting
Smash T.V. (rev 8.00)	1990	Williams	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Space Dungeon	1981	Taito America Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Splat!	1982	Williams	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Star Guards	1987	Bally Midway	3|3P sim	3x-doublejoy[8-8]
Tank 8 (set 1)	1976	Atari (Kee Games)	8|8P sim	8x-doublejoy [vertical2-vertical2]
Tank Battle (prototype)	1992	Microprose Games Inc.	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy [vertical2-vertical2]
The Tin Star (set 1)	1983	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]	Right "joystick" is a push-dial with 8 positions
Title Fight (World)	1992	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy[8-8]	8-way sticks "twist" instead of moving left-right
Total Carnage	1992	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy[8-8]
Ultra Tank	1978	Atari (Kee Games)	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy [vertical2-vertical2]
Vindicators / Vindicators Part II	1988	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-doublejoy [vertical2-vertical2]
Wild Western (set 1)	1982	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-doublejoy[8-8]	Right stick is 8-position dial

Buttons only

MAME is really inconsistent about this designation. Most of the time, it means exactly what it says – that the game only uses pushbuttons for input (though as noted above, sometimes MAME uses Joy2 for pushbutton-only games). Other times, it’s used when a game supports alternating players who each get a dedicated set of pushbuttons but must share another control (such as a trackball). Then there are games with unusual pushbutton configurations that are detatched somehow from the joystick or other controls and serve a specialized purpose, such as camera control buttons in racing games. And then there are games where I have no clue why MAME is even using this at all.

This is usually not a challenge to emulate, but it’s good to know when a game lacks directional input.

Some button-only games are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
'88 Games	1988	Konami	4|4P alt / 2P sim	4x-only_buttons
Adventure Quiz 2 - Hatena? no Daibouken	1990	Capcom	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Asteroids / Asteroids Deluxe	1979-1980	Atari	1|2P alt	only_buttons
Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken	1992	Namco	4|2P sim	4x-only_buttons
Canyon Bomber	1977	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Chicken Shift	1984	Bally/Sente	1|2P alt	only_buttons
Curve Ball	1984	Mylstar	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
FAX	1983	Exidy	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Gold Medalist	1988	SNK	4|4P sim	4x-only_buttons
Hit Me (set 1)	1976	Ramtek	4|4P alt	4x-only_buttons	Stand/Hit/Ante buttons
Name That Tune (Bally, set 1)	1986	Bally/Sente	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Neck-n-Neck (v1.2)	1992	Bundra Games/ Incredible Technologies	1|6P sim	only_buttons
Pac-Land (World)	1984	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-only_buttons
Pinball Action (set 1)	1985	Tehkan	2|2P alt	2x-only_buttons
Power Drive	1986	Bally Midway	3|3P sim	3x-only_buttons
Professor Pac-Man	1983	Dave Nutting Associates / Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Quiz & Dragons: Capcom Quiz Game	1992	Capcom	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Quiz Nanairo Dreams: Nijiirochou no Kiseki	1996	Capcom	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Runaway (prototype)	1982	Atari	1|2P alt	only_buttons
Space Zap	1980	Midway	2|2P alt	2x-only_buttons
Super Pinball Action (US)	1991	Tecmo	1|1P	only_buttons
Time Scanner	1987	Sega	2|2P alt	2x-joy5 (half8)	Pinball video game. Joystick has unknown purpose.
Toobin' (rev 3)	1988	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Track & Field / Hyper Sports	1983-1984	Konami	4|4P alt / 2P sim	4x-only_buttons
Triv Two	1984	Status Games	1|2P alt	only_buttons
Trivia (Questions Series 15)	1986	Greyhound Electronics	1|4P alt	only_buttons
Trivia (Questions Series 8)	1984	Greyhound Electronics	1|2P alt	only_buttons
Trivia (UK Version 5.07)	1986	Grayhound Electronics	1|1P	only_buttons
Trivia Genius	1985	bootleg	2|4P alt	2x-only_buttons
Video Pinball	1979	Atari	1|4P alt	only_buttons
Yes/No Sinri Tokimeki Chart	1992	Taito Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons
Yuuyu no Quiz de GO!GO!	1990	Taito Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-only_buttons

Trackballs

I’ve got one, but also find that a laptop’s trackpad tends to do a decent job of simulating the feel of one, though it can also trigger backspin if your sensitivity is too high. A mouse can work even better in some games, to the point where it feels like cheating.

