PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Troubleshooting Game Controllers

It’s impossible to provide comprehensive information about troubleshooting game controllers because both the controllers themselves and the problems you may encounter are so diverse. A cheap game controller is probably going to physically break or otherwise fail sooner rather than later. There’s not much we can say about that, except to suggest that you buy a better-quality game controller in the first place. If you experience problems with a good game controller, here are some actions to take:

Make sure the gameport is compatible with the game controller

Not all gameport game controllers are compatible with all gameports. Gameport conflicts frequently cause problems, particularly with digital game controllers connected to some models of PCI sound cards. We have also had reports of conflicts between some game controllers and some AGP video cards on specific motherboards, although we have not personally experienced or verified these. Most game controller vendors have detailed FAQ pages that list known incompatibilities for each model they sell.

Install the latest release of DirectX

DirectX is a work in progress. If you have problems with a game controller, particularly a new model or one you have just installed, download and install the latest version of DirectX from http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp. Before you install the update, review the DirectX FAQ (http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/faq.asp) carefully to ...