This joystick was tricky ... The solution [FozzTexx] came up with was to connect a modern USB gamepad to a Raspberry Pi, and then set it to output the necessary signals to the Apple II.

[MaZderMind] also captured data on an oscilloscope to indicate in detail the quirks of the joystick’s operation. Yes, it’s entirely possible to use a more modern microcontroller with a USB ...

the Adaptive Joystick has seven total buttons. There are two on the back of the controller, four on the front, and then the stick press. There’s also a fairly lengthy 9-foot braided USB-C to USB ...