Joysticks and laptops

[magnet]

Hi, I have a Dell laptop and I want to play FS2000 on it, I dont seeem to have a joystick port but I do have a USB port, do I need a USB joystick? if so, any advice or warnings would be appreciated.
Thanks

[Lurk R]

I haven't heard of USB joysticks??? My Toshiba laptop doesn't have a joystick port itself but the desk unit it plugs into does. Therefore, to use it at home for FS, I have to bring the desk unit as well.

[ASRAAM]

USB joysticks are becoming more widely available and should work fine.

Microsoft also produce a gamepad called the sidewinder pro as a USB device.

It contains a motion sensor and is shaped a little like the handlebar type steering wheel on an old HS125 or Concorde. The beauty is if you tilt it in a particular direction then thats the way you go!

Takes a bit of getting used to but then it's ace.

[spannersatcx]

Logitech wingman pro force feedback with USB connection, or without forcefeedback if you don't have a spare electrical socket. A word of warning laptops aren't really best suited for games/simulators. To get FS2000 to run reasonably well you need a pretty high spec pc and graphics card. I would guess a minimum is 500mhz processor and at least 16mb video card and 128mb RAM. You would be best suited doing a full installation rather than having to access the cd all the time. Plenty of spare mb's on your HDD as well.

[WX Man]

OK, my experience with joysticks and laptops...

Bought a laptop earlier this year courtesy of Endsleigh Insurance Ltd, and two gentlemen who decided to burgle me in October last year.

Bought a Pico computer (Pico subsequently went under) ( http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif) with it a JMC designs Gamecard Pro. Plugs into a PCMCIA socket and gives you a Joystick port.

Didn't work, sent it back... Pico went under and never gave me my money back, but I eventually recovered the product from the receivers. Anwyway, that's beside the point.

So when I was in America ealier this year I bought a Logitech Wingman Force Feedback Pro USB, works fine.

However I have a critisicm of the joystick- unless you're using it with something that is force feedback enabled, it won't be very good! I use it with Jeppesen's Flight Pro, and this is not force feedback enabled. Hence the joystick is crap for this.

However with FS98 and European Air War (comes with the joystick), it's really quite good. It's easy to configure too.

I am looking to buy a Sidewinder USB to use with Flight Pro though, alternatively I may get a USB yoke and throttle.

[This message has been edited by WX Man (edited 02 July 2000).]

[Capt Wannabe]

Just out of interest, has anyone managed to get a Logitech Wingman 3D (usb) to work with PS1.3 ?

[tapbore]

I have a Sidewinder Precision Pro joystick with the USB adapter and a Gateway Solo laptop. Windows 95 is the software loaded. My system will not recognise the joystick. Is this a Windows 95 problem? I have to admit the info with the joystick strongly indicates using Windows 98.

[spannersatcx]

tapbore, original version of W95 does not support USB. USB was only supported from OSR 2 and with W98. You can see if you have USB support by right clicking on my computer icon click properties and in the system properties select device manager if you have it you will see a 3 pronged fork looking icon with USB controllers by it. If you don't then you don't have it installed if you have OSR 2 OS. If you look on the general tab it will tell you what version of W95 you have.

[BoeingBoy]

Saitek Cyborg 3D digital stick comes with either USB or MIDI plugs.

Works very well on MSCFS and my Gateway 9150.

Only wish I could say the same for the ATI video card!.

[magnet]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I went out and bought a Logitech wingman extreme digital 3D, without the force feedback (couldnt afford it as I'm not a real pilot), and thankfully it all worked first time, and very well too. For the first time I can now land the A/C, its easy this piloting lark, and to think they pay some of you 100k a year for it!!
Seriously though thanks for the info, I have to go now and do a quick few circuits around Baldonnell (well you have to start somewhere)

[tapbore]

spannersatcx, very grateful for the helpful information. I believed I had OSR 2 (Gateway helpdesk) and that is why I bought the joystick for FS98. However, no joy so to speak. In device manager, I show an "Intel 82371AB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller" and a "USB Root Hub", both apparently functioning correctly. However, my System describes the Windows 95 version as 4.00.950B even though the CD Rom I loaded it from indicates "With USB Support" on the cover. Do you think I'm snookered therefore, and should upgrade to Windows 98? Would be very grateful for advice.

[spannersatcx]

tapbore, sounds like you have usb on your system, the next thing to try is with your joystick plugged in a usb port click on start - settings - control panel and click on the game controllers icon in there you should see microsoft sidewinder etc and the status should say OK. If it's not there it is not being picked up by the usb port, you can add it manually with the add tab and selecting it or you may need to install the software that came with the joystick and try it again. If it is there calibrate and test it. Then when you go into FS98 ensure that joystick control is enabled.
When you say USB adapter what do you mean does th joystick come with a standard usb connector or does it have the D tyoe connector that comes with a D to usb adapter. I have a precision pro with force feedback that came only with a D connector I tried adding the D to USB connector that comes with sidewinder joypad - did not work at all.
From my own point of view (and a lot of others) W98 second edition is worth getting for many reasons, apart from better stability there is better support for USB and many other things. Don't get W2000 as this is essentially an upgrade to NT and many people are finding they have problems with peripherals as there are not many w2k drivers yet.
Hope this helps a little.
Also if possible try it on someone elses pc to see if it is the Joystick that is duff or not.

[This message has been edited by spannersatcx (edited 07 July 2000).]