Some trackball games are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
American Horseshoes (US)	1990	Taito America Corporation	1|4P alt	trackball
AmeriDarts (set 1)	1989	Ameri	2|4P alt	2x-trackball
Arcade Classics (prototype)	1992	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Atari Football (4 players) / Atari Soccer	1979-1980	Atari	4|4P sim	4x-trackball
Atari Football (revision 2) / Atari Baseball / Basketball	1978-1979	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Ataxx (rev 5)	1990	Leland Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Beezer (set 1)	1982	Tong Electronic	1|2P alt	trackball
Big Event Golf (US)	1986	Taito America Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Birdie King / Birdie King 2 / Birdie King 3	1982-1984	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Bowling Alley	1978	Midway	1|4P alt	trackball
Cabal	1988	TAD Corporation (Fabtek license)	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Capcom Bowling (set 1)	1988	Incredible Technologies / Capcom	2|4P alt	only_buttons trackball
Centipede / Millipede	1980-1982	Atari	1|1P	joy8 trackball	Optional joystick support
Cool Pool	1992	Catalina	2|2P alt	only_buttons trackball
Crystal Castles (version 4)	1983	Atari	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Cube Quest (01/04/84)	1983	Simutrek	1|1P	trackball
Dunk Shot	1986	Sega	4|4P sim	4x-trackball
Eagle Shot Golf (US)	1994	Sammy	2|4P alt	2x-joy8 trackball	Joysticks have unknown purpose.
Extra Bases	1980	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Galaxy Games StarPak 3	1998	Creative Electronics & Software / Atari	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Golden Tee Golf II	1992	Strata / Incredible Technologies	2|4P alt	2x-trackball
Golden Tee series	1995-2000	Incredible Technologies	2|4P alt	2x-trackball
Gridiron Fight	1985	Tehkan	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Gridlee	1983	Videa	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Kick (upright)	1981	Midway	1|2P alt	dial	Trackball with horizontal-only spin
Krazy Bowl	1994	American Sammy	2|4P alt	2x-joy8 2x-trackball	Joysticks have unknown purpose.
Laser Base (set 1)	1981	Hoei (Amstar license)	2|2P alt	only_buttons trackball
Liberator (set 1)	1982	Atari	2|2P alt	only_buttons trackball
Marble Madness (set 1)	1984	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Mini Golf (11/25/85)	1985	Bally/Sente	1|4P alt	trackball
Missile Command (rev 3)	1980	Atari	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Pound for Pound (World)	1990	Irem	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Quantum (rev 2)	1982	General Computer Corporation (Atari license)	1|2P alt	trackball
Rampart (Trackball)	1990	Atari Games	3|3P sim	3x-trackball
Reactor	1982	Gottlieb	1|2P alt	trackball
SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative	1987	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-trackball
SegaSonic The Hedgehog	1992	Sega	3|3P sim	3x-trackball
Shoot the Bull	1985	Bally Midway	1|4P alt	trackball
Shuffleboard	1978	Midway	1|2P alt	trackball
Shuffleshot (v1.40)	1997	Strata / Incredible Technologies	2|4P alt	2x-trackball
Shuuz (version 8.0)	1990	Atari Games	1|4P alt	trackball
Simpsons Bowling	2000	Konami	4|4P alt	4x-joy8 trackball	Joysticks have unknown purpose.
Slither (set 1)	1982	Century II	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Snacks'n Jaxson	1984	Bally/Sente	1|2P alt	trackball
Snake Pit	1984	Bally/Sente	1|2P alt	joy8 trackball
Spiker	1986	Bally/Sente	2|2P sim	2x-trackball
Strata Bowling (V3)	1990	Strata / Incredible Technologies	2|4P alt	2x-trackball
Strike Bowling	1982	Taito Corporation	2|2P alt	only_buttons trackball
Tehkan World Cup (set 1)	1985	Tehkan	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-trackball
The Irritating Maze / Ultra Denryu Iraira Bou	1997	SNK / Saurus	2|1P	only_buttons trackball
Tri-Sports	1989	Bally Midway	1|4P alt	trackball
U.S. Classic	1989	Seta	2|2P alt	2x-trackball
Virtua Bowling	1996	IGS	2|4P alt	2x-joy8 trackball	Joysticks have unknown purpose.
Virtual Pool	1998	Incredible Technologies	1|2P alt	lightgun trackball	Light gun is unused.
Wacko	1982	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-joy4 2x-trackball	Second trackball used in cocktail mode
World Class Bowling / World Class Bowling Deluxe	1995-1999	Incredible Technologies	2|4P alt	2x-trackball
X the Ball	1991	Rare	1|1P	trackball

Analog stick

An analog stick, with one or two axes. These can take many different physical forms, some of them suitable for mapping to an analog thumbstick, some of them not so suitable. The only thing they have in common is the existence of a center point, and a way of measuring how far you have moved the control from the center point, and in which directions.

Some of the forms that are usually well-suited to gamepad thumbsticks are:

• Flight stick. Self-explanatory.
• Flight yoke. Works a lot like a flight stick, but has a different feel.
• Analog stick. Looks like an 8-way, but operates like a flight stick.
• 49-way stick. Not really an analog stick, but could be seen as a predecessor to them. These joysticks are sensitive to 3 levels of pressure in each of the four directions, giving 49 discrete positions that they could be in. Thumbsticks play well with these controllers.
• Positional joystick. A self-centering lever with a number of discrete positions rather than true analog measurement.

