<s>
The	O
Sirius	B-Device
Joyport	I-Device
is	O
a	O
game	O
controller	O
adapter	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
computer	I-Device
designed	O
by	O
Keithen	O
Hayenga	O
and	O
Steve	O
Woita	O
(	O
who	O
were	O
employed	O
by	O
Apple	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
and	O
then	O
licensed	O
for	O
manufacture	O
and	O
distribution	O
in	O
1981	O
by	O
Sirius	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
was	O
meant	O
to	O
address	O
a	O
limitation	O
in	O
the	O
built-in	O
game	O
control	O
offered	O
by	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
by	O
allowing	O
either	O
four	O
Apple-compatible	O
paddles	O
or	O
two	O
Atari-style	O
joysticks	O
(	O
but	O
not	O
both	O
types	O
at	O
once	O
)	O
to	O
be	O
read	O
by	O
the	O
computer	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
built-in	O
game	O
port	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
II+	O
,	O
IIe	O
,	O
and	O
IIgs	O
supports	O
four	O
analog	O
paddles	O
or	O
two	O
analog	O
sticks	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
3	O
buttons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
Joyport	B-Device
,	O
a	O
game	O
can	O
support	O
twice	O
as	O
many	O
players	O
as	O
with	O
a	O
standard	O
Apple	O
game	O
port	O
,	O
but	O
game	O
designers	O
had	O
to	O
specifically	O
modify	O
their	O
code	O
to	O
take	O
input	O
from	O
the	O
Atari	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
Joyport	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
them	O
did	O
so	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
modification	O
is	O
what	O
is	O
often	O
seen	O
listed	O
in	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
game	O
configuration	O
screens	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Atari	O
Joyport	B-Device
"	O
option	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
digital	O
)	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
usual	O
smoother-action	O
analog	O
sticks	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
hardware	O
makes	O
no	O
distinction	O
between	O
two	O
paddles	O
or	O
a	O
single	O
analog	O
joystick	O
plugged	O
into	O
the	O
same	O
jack	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
been	O
possible	O
to	O
connect	O
and	O
read	O
two	O
fully	O
analog	O
joysticks	O
with	O
the	O
Joyport	B-Device
via	O
the	O
paddle	O
jacks	O
,	O
but	O
few	O
(	O
if	O
any	O
)	O
two-joystick	O
games	O
supports	O
this	O
,	O
and	O
Sirius	O
did	O
not	O
suggest	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Joyport	B-Device
is	O
a	O
white	O
plastic	O
brick	O
about	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
a	O
paperback	O
novel	O
that	O
connects	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
internal	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
gameport	O
and	O
breaks	O
it	O
out	O
into	O
two	O
Atari	B-Protocol
joystick	I-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
and	O
two	O
Apple	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bundled	O
with	O
the	O
Joyport	B-Device
is	O
Computer	O
Foosball	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
written	O
specifically	O
by	O
Hayenga	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
at	O
once	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
included	O
are	O
BASIC	O
and	O
Pascal	B-Application
source	O
code	O
listings	O
of	O
sample	O
programs	O
making	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Joyport	B-Device
,	O
indicating	O
the	O
hobbyist	O
influence	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
impetus	O
for	O
the	O
invention	O
of	O
the	O
Joyport	B-Device
came	O
from	O
well-known	O
game	O
designer	O
Bill	O
Budge	O
,	O
who	O
Woita	O
met	O
at	O
Apple	O
and	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
thinking	O
about	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
port	O
games	O
that	O
required	O
manipulation	O
of	O
two	O
joysticks	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
(	O
Crazy	B-Application
Climber	I-Application
was	O
mentioned	O
specifically	O
.	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Woita	O
agreed	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
solution	O
involving	O
Atari	O
controllers	O
,	O
and	O
since	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
Hayenga	O
was	O
already	O
working	O
at	O
Apple	O
on	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
connect	O
four	O
paddles	O
at	O
once	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
hardware	O
engineers	O
began	O
to	O
cooperate	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
device	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
later	O
christened	O
the	O
"	O
Joyport	B-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Woita	O
and	O
Hayenga	O
were	O
hired	O
by	O
Atari	O
,	O
where	O
Woita	O
designed	O
the	O
games	O
Quadrun	B-Application
(	O
1983	O
)	O
,	O
Asterix	B-Application
(	O
1984	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
TAZ	B-Application
(	O
1984	O
)	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
Hayenga	O
specialised	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
,	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
RealSports	B-Application
Baseball	I-Application
(	O
1983	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Tempest	B-Application
.	O
</s>
