Absolute Beginners Guide to Upgrading and Fixing Your PC

Upgrade #4: Installing a New Joystick or Game Controller

There's one last type of controller you might need for your computer system a game controller. Although a mouse or keyboard might be fine for playing simple games, fast action games demand some type of dedicated game controller. That might mean a joystick or Nintendo-like game pad, or maybe even a steering wheel (for racing games) or airplane yoke (for flight simulators).

How you connect a game controller system depends on the type of controller you buy. Most newer controllers connect via USB, which is as easy as it gets. Older controllers are more likely to connect via a fifteen-pin connector to the game port on the back of your system unit.

If you're connecting a USB controller, all you have to do is plug it in and then run the installation software that came with the controller. If you're connecting a controller through the game port, you'll probably need to power down your computer before you connect the new device, and then power up your system and run the installation software.

After you install the controller you may want to calibrate for your own personal touch. You do this by opening the Control Panel and selecting Printers and Other Hardware, and then Game Controllers. This opens the Game Controllers dialog box; select your controller from the list and click the Properties button. From here you can calibrate the action specific to your controller.

THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM

When it comes time to upgrade your input device, here are the key points to consider:

  • Mice and keyboards both connect in the same fashion, typically using a PS/2 connector on the back of your PC.

  • Unless you're connecting a USB mouse or keyboard, you have to power down your computer before you connect the new device.

  • Mice come in two flavors, mechanical and optical; optical mice cost more but are more reliable (no moving parts).

  • Another option is to go with a wireless mouse or keyboard; with this type of setup, you connect the wireless receiver (not the mouse or keyboard) to your PC.

  • Joysticks and other game controllers come with either USB or game port connectors; you can calibrate either type of controller from the Control Panel's Game Controller utility.

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