Some of the games that use these forms include:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
Air Rescue (US)	1992	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-stick	Flight sticks.
Arch Rivals (rev 4.0 6/29/89)	1989	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-stick	49-way joysticks.
Blaster	1983	Williams / Vid Kidz	1|2P alt	stick	49-way joystick
Cops'n Robbers	1976	Atari	4|4P sim	4x-positional	Vertical positional joystick for aiming.
Cyber Commando	1994	Namco	2|1P	2x-stick	Flight sticks
D-Day	1982	Olympia	1|2P alt	paddle	Horizontal analog stick
Enduro Racer	1986	Sega	1|1P	pedal stick	Steering handlebars and throttle.
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters	1989	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-stick	Analog joysticks.
Fire Fox (set 1)	1984	Atari	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke
Food Fight (rev 3)	1982	General Computer Corporation (Atari license)	2|2P alt	2x-stick	Analog joysticks.
G-LOC Air Battle (World)	1990	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick
Gun Fight / Boot Hill	1975-1977	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional	Positional joystick aims gun
Hydra	1990	Atari Games	1|1P	pedal stick	Steering yoke. Pedal has unknown purpose.
I, Robot	1983	Atari	1|2P alt	stick	Analog joystick.
Lock-On (rev. E)	1986	Tatsumi	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke
Mazer Blazer (set 1)	1983	Stern Electronics	1|2P alt	stick	Flight yoke
Moto Frenzy	1992	Atari Games	1|1P	pedal stick	Steering handlebars and throttle.
Night Striker (World)	1989	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	joy8 stick	Flight stick. 8-way stick has unknown purpose.
Pigskin 621AD	1990	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-stick joy8	49-way joysticks. 8-way stick has unknown purpose.
Rail Chase 2 (Revision A)	1994	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-stick	Flight stick
Red Baron	1980	Atari	1|1P	joy4 stick	Flight stick. 4-way stick has unknown purpose.
Road Riot 4WD	1991	Atari Games	1|1P	pedal stick	Steering yoke. Pedal has unknown purpose.
Road Runner (rev 2)	1985	Atari Games	1|2P alt	stick	Analog joystick.
Sinistar (revision 3)	1982	Williams	1|2P alt	stick	49-way joystick
Sky Raider	1978	Atari	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke
Space Harrier	1985	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick
Space Lords (rev C)	1992	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-stick	Flight sticks
Star Wars / Return of the Jedi	1983-1984	Atari	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke
Starblade (ST1, Japan)	1991	Namco	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke
Steel Talons (rev 2)	1991	Atari Games	2|1P	2x-stick	Flight stick
Surf Planet (Version 4.1)	1997	Gaelco (Atari license)	1|1P	paddle	Horizontal analog stick
Tailgunner	1979	Cinematronics	1|1P	stick	Analog joystick.
The Empire Strikes Back	1985	Atari Games	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke
T-MEK	1994	Atari Games	2|1P	2x-joy8 2x-stick	Two flight sticks. 8-way stick has unknown purpose.
Tunnel Hunt	1979	Atari	1|1P	stick	Flight stick
Turbo Sub	1985	Entertainment Sciences	3|1P	only_buttons stick	Steering yoke
Two Tigers (dedicated)	1984	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-stick	Flight sticks

Not every analog stick type input plays well with gamepads, though, and MAME doesn't make sorting them out easy, as they all just get categorized as "stick."

Non-centering analog levers, for instance, don't really work with any common control type. The most common example is aircraft-style throttle levers, which are adjusted by hand to a desired engine speed, and stick in place until adjusted again (as opposed to motorcycle throttles, which return to zero when let go). You can wing it with any kind of directional input, but unless the game has an on-screen indicator of the engine speed or equivalent, you're going to be flying a bit blind.

USB flight sticks often have build-in throttle levers, and high-end HOTAS gear have separate throttle grips, but the latter is definitely enthusiast gear, and even workhorse flight sticks don't have the same prevalance in gaming PC setups as they once did as gamepads have mostly filled that niche.

Some games that use lever controls are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
After Burner II	1987	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Air Combat 22	1995	Namco	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Bradley Trainer	1980	Atari	1|1P	stick	Steering yoke with throttle lever
Crowns Golf	1984	Nasco Japan	2|2P alt	2x-joy2 2x-stick	Lever control for swing angle
Densha de GO! / Densha de GO! 2	1996-1998	Taito	1|1P	paddle positional	Unique engine controller
F-15 Strike Eagle	1991	Microprose Games Inc.	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Galaxy Force 2	1988	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
G-LOC Air Battle (US)	1990	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Landing Gear	1995	Taito	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Major League	1985	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-stick 2x-trackball	Unique bat controller
Spy Hunter II (rev 2)	1987	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-paddle 2x-pedal	Steering wheel and throttle lever.
Star Fire (set 1)	1979	Exidy	1|1P	stick	Flight yoke and lever
Star Wars Arcade (US)	1993	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-stick pedal	Two flight sticks and throttle lever
Strike Fighter (Japan)	1991	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Super Chase - Criminal Termination	1992	Taito America Corporation	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and throttle lever.
Super Masters Golf	1989	Sega	1|2P alt	pedal	Unique swing controller.
Thrill Drive (JAE)	1998	Konami	1|1P	joy8 paddle pedal stick	Steering wheel, pedals, shifter stick, and hand brake.
Thunder Blade	1987	Sega	1|1P	stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.
Wing War (US)	1994	Sega	1|1P	pedal stick	Flight stick and throttle lever.

Another type of "stick" controller is a mounted gun. These look like lightguns, but can't be removed from their mounts, which are in fact analog joysticks calibrated to create the illusion of aiming the gun at the screen. They aren't very suitable for thumbsticks, or actual light guns for that matter.

