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Geek Culture / Are old joysticks dead?

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Guyon
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 05:02
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I installed a new motherboard, graphics, and sound card. I discovered that there is no longer a joyport on my sound card.

Are the old joy sticks dead? I have seen a few joyport to usb boxes, but am wondering if that convert all the force feedback and other goodies my MS sidewinder force feed back pro did?

Has anyone used the joyport to usb converters?


It also seem like there is less and less joystick games.
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Saikoro
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 05:55
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I never knew joyports existed, let alone on a soundcard :S

I have a PS2 to USB converter, but the responsiveness isn't as good as it is on a PS2, though the joystick one may be.


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Raven
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 06:14
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they've taken the midi port from your mobo? that's bizarre, when on earth would they do that? not that i've used mine in a good decade but still iirc most music devices still connect via it unless they too have gone all high tech.

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 06:23
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I've yet to see a computer with a midi/ peripheral port. I'm seeing some sound cards being made without them, but for the most part I've yet to see a PC not have one. Are you sure you don't have the port built-in? Bah, technology. Am I the only person who still has their printer connected via LTP1?


"In an interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe"
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Jeku
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 10:10
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My laptop doesn't have the MIDI port either--- pity, as I'm too cheap to get the MIDI-2-USB adapter. It could be cheaper to just get a MIDI PCMCIA card, but haven't checked it out yet.

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 11:39
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Well everybody has gone USB, so I doubt there would be any room for those kind of joysticks, I don't think they are dead though, I would use one if I had one, I just have a joypad instead.

"Cut down the gods if they stand in your way" - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
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Jourdan
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 12:09
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yeah, same with me.. i have joystick that needs joyport too.. but, well, my old computer still has joyport.. and my other comp? doesnt support it.

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CattleRustler
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 12:32 Edited at: 17th Dec 2006 12:35
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and to make it worse, some new games wont support older game port based devices, even tho the devices are still valid and still used by other things in the system. Prime example: nfs most wanted black edition, won't support my ms sidewinder force feedback wheel & pedals. I have to play it with a gamepad.

my wheel and pedals is approaching 10 years old already, and still going strong. I guess thats not good for the market (device longevity) so to force us to buy more stuff they stop supporting perfectly valid, working devices. bleh.

The metal and leather wheel & pedals from logitech does look nice though Now if I could only find a decent F1 game thats new. I still play ea f1 2002 because theres nothing else in that regard.



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Wiggett
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 13:52
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hail to the Universal Serial Bus driver, hail to the Universal Serial Bus driver, he steps on the clutch and windows goes flush and hail to the Universal Serial Bus driver... you get the idea.

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Benjamin
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 15:15 Edited at: 17th Dec 2006 15:16
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Most things are USB nowadays, shame cause FireWire is better.

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David R
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 15:21 Edited at: 17th Dec 2006 15:22
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Quote: "Most things are USB nowerdays, shame cause FireWire is better"


Yeah, firewire is pretty cool, although admittedly all I use it for is transferring video from my nice shiny FireWire 800 digital tape camcorder

But yeah, it's bloody fast, I love it. It's a shame for the low market penetration, but I blame Apple for that. And the fact that XP SP2 limits FW speed for some retarded reason I don't understand exactly why - possibly an USB vs. Apple/FW thing, but still. I want S800 not S100!

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Van B
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 15:21
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Game/midi ports, PS2 ports, Printer/RS232 ports... they're all pretty much gone now.

I'd suggest buying a seperate sound card with the port, you can get cards that will perform better than onboard crud for peanuts.

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Benjamin
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 16:27
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Quote: "And the fact that XP SP2 limits FW speed for some retarded reason"

It does?

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David R
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 16:45 Edited at: 17th Dec 2006 16:46
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Yeah. I just had a lookie at the problem a bit more, and it actually appears to be a bug rather than an intentional thing, which is good - and it has a fix too

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885222

Quote: "This problem occurs if you connect a 1394a or 1394b FireWire device to a 1394b port. This problem occurs because Windows XP SP2 changes 1394b ports to S100 speed when you upgrade."


EDIT: Not sure whether this offered in an Automatic Update or not, but I assume no

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_Nemesis_
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 20:53
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My last four sound cards and motherboards haven't had them on. Seems like everything's transitioning to USB.

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Jeku
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Posted: 17th Dec 2006 23:43
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Well, joysticks are cheap to replace. I use the MIDI port for my electric keyboard, which is NOT cheap to replace. Ah well

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empty
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 00:02 Edited at: 18th Dec 2006 00:05
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Well, these days you can get USB Midi interfaces for nearly the price they used to charge for Midi to Joystick adapters 15 years back.

Also note that 1) not all soundcards with a joystick port automatically support Midi in/out (and a Joystick port is NOT a Midi port) and 2) I've seen Midi to Joystick adapters that didn't even include an opto isolator (nor do the sound cards) so that under bad circumstances you could ruin your midi equipment.

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Benjamin
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 00:11
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Quote: "Well, these days you can get USB Midi interfaces for nearly the price they used to charge for Midi to Joystick adapters 15 years back."

Yes, I have one.

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CattleRustler
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 02:05
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Quote: "My last four sound cards and motherboards haven't had them on."


I'd love to know exactly what sound cards those were, or do you buy a cheap ass sound card evey 3 months?

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 03:16
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Quote: "Also note that 1) not all soundcards with a joystick port automatically support Midi in/out (and a Joystick port is NOT a Midi port) and 2) I've seen Midi to Joystick adapters that didn't even include an opto isolator (nor do the sound cards) so that under bad circumstances you could ruin your midi equipment."


That might explain what happened to my last midi keyboard. It just stopped working one day. The power came on, and it played through its speakers, but it wouldn't work when I hooked it up to my computer I thought Korg did something wrong... I didn't know it was me! I always thought that the joystick port was a midi port, or vice-versa. That's definitely good to know.


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empty
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 13:23
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Quote: "I always thought that the joystick port was a midi port, or vice-versa."

The joystick ports just provide the UART (and most of them without sufficient buffer memory even). The actual midi interface must consist of an opto isolator for the Midi In port and female 5 pin DIN connectors for both Midi In and Out.

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indi
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 13:54
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Yeah the firewire 800 really only works on MAC OSX at its true given speed.
I heard its only 400 even if its 800 in win XP.
Hopefully Vista will cure XP's grief of that port.
USB 2.0 would be the natural progression of these devices, until they make us change.

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heartbone
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 17:22
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I hope not.

My next release will allow up to 5 joysticks and my soundcard has a MIDI/JOYSTICK interface for me to use my old gameport ThrustMaster FCS along with 4 USB joypads.

It is being designed for use by the entire family, 4 to 4 score.

Benjamin was correct I do need some music.

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_Nemesis_
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Posted: 18th Dec 2006 17:22
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Quote: "I'd love to know exactly what sound cards those were, or do you buy a cheap ass sound card evey 3 months? "

The sound cards, yes. Motherboards, no - £50ish.

Quote: "(btw: om gawd, IKYH,YF )"

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Raven
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Posted: 19th Dec 2006 03:48
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Quote: "Most things are USB nowadays, shame cause FireWire is better."


I'd say it's more a matter of what you use your ports for.
Personally I find USB better, but as a general port and system; Firewire is good for dedicated devices that require more than adverage bandwidth.

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Benjamin
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Posted: 19th Dec 2006 04:38 Edited at: 19th Dec 2006 04:40
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Quote: "Personally I find USB better, but as a general port and system; Firewire is good for dedicated devices that require more than adverage bandwidth."

I agree.

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