In the move to more “touchless” products in the Covid era, Steve Shoemaker of Redondo Fun Factory has reengineered the joystick – creating a device that will allow players to use their own joystick balls on cranes and other games.

With the touchless joystick control, players never have to touch the stick itself. They just pop a joystick ball on top. The balls would be for sale and could have all sorts of designs on them. It’s the equivalent of taking your own pool cue to the billiards hall instead of using the house sticks. Operators can also sell custom joystick balls that will make players want to come back time and time again. Maybe they’ll only want to play with their lucky joystick!

“I think it will really help the industry,” Shoemaker said. “If you have universal sticks, you can have personalized knobs, creating player loyalty.”

A tech told him, “I can see this doing well in arcades. It may even help with opening arcades back up.” The conversion costs between $9.95 and $14.95, depending on quantity. For more information, call 310-374-9982.