If I am understanding what you did -- this joystick is basically mostly an hid joystick from the sidewinder family. So the OS sees only a joystick? Is that correct? Since the software is no longer updated, there is no way to map the controller position to mouse movements?

In linux, what modules are loaded when you plug it in? Stock usbhid? Does it work as a normal joystick automatically when plugged? I wonder how reconfigurable the input backend in linux actually is. There are xorg drivers for example to use a joystick as a mouse. But I think this one should be switchable on the fly for both types of games.

Here is a possible driver:
https://www.x.org/releases/current/doc/man/ma … oystick.4.xhtml

That is correct, the OS automatically detects it as a regular USB joystick in both Windows and Linux (lsusb reports Driver=usbhid), no special driver is required.

Without any special software, the swivel acts as the X/Y axes, but in this form it isn't really useful for much since the axis values are basically just the absolute potentiometer readings, and it doesn't have a return to center spring so it's really difficult to tell where the center is.

The way the controller is meant to control the mouse cursor is very specific. It's difficult to explain, but: It has a central "aiming zone" where the handle rotates freely, and relative axis movements translate to relative cursor movements (holding it still in any position produces no cursor movement), while pushing the handle towards the outer edges makes it enter the "spin zone" (Microsoft's terminology), where it acts more like a regular joystick mouse (the cursor keeps traveling in the direction you push). The spin zone is equipped with springs that push the handle back to the aiming zone, so it's a tactile experience. To the OS, the distinction doesn't really exist, the spin zone is just any value that exceeds about 85% amplitude. Finally, you're meant to assign a "return to center" button, which lets go of the cursor so you can re-center the handle without moving the cursor. A good analogy is how you can lift a regular mouse to reposition it without moving the cursor.

I am not that deeply familiar with Linux, but I doubt there's a driver that can do all of that without being specifically built for it.

This controller and its functionality looks really interesting. I love that you've created and shared this software. I'm also a fan of unusual input devices, so I'll be keeping an eye out for one of these locally.

Re: WD-40, not the best product for electronics, unless it was this one: https://www.wd40.com/products/contact-cleaner/

This is the one I go for: https://www.jaycar.com.au/contact-cleaner-lub … ay-can/p/NA1012

I'm happy it piqued your interest, heh.

Someone actually gave me a proper contact cleaner recently, so I'll be sure to use that in the future.

(Also, I neglected to mention the amazingly campy video it came with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShp4F4cUDE)

Sure, there might not be a driver that translates the joystick's axes into mouse movements. Your github description says that your program won't work in all games because it is not a mouse driver. So I guess you are trying to force mouse movements on reading the joystick data.

There are several examples of joystick as mouse, both with in kernel drivers and out of kernel in linux. If this joystick is not detected as a mouse, then maybe it should be, and perhaps you can get your code upstream. Because then, you will then have support for the device on all application layers.

I'm probably the only one in the world playing with an original sidewinder gamepad on steam in linux. Where else would this be possible? Windows does not support it with a driver and does not support the gameport. It isn't a good options for shooters. But maybe a dual strike? Never tried it. I also have a sidewinder 3dpro that I want to play around with it more.

My software uses an old library called jinput to read the joystick, and then java.awt.Robot to simulate a mouse. I'm not sure exactly how the latter works under the hood on Linux, but my guess would be it uses some xlib functions to do its thing. In my experience it works for most applications, but in the game Overload, for instance, it only worked in the menus.

I agree that ideally this device should have its own driver that allows it to be used as a mouse the way it was intended, but that's outside of my comfort zone and outside of the scope of what I hoped to achieve. I really don't intend to spend much more time on this, I just thought I'd share it as it is in case it inspires someone to have some fun with an old piece of hardware.

It's great that Linux still supports gameport devices. Does the 3D Pro work natively in Linux? For my Force Feedback Pro I built a special USB adapter using the instructions found here, and apparently that also supports the 3D Pro (unlike off-the-shelf adapters). However the actual force feedback feature doesn't seem to work under Linux (or at least I haven't figured it out), and this is a problem since it just goes limp, making it unusable...

My God I was waiting for this for years (+ decades to get the joystick) and you have no idea how happy I am to see this happen, no one had done this and I had done some mods but my programming area is more focused on creating games so I didn't have much time or good results in a proper "driver".
This controller was part of my childhood in magazines, articles and advertisements, this remained in a part of my childhood, a good time with good memories, my friends and I wanted to buy one but now I don't see many of my friends anymore, many things no longer exist but I have my memories. The Dual Strike is an incredible control, poorly executed and with poor button distribution (and a terrible digital directional pad) but incredible as it is the best and most efficient controller (with the driver of course), I see that it is very unfairly treated by people on the internet in amateur articles, "journalists" talking nonsense. Thank you very much