Linux and USB Joysticks

I picked up PS2 (Playstation 2) to USB converter today at Frys. Basically it allows you plug your PS2 controller into the USB ports on your computer and use the joystick. Works great under Windows, it comes right up and is detected no drivers required.

The unit is call "KiKY X-series" and comes in really generic packaging. Works great for $10 I paid for it. Once I knew the unit worked I decide to try it on Linux. I've never done anything with Linux and joysticks before so it was all new to me. I plug the unit into my RedHat 8.0 workstation and do a cat /proc/bus/usb/devices and I see the box has recognized the device.

Now to make it work. After digging around I found that you have to install the joystick driver which is done by issuing: insmod joydev. That's pretty much all there is to it. You'll probably want to test that the joystick works by using the jstest command. The first joystick should be /dev/input/js0. You should see all the axis for your controller as well as all the buttons and they should respond accordingly when you press them.

Pretty simple really. Now I just need to find a way to remap some of the axis as the analog sticks are being picked up before the gamepad and thus xmame won't let me configure them.
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Anonymous 2002-12-31 10:37am - No Email - Logged IP: unknown

i got this Kiky X - Series, but it doesnt work because i need the drivers!

Anonymous 2003-01-17 09:29am - No Email - Logged IP: unknown

HEY! does your ps2 to usb convertor support force feedback? that'd be so awesome.. thanks

Anonymous 2003-07-15 01:04am - No Email - Logged IP: unknown

I've been able to get this device working in both Windows XP and Gentoo/Debian Linux. However, I found that if I plug in the device before installing the driver on Windows, the default HID-compliant game controller is installed, which apparently isn't compatible with all versions of games, like DDR 4. No big deal!

Kevin Elliott http://www.kevinelliott.net/

xEnON 2005-07-23 06:39am - prodigy84@... - Logged IP: 82.83.43.119

THX Man!

I've been searching for a way to get my Joypad (Saitek P3000) to run everywhere. But now it works, I always thought that Debian would load the driver automaticly by script or something like that cause usbview showed me That the Device is pluged and its Name and everything. Now that I loaded the Module my self it works. Thanks again!

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