Microsoft Force feedback joystick 15 pin / USB Adaptor

[sealslayer]

I got hold of a cheap Microsoft Force feedback Joystick but its the 15 Pin adaptor type and My MOBO is new and doesn't have this connection, Ive been looking on ebay and have seen a 15 Pin gameport to USB adaptor but it says it doesn't support my joystick any idea how I could get this to work?

Would the best solution be to buy another cheap Soundcard with the gameport adaptor or would this cause conflicts with my existing card?

cheers !

[BamBam]

You have a couple of options available to you.  You can try and track down a CH Products Gamecard GC300 (http://www3.shopping.com/xPF-Ch_Products_CH_Gamecard_GC3_300_054~r-1~CLT-INTR) and install it in your system.

Alternatively, and depending on what type of sound card you already have, you can consider going with a Soundblaster Live value card very inexpensive), which has a gameport on it.  This, however, is only a solution if:

a. You have onbaord audio and are willing to disable it (easy to do) on your motherboard; and/or

b. If you are willing to part with your existing PCI audio card and switch it for the Soundblaster Live value

Others may disagree, but I would probably go with the Soundblaster Live value, which sells for about $10.00 (USD).

Hope this helps.

John

[bizzybody]

If you're running Windows XP and wanting to use the original MS Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro, you can get it working as a joystick but the force feedback is not supported. None of the USB gameport adaptors currently available work with it.

If you had the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 (which has fewer buttons), it's USB compatable but you have to dig up version 4.0 of the software from a place like driverguide to get FF in XP. For some reason, Microsoft does not have any software available to download for USB Sidewinder products, only the older 3.0something version for Win9x for Gameport Sidewinder products.