Which force feedback joystick

[svuppe]

Hi.
I have just installed FS2004 on my new PC, only to find that my good old MS Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro (the old version 1) doesn't work with force feedback enabled (I'm running WinXP).
After searching and reading in here (and trying some registry hacks), I've come to the conclusion that it just won't work.

So I need a new joystick. But what should I buy?
My requirements are:

Works with FS2004 under Windows XP without problems.
Force feedback.
USB connection would be nice, but not required.

Would the MS Sidewinder FF Pro 2 do the job?
Or should I rather have a look at something completely different?

[strudders]

Hi svuppe

I have the old Microsoft SW Force Feedback 1, and it works fine.

Have you deinstalled it and then reinstalled it from control panel?

Only problem is I had was I had to use a sound blaster for the game port, other wise it is cool.


Best Regards

Struds

[svuppe]

>I have the old Microsoft SW Force Feedback 1, and it works
>fine.

Mine works fine too..... On my old Win98 machine.
But not on my WinXP. As far as I can tell (from both this forum and from some Google-searching), this is a common problem with XP.

>Have you deinstalled it and then reinstalled it from control
>panel?

Yes.

>Only problem is I had was I had to use a sound blaster for
>the game port, other wise it is cool.

I am using the gameport on a Hercules Game Theater XP 7.1 soundcard. It is the very same card that was installed in my Win98 machine, so I don't think that is the problem.

I have found a good deal on a MS Force Feedback 2, and I can even get it tomorrow (sunday). If only I knew how it behaves in XP and FS2004.

[NonCon]

This might work. It is a bit overkill, you can usually get it to work just be deleting some of the registry entries.

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=au...ome.com&rnum=7

[csautter70]

I had a Hercules Game Theater XP soundcard also and my joystick(oringina MS Force Feedback joystick) would work sporadically under FlightSim2002. It would work for awhile, then stop. Sometimes it wouldn't work at all, even though it would work in the Fighter Aces II demo that came with FS2k2,in FS2k and in the Control Panel.

Anyway, I finally ditched that Hercules card(gave it to my roommate) and got a SB Audigy 2 Platinum. Joystick worked fine with FS2k2 and works fine in FS2k4. This is with FF on mind you. I really think the problem is with some gameports. Oh yeah, when I was working with the Hercules card, I would disable/remove it, use my built in sound/gameport and the joystick worked fine there also. This was all in WinXP Professional.

One more thing to consider if you are going to get a new one, MS is discontinuing the SideWinder line, so you may not want to look at one of those(support will probably be lacking, like they did to the FF1 owners when XP came out).

Christopher Sautter
Tucson, Arizona

[svuppe]

I have already tried those registry changes, but unfortunately they didn't help. In fact they completely disabled the force feedback instead.
Oh well. I'm going to try the FF2 instead.