Can the SideWinder Game Pad, Microsoft's first game controller, work on modern PCs? I bought three of them to find out
1996 gave us two incredible gifts. The first was me. The second, arguably more impactful on the course of human civilisation, was the Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad 1.0. Read more
In 1996, Microsoft introduced the SideWinder Game Pad 1.0, a game controller that has sparked curiosity regarding its compatibility with modern PCs. After purchasing three of these controllers, I set out to determine if the SideWinder Game Pad 1.0 could still work on contemporary PCs. The controller's design, featuring a cheap plastic shell, an awkward thumbstick, and a circular D-Pad, suggests that its creators aimed for a professional and serious gaming experience.
While the controller does include software for creating macros and features the early design choices that would later be adopted by the first Xbox controller, its appearance is more understated and less provocative than other controllers from the same era. Despite its subtlety, the SideWinder Game Pad 1.0's macros and customizable control schemes showcase Microsoft's trust in consumer preferences, a design ethos that has since been abandoned.
As the popularity of emulation and custom controllers grows, it remains to be seen whether the SideWinder can find a place in modern gaming.
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