USB JOYSTICK

[pinballdaveh]

i love playing the arcade games here at PN. but i am not a big fan of using the arrow keys and space bar to play. is there a resonable priced usb joystick with start and fire buttons that will adapt or can be programed to replace these keys? or is there an adapter from usb to a nintendo 8 bit controller or a sega genesis controller? having left and right buttons for flippers to play the pinball games would be a big plus also. i think my usb ports are 2.0 thank you for any help.:)

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

these days i'm using a couple of USB logitech dual action gamepads. they're about $20 US and built real sturdy unlike previous generations of gamepads for PC.

there's two main sticks, a POV hat, 10 buttons (4 more not visible on the back where your index fingers reach) and a 'shift' that effectively doubles the buttons, for 20 total. it comes with controller software, or you can run many 3rd party apps. you can set up any button to enter not just one keystroke, but a long string if needed.

dunno if they make PC USB adaptors for your older sticks, but they do for the more recent consoles, like PSX, XBOX, gamecube etc.

 

[Itchigo]

I made one of these into my plunger!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJZu86WA2c

 

[LeeVanCleef]

Unless Logitech has vastly improved their quality from when I first started playing VP, I would avoid them. Buttons go break-break! I've been using an Xbox controller for about the last 6 years and that thing can take a beating! Plus, with the free-to-download Xpadder program, it's easy to set up your configurations. This is sounding like an infomercial all of a sudden.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

i recall logitech making a POS controller in the earlier days of VP. then again, so was everybody else.

it used to be that using your console sticks was definitely the way to go, but i can definitely vouch for this modern logitech gamepad. i have a whole box full of PC gamepads and this is by far the best i've ever tried. rugged like a mofo and pretty damn cheap, too.

it's still a total mystery to me why it took so long for this level of product to come out for PC, but there you go.


EDIT: hey they're playing a pretty nice sinatra tune i've never heard before... "my cousin louella."

 

[LeeVanCleef]

Damn... I've never heard it before, either! Ah... the Columbia years. Never have cottoned much to young Frankie, but that one ain't half-bad. When you step on either side of the Capitol years... Columbia for young Frankie, Reprise for "I bought a record label and now I'm gonna fuck your sister" Sinatra... well, either side can lead the listener into troublesome waters.

I really think it was after Microsoft threw up its hands and just stuck the Xbox controller on the market that made Logitech step up its game. What the hell was Microsoft's old computer gamepad called? I had one of those in my pile of "I fought VP and VP won" gamepads.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

well he's gone now, so we don't have to worry about getting whacked for speaking out of turn.


hey, i just pulled this out of my box of PC gamepads! teh label says it's a microsoft sidewinder:

not too bad, but the buttons have a mushy feel and it's sort of specific to flight and fighting games without doing either all that well. logitech dual action definitely crushes this one by having a much better button and stick setup.

haha, not to mention this sidewinder has a 15-pin gamecard plug..... so the only way i'll get it to work again is by going down to my storage space and digging out an ancient PC i keep down there for gits and shiggles. avalanche of mothballs alert.