In this article you will learn what gamepads and joysticks are for computers, how gamers use them, what types they are and when they were invented. Joystick - a device for entering information, in the form of a manipulator, with the help of which it is possible to set the coordinates of a graphic object. It is used in console and computer games.
The first controllers were created in the seventies of the last century. Initially, controllers used in flight simulators, later joysticks began to be used in computer games.
Who created the first joystick
In 1967, the first game joystick was created by Ralph Baer. In 1969, Sega invented the first joystick with a button for shooting, especially for the Missile arcade machine.
However, over time, game universes developed, and this joystick replaced the standard and familiar to all the controller with a cross and buttons. It made it much easier and easier to move around in the visual space.
At the very beginning of this century, almost all gamepads received a USB interface, which made it possible to take a big step in the development of joysticks. Thanks to the USB interface, the joysticks began to work faster, it was possible to use more buttons, the load on the central processor was reduced.
The best joysticks for games of those times
Nintendo / Super Famicom is the first joystick that was used for multi-tasking fonts and was not limited to two buttons “A” and “B” as everyone was used to seeing at that time. The joystick had a nice gray look, a black cross on the left, two buttons in the middle - “Select” and “Start”, and on the right side there were four buttons of different colors YX, and BA. In addition to all this, the controller was soft and had a beautiful look.
Nintendo GameCube - this gamepad had an unusual appearance, and probably the strongest gamepad in history, since breaking it was unrealistic.
XBOX Gamepads
Xbox 360 - enjoys its popularity today. This controller was released by Microsoft. Microsoft is one of the largest multinational technology companies: game consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, and so on. On November 15, 2001, the company released the Xbox game console. It was with this console that the Xbox gamepad came out. Further, on November 22, 2005, the company releases the next version of the game console and gamepads for it. In the second version, the controller could be used not only for the console, but also as a joystick for the computer. Controllers have two versions: wired gamepads and wireless.
Wired only work when the set-top box or computer is connected to the connector, while wireless ones work with two finger batteries, and they are more convenient, since gamers do not have to cling to wires and they can enjoy the game from anywhere in the room. But they also have their drawbacks. For example, it is a constant replacement or charging of batteries, while you can play on a wired connection and do not worry that the batteries are about to run out and have to go after new ones, or wait until they are charged. But as a game joystick for a computer, both a wired and a wireless gamepad are well suited.
How to connect a gamepad to a computer
Let's look at how to connect the controller to a personal computer. For the joystick to work, we first need a USB port, and the disk on which the program for connecting the joystick to the computer should be.
- So, the first thing we do is connect the controller to the USB port.
- Next, run the disk with the program. This disc must be included with the purchase, but if you do not have a disc, then go to the official website of microsoft.com. We select the operating system, the program language, and the leadership language. Download and install.
- After installing the drivers, restart the computer. After rebooting, you need to check whether the game joystick is working for the computer or not.
- Go to the “Start”, look for the line “Run”, click on it and write “joy.cpl” there and press Enter. If the controller works, you will immediately see a pop-up window with its name.
Also, if you wish, you can look at its properties and undergo testing, in which you will be asked to click on the buttons of the gamepad. Now consider how to connect a wireless joystick for a computer. To connect, we need a receiver.
- We connect the receiver itself to the USB port and press the round button on the receiver. If the lamp on the receiver lights up in green, then the receiver works fine.
- Then the “Connection Wizard” is launched.
- In it, we click "Install automatically." If for some reason the Wizard does not appear, then go to the official website of microsoft.com and manually download and install files.
- Next, pick up the joystick for the computer and hold down the silver button in the middle until the green indicators light up around it. If the indicator stops flashing, then the joystick is ready for operation.
Conclusion
Now you have learned how the joystick for a computer works, how to connect it, the advantages and disadvantages of wired and wireless models. It is recommended to buy only original and high-quality products, then there will be no problems in the functionality of gamepads.