Some of these gun games are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players
Alien3: The Gun (World)	1993	Sega	2|2P sim
Blue Shark	1978	Midway	1|1P
Jurassic Park (World, Rev A)	1993	Sega	2|2P sim
M-79 Ambush	1977	Ramtek	2|2P sim
Operation Thunderbolt (World, rev 1)	1988	Taito Corporation Japan	2|2P sim
Revolution X (rev 1.0 6/16/94)	1994	Midway	3|3P sim
Space Gun (World)	1990	Taito Corporation Japan	2|2P sim
Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (rev LA4 08/03/92)	1991	Midway	2|2P sim
Triple Hunt	1977	Atari	1|1P
Turkey Shoot (prototype)	1984	Williams	1|2P alt

With the exception of Jurassic Park and Turkey Shoot, MAME provides a convenience hack for all of these games; you may control the gun position with an on-screen reticle, which is easily aimed with the mouse, and can be turned off via OSD settings if you don't want it. Jurassic Park and Turkey Shoot have their own ingame reticles, but in the case of Jurassic Park I found mouse control to be a bit wonky.

One last type of analog stick is the kicker controller, which was first used by Atari, but mostly used by Cinematronics, later known as Leland Corporation. It is a stiff analog joystick with a heavy spring, and is operated by pulling it toward you, tilting it left or right to aim, and then releasing to throw, pitch, or kick. I don't know of any good way to emulate these.

These are all of the games that I am aware use kicker controllers:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs
All American Football (rev D, 2 Players)	1989	Leland Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-stick
Alley Master	1986	Cinematronics	1|2P alt	stick
Flyball (rev 1)	1976	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-stick
John Elway's Team Quarterback / All American Football (Rev E)	1988-1989	Leland Corporation	4|4P sim	2x-stick 4x-joy8
Quarterback (rev 5)	1987	Leland Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 stick
Strike Zone Baseball	1988	Leland Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-stick
Super Baseball Double Play Home Run Derby	1987	Leland Corporation / Tradewest	2|2P sim	2x-stick
World Series: The Season / Baseball: The Season II	1985-1987	Cinematronics	2|2P sim	2x-stick

Steering wheel

These are usually driving games, and the control type is listed as "paddle" in MAME's XML output. They are essentially just large paddles - they turn lock-to-lock and work by measuring the absolute distance turned from the center point - but driving games probably won't handle well on a Pong-sized knob that can't be gripped with two hands. Motorcycle racing games are more likely to use tilting handlebar controllers, but they operate in the same fashion.

USB steering wheels are certainly the best option for playing these games, though analog thumbsticks might work well enough depending on the game.

These are not to be confused with "dial" steering wheels, which were more common in driving games from 1987 and earlier, and work in a completely different manner that is more or less incompatible with USB steering wheels.

These games often also use analog foot-operated pedals (or hand-operated in the case of motorcycles), and theoretically the analog triggers on a modern gamepad should be good for these, but I’ve found results to be mixed, working well for some games and terribly for others, although tweaking the sensitivity settings can help. Of course, it’s only worth attempting this if you can also manage to get steering to work well with the thumbstick, which is no guarantee.

Many also often have gear shifter sticks which MAME may implement in a sundry of ways, depending on the game.

Some of these games include:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
1000 Miglia: Great 1000 Miles Rally / Mille Miglia 2: Great 1000 Miles Rally	1995	Kaneko	2|2P alt	2x-joy8 dial paddle	Config for free or fixed wheel.
280-ZZZAP	1976	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Ace Driver: Racing Evolution / Ace Driver: Victory Lap	1994	Namco	2|1P	joy8 joyvertical2 paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick. Joy8 has unknown purpose.
Big Run (11th Rallye version)	1989	Jaleco	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 wheel and pedals
California Speed	1998	Atari Games	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Chase H.Q. (World)	1988	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	dial paddle pedal	Config for free or fixed wheel.
Cisco Heat	1990	Jaleco	1|1P	paddle	270 steering wheel
Continental Circus (World)	1987	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	dial paddle pedal	Config for free or fixed wheel.
Cool Riders	1995	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-paddle 2x-pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Cruis'n USA / Cruis'n World	1994-1996	Midway	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Cyber Cycles	1995	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Dirt Fox (Japan)	1989	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Double Axle (US)	1991	Taito America Corporation	1|1P	paddle	Steering wheel
Driver's Edge (v1.6)	1994	Strata / Incredible Technologies	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
F1 Exhaust Note (World, Rev A)	1991	Sega	2|1P	2x-paddle 2x-pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Final Lap / Final Lap 2 / Final Lap 3 / Final Lap R	1987-1995	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Four Trax (World)	1989	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
GP Rider	1990	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Grand Prix Star (ver 4.0)	1992	Jaleco	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 wheel, 2 pedals
GTI Club (ver AAA)	1996	Konami	1|1P	joyvertical2 paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick.
Hang-On / Hang-On Jr. / Super Hang-On	1985-1987	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Hard Drivin' / Race Drivin' (compact)	1990	Atari Games	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Konami GT	1985	Konami	1|1P	paddle	Steering wheel
Laguna Racer	1977	Midway	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 wheel and pedals
Max RPM (ver 2)	1986	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-joyvertical2 2x-paddle 2x-pedal	Wheel, pedal, shift stick
Midnight Run: Road Fighter 2	1995	Konami	1|1P	joyvertical2 paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick.
Motor Raid - Twin	1997	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Off Road Challenge (v1.63)	1997	Midway	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Out Run / Turbo Out Run	1986-1989	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 steering wheel, pedals
OutRunners (World)	1992	Sega	2|1P	2x-paddle 2x-pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Pocket Racer	1996	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Power Drift (World, Rev A)	1988	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 steering wheel, pedals
Racing Hero	1989	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Rad Mobile (World)	1990	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Rad Rally (World)	1991	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Radikal Bikers (Version 2.02)	1998	Gaelco	1|1P	joy1 paddle	Handlebars, shift toggle-stick.
Ridge Racer / Ridge Racer 2 / Rave Racer	1993-1995	Namco	1|1P	joy8 paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick.
Road Burners (ver 1.04)	1999	Atari Games	4|1P	4x-joy8 paddle pedal stick	Handlebars and throttle. Joy8 and stick have unknown purpose.
San Francisco Rush / San Francisco Rush: The Rock	1996-1997	Atari Games	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
San Francisco Rush 2049	1999	Atari Games	4|1P	2x-joy8 keypad only_buttons paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick, keypad, camera buttons.
Side by Side / Side by Side 2	1996	Taito	1|1P	joyvertical2 paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick.
Slip Stream	1995	Capcom	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Space Encounters	1980	Midway	1|1P	positional	Positional steering handles.
Special Criminal Investigation	1989	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	paddle	Steering wheel
Speed Racer	1995	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 steering wheel and pedals
Speed Up (Version 1.20)	1996	Gaelco	2|1P	only_buttons paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, camera buttons.
Spy Hunter	1983	Bally Midway	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Super Monaco GP	1989	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 wheel and pedals
Super Speed Race	1979	Midway	1|1P	positional	Positional steering wheel and pedal
Suzuka 8 Hours / Suzuka 8 Hours 2	1992-1993	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Handlebars and throttle.
Techno Drive	1998	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Tokyo Wars	1996	Namco	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
Top Speed (World)	1987	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	dial paddle pedal	Config for free or fixed wheel.
Virtua Racing	1992	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Steering wheel and pedals.
WEC Le Mans 24 (v2.01)	1986	Konami	1|1P	paddle pedal	270 wheel, 2 pedals
Winning Run '91	1991	Namco	1|1P	joyvertical2 paddle pedal	Wheel, pedals, shift stick.
World Rally 2: Twin Racing	1995	Gaelco	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 paddle	Wheel and shift stick.

