Talk:Game port

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Infobox[edit]

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Game port
Superseded byUSB
No. of devices1
Hotplugging interfaceSemi
External interfaceYes

Something like that? (Please verify the data)

Some of the data could use better sourcing, e.g. it's true that USB greatly superseded the gameport, but that surely did not happen in 1996. The number of devices...the correct would "2", as a fully implemented game port should support two joysticks (or, if you prefer, four axes and four buttons), and the system "saw" two independent gameports in this case.
About being hotpluggable....yes and no: it's one of the few devices that could be actually plugged/unplugged on a powered system without an OS crash or burnt circuits, but doing so while used by a game usually caused a spectacular slowdown (but that was more software timer related if anything). However it shouldn't be encouraged to hot-plug gameport devices, as a precautionay measure. EpiVictor 17:35, 13 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, usb was created in Jan 1996. -- Frap 06:11, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, but it surely wasn't widespread by late 1996 and it all but superseded the gameport for any and all practical reasons. Many DOS or non-USB ready systems were still in use by that date, and the market for pure USB joysticks/gamepads was virtually nil. EpiVictor 10:02, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Speaking from the experience of trying to buy one, game port based joysticks were still commonplace as late as 2001. USB game controllers were still a premium item at that time. Hell USB devices in general were still insanely expensive premium items in 2001... USB was very slow to catch on, really it wasn't until the introduction of the USB-only iMac in 1998 that anyone bothered to even make USB devices. Which meant early USB devices were almost universally transparent Bondi Blue. :) It didn't help that Windows didn't have proper USB support until the release of Windows 98 either... 71.87.39.165 (talk) 08:34, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Should 'Joyport' redirect here without at least some disambiguation?[edit]

The original 'Joyport' was codesigned by Apple and Atari, and had nothing to do with the IBM PC. It allowed 4 Apple paddles or 2 Atari joysticks to be connected -- all fully analog. So when the IBM PC's gameport came along it was not called a Joyport (that name was licensed to Sirius to distribute the Apple/Atari device), and it had no special advantage against its main gaming competitors, so not only does this article contain inaccurate claims, but it is completely incorrect for me to search for 'Joyport' and be taken directly here. This is like if I search for 'Pepsi' and am redirected to 'Coca Cola'. It makes no sense. I have no idea how to remove a redirect or how to create a disambiguation page with a stub for 'Joyport' or 'Sirius Joyport'. Could somebody fix this please? I'm sure that Keithen Hayenga of Apple and Steve Woita of Atari who designed the original Joyport would not appreciate seeing this misrepresentation.--64.229.25.230 07:28, 24 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Did apple/atari invent the 15-pin "game port" or "joyport"? The pinout was exactly the same? If yes, then you have a point. If not...well, I don't think the article claims that Intel or IBM invented the analog joystick....of course it was already in use in "Pong" type analog video games and even some consoles, but the article is about the IBM PC game port, not analog joysticks in general. It's true however that any other home computer of the 80s used a standard 9-pin digital joystick connector. If you feel that the "Joyport" term shouldn't redirect here, it can be done, as soon as there is enough data to make a specific article. But there is just nothing to rant about this one. EpiVictor 10:41, 24 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Here is the only link I've quickly found for the "Joyport": [1] (page is in Japanese but has photos and pinouts). First of all, it's mixed analog/digital and only the internal connector looks somewhat like the gameport. For actual use, it's split into external 9-pin connectors. So there's no idea stealing, and no copying. It's just something else. It's true that the "Apple II/Atari Joyport" should have its own article. EpiVictor 10:50, 24 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Well I didn't intend to say that anybody stole anything, certainly. I'm sure IBM PC's gameport was perfectly serviceable. (By the way it was NOT compatible with Atari/Apple Joyport, it was something separate -- the fact that it has almost the same capabilities is one of those things that happen when there is intense competition.) But this gameport is not the original Joyport, and in fact I don't think it was ever even referred to as a Joyport. I'd love there to be an article on the Sirius Joyport, but all my knowledge is just from my memories (like the incompatibility thing above) and from reading interviews with the game designers and such that I no longer have reference to. How am I supposed to write a wiki article with that? I have seen such attempts get ripped to shreds quickly. I have posted a notice in some places where Apple II afficionados still hang out -- I am hoping that somebody with more references on this will write it. But aren't stubs specifically designed for this purpose? (i.e. Somebody like me thinks there should be an article but doesn't really think they should be the one to fill it.) I don't know how to set up a stub and a disambiguity page and relink all that stuff this is beyond my current editing skills.--65.94.159.108 08:20, 25 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Removing the redirect is easy, and thus "Joyport" will result in a blank article. It will be up to you or anyone else with a good will to edit it. And yeah, the PC gameport was never officially referred to as "Joyport", if not as a contraption of "Joystick port", "Joystick connector" etc. etc. EpiVictor 14:23, 25 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
There, removed the redirect. Now it's up to you(?) to write the article, even if a stub. EpiVictor 14:40, 25 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, thank you -- I am writing this article this evening. I am finding some good sources as it turns out (should have done that to begin with) and I think it will be more than a stub.--65.93.204.146 00:46, 26 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Tis done .... Joyport. Perhaps though there are a few more small things you could help me with? I think the article should be titled Sirius Joyport, not just 'Joyport', but I don't know how to set up a redirect like the one that was here before. Also ... I would like to embed the image of the Sirius Joyport that is on this page: http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/joysticks.php (very interesting article BTW) but I don't know how and don't know if it's allowed. Finally ... how much of this discussion can/should be moved to the Sirius Joyport talk page? Thanks.--65.93.204.146 05:50, 26 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Burned you out, did I? Okay, no matter. I am not that concerned with changing those things -- I am happy with the article as it is, I have already done a lot of work, and I have other things to concentrate on now instead of grinding through more wiki documentation. Was hoping you could give me a thirty second clue, but no big deal. Thanks for the help you did provide.--70.49.99.155 06:31, 30 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect pinout numbers on illustration?[edit]

