OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Games

DOS VDM - USB and Game port Gamepad support

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Martin Iturbide:
Thanks.

I guess the idea will be something like this graphic, to have some gamepad/joystick support for ArcaOS with an USB gamepad.
The red squares are the things that do not exist.

Regards

Dave Yeo:

--- Quote from: Roderick Klein on October 02, 2021, 04:04:47 pm ---First of all its the device driver it self that needs to communicate with the USB joystick or gamepad. How that can be done. While writing the device driver should not be that difficult I do not know how well standardized gamepads and USB joysticks are.  Is there a USB class for such devices ?

--- End quote ---

Joysticks are standardized USB Human Interface Devices (HID) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_human_interface_device_class#Game_controllers so pretty standardized with one driver supporting most USB joysticks.

Mark Szkolnicki:

--- Quote from: Martin Iturbide on September 30, 2021, 11:33:38 pm ---Hi

At Warpstock there was a quick Q&A with Lewis and there was some talk about ArcaOS as a retro gaming platform.
There was some fast comment about gamepads/joysticks and DOS old games.

I asked on the FreeDOS mailinglist if there was something like a way to connect an USB gamepad and some "interpreter" that will allow old DOS games see it as a game port joystick. (So, in the end you can be able to play games that are supposed to use a game port joystick with an USB joystick).

Bret Johnson, that developed some USB device drivers for DOS (http://bretjohnson.us/) , answer me that it is possible with his driver, but under a very specific USB hardware set running FreeDOS.

The final idea will be to be able to support an USB gamepad under DOS VDM for old DOS games, but it seems we are still some steps behind.

I just post this as a discussion topic and maybe something of the open source DOS USB driver/program can be useful someday for the OS/2 platform.

Regards

--- End quote ---

Hi Martin!

Interestingly, I was just about to broach the subject of whether there is some way to support use of USB joysticks under ArcaOS, as I've been reinstalling a lot of legacy games as well as SDL and Java games lately, so an interesting topic to me.

A few years ago, I purchased an item from Logilink in the EU which is called a USB 2.0 to Gameport adapter, which is a neat little device, which allowed me to connect one of the original Thrustmaster joysticks (made of metal) with a gameport connector to a usb port, to allow it to be used on newer computers under Windows. It works very well in situations like that. I don't know how the translation was done from the gameport connection to USB.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the adapter below. I don't think it is available for sale anymore retail as Amazon here lists it with a caveat of "not available". May still be available on eBay.

Mark

Mark Szkolnicki:

--- Quote from: Dave Yeo on October 02, 2021, 05:42:07 pm ---
--- Quote from: Roderick Klein on October 02, 2021, 04:04:47 pm ---First of all its the device driver it self that needs to communicate with the USB joystick or gamepad. How that can be done. While writing the device driver should not be that difficult I do not know how well standardized gamepads and USB joysticks are.  Is there a USB class for such devices ?

--- End quote ---

Joysticks are standardized USB Human Interface Devices (HID) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_human_interface_device_class#Game_controllers so pretty standardized with one driver supporting most USB joysticks.

--- End quote ---

Hi Dave!

Do you, or does anyone else know if the OS/2/eCS/ArcaOS version of DOSBOX has Joystick support built in?

I was reading this article tonight and it raised an interesting question:

https://itstillworks.com/12226738/how-to-use-usb-joysticks-with-dosbox

It seems that Windows versions of DOSBOX can recognize Joysticks, if the devices are recognized by Windows, and assuming that joystick support exists in the DOS software being emulated by DOSBOX.

Would that simplify the process, and only require a driver under OS/2/eCS/ArcaOS for USB Joysticks (or perhaps items like the USB 2.0 to Gameport adapter I mentioned) to address DOSBOX? Not being a programmer, but being a troubleshooter, I thought the question needed asking.

You have to admit that the majority of legacy games that we would require direct support for would be either DOS or legacy Windows 3.1 (mostly flight simulators, or shoot'em up games), I would assume.

I don't know if any Java games have or need such support.

I also don't know of many games that are native OS/2 that have ever needed Joystick or Gamepad support (well perhaps Galactic Civilizations or Trials of Battle).

Best!

Mark

Dave Yeo:
Seems to me that adding joystick support to SDL would be relatively easy, at least compared to writing device drivers. I'd assume that it would also give joystick support to DosBox. I'm not really a programmer so haven't looked into it.

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