Cheetah Tortoise

The Tortoise is a joystick made by joystick manufacturer Cheetah in 1992.

Why It Flopped

 * 1) The joystick has a very unorthodox design, being shaped like a tortoise with a joystick bottom attached to it.
 * 2) Moving the joystick is really uncomfortable, as you have to hold the tortoise shell like a mouse and move it in whichever direction you want to go. This could lead to potential wrist cramps if the joystick is used for a long period of time.
 * 3) *On top of that, the directions aren't really definite, and due the joystick's design, you can't really tell whether you're moving up, down, left or right, which can be a problem in games that require moving the joystick a lot, such as Daley Thompson's Decathlon. The diagonals are also really impossible to do.
 * 4) The tortoise shell used in lieu of a joystick isn't really designed to be used like a joystick, and feels more appropriate to use on a table, rather than holding it with both hands.
 * 5) Despite somewhat resembling a mouse, the Tortoise joystick cannot be used as a mouse at all.
 * 6) All three buttons on top do the exact same thing, even when used on the Amiga and Atari ST. Granted, most joysticks of the time with 9-pin joystick inputs often had only one fire button or multiple buttons with the same function, but at the time of the joystick's release, there were a few games on the Amiga that supported two buttons for separate functions.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The packaging used for the joystick is kind of neat, as it has various air holes, designed somewhat like a small pet box.
 * 2) Despite being uncomfortable to use, the Tortoise joystick has a really cute design.

Trivia

 * The Cheetah Tortoise became a mascot for the YouTube channel RMCRetro, under the nickname Trevor.
 * Stuart Ashen considers the Cheetah Tortoise as the worst game controller ever made.

Videos
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