I have a CH Mach I joystick for my DOS gaming. Love it. Fits in my hands and very responsive to control. No need for a desk, lap or flat spot.

Here's one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CH-Products-Mach-I-Jo … d0AAOSw44BYUGdi

I like the old Wingman Extreme's but mainly because of the fact that that is what I had during the 90s. I bought a used one on ebay for 20 USD not to terribly long ago.

For Win98, the MS SideWinder 3D Pro is probably the best choice because it's an ambidextrous digital stick with DOS support. I can never thank VOGONS member Akula65 enough for his fantastic work on making the drivers work correctly.

Thanks, I looked up some old reviews and the SideWinder 3D Pro looks like a good stick for my needs. Not too expensive to acquire either.

KT7AGuy wrote:

I can never thank VOGONS member Akula65 enough for his fantastic work on making the drivers work correctly

Thanks for the shout out. Always glad to hear folks are making good use of them.

The 3d pro isnt ambidextrous (unless you ignore the throttle on the left and 2 side buttons on the left)
ps:wasnt dos support a bit flakey ?

Davros wrote:

The 3d pro isnt ambidextrous (unless you ignore the throttle on the left and 2 side buttons on the left)
ps:wasnt dos support a bit flakey ?

Well, in a pinch, the SW3DPro is ambidextrous enough I suppose. DOS support isn't 100% either, but it's better than nothing. If you're running games like X-Wing or TIE Fighter under Win98SE, the SideWinder drivers are still used so it shouldn't be an issue and you'll be able to reprogram the buttons, etc. I'm pretty sure that Descent and MechWarrior II have built-in support for the SW3DPro.

Really, I think the very best DOS all-in-one joystick was the CH GameStick 3D. Unfortunately, they're pretty rare and hard to find. The SW3DPro is a good compromise, I think. If you're focusing mostly on older DOS games, the CH Flightstick Pro is still very cheap and easy to find. If you really need them, pedals aren't too hard to find either.

I've also played X-Wing and TIE Fighter with the MS Sidewinder Precision Pro. It works really well, but it totally lacks any true DOS support.

I've been using a Gravis joystick for a while and so far I haven't had any problems. Looking at ebay they can be found pretty cheap.

Guess I have some more considering to do. Granted I will likely play some games in Windows on this box, but I will primarily be underclocking the CPU as low as I can and trying to slow it down for use in a pure DOS environment. So having something with good DOS support is essential to me.

As for the Sidewinder 3D Pro, there is this interesting thread where some people claim it works flawlessly, others not at all, and others say they needed a driver....

getting the Sidewinder 3D Pro working in DOS?

As others have said, Microsoft's Sidewinder sticks are a great option and I commonly see them at thrift stores for cheap.

The 3D Pro works fine under DOS in one of two analog emulation modes, CH Flightstick Pro and Thrustmaster FCS, that can be toggled by a switch on the back. The CH mode supports both throttle and twist axis, but can only detect one button press at a time, so no chording. The FCS mode supports chording but does not use the throttle.

A select few DOS games supposedly support the 3D Pro's digital mode but I've never gotten it to work. Descent doesn't even have an option for the 3D Pro. Mechwarrior II does, but it only detects the buttons and none of the axises.

I think I saw a Sidewinder at a St. Vincent De Pauls a while back but I didn't pick it up for some reason. Although back then I wasn't thinking about building a retro PC, so much as hoping to find something old (lmao crap items in my area it seems..).

Maybe if its still there I will pick it up

Neco wrote:

I will primarily be underclocking the CPU as low as I can and trying to slow it down for use in a pure DOS environment. So having something with good DOS support is essential to me.

Don't even mess around with the SW3DPro then. For pure 100% DOS compatibility, just go straight for the CH Flightstick Pro. I've found these at Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores occasionally for around $5. If you really need the rudder axis, then both the Pro and non-Pro versions of the pedals are commonly found on eBay. Same goes for both the Pro and non-Pro versions of the programmable throttle. (I prefer the non-pro versions of both the pedals and throttle.)

Back in the day, I used a ThrustMaster FCS and WCS Mk II throttle. They worked fine, but the throttle was a complete pain in the ass to program with its proprietary interpreted script language. The CH gear was considered ultra-premium and was super expensive, but programming the CH throttle is much easier with SpeedKeys. Also, the CH pots are far superior to the stuff ThrustMaster was putting in their sticks. To this day, you can still get replacement pots and parts for old CH gear.

If you absolutely must get a ThrustMaster stick, then take a look at the X-Fighter. My old FCS died almost 20 years ago, but the X-Fighter I got to replace it is still working. This is the stick I'm currently using for X-Wing and TIE Fighter, purely for the sake of nostalgia.

Yep I'm with KT7AGuy, the CH Flightstick Pro is the way to go for 'just works' in DOS but it's a nice stick too, as is the non Pro. I also own and really like the SW3DPro but always seem to grab the CH sticks off the shelf one way or another.

The only 15 pin joystick I have is the MS Sidewinder 3D. Was given to me by a friend, it works well.

Under Windows 98, you can go super modern thanks to USB support. I am using a Thrustmaster T.160000, it's a real beauty.

I'm confused on the CH Flightstick Pro, when I google it all I get are results for a USB stick, and OS support that starts at Windows98

The gameport version of the CH Flightstick Pro hasn't been produced for over a decade. You'll need to hit eBay or thrift stores for one. They are easily identified by their white base. The USB version, still produced & available, has a black base.

Oh I see, gotcha.

I have the basic CH Flightstick, but after years of use it doesn't want to stay calibrated any more. It has manual calibration wheels, but they don't center that well anymore. Also the throttle wheel is pretty annoying as it keeps this grinding noise when turned and isnt' that precise. It might be a best compromise for a DOS stick, but if you're heavy on flight sims I would try something else. I myself prefer the Suncom flight stick, but then again it is quite limited as it doesn't have it's own throttle.

sf78,

Those "manual calibration wheels" are actually trim controls. They're not meant to calibrate the stick. You should have those wheels set to middle/neutral when you calibrate the stick. Then, while flying a sim you can use them to trim your aircraft if that particular simulator doesn't have a built-in trim control option.

However, your other comments make it sound like your pots are worn out. As I mentioned previously, you can still get new pots and parts for these old sticks. CH is a really great company that stands behind their products. Go here to contact CH Rep Debby McDowell and request a new set of pots for your stick:

http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php/topi … placement-pots/