The interface matrix on this Wiki page may be helpful:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_SideWinder

C0deHunter wrote:

Hi all, Mostly for old DOS games (Gods, Magic Pockets, Commander Keen, Another World, etc.), and few Win98SE games. […]
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Hi all,
Mostly for old DOS games (Gods, Magic Pockets, Commander Keen, Another World, etc.), and few Win98SE games.

I am torn between the classic Gravis GamePad or the Microsoft SideWinder pads.

Is Microsoft SideWinder pad SERIAL or USB?

What about Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro? Is it SERIAL or USB?

I need a SERIAL gamepad that can be used in DOS games (in pure MS-DOS mode of Win98SE)

Many thanks!

I have one sidewinder that uses gameport, works fine on Windows 98, i also have a generic usb ps3 joypad clone that also works well on Windows 98.
For dos i just have a simple joystick, you know the cheap flight stick with two buttons and turbo mode.

I could never stand PC gamepads, especially Gravis, even though I owned one. The day they came out with PlayStation USB adapters I was so damn thankful.

If you want to play a game that involves a D-Pad, you need a proper D-Pad, not some solid chunk of awkward plastic. I hated analog sticks until the Xbox 360 / Xbox One also. And while I don't think either of those would have working drivers for a Windows98 PC, I would at least try to get some kind of USB adapter for Windows to use with your favorite console controller.

I don't even know if they exist with serial port options or anything like that, much less DOS drivers. So can't offer much help there.

Agreed on PC gamepads being predominantly trash. It always boggled my mind how many computers, even 8 bit, never seemed to have good controllers. For Windows 9X and up, you're always good with any generic Chinese console-to-USB adapter, but for DOS, it gets a bit tricky if you're using actual DOS. The Gameport version of the Sidewinder would be a decent controller, but to the best of my knowledge, there are no DOS drivers for it to operate in 6+ button mode.

Mister Xiado wrote:

Agreed on PC gamepads being predominantly trash. It always boggled my mind how many computers, even 8 bit, never seemed to have good controllers. For Windows 9X and up, you're always good with any generic Chinese console-to-USB adapter, but for DOS, it gets a bit tricky if you're using actual DOS. The Gameport version of the Sidewinder would be a decent controller, but to the best of my knowledge, there are no DOS drivers for it to operate in 6+ button mode.

Well if you are into electronic DIY it is pretty easy(and cheap) to do a arcade style controller that will work on pure dos, the buttons, microswitches and joystick and the connector for the gameport .

I thought you still required a driver for even a basic gamepad in true DOS, if the game itself didn't support it you were SOL ?

I mean there ARE schematics out there for parallel port adapters for some game console controllers like the PSX, and I think SNES. Maybe even some serial port pinouts.. But still haven't found anything with DOS drivers for them

Neco wrote:

I thought you still required a driver for even a basic gamepad in true DOS, if the game itself didn't support it you were SOL ?

I mean there ARE schematics out there for parallel port adapters for some game console controllers like the PSX, and I think SNES. Maybe even some serial port pinouts.. But still haven't found anything with DOS drivers for them

they read the gameport address and that contains the data
look the pinout
https://allpinouts.org/pinouts/connectors/inp … ck-pc-gameport/
it is just pulling up(to 5v) and down(to gnd) the pins and sending an analog voltage between the 5v and 0v on X and Y pins.
It doesn't even need a MCU, just a couple of resistors and potentiometers and you are set.
i believe that even if you wanna a "digital" joystick you can do on the X and Y ports.
Now if you wanna be real fancy you can add two more buttons and a 555 timer on a astable configuration., the button just switches the output of the 555, this way you have turbo mode buttons.

Neco wrote:

I mean there ARE schematics out there for parallel port adapters for some game console controllers like the PSX, and I think SNES. Maybe even some serial port pinouts.. But still haven't found anything with DOS drivers for them

I have an SNES controller wired to the parallel port. For DOS there was a utility called SNESKEY that made the controller input look like keyboard input, but it didn't work with all games. A few emulators supported the parallel port connection natively. For win98 there was a driver called DirectPad Pro, and for win2k+ I use PPJoy which works great (I don't believe it works in 64-bit windows though)

I’m a simple man I admit but I’m more than happy with my classic dog bone Gravis pad for DOS - they just work and feel fine to me.

badmojo wrote:

I’m a simple man I admit but I’m more than happy with my classic dog bone Gravis pad for DOS - they just work and feel fine to me.

For games that are meant for gamepads, such as side scrollers and some 2d shooters sure.

I do love me some Gravis gamepads though. The Gravis Gamepad pro is even better.

For driving games, wheels/peddles are a must. For flight sims and space games, stick and throttle at a minimum. Add rudder pedals and it makes it even better.

cyclone3d wrote:

badmojo wrote:

I’m a simple man I admit but I’m more than happy with my classic dog bone Gravis pad for DOS - they just work and feel fine to me.

For games that are meant for gamepads, such as side scrollers and some 2d shooters sure.

Eh, no. It still sucks. It is notoriously over-sensitive and registers diagonals instead of cardinal directions a lot of the time. At least that was my sample. Maybe some Gravis Gamepads are better than others. But still, each and every one of these games is better played with a keyboard.

In fact, for 99% of DOS games, a keyboard (or keyboard+mouse) beats any other control method. Only some fighting games like Street Fighter can benefit from a digital pad, and racing games like NFS can benefit from a wheel / analog joystick. Add to this the terrible gamepad support in DOS (none, basically - requires every game to support it on itself, calibrate it separately, etc), and you end up wasting a lot of time and deal with a lot of frustration to get an inferior experience at the end.

That was my experience too. notoriously inaccurate. For games which require fine directional control, especially if you're playing platforming games through an emulator, it can be a pain in the ass. You miss ladders, might even mess up jumps because of it. Even in RPGs with menu selections it can be finnicky.

I used my gravis gamepad pro mostly for things like X-Wing alliance or Rogue Squadron 3D. I don't even know why they included that rinky dink stick attachment you screw it, that thing was useless.

I would look for a basic parallel port modded console controller instead, since other information posted above says those should work on a basic level

Hmmm... The only time I've ever had issue with a Gravis Gamepad or Gamepad Pro was:

1. Joystick port was not auto speed adjusting or had no speed adjustment and the CPU was too fast. But this causes all joysticks and pads to have issues
2. The buttons themselves had bad or dirty connections. Easy enough fix either way but they generally last a few years before even needing to be taken apart to be cleaned.

I've been using Gravis gamepads ever since they were originally released. Never had an issue with them working properly or being over sensitive.

I do agree that the dumb little stick attachment that was included with them is/was totally useless.

It's probably a matter of play style for a lot of people. On the gamepad side, I played a lot of console games, the only console controller at that time which had a solid single piece D-Pad was the Sega Genesis / Megadrive. All other consoles used the classical "plus sign" layout to expose the controls. You had to purposefully make movements on the pad to register a diagonal (if the controller or game support it). So from the physical aspect, it feels a lot more precise.

With gravis and similar pads, it was too easy to trigger a diagonal when you did not want it.

hey so I just remembered I bought this knockoff looking joypad real cheap a long time ago. it's called "Battle Gear" gamepad. I haven't had a chance to test one but it has the "plus sign" type dpad

it's clear plastic and has an SNES style layout. might want to see if you can find one. runs off gameport

The Powerramp controllers plug into the PS/2 keyboard jack and work well with most games. I have both the Powerramp Mite (gamepad) and the arcade stick. Here’s a post I made on the Mite: Re: Powerramp Mite Gamepad Controller