64
votes
Accepted
Why are C64 games inconsistent with which joystick port they use?
As Wilson points out in his answer, it has to do with how the CIA chips interact with the keyboard and the joystick ports, and the confusion that can arise trying to determine where input is being ...
- 9,795
31
votes
Accepted
Why did pressing the joystick button spit out keypresses?
On the Color Computer, I/O address &FF00 is used for both the joysticks and the keyboard row input. Bits 0/1 are toggled by the two joystick port buttons, and these bits are the same as rows 1/2 ...
- 60.1k
27
votes
Accepted
Which retro system controllers are compatible with Amiga out of the box
The Amiga 9-pin joystick port is compatible with:
Atari 800/VCS joysticks and paddles;
Atari ST joysticks;
Commodore Vic-20, C64, C64GS and C128 joysticks;
Commodore Amiga computer joysticks and ...
- 11.8k
24
votes
Why are C64 games inconsistent with which joystick port they use?
Because of the way that the joystick port 1 is mapped to the same hardware as the keyboard, from the software's point of view it's impossible to tell if you're wiggling the joystick or typing ...
- 38.2k
23
votes
How did Joysticks with more than 4 buttons and all those extra features work on a Game Port?
I know of a minimum of two implementations of this that, as far as I know, were done independently.
Gravis's GrIP protocol, which is used in the gameport version of the Gravis Gamepad Pro. Wikipedia ...
- 6,351
19
votes
Accepted
Why does waggling the joystick of a C64 cause errors loading from tape?
Commodore 64 uses two CIA (Complex Interface Adapter) chips. CIA#1 is responsible for the keyboard, joystick, paddles, datasette and IRQ control, while CIA#2 controls the serial bus, RS-232, VIC ...
- 2,728
17
votes
Accepted
What is the history of DE-9 joystick ports?
Two questions, three plus answers.
Did this standard have a name?
a.1) There is no neutral standard for joystick ports, hence no standard name. When speaking manufacturer/machine needs to be named....
- 213k
17
votes
How did Joysticks with more than 4 buttons and all those extra features work on a Game Port?
There are multiple different ways that are possible, so many of the things you listed have been used, in addition to others.
Your first question is, how did they do this.
Specifically, the Microsoft ...
- 28.3k
15
votes
What is the history of DE-9 joystick ports?
The DE-9 joystick port is close to a standard D-sub connector (note that it uses the "E" shell and not the much larger "B" shell from the DB-25 serial or parallel port connectors).
For joysticks, it ...
- 3,854
15
votes
Accepted
How can I use a SideWinder 3D Pro with a modern PC running Windows 7?
The SideWinder 3D Pro has its own protocol, which isn't supported by typical gameport-to-USB adapters. The best you can hope for with one of those is to find an adapter which supports the CH ...
- 118k
15
votes
Accepted
What are the electrical characteristics of a PC gameport?
The documentation for IBM's original Game Control Adapter has some details that will be of use. Even though you're using a SoundBlaster card instead, it should still be compatible with the IBM ...
- 8,036
14
votes
Accepted
How do I read the position of an Apple II joystick?
The typical Apple II joystick appears to the computer as a pair of analog game
paddles and two buttons. The easiest way to read the joystick position
is from Applesoft BASIC, using PDL(n). The ...
- 8,775
12
votes
Accepted
Are game port joystick button circuits more than plain switches? Is this one just faulty?
Is this a special signaling mechanism of some sort,
No. Buttons are always on/off mechanics. The PC doesn't have any means to detect anything but high or low, according to the threshold (*1) the ...
- 213k
11
votes
Accepted
Testing/using a joystick in AppleSoft?
The paddles and joysticks on the Apple work by charging a capacitor through a variable resistance (potentiometer). For the first joystick, the X-axis corresponds to paddle 0, and the Y-axis to paddle ...
- 1,048
11
votes
Why Game controllers changed from righthanded to lefthanded?
A gamepad is not ergonomically the same as a joystick.
