Gravis PC Gamepad: Anyone else love this controller?

[treismac]

http://www.smartcomputing.com/images/smartcomputing/fullsize/393n0913.jpg

Fond memories of PC gaming with this controller. I assume I'm not alone here. :)

Question: Is there any adapter available that would enable hooking this baby up to a USB port?

[Jorpho]

Oh sure, USB-to-gameport adapters are quite common. They don't work quite right with more complex pads, but these ones are simple enough.

Circle pads are inferior to true cross pads, I think.

[CRTGAMER]

Love the Gravis, own the Pro version which has unique capabilities. Two of the triggers autofire and the other two triggers can be set as sideways control for SHMUPS. Also great for top down space shooters such as Asteroids; play just like the button spin control of the Arcade panel.

I posted a USB Gameport adapter guide, with the right keyboard utility extra buttons can be made to work at times.

Gameport Controllers in a USB Port Guide
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&p=646565#p646565

[Greg2600]

A terrific controller! Mine used the MIDI port.

[Jorpho]

A terrific controller! Mine used the MIDI port.That's technically the game port. (If you wanted to plug in a MIDI device, you needed a special cable usually.)

[gwaine]

loved it...played Star Control II and Duke Nukem 3D with it a ton

[Soviet Conscript]

recently did a little write up on these for my blog. I love the pro version. that and the original make great DOS joypads. I still use the USB version of the Pro on my win 7 PC.

[Graham Mitchell]

I used this quite a bit in the 90s, up until 2003 when I bought a sidewinder cuz my new laptop didn't have a game port at the time.

I remember this being pretty revolutionary at the time. Prior to this coming out, pcs only had joysticks, most of which were cumbersome and awful. They were usually patterned after the atari 2600 stick--small and awkward.

[bigbacon]

i still have one of these somewhere, I also have still use a newer USB gravis gamepad that looks pretty much like PS1 controller without the analog sticks.

[Tanooki]

I swapped out on of these and a basic CH stick for years depending on what was fun back in the DOS era. I'd say I probably miss it, but I don't as the SNES pad with the L and R spoiled me a bit. :) It was like the ultimate pad for a long time though as it worked so well with a heap of DOS titles.

[Edmond Dantes]

Tons of memories with this thing obviously. Commander Keen was never the same without it. I actually still have one somewhere.

These days I prefer the Interact Hammerhead FX for use with emulators, but that only works with Windows 98 PCs and won't do DOS.

[Sneak613]

I too have fond memories of these Gravis Gamepads. :)

I remember breaking the little plastic joystick thing when I was a kid, and my dad machined a beautiful metal replacement joystick that had the same threads, so no risk of breaking that one! Although I was partial to just using the pad without the joystick.

I recall Phillips used these same controllers for it's CDI system too:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/CD-i_Gamepad.jpg

[8-Bit Archeology]

Commander Keen was never the same without it.

This controller was my Commander Keen experience. I loved this controller so much. In the days of tracking ball mice and gigantic computers, to me the gravis pad was having the future in my hands.

I played so many games with this. And i always used the grey screw in joy pad stick.

Thats it im buying one again and the adapter.

Commander Keen
Doom 2
Duke Nukem 1,2 and 3D
Wacky Wheels
Spear of Destiny
Wolfenstein 3D
Rise of the Triad

All these are instant memories when looking at the picture of the gravis pad.

[treismac]

Commander Keen
Doom 2
Duke Nukem 1,2 and 3D
Wacky Wheels
Spear of Destiny
Wolfenstein 3D
Rise of the Triad

All these are instant memories when looking at the picture of the gravis pad.

Yes, yes, and yes!! While I'm not really a PC gamer (note: I was playing Skulls of the Shogun last night), there was a period of my gaming when the PC showed me a lot of gaming love. These games (plus the Monkey Island series) made up this period.

[8-Bit Archeology]

Fun times. :)

[Clownzilla]

Loved the controller but absolutely hated that joystick you screwed in. Made me feel like I was playing my pc games while enjoying a cup of tea and some crumpets (ie. too dainty)

[BlastProcessing402]

I stepped on mine and snapped the little joystick right off. Oh well, that stick was pretty dumb anyway, it was much better as just a d-pad.

This controller was pretty revolutionary for PC back in the day. Up until then all you had was analog sticks, which were great for flight sims and the like, but for much else they kinda blew.

I did eventually replace mine with an MS Sidewinder pad (still using the gameport, not usb) which I must say was pretty sweet for emulators (especially Genesis, with the 3x3 layout).

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I think that one of the unique points about the Gravis gamepad was that you could flip a switch and use it left handed, or reversed, or whatever you want to call it.