MS Joysticks working with modern PCs?

[Razzie.P]

I have a couple of MS Sidewinder joysticks (with the gameport, not USB) that I'm trying to decide whether to keep or sell. Anyone happen to know if it's possible to get these to work properly with modern PCs? Google searching for both a gamecard and any form of updated drivers seems to be hit or miss.

 

Thanks!

[Flojomojo]

There are gameport-to-usb adapters

 

Rockfire USB game port Adapter RM-203 gameport https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HAX7OU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AH-RCbWZZAB80

 

I would think the software would be relatively easy once you got that sorted --especially in things like DOSbox.

 

Keep or sell? I doubt they're worth much (though it would be nice for you if I'm wrong), and they'll be a bit of a hassle to make them work on modern stuff if they're still any good.

[boxpressed]

I still have one of those. That generation of controller was like the platypus -- a pre-USB gameport controller that needed Windows 95 to function fully. The Gravis Gamepad could work with DOS games, but not the Sidewinder, I don't think. Maybe from a Windows Dosbox.

 

I basically use early gameport controllers for the retro builds and Xbox 360 controllers for Steam.

[mr_me]

If it has more than four buttons (including the hat) it's likely not standard gameport and won't work with a regular gameport/usb adapter.

 

Someone did create a microcontroller based adapter and provided the firmware so you can make your own. https://code.google.com/archive/p/sw3dprousb/

https://code.google.com/archive/p/adapt-ffb-joy/

Edited April 12, 2019 by mr_me

[ChildOfCv]

The MS Sidewinder communicated digitally with the computer in a similar fashion to what the NES and SNES do. When you output to the port as you'd do for typical joystick reads, you'd read back the 4 button statuses (stati?). One of them will be the serial clock (generated by the joystick) that you use to tell when the next 3 bits are ready, and the other 3 are 3 bits at a time. Once you've read enough bits back you'd have the analog position of the axes and the status of each button.

 

Theoretically, a USB game port controller may be fast enough to support this (I think the Sidewinder was about 100K baud).

 

No, you didn't directly need Windows to read this (Mechwarrior 2 could also), but perhaps Windows had a driver for it, at least for some range of versions.