A joystick's stick is normally operated with the dominant hand, while the other hand holds the body (where it can operate the fire button). ...
- 6,635
10
votes
Did any devices use the Commodore 64 joystick ports as outputs or two-way communications ports?
The dongle for the PaperClip word processor plugged into joystick port 1. It read bits 0 and 1 from the dongle and wrote bits 2, 3 and 4 to control it.
Keyboard interference probably wasn't an issue ...
- 3,857
10
votes
Accepted
Why Game controllers changed from righthanded to lefthanded?
I asked the same question over at UX: https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/57630/why-are-most-game-controllers-left-handed
Lots of speculation but no real answers.
Larry Bundy claims the change ...
- 15.1k
9
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to bend tension back into Atari 2600 joystick contact domes?
TLDR; Yes you can bend them, don't bend them too much and don't flatten the dimples.
First be sure the contact disk is the issue.
If the problem is intermittent, You can also remove power from the ...
- 895
9
votes
Accepted
Which C64 games support two buttons?
I haven't personally tried myself but searching on the web suggests that below games make use of the second joystick button wired to Pin 9 POTX signal. If played on a C64, functionality is already ...
- 176
9
votes
9-pin port for both RS-232 and Atari joystick?
In the early eighties, use of a 9-pin port for serial communications was uncommon. Most systems used the standard 25-pin port. I think it was IBM that made the 9-pin serial port popular, but I don't ...
- 11.4k
9
votes
What's wrong with SNES original controller's shoulder buttons?
Looking at the pictures on iFixit, the two PCBs that fit behind the shoulder buttons don't seem to be reinforced by anything much:
Excess pressure on the shoulder buttons might bend these boards ...
- 3,247
8
votes
Accepted
How to get Windows XP to detect a DB-15 gameport joystick?
It looks like you need to explicitly add the device - i.e., it isn't plug 'n play like USB or even like a lot of older devices (e.g., mice & keyboards on PS/2 ports).
Microsoft: To install a game ...
8
votes
What is the history of DE-9 joystick ports?
From what I can see on the Wikipedia page about the Atari Joystick Port, it seems that the whole "cross platform" standard of the DE-9 joystick started with the VIC-20 (1980) and was ...
- 15.8k
8
votes
Did the IBM Game Control Adapter have I/O port aliases?
The original IBM PC and AT designs allocated 10 bits for I/O addressing, and only decoded address lines A0-A9 for on-board I/O devices. However there was no physical limitation to 10 bits, so a card ...
- 6,635
7
votes
Accepted
9-pin port for both RS-232 and Atari joystick?
Not an Atari joystick.
The Atari joystick was basically just a set of mechanical switches and each of the pins was either ground, +5 volts, or one of the switches.
Were you designing a joystick ...
- 11.4k
7
votes
Why are C64 games inconsistent with which joystick port they use?
In addition to what already was stated, namely:
... how the CIA (Complex Interface Adapter) maps JoyStick - or in general, any - input:
The signals a (digital) JoyStick delivers, come in via Pins 1 ...
7
votes
Why did pressing the joystick button spit out keypresses?
The fewer kinds of input a computer has to deal with, the easier its life is. This applies equally to physical ports and to the provisions for input in the BIOS and operating system generally. ...
- 552
7
votes
How to get Windows XP to detect a DB-15 gameport joystick?
The DA-15 Joystick port (BTW, not to be confused with the AUI ethernet connector, which is also a DA-15 with additional locking hardware!) has no standardized provision to detect what is connected to ...
- 5,660
7
votes
What are the electrical characteristics of a PC gameport?
back in the (x386) days I was using GAME port as an ADC for home made scanner and other self build HW. As it is usual during development there is occasional set back like short circuit etc. The GAME ...
- 7,228
7
votes
Which retro system controllers are compatible with Amiga out of the box
It depends on what you call "compatible". On any DB9 joystick, the directions and at least 1 button will work
If you're aiming 1 button joystick, then you can pick any controller you'll ...
- 10.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible