Joyboard

The Joyboard was a pressure-sensitive input device designed for the Atari 2600 video game console. Released in 1982 by Amiga Corporation (before they focused on computers), it was intended to provide an alternative control method, primarily aimed at children with disabilities. Instead of using a joystick, players would control the on-screen action by leaning and shifting their weight on the large, flat board. The Joyboard detected pressure changes at its four corners, translating these into directional movements within the game. While marketed as a device to improve coordination and balance, it saw limited commercial success and is now primarily remembered as a unique, if ultimately unsuccessful, peripheral for the Atari 2600. Only a handful of games were specifically designed to utilize the Joyboard.