360 (aka dial) steering wheel

The other kind of steering wheel. These are (usually) free-spinning devices with steering wheel grips. Some have physical stops to limit their range of rotation, but even when they do, they work very differently from regular steering wheels. Regular steering wheels measure the wheel's distance turned from the center, but this kind works by measuring the direction and speed of rotation, and has no way of knowing what the "center" point is.

Although not realistic, this kind of wheel is pretty common for racing games from 1987 and earlier. USB steering wheels do not work well with these games, as they do not rotate freely. Ultimarc sells a miniature steering wheel attachment for their SpinTrak controller, which isn’t a cheap setup, but probably your best bet if you’re serious enough about playing these games to buy a specialized controller.

Personally, I play these games with my SlikStik Tornado spinner, which isn't ideal as it's a low-friction device and can't be gripped with two hands, giving you only your wrist's range of motion which is certain to be less precise than one involving the length of your arms. Some games will work fine with a thumbstick or even a keyboard; it really depends on how demanding the game is for turning precision. A lot of these games work surprisingly well with a mouse.

Some games with these wheels are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
American Speedway	1987	Enerdyne Technologies Inc.	2|2P sim	2x-dial	360 steering wheels
APB - All Points Bulletin	1987	Atari Games	1|1P	dial pedal	360 steering wheel and pedal.
Bad Lands	1989	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-dial	360 steering wheels
Buggy Boy Junior	1986	Tatsumi	1|1P	dial pedal	360 steering wheel and pedals
Buggy Challenge	1984	Taito Corporation	1|1P	dial pedal	360 steering wheel and pedal.
Championship Sprint	1986	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-dial 2x-pedal	360 steering wheels and pedals
Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat	1991	Leland Corporation	3|3P sim	3x-dial 3x-pedal	360 steering wheels and pedals
Demolition Derby	1984	Bally Midway	4|4P sim	4x-dial	360 wheel and pedal
Double Cheese	1993	HAR	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Drag Race	1977	Atari (Kee Games)	2|2P sim	2x-dial	360 steering wheels
Fire Truck / Smokey Joe	1978	Atari	2|1P	2x-dial	360 steering wheels
Grand Champion (set 1)	1981	Taito	1|1P	dial joy1 pedal	360 wheel, pedal, shift stick
Hot Rod	1988	Sega	4|3P sim	4x-dial 4x-pedal	360 steering wheels and pedals
Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road / Track-Pak	1989	Leland Corporation	3|3P sim	3x-dial 3x-pedal	360 steering wheels and pedals
Monte Carlo	1979	Atari	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Night Driver	1976	Atari	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Pole Position / Pole Position II	1982-1983	Namco	1|1P	dial pedal	360 steering wheel and pedals.
Redline Racer	1987	Cinematronics (Tradewest license)	2|2P sim	2x-dial 2x-pedal	360 wheel and pedal
Speed Freak	1979	Vectorbeam	2|1P	dial joy8	360 wheel, shift stick
Sprint 1	1978	Atari (Kee Games)	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Sprint 2 (set 1)	1976	Atari (Kee Games)	2|2P sim	2x-dial	360 steering wheels
Sprint 4 (set 1)	1977	Atari	4|4P sim	4x-dial	360 steering wheels
Sprint 8	1977	Atari	8|8P sim	8x-dial	360 steering wheels
Stocker (3/19/85)	1984	Bally/Sente	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Street Heat	1985	Epos Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-dial 2x-joy2	360 steering wheel. Joysticks have unknown purpose.
Subs	1977	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-dial	360 steering wheels
Super Bug	1977	Atari (Kee Games)	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Super Speed Race Junior	1985	Taito Corporation	1|1P	dial pedal	360 steering wheel and pedals
Super Sprint (rev 4)	1986	Atari Games	3|3P sim	3x-dial 3x-pedal	360 steering wheels and pedals
Top Secret	1986	Exidy	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
Turbo	1981	Sega	1|1P	dial	360 steering wheel
TX-1	1983	Tatsumi	1|1P	dial pedal	360 steering wheel and pedals
World Rally	1993	Gaelco	2|2P alt	2x-joy8 dial	360 wheel, shift stick.

