# Ok, I need serious help here about a joystick port. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003 "2009-09-21T21:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/1 "2009-09-21T21:53:01Z")
I need a joystick port (aka gameport, aka. DA-15 male serial connector.) If I have to, I’ll get a sound card that has one. However, I really want a PCI-Serial connector that doesn’t have the sound card capabilities. Office depot had one, but now I can’t find it. ☹ HELP! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/2 "2009-09-21T22:25:12Z")
You could get USB to gameport adapters. I’ve got a couple somewhere. But if you want a serial port (DB-9 or DB-25), why are you interested in a DA-15? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/3 "2009-09-21T22:44:46Z")
Usb sucks, I bought one to test, and I can’t flap fast enough to fly in Joust. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/4 "2009-09-21T22:45:46Z")
Whatever the pin number, I need to connect the old joysticks to new computers. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/5 "2009-09-21T22:51:11Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > You could get USB to gameport adapters. I’ve got a couple somewhere. > > But if you want a serial port (DB-9 or DB-25), why are you interested in a DA-15? The Joystick port is not the serial ports you asked about. Normally it’s on the sound card and it is also used as a midi controller port. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/6 "2009-09-21T22:55:06Z")
Wow, Is this a thread from nineteen ninety five? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/7 "2009-09-21T23:24:59Z")
I can not find any PCI card joystick ports that are not on a sound card. You can disable everything on the sound card except the joystick and you won’t have a conflict. The joystick drivers are separate from the audio drivers. The only card I had other than a sound card with a joystick port was an IDE controller with serial ports that was an ISA slot card. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/8 "2009-09-22T00:42:15Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Wow, Is this a thread from nineteen ninety five? LOL! “Win32s drivers for joystick? Need answer fast!!!” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/9 "2009-09-22T20:41:45Z")
I had one in a computer I had at one point, but it was ISA, not PCI. Actually there were a bunch of ports on it (parallel and serial and something else I think), not just the gameport, but it wasn’t a soundcard. They did used to sell ones with just the gameport, often with a little knob to adjust the polling rate or some such, but again, these were ISA. I don’t know if Vista or 7 support gameport or not, but I’ve gotten my old Sidewinder to work in XP. I don’t remember if I have it plugged into my SB Live (PCI card) or SB 16 (ISA card) though I don’t know if it would matter. Yeah, I still have an SB 16 in my desktop. I seriously need new hardware. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/10 "2009-09-22T21:29:40Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I need a joystick port (aka gameport, aka. DA-15 male serial connector.) > > If I have to, I’ll get a sound card that has one. > > However, I really want a PCI-Serial connector that doesn’t have the sound card capabilities. > > Office depot had one, but now I can’t find it. ☹ > HELP! Try a thrift store. Or Craigslist. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-need-serious-help-here-about-a-joystick-port/511003/11 "2009-09-22T21:45:26Z")
I love the challenges I run across in here. Looks like your solution is going to be to get a [sound card](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829130001&Tpk=SBT-SP6C). Use the card for your audio and joystick and just disable the motherboard onboard audio in BIOS. Unless you’ve got one of the boards with really great audio, then let us know and we’ll poke around some more to see what we can do. eta also: Some motherboards have a game/midi port built in that you only need to plug a pigtail onto. Check your docs.