Configure Controls
Introduction
To begin, let's clear that there is no ideal way to control all games and emulators that can be executed through "HyperLaunch". Each application allows certain modes of control and does not support certain others.
Joystick Input
In Windows there is two main Input Methods: Direct Input and XInput.
Direct Input
In simple words DirectInput is the normal way you use your Joysticks and GamePads in Windows. When you open "Game Devices" in the Control Panel, you are seeing DInput devices.
DirectX included DirectInput from version 1.0 (1995). It initially offered true support only for joysticks, as the mouse and keyboard modules simply provided wrappers to the standard Win32 API. DirectX version 3.0 (1996) added support for keyboards and mice; it also improved joystick support. DirectX 5.0 (1997) included greatly improved joystick support, including adding force feedback, increasing the number of buttons, changing the underlying device-driver model and incorporating a COM-based API. Mouse support also increased the number of buttons seen from four to eight. In DirectX 7.0 (1999- ), DirectInput added a long-promised feature of seeing individual mice much like individual joysticks, but the feature didn't work with the later released Windows XP, even though as of 2010 it works with Windows 98/Me and DirectX 9. DirectX 8.0 (2000), the last version with major changes, included action mapping and broader support for different types of devices.
While Microsoft initially intended that DirectInput would handle all inputs, it hasn't turned out this way. As of 2011 Microsoft doesn't recommend using DirectInput for keyboards or mice, and has started pushing the newer XInput for Xbox 360 controllers. In Windows Vista, Windows 7 and later Windows versions, the in-built action mapping UI has been removed. 1
XInput
XInput, an API for "next generation" controllers, was introduced in December 2005 alongside the launch of the Xbox 360. This instruction set provided full support for Xbox 360 controllers in Windows XP SP1 and subsequent operating systems, and is described by Microsoft as being easier to program for and requiring less setup than DirectInput. XInput is compatible with DirectX version 9 and later. 1
External Links
DirectInput in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
XBCD in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
[1] DirectInput. (2014, March 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:51, July 9, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=DirectInput&oldid=598313998
