Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad

By Rich Leader

What is this, you might ask--a review of a five year old game controller that does not even have a USB connection and plugs into an archaic "gameport" on the back of your soundcard? Well, you would be correct. While it might be neither the latest nor the greatest, circumstances have made this item one of the must-buys of 2002.

Though it might have originally retailed for $35 or more it is now selling online from a variety of distributors for $5-7 in OEM packaging (Original Equipment Manufacturer; meaning it is packed in a plain white box) or $6-9 in its original retail packaging. With its various features, the vintage SideWinder stands head and shoulders above current low budget controllers, even Microsoft's own budget offering, the transparent SideWinder Plug & Play.

On the small side compared to more modern pads, it was an early adopter of the flanged "batwing" style and should be moderately comfortable for most users during casual use. The only aesthetic blunder, however, creeps up during the strenuous activity at which it otherwise excels: 2D fighters, such as the classic Street Fighter 2. The eight-way directional pad is a fraction of an inch too close to the left hand side, making you tilt your left hand in a manner that is slightly different from that of your right. Combined with having your index fingers outstretched to the shoulder "trigger" buttons, it puts your left middle finger in contact with a screw hole recessed into the back of the controller. This can leave your finger with somewhat of a welt that is quite alarming the first time you see it (resembling a blister or even a wart), though naturally the effect fades in minutes. But this happens only in that specific genre where one tends to try to maximize the precision of his or her thumb movements (which necessitates a slightly different grip than most other games where movements can be more relaxed).

This flaw is a shame in that it is one of the few controllers that are perfectly attuned to the old 2D head to head fighter. It has an excellent directional pad that handles diagonals well, six standard buttons in two rows of three (for three varying levels of punches and kicks), and two shoulder or trigger buttons on the undercarriage that can be assigned to mimic pressing all three punch or kick buttons at the same time (a frequent requirement of arcade games that are hard to accomplish manually at home with a game pad because of physical constraints). Other buttons are a classic "start" button, one that purportedly will "shift" the other buttons to double the amount of functions (though most users tend to just bind it as a "select" or even "insert quarter" in the case of arcade emulators), as well as a "mode" button that triggers an LED (green, perhaps a precursor to the Xbox) signaling that the controller is turned on or off, to act as a pass-through for another controller.

The front end of the controller has a removable faceplate that hides a gameport--this is where the pass-through feature comes in--in that you can connect another gameport controller through it and either allow both controllers to function as separate devices (the default function which lights the green LED) or with the press of the mode button, disable the SideWinder so the additional controller functions in its place. This was primarily useful in the past when all game controllers ran off the gameport on your soundcard (or separate "gaming" card) and one might want to alternate between a game pad and a traditional joystick without having to reach around the back of the computer and physically change which controller was plugged in--a feature which is largely useless today in a world of USB.

However, the SideWinder has an additional use for its pass-through gameport. If you plug another SideWinder into it, you can connect yet another SideWinder into that, forming a daisy chain of up to four controllers. This is where this controller really shines. Though four modern USB controllers can coexist just fine (though usually necessitating the use of a USB hub that must be purchased separately), it is far less convenient than a single connection and the up to 8 feet of space between each player that the SideWinders' cords provide.

The SideWinder certainly has its faults and is not up to duplicating the feats of modern controllers in 3D games with their analog thumb controls and rumble packs, but the PC is not traditionally the market for those types of games. What it does offer, is unparalleled: the ability to play a game of the arcade classic, Gauntlet, in emulation with four of your friends for less than $30. Try to top that.