For a gamepad, you can't go wrong with Gravis Gamepad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravis_PC_GamePad

There are other gamepads but these are the most compatible, I've found.

It's compatible, and has cool features, but IMO you can go wrong with it. The one I have keeps detecting diagonals if you are not super-duper-exact with your fingers on the D-Pad. It's very hard to do anything precise with it, and my understanding was that it's not just a defective unit, but that many of them have this issue.

A gamepad, especially a digital one, is rarely needed, actually. You can do everything with the keyboard, and usually better if you take the time to get used to it. It's analog sticks that are irreplaceable in certain types of games.

The only games I found where a d-pad has any advantage over a keyboard is those Street Fighter-style games where a lot of the moves require either 180, 360 or 720 circles, or weird diagonals (charge down+back, hit up+forward, then up+back, etc.) And even then a gamepad is not very reliable. An Arcade stick is much better.

I agree with the above. The state of gamepad controls in DOS isn't fantastic. Under Win9x you have access to USB controllers and adapters for console pads, which is an improvement.

I love Microsoft's stuff, and they made a good DOS/Windows gameport stick before the Precision/FFB line, the Sidewinder 3D Pro.
The real original Thrustmaster gear comes highly recommended too, but I've never gotten as far as trying it yet. I'd also recommend CH, but their gameport scheme only allowed one button press to register at a time, which could be a bit of a pain for some games. I have the USB versions of the CH HOTAS pieces and they're (just) okay overall.

Tested out the Saitek 6 button pad, it works but only as a 4 button pad which kinda sucks for the likes or Mortal Kombat, will be playing some fighters, looks like there are(unofficial) DOS drivers for sidewinder pads and joyToKey like software so that could be a nice option.

I'd go for anything Logitech or Microsoft.

synrgy87 wrote:

Tested out the Saitek 6 button pad, it works but only as a 4 button pad which kinda sucks for the likes or Mortal Kombat

If I'm not mistaken, Mortal Kombat versions before Trilogy only support 4-button controllers anyways.

My vote for best gamepad goes to the Powerramp Mite. It plugs into your keyboard's PS/2 port and is basically a mini keyboard. Fully programmable. Here's a thread I started on it:

Powerramp Mite Gamepad Controller

I have an opinion on Logitech's gameport joysticks, too. Despite reviewing really well at the time, around 1997, they were trash. I killed two brand new Wingman Extreme Digitals (the original) with only a few months' use each. The rubber boot wore out first in a matter of weeks. Their calibration was wandering and the pots were nothing special to begin with.

Their USB stuff is totally different. They've perhaps upped their game.

For analog gameport flightsticks the Gravis Analog Pro has always been my mainstay. I really like it; the buttons are nice, it's easy to set the resistance exactly how you want it, the calibration never wanders, etc. You can find them for ~$15 USD on eBay usually.

dr_st wrote:

synrgy87 wrote:

Tested out the Saitek 6 button pad, it works but only as a 4 button pad which kinda sucks for the likes or Mortal Kombat

If I'm not mistaken, Mortal Kombat versions before Trilogy only support 4-button controllers anyways.

yeah when using the joystick option in game but keyboard binding allows use of 5 keys + up down left right, so will probably use some form of binding program, although does play fine with 4 buttons.

My vote for best gamepad goes to the Powerramp Mite. It plugs into your keyboard's PS/2 port and is basically a mini keyboard. Fully programmable. Here's a thread I started on it:

that looks cool, sadly the target system has no PS/2

There's a utility called SDWRGMPD at http://bretjohnson.us/ that will in theory allow the use of a digital Sidewinder Gamepad in DOS. I doubt it works with other gamepads, though.

(On that note, did anyone ever make a driver that permits the use of "digital" gameport pads in modern versions of Windows? With a USB-to-Gameport adapter, you can still plug them in and watch the signals, but there's no way for them to be interpreted properly.)

synrgy87 wrote:

that looks cool, sadly the target system has no PS/2

It will probably work with an AT-to-PS/2 adapter. (Those are completely passive – it's just a matter of rearranging the pins.)

Love my Gravis Grip Pad not sure if dos compatible though

I always had good luck with Wingman Extreme's. I've got an original Wingman Extreme for my Gameport joystick needs and an Extreme 3D Pro for my USB needs.

For gamepad I like to use an Xbox 360 Controller for newer systems. Older systems I had an old no-name controller which mimicked an original playstation controller that I really liked but I have no idea what the name of it actually is.

Can't talk much about gamepads, but if you're talking flight sims for DOS, there are a few ideal setups:

-Thrustmaster F-16 FLCS/F-22 Pro + F-16 TQS
-Thrustmaster FCS + WCS Mk. II
-Suncom F-15 Talon/Eagle + SFS Throttle

If you're wondering why I don't mention CH Products, it's because they use a button matrixing scheme on the Flightstick Pro and later (and Suncom's SFS Stick is functionally a CH Flightstick Pro sans throttle rotary) to support their hat switches that makes simultaneous discrete button presses impossible. Try firing missiles in Wing Commander/Privateer on one of those!

Just throw in whichever gameport pedal setup you'd like (TM RCS/Elite and CH Pro Pedals are easy enough to find, Simpeds are ideal but uncommon and expensive), and you're good to go.

If you can't go full HOTAS and pedals like a flight sim deserves, perhaps for space or cost reasons, pick up a Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro.

It can emulate a TM FCS or CH Flightstick Pro + pedals in analog fallback mode (which means you're trading off your throttle slider or simultaneous button presses on a per-game basis), and it also uses a central optical camera + LEDs for all four axes, so you never have to worry about spiky potentiometers. They're also ridiculously common and cheap as chips, easily found in thrift stores.

Later SideWinder sticks like the Precision Pro are not an option because they axed analog mode completely, and thus will not function in DOS.

boxpressed wrote:

My vote for best gamepad goes to the Powerramp Mite. It plugs into your keyboard's PS/2 port and is basically a mini keyboard. Fully programmable. Here's a thread I started on it:

Powerramp Mite Gamepad Controller

Any idea where someone could find one of those? Sounds like a great addition to any retro-gaming collection.

Ozzuneoj wrote:

Any idea where someone could find one of those? Sounds like a great addition to any retro-gaming collection.

I overpaid for mine on eBay ($50), but it was new in box.

Another NIB example just scrolled off eBay a few days ago with no buyers. It was about $45. You might be able to contact the seller and arrange a deal.