MS midi devices (gameport) to USB

[nicktjr]

I have been searching now for a while on MS download
sites for a usb patch that will enable me to use my
sidewinder products that have a gameport plug. I have
gameport to usb adapters that work fine with everything
else, that is not a MS device that I have, which has a
gameport plug exept for my sidewinder products all under
XP pro. I have been on the sidewinder site and I already
installed the all updates as they were released. Is the
only answer to go out and look for a pci card with some
midi ports. Or just give up on buyuing MS devices which
after a couple of years are not supported or just not
unusable any more?

 

[Yves Leclerc]

Gameports drivers are being "killed" off. Microsoft no longer support
enhanced gameport drivers/software. Also, I read that Microsoft will
discontinue the sidewinder products.

Y.

 

[Joshua Smith [MSFT]]

The industry as a whole has abandoned gameport devices. Gameports were
largely unreliable at getting data through the sound card to the system. For
this reason manufacturers now make their devices USB, which is far more
reliable. You haven't given much detail in your post about what specific
devices you have so I can only offer general advice. The gameport to USB
converters you mentioned only work for analog devices. The Microsoft
Sidewinder 3D Pro is capable of working in analog as well as digital mode.
The Freestyle Pro and the Precision Pro came with their own gameport to USB
dongle (doesn't work in the same fashion as the 3rd party converters), so
those devices wouldn't need a converter either. The other v3.02 devices
were the gamepad, the Force Feedback Pro, and the Force Feedback Wheel. I
assume you have one or more of these devices. Force feedback devices from
any manufacturer are not going to work on the converter because the drivers
send force commands through the MIDI portion of the gameport. Also the
drivers for any force feedback or digital device are going to look for the
devices data on the gameport because that is the way they were written. The
manufacturer would have to rewrite their device driver to work for the
gameport to USB converters. It is a bit unrealistic to expect a converter to
work in all cases. A monitor isn't going to work on a gameport no matter how
good the converter might be. =) With that being said your best options are
to buy a good sound card with a gameport and use your existing devices a
couple more years, or replace your existing joysticks with USB devices. I
personally would take the USB devices.


Joshua Smith
DirectInput Test Lab
Microsoft

 

[nicktjr]

Thanks for your advice, I have actually done both since
the orginial posting. A soundblaster with a MIDI and, I
also picked up a sidewinder forcefeedback 2 joystick on
ebay Supposed to be NIB (20.00 plus shipping). I then
found a version 4.0 sidewinder ff driver on dogpile.com
(newer than 3.05 on the sidewinder site?) I then loaded
the 4.0 driver through the compatability mode
using '98/ME with both the usb and the midi devices
plugged in (by the way my sidewinder gameport devices are
a ff ver 1.0 joystick, a ff wheel and pedals along with a
sidewinder 3d pro joystick which I could not get to work
through the adapter by the way even in analog mode). And
guess what all the devices were picked up, addressed and
they work as good as ever. But what a pain I really
thought things were supposed to easier! All this reminded
be of the DOS 5.0 days and writting strings to just get a
soundcard to work.

 

[Guest]

I have the exact same question posted since Jan 2 without a reply yet
I have Sidewinder Wheel, Joystick, Joystick Pro and gamepad all Force
Feedback that are now useless because of the USB port adapter issue

If you ever get a reply can you link me in as well Please

----- nicktjr wrote: ----

I have been searching now for a while on MS downloa
sites for a usb patch that will enable me to use m
sidewinder products that have a gameport plug. I have
gameport to usb adapters that work fine with everythin
else, that is not a MS device that I have, which has a
gameport plug exept for my sidewinder products all under
XP pro. I have been on the sidewinder site and I already
installed the all updates as they were released. Is the
only answer to go out and look for a pci card with some
midi ports. Or just give up on buyuing MS devices which
after a couple of years are not supported or just not
unusable any more?

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Did you consider purchasing a new soundcard that comes with a gameport
controller on it?

Cari
www.coribright.com

 

[Guest]

As I read the posts the Microsoft force feedback pro is not supported with an USB port adapter in XP. I only have one game, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000. My force feedback pro is a lot newer then the game. Does anyone know of a joystick and flight simulator that will work with XP that does not have the Microsoft name on it

 

[Guest]

I posted the same message in Jan. Did yo
ever get a solution to this

I have Force Feedback Racing Wheel, GamePad, Sidewinder, Joystic
all useless because of this same problem

I won't be buying any more PC gaming devices, only PS2 as the
never obsolete their products at their own discretion and hav
a much better selection of games to begin with. I will neve
buy an X Box no matter how cheap it is just because it is a Microsof
product. They will arbitrarily obsolete games and devices to boost
sales as their track record suggests.