These don't look right to me... the graphic shows 1, 2, 8 and 15 on the four corners of the connector; shouldn't it be 1, 8, 9 and 15 instead? That would match the spec that's linked to at the bottom of the page. I'm not familiar with this type of port, so I'm hesitant to go ahead and change it myself. 28bytes 02:28, 5 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You're definitively right, that graphic is totally wrong. It should be 1, 8, 9 and 15 as you pointed out, for a male connector, and 8 ,1 , 15 and 9 for a female one. Well, I guess the image should be edited and updated then. EpiVictor 10:57, 5 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've corrected the image and uploaded it. 28bytes 03:14, 14 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Multiple buttons and DirectX[edit]

If you install DirectX 5 on original Windows 95(a), the joystick calibration only shows four "lights" for the buttons. For sticks with more than four buttons and/or a POV switch, you can see how many sticks simultaneously use two, three or all four button inputs for a single button by having them wired to more than one button line. The downside to this simple method is only one button at a time may be read or the software may read a simultaneous press of button 1 and a button that uses two lines as a press of another button using three lines. DirectX 6 shows however many "lights" as the stick has buttons, hiding how it really works. IIRC, Windows 95b has DirectX 6 'built in' so you can only see this with original 95.

There are 15 possible combinations plus 1 for no buttons pressed, but you can't use that as an input trigger. Some old flight sim controls used all 15 for buttons on a joystick and a separate throttle controller using the 3rd axis and rudder pedals using the 4th axis.
1 button, 1000, 0100, 0010, 0001
2 buttons, 1100, 0110, 0011, 1010, 1001, 0101
3 buttons, 1110, 1101, 1011, 0111
4 buttons, 1111

Not a Macintosh monitor connector[edit]

I've seen one PC where someone plugged an old Macintosh monitor into a gameport. Things got burnt in the PC. Burnt as in melted all the insulation off wires and it didn't work right anymore. The owner of it threw away the monitor and the PC (it was the late 90's and the computer was late 80's vintage) so I didn't get a chance to find out of it was just the ISA soundcard that got fried or if the damage was more extensive. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bizzybody (talk • contribs) 08:53, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

MIDI port[edit]

More information on MIDI functionality would be useful. Does Vista no longer support MIDI instruments? 2fort5r (talk) 01:13, 23 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not really the right place for that. It's more a question of general understanding how things work. The MIDI part of the port is provided by special hardware, which is driven by special drivers (supplied by the maker of the sound card). The standard hardware of the joystick pins is driven by drivers supplied by the operating system. Those functionalities are completely unrelated and are simply put into the same connector to save having to put another connector somewhere. 62.80.108.37 (talk) 12:33, 20 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Rewrite[edit]

I've gone over this article (which is mostly based on content added in 2005) and ditched large chunks of unsourced and deeply critical personal commentary in favour of keeping the descriptive content which should really form the backbone of the article. It goes without saying that expansion with reliable secondary sourcing would be very welcome as what's left is rather patchy. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) - talk 13:53, 14 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Atari 1s[edit]

Atari (& Commadore, Amstrad &c.) = digital using 5 switches. There = also 'paddles' = control knobs that do = analoge & so use capacitators to form a timing circuit. Acorn's BBC + analoge 1s & proper converters to digital. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.217.180.231 (talk) 22:46, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

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Misinformation about PC's game port[edit]

The part that claims that reading analog inputs from a game port in PC always consumes 10 % of CPU time is complete nonsense. PC has a timer interrupt with adjustable resolution and normally a timer interrupt handler would be used to read the game port. There is no need to poll the I/O ports in a busy loop. EDIT: Seems that I got logged out just before sending this message. Editing this just to show my identity correctly. Smmt (talk) 23:18, 4 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

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