Ricardo Quesada's Unijoysticle 2 A500 Brings Bluetooth Pad, Mouse Support to Your Commodore Amiga
Built around an ESP32-WROOM-32E module, this open-hardware add-on upgrades your Amiga 500 or 1200 to Bluetooth.
Developer and retro gaming enthusiast Ricardo Quesada has launched the Espressif ESP32-powered Unijoysticle 2 A500, which brings Bluetooth game controller and mouse support to the Commodore Amiga family of home computers.
"[The Unijoysticle 2 A500] allows you to use modern gamepads and mice in Commodore Amiga computers," Quesada explains, "to enhance the gaming experience in retro computers. "[It's an] affordable way to bring the best of modern controllers (gamepads and mice) to your favorite retro computer!"
Building on the Unijoysticle 2 and 2+, launched in 2019 and 2021 respectively for the Commodore 64 family and compatibles, the Unijoysticle 2 A500 is tailored specifically for use with the Commodore Amiga range. It offers full support for all three Amiga fire buttons, mouse compatibility, and can run without an external power supply on the Amiga 1200 — though use with the Amiga 500 will need a micro-USB power supply.
An on-board Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32E module provides Bluetooth connectivity, allowing the Unijoysticle 2 A500 to connect to a range of off-the-shelf controllers including Sony's DualShock and DualSense pads from the PlayStation 3, 4, and 5, Microsoft's Xbox One controllers, Nintendo's Switch Pro, JoyCon, Wii U Pro, and Wii Remote controllers, the latter with or without Nunchuck, as well as gamepads designed for use with Android smartphones.
The board offers two controller mapping modes: In Basic Mode the controller acts as a single joystick input with three fire buttons, auto-fire, and movement supported on both the D-pad and analog stick; in Enhanced Mode, a single controller acts as both Port 1 and Port 2 joysticks.
Quesada is selling pre-assembled Unijoysticle 2 A500 boards via Tindie at $35 each; those who would prefer to build their own acn find source code and design files for the entire Unijoysticle 2 range on GitLab under the permissive Solderpad Hardware License v2.1.
