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    Default Best Joysticks and Gamepads for Retro PCs

    What is your favorite joystick for DOS games? What about your favorite gamepad? Anything that uses the MIDI/Gamepad port goes.

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    I always liked my Microsoft Sidewinder. Never used it much - generally have always been keyboard/mouse gamer when playing on PC.

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    yupp sidewinder. I used a gameport version for years until I upgraded to a usb version

    *I wonder what ever happened to my usb version, I'd love to use it again!*

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    http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74797

    Discussion of spiffy gamepad at http://www.digitpress.com/forum/show...t=80872&page=2 (I still want one)


    But the nicest pad I've seen in a while is the PC Propad4, which has an actual + pad on it that probably infringes on Nintendo's patents.
    Last edited by J'orfeaux; 08-15-2010 at 06:39 PM.
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    I always used the standard Gravis gamepad. Worked a treat.

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    Microsoft Sidewinder and the Gravis Gamepad are both two classic choices. I use the former for Windows games (since you can't use it under DOS unless you have a specific third-party TSR driver) and the latter for DOS. I also have a Kraft Premium III I use whenever I need a joystick, or the classic Gravis Joystick as well. Sometimes I throw in the PC Fighter 6 for good measure. One pad I have that I haven't been able to test out yet is the Interact PC PowerPad Pro, which really looks like it should be on a platform more complicated on the PC (there's also an additional button on the back, unseen).

    Anybody tell I have a slight controller fetish?
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    For joysticks I use:
    [Gameport] Logitech - WingMan Extreme
    [USB] Logitech - Attack 3 (ATK3)

    I also have an F-15E Hawk Tactical Control Stick [Gameport], but no drivers at the moment as I don't use it and planned to do something else with it.

    On the stick side I use:
    [Gameport] PC Arcade



    I have no game pads, really need to pick one up and wanted to go the Saturn controller route; just haven't gotten around to it. Cheaper alternative is to pick up a decent one at a thrift store or something as they do generally sell for under $1.
    [Website] [Gallary] [Games List] [DP Feedback]

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    How do you feel about the Mad Catz Panther?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_XL

    Aside from that one pictured above, it's the only controller I've ever rather desired.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gapporin View Post
    One pad I have that I haven't been able to test out yet is the Interact PC PowerPad Pro, which really looks like it should be on a platform more complicated on the PC (there's also an additional button on the back, unseen).
    I have and like my InterAct MakoPad PC, which is identical to the PC PowerPad Pro except for color and the name on the top -- it's black instead of blue; both are model SV-234. I had a very difficult time getting it to work on my Windows 98 SE (w/ some WinME components) machine until I happened upon the ONE driver website that has an older (probably the first) driver for it. There's also a very hard-to-find patch for it that I picked up, but the patch crashes my system just like the common driver version. I'd upload the files here but they're all much larger than this site's miserably tiny upload limits.

    BTW, there's more than just "an additional button" unseen in the auction photo you linked. Shown on the face of the pad are 6 buttons, A-B-C-D-L-R. Not visible on the shoulders there are duplicate L and R buttons. Lower on the left, where your middle finger should naturally rest, is yet another L button. On the right shoulder below that R button, is a throttle control. Unfortunately, this controller can only activate either the L and R button sets or the throttle control, not both at the same time (you select either "6-button" or "4-button w/ throttle" under the Windows control panel, as well as a switch on the controller itself).

    Also perhaps not obvious from the auction photo, the thumbstick and cross-pad are really the same control; you select which to activate by another switch. Naturally the cross-pad is digital only, but the thumbstick is true analogue.

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    I'll second the Gravis Gamepad and the USB Saturn pad, they're both great. Also, if you use Windows 95 w/USB or Windows 98 for DOS games, you can get the Saturn controller working usually.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Syzygyst View Post
    I have and like my InterAct MakoPad PC, which is identical to the PC PowerPad Pro except for color and the name on the top -- it's black instead of blue; both are model SV-234... <snip>
    Yeah, I've played around with it since that posting and I really like it. I thought that the button layout would have been complicated but it's actually pretty intuitive. I like how that the same type of button is placed in different points around the controller, leaving it up to the user to decide which is more comfortable. There's a lot of different options to choose from when you use that controller.

    FWIW, I posted a thread sometime ago about using classic gameport controllers on modern PCs. It's a great product, and very user friendly to use and install. Now if only someone could make something reliable for digital gameport controllers, I'd be set.
    "I am a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce."

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