Light guns

Toy guns that use optical sensors to detect what part of the screen you are aiming at. MAME lets you play with a point and click interface, but what’s the fun in that? Light guns that work on modern screens have proved to be a challenge, but the Sinden Lightgun project looks promising.

Arcade games with light guns include:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
Area 51 / Maximum Force	1996	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Area 51 / Maximum Force Duo	1998	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Bang!	1998	Gaelco	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Beast Busters (World)	1989	SNK	3|3P sim	3x-lightgun
CarnEvil (v1.0.3)	1998	Midway Games	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Carnival King (v1.00.11)	2002	Incredible Technologies	1|2P alt	lightgun trackball	Trackball is unused.
Cheyenne (version 1.0)	1984	Exidy	1|1P	lightgun
Chiller (version 3.0)	1986	Exidy	1|1P	lightgun
Combat (version 3.0)	1985	Exidy	1|1P	lightgun
Crackshot (version 2.0)	1985	Exidy	1|2P alt	lightgun
Crossbow (version 2.0)	1983	Exidy	1|1P	lightgun
Crypt Killer (GQ420 UAA)	1995	Konami	3|3P sim	3x-lightgun
Deer Hunting USA V4.3	2000	Sammy USA Corporation	1|1P	lightgun
Desert Gun	1977	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	1|1P	lightgun
Dragon Gun (US)	1993	Data East Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Duck Hunt / Hogan's Alley / Wild Gunman (PlayChoice-10)	1984	Nintendo	2|1P	2x-joy8 lightgun	Joysticks are unused.
Egg Venture (Release 10)	1997	The Game Room	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Golly! Ghost!	1990	Namco	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Great Guns	1983	Stern Electronics	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Gunbuster (World)	1992	Taito Corporation Japan	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-lightgun
Invasion - The Abductors	1999	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Judge Dredd	1996	Acclaim	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Laser Ghost	1990	Sega	3|3P sim	3x-lightgun
Lethal Enforcers / Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters	1992-1994	Konami	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Lethal Justice (Version 2.3)	1996	The Game Room	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Line of Fire / Bakudan Yarou	1989	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Lord of Gun (USA)	1994	IGS	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Mechanized Attack (World)	1989	SNK	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
One Shot One Kill	1996	Promat	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Operation Wolf (World, set 1)	1987	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	lightgun
Operation Wolf 3 (World)	1994	Taito Corporation Japan	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Point Blank / Point Blank 2	1994-1999	Namco	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Police Trainer (Rev 1.3)	1996	P&P Marketing	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Rail Chase (World)	1991	Sega	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Rapid Fire v1.1 (Build 239)	1998	Hanaho Games	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Sharpshooter (Rev 1.9)	1998	P&P Marketing	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Steel Gunner / Steel Gunner 2	1990-1991	Namco	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Tickee Tickats	1994	Raster Elite	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Time Crisis	1995	Namco	1|1P	lightgun
Total Vice (ver EBA)	1997	Konami	3|2P sim	2x-only_buttons lightgun
Turkey Hunting USA V1.00	2001	Sammy USA Corporation	1|2P alt	lightgun
Under Fire (World)	1993	Taito Corporation Japan	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Vs. Duck Hunt / Vs. Hogan's Alley	1985	Nintendo	1|2P alt	lightgun
Vs. Freedom Force	1988	Sunsoft	1|2P alt	lightgun
Vs. Gumshoe (set GM5)	1986	Nintendo	1|1P	lightgun
Who Dunit (version 9.0)	1988	Exidy	1|2P alt	lightgun
Zero Point / Zero Point 2	1998-1999	Unico	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun
Zombie Raid (9/28/95, US)	1995	American Sammy	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun

Dials

The counterpart to dial wheels, these are rotating devices with a notched wheel mounted on the shaft, and infra-red optics that measure the speed and direction of the wheel's rotation.

I use a SlikStik Tornado spinner for most of these games. They’re defunct now, but multiple arcade control manufacturers sell computer-compatible spinner devices, which are read by the computer as a mouse. Barring that, a mouse is probably the next-best thing for these games, and sometimes thumbsticks work well enough, but it really depends on the game.

