Help! Seems Sidewinder Gamepads won't work on XP?

[AKTHOR]

See the problem is I got into MAME really heavily a couple years ago, so much so I hacked a perfectly good Sidewinder gamepad and spent $100+ on authentic arcade parts and built a nice arcade joystick. Like all hobbies I lost interest (especially when my PC crashed and I lost all my ROMS) well I am getting back into MAME and vintage gaming and went to use my arcade stick and 1st problem there is no gameport on either my mobo (new PC) or on my new Audigy soundcard. Well I have a gameport to USB adapter, plugged that in and still no luck getting XP to recognize that there is a Sidewinder gamepad connected. Checked around and seems Microsoft is not supporting a lot of their old game devices on XP. This is a big problem cuz I not only have this $100+ arcade joystick made out of a Sidewinder gamepad I also have a pair of sidewinders we use when we get into our EA sport NHL hockey phases and play. Is there a workaround for this problem or I am screwed by not having a gameport or screwed cuz of XP? or both? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Uncle Toxie]

I can't really say much to help as to why yours isn't working, but I have my Sidewinder plugged in right now and it workds fine. The issue could be that mine is a straight USB. I had a really sweet Gravis gamepad that was a gameport only connection and it didn't work under XP at all. Maybe it's the gameport that XP doesn't like. :shrugs:

 

[t. shuffle]

Mine (USB) works just fine.

 

[AKTHOR]

Yeah mine are the older sidewinders that use a gameport connection, is there a PCI card or something you can buy that would add an old style gameport to an XP system?

 

[Uncle Toxie]

Not that I have ever seen no, that's not to say that one doesn''t exist.

 

[Cyan20us]

Yeah, I was looking for a game port card or adapter awile ago, found a few here and there. He is a example of a one off ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3677&item=5131473860&rd=1

 

[csims]

My old Sidewinder Gamepad works fine in XP. I just never use it.

Not enough buttons! (Thats what I get for trying to play Mechwarrior 4 with it. heh.)

Of course it helps that I haven't bought a newer sound card. Still using a SB Live Value.

 

[Worldhammer]

Umm my audigy 2 zs had a gameport that came with it. It is seperate from the card and connects to it with a small ribbon cable. Screws down in the back just like the card does.