What Is a Light Pen and Joystick?

A Light Pen is a pointing input device that utilizes a light-sensitive detector to select objects on a display screen. It is similar to a mouse, except that with a light pen you can move the pointer and select objects on the display screen by directly pointing to the objects with the pen. It works in the same way as the original pointing device, the finger. The cursor moves to where the Pen is pointed. Clicking on the button is simply done by pressing the Pen on the screen.

A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's CRT TV set or monitor. It allows the user to point to displayed objects, or draw on the screen, in a similar way to a touch screen but with greater positional accuracy. A light pen can work with any CRT-based display, but not with LCD screens, projectors and other display devices.

A joystick is a hand held stick like the joystick in an airplane, which is used as a pointing device in arcade games and video games. The joystick can move an object on screen in any direction. It usually has one or more push buttons for shooting, jumping.