Some games with dials include:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
Arkanoid / Arkanoid - Revenge of DOH	1986-1987	Taito Corporation Japan	2|2P alt	2x-dial
Blasteroids (rev 4)	1987	Atari Games	2|2P sim	2x-dial
Boxing Bugs	1981	Cinematronics	2|2P alt	dial only_buttons
Cameltry (US, YM2610)	1989	Taito America Corporation	2|2P alt	2x-dial
Cosmic Chasm (set 1)	1983	Cinematronics / GCE	1|2P alt	dial
Crater Raider	1984	Bally Midway	1|2P alt	dial joyvertical2
Dark Planet	1982	Stern Electronics	1|2P alt	dial
Discs of Tron (Upright)	1983	Bally Midway	1|2P alt	dial joy8 trackball	Push/pull spinner. Trackball appears to be unused.
Embargo	1977	Cinematronics	4|4P sim	4x-dial
Forgotten Worlds	1988	Capcom	2|2P sim	2x-dial 2x-joy8	Pushable spinner
Free Kick	1987	Nihon System (Merit license)	2|2P alt	2x-dial 2x-joy8
Goindol (World)	1987	SunA	2|2P alt	2x-joy8 dial	Joy8's have unknown purpose.
Mad Planets	1983	Gottlieb	1|2P alt	dial joy8
Major Havoc (rev 3)	1983	Atari	2|2P alt	dial only_buttons	Roller controller
Moonwar	1981	Stern Electronics	2|2P alt	2x-dial	Roller controller
Off the Wall	1991	Atari Games	3|3P sim	3x-dial 3x-joy8	Config for dials or joysticks
Omega Race (set 1)	1981	Midway	2|2P alt	2x-dial
Star Trek	1982	Sega	1|2P alt	dial
Tac/Scan	1982	Sega	1|2P alt	dial
Teeter Torture (prototype)	1982	Exidy	1|2P alt	dial	Roller controller
Tempest	1980	Atari	2|2P alt	2x-dial
Tron (8/9)	1982	Bally Midway	2|2P alt	2x-dial 2x-joy8
Two Tigers (Tron conversion)	1984	Bally Midway	2|2P sim	2x-dial
Victory	1982	Exidy	1|2P alt	dial
Vs. Hot Smash	1987	Kaneko / Taito	2|2P sim	2x-dial
Wheel Of Fortune (set 1)	1989	GameTek	3|3P alt	2x-dial only_buttons	Second dial used in cocktail mode
Wolf Pack (prototype)	1978	Atari	1|1P	dial
Zwackery	1984	Bally Midway	1|1P	dial joy8	Push/pull spinner.

Rotary joystick

A standard 8-way joystick that also rotates like a dial. MAME treats these as separate joy8 and dial / positional inputs. I play these with one hand on an 8-way joystick and one on my spinner, but this setup makes pushing buttons a bit awkward. There's probably no great way to play these without having a rotary joystick of your own.

Some games with rotary joysticks are:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
Bermuda Triangle (World?)	1987	SNK	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
Caliber 50 (Ver. 1.01)	1989	Athena / Seta	2|2P sim	2x-dial 2x-joy8
DownTown / Mokugeki (set 1)	1989	Seta	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
Exterminator	1989	Gottlieb / Premier Technology	2|2P sim	2x-dial 2x-joy8
Guerrilla War (US)	1987	SNK	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
Heavy Barrel (World)	1987	Data East Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
Ikari Warriors / Victory Road / Ikari III - The Rescue	1986-1989	SNK	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
Midnight Resistance	1989	Data East Corporation	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
SAR - Search And Rescue	1989	SNK	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
T.N.K III (US)	1985	SNK	2|2P alt	2x-joy8 2x-positional	Mechanical dial, pushable like an 8-way joystick
Time Soldiers (US Rev 3)	1987	Alpha Denshi Co. (SNK/Romstar license)	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
Top Gunner	1986	bootleg	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-positional
TouchDown Fever (US)	1987	SNK	4|4P sim	4x-dial 4x-joy8

Paddles

Like a dial, except completely different. Paddles always have a limit to their range of rotation, and use a potentiometer to measure the knob’s distance turned. These are among the oldest game controllers, predating arcade joysticks, and were first used in Pong.

I found that thumbsticks and keyboards made poor paddle substitutes, and my spinner was only so-so. In addition, many paddle games are for two players, and I've only got one spinner. I picked up an Atari VCS paddle controller set, and a 2600-dapter to make it work on USB. My computer thinks it’s a joystick, but when calibrated works pretty well for paddle games. If you got this route, make sure that MAME's dead-zone is set to zero; the notion of a dead zone only makes sense when dealing with self-centering joysticks, and will cause a paddle to behave incorrectly when close to its center point.

Electronically, there’s no real difference between paddles and steering wheels (of the lock-to-lock type).

