RetroUSBJoystick - connect your old-school C64 joystick via USB (updated 2020-01-22)

I quickly put some code together so I will be able to connect my old-school joystick to the TheC64 when it finally arrives. (And so I can wear down the joystick and eventually break it while playing Decathlon. Just like the good old days. :-D)

It requires an Arduino Pro Micro, a Leonardo or other Arduino-like boards that are based on the ATmega32u4 (those are the ones with native USB support).

I have put the code up on Github -- you can check it out right here:
https://github.com/hugovangalen/RetroUSBJoystick

Update January 9th, 2020
It is now also possible to connect joystick wirelessly by using NRF24L01 transceiver modules. This requires an additional Arduino board.

The updated code has been pushed to the Github repository linked above. Check the included README for further instructions on how to get things going.

Update January 16th, 2020
I discovered earlier the TheC64 did not see the device as a valid joystick...

After some more research, I found a fix for this by spoofing and mimicking the behaviour of another controller.

It now works on both the TheC64 and Linux machines (I have not tested with Apple OSX or Microsoft Windows.)

Update January 22th, 2020
I have added support for AES256 encryption for the wireless operation mode. This prevents erroneous interpretation of packets for other remotes within range of the NRF24 radio. (It does not protect against replay-attacks.)

Enjoy! :)


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