How to Use USB Joysticks on DOS Games
Just because it's the 21st century doesn't mean you can't enjoy 1990s-era DOS games. And you don't need a 1990s-era computer and joystick to do so. With the power of DOSbox, an open-source DOS emulator custom-made for gaming, you can play those classic games with your modern hardware---including your USB joystick. Relive your favorites---you'll be amazed at how fun these games still are today, despite two decades passing.
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Instructions
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Install DOSbox, a free download, (see Resources) to load your old games.
In Windows, download the executable installation file and run it, following the on-screen prompts and clicking "Next" when necessary.
For Mac users, download the program and drag the "DOSbox" icon to your "Applications" folder. From there drag a shortcut to the dock.
For Linux users, use your distribution's package manager to install DOSbox. -
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Plug in your joystick. Your operating system should automatically detect it, but if you think it hasn't, rebooting should do the trick in most cases.
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Load your game in DOSbox. Open the program to see a traditional DOS prompt. Mount a virtual "C" drive---the folder where you keep all your DOS games. Type "mount c" followed by the directory where your games are. For example, if you're a Windows user and your games are in "C:\games" type "mount c C:\games." The folder "C:\games" now acts as your "C" drive for DOSbox.
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Point DOSbox to your game. Former DOS users will be familiar with this: Use the "cd" command to browse into a folder, then type the name of the program. For example, if you're running "AwesomeGame.exe" from the folder "AwesomeGame," type "cd awesomegame" to browse to the proper folder, then type "AwesomeGame.exe" to execute the game. Your game then starts up.
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Configure the game to use your joystick. Some games use the keyboard by default and use the joystick only when configured to it. Browse to the "Options" section of your game and set it up to use the joystick. If there is no such option, odds are your old DOS game was never intended to be played with a joystick.
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Tips & Warnings
If your operating system properly detected your joystick, DOSbox will be able to use it. If you're not sure your joystick is being detected by your operating system, consult your joystick's documentation.