Some paddle games include:

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
Avalanche	1978	Atari	1|2P alt	paddle
Beam Invader	1979	Teknon Kogyo	2|2P alt	2x-paddle
Breakout [TTL]	1976	Atari	2|2P alt	2x-paddle
Circus / Acrobat TV	1977	Exidy / Taito	1|2P alt	paddle
Clowns (rev. 2)	1978	Midway	2|2P alt	2x-paddle
Destroyer (version O2)	1977	Atari	1|1P	paddle
Dog Patch	1977	Midway	2|2P sim	2x-positional	Mechanical dial
Field Goal (set 1)	1979	Taito	2|2P alt	2x-paddle
Gee Bee / Bomb Bee	1978-1979	Namco	2|2P alt	2x-paddle
Gypsy Juggler	1978	Meadows Games, Inc.	1|4P alt	stick	Looks more like a paddle to me
Peek-a-Boo!	1993	Jaleco	2|2P alt	2x-paddle
Pong (Rev E) external [TTL]	1972	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-paddle
Pong Doubles [TTL]	1973	Atari	4|4P sim	4x-paddle
Straight Flush	1979	Taito	1|2P alt	paddle
Super Breakout (rev 04)	1978	Atari	1|2P alt	paddle
Tournament Table (set 1)	1978	Atari	4|2P alt	4x-paddle
Warlords	1980	Atari	4|4P sim	4x-paddle

Lastly, there are a number of games in MAME with unusual control schemes that defy previous categorization, either because of a unique device, or an unusual combination of devices used together. With some creativity, perseverance and perhaps lots of diligent tweaking, you might be able to configure a good scheme for any given game, but these games best illustrate the fact that there's no one-size-fits-all solution to MAME.

Title	Year	Manufacturer	Players	MAME inputs	Notes
720 Degrees (rev 4)	1986	Atari Games	1|2P alt	dial stick	Joystick-gripped dial. Stick is unused in MAME, but is used by real hardware for auto-calibration.
Alpine Racer / Alpine Racer 2	1994-1996	Namco	2|1P	2x-stick joy2	Ski controller
Arm Champs II (ver 2.7)	1992	Jaleco	1|1P	dial	Unique arm wrestling controller
Aztarac	1983	Centuri	1|2P alt	dial stick	Flight stick and dial
Battle Shark (World)	1989	Taito Corporation Japan	1|1P	stick	Periscope controller
Beatmania series	1997-2002	Konami	2|2P sim	2x-dial	Turntables
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix	1999	Konami	2|2P sim	2x-joy16	Dance pads
Danger Zone	1986	Cinematronics	1|2P alt	trackball	Real hardware is played by tilting the monitor! MAME maps this to a trackball as an approximation.
Fisherman's Bait - A Bass Challenge	1998	Konami	2|1P	2x-joy8 mouse	Fishing rod controller
Golgo 13	1999	Eighting / Raizing / Namco	1|1P	joyvertical2 lightgun	Scoped rifle controller
Hammer	2000	Andamiro	1|1P	lightgun	Light pen-like hammer controller.
Hard Drivin' / Race Drivin' (cockpit)	1988-1990	Atari Games	1|1P	paddle pedal stick	Wheel, pedals, analog shift stick
Hard Drivin's Airborne (prototype)	1993	Atari Games	1|1P	paddle pedal stick	Wheel, pedals, analog elevator
Heavyweight Champ	1987	Sega	1|1P	paddle pedal	Unique grip controller
Kozmik Kroozr	1982	Bally Midway	1|2P alt	dial stick	Flight stick and dial
Lucky & Wild	1992	Namco	2|2P sim	2x-lightgun paddle pedal	Steering wheel, pedals, light guns.
Lunar Lander (rev 2)	1979	Atari	1|1P	pedal	Thruster controller.
Mole Attack	1982	Yachiyo Electronics, Ltd.	2|2P alt	only_buttons	Button array
Night Stocker	1986	Bally/Sente	2|1P	dial lightgun	360 steering wheel and light gun.
Orbit	1978	Atari	2|2P sim	2x-joy2	Button array
Paperboy (rev 3)	1984	Atari Games	1|2P alt	stick	Handlebar controller with non-centering forward/backward movement for speed
Pop'n Music 3	1999	Konami	1|1P	only_buttons	Music controller
Prop Cycle	1996	Namco	1|1P	stick	Bike controller with pedals
Road Blasters	1987	Atari Games	1|1P	dial pedal	Optical self-centering steering yoke, pedals
S.T.U.N. Runner	1989	Atari Games	1|1P	stick	Handlerbars with analog vertical aiming grips
Sea Wolf	1976	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	1|1P	positional	Periscope controller
Sea Wolf II	1978	Dave Nutting Associates / Midway	2|2P sim	2x-positional	Periscope controller
Slick Shot (V2.2)	1990	Grand Products / Incredible Technologies	1|4P alt	trackball	Unique pool cue controller
Space Wars	1977	Cinematronics	2|2P sim	2x-joy2	Buttons and keypad
Street Fighter (prototype)	1987	Capcom	2|2P sim	2x-joy8 2x-pedal	Pressure sensitive buttons control strength of punches and kicks
Sundance	1979	Cinematronics	2|2P sim	2x- only_buttons	Button array
Super Draw Poker	1983	Valadon Automation (Stern Electronics license)	2|1P	only_buttons	Poker controller
Super Strike Bowling	1990	Strata / Incredible Technologies	1|4P alt	trackball	Unique pool cue controller
Up Scope	1986	Grand Products	1|1P	joyvertical2 paddle	Unique periscope controller.
Vapor TRX	1998	Atari Games	1|1P	stick	Handlebars with analog vertical aiming grips
Viper (rev 3)	1988	Leland Corporation	1|2P alt	trackball	Real hardware is played by tilting the monitor! MAME maps this to a trackball as an approximation.
War: The Final Assault	1999	Atari Games	4|1P	3x-joy8 only_buttons stick	Analog stick for aiming, pushbuttons for moving. 8-way joysticks have unknown purpose.