Any cheap Windows 7 -compatible sound cards with a game port?
February 17, 2010 1:39 AM Subscribe
Looking for a really cheap PCI sound card with a game port that works in Windows 7 64bit without installing separate drivers. Suggestions?
Here's the situation: a friend bought a new Windows 7 PC, but has an old CH flight yoke + pedals that require a game port. Game port to USB adapters exist, but all my googling revealed that no adapter in the market can handle all the axes and buttons that these yokes need, plus the conversion apparently harms the controlling accuracy.
The simplest and cheapest solution would be to buy an old PCI sound card that has a real game port, such as SoundBlaster cards from the Live! era and older.
However, it turns out there's no support in Windows Vista and 7 for a lot of old PCI sound cards due to the VxD driver model being dropped and Creative not producing WDM drivers for the old cards.
I might have more luck with other manufacturers, but I have no idea where to look. Can anyone point me to one or more game port-equipped PCI sound cards that are known to work in 64-bit Windows 7 "out of the box", meaning a driver for the card exists in the OS itself?
Here's the situation: a friend bought a new Windows 7 PC, but has an old CH flight yoke + pedals that require a game port. Game port to USB adapters exist, but all my googling revealed that no adapter in the market can handle all the axes and buttons that these yokes need, plus the conversion apparently harms the controlling accuracy.
The simplest and cheapest solution would be to buy an old PCI sound card that has a real game port, such as SoundBlaster cards from the Live! era and older.
However, it turns out there's no support in Windows Vista and 7 for a lot of old PCI sound cards due to the VxD driver model being dropped and Creative not producing WDM drivers for the old cards.
I might have more luck with other manufacturers, but I have no idea where to look. Can anyone point me to one or more game port-equipped PCI sound cards that are known to work in 64-bit Windows 7 "out of the box", meaning a driver for the card exists in the OS itself?
Analog game ports are outright not supported in W7. In fact, they weren't supported in the earlier "Vista" product, that it's based on, either. Your options are to use USB conversion kits, use a different OS, or to replace the old controller hardware.
posted by majick at 5:52 AM on February 17, 2010
posted by majick at 5:52 AM on February 17, 2010
Response by poster: Oh, crap. OK, thanks for the info. I guess we'll have to try some USB conversion product that claims to support enough axes, or failing that, upgrade.
posted by lifeless at 6:29 AM on February 17, 2010
posted by lifeless at 6:29 AM on February 17, 2010
Response by poster: Hmm, from Wikipedia: "However, it's still entirely possible to provide third-party drivers that will work with the game port, and some companies that have produced game port cards in the past do so."
Not giving up just yet, then :)
posted by lifeless at 6:33 AM on February 17, 2010
Not giving up just yet, then :)
posted by lifeless at 6:33 AM on February 17, 2010
By definition, however, that would violate the first constraint you claim to be under: "...without installing separate drivers." If you can overcome that constraint, you might have more options (although I haven't the faintest idea what those might be).
posted by majick at 6:47 AM on February 17, 2010
posted by majick at 6:47 AM on February 17, 2010
Response by poster: The driverless install wasn't as much an absolute constraint as a sincere wish. I should've been clearer. The reason I mentioned it was the fact that hunting up-to-date drivers for cheapo no-name cards is a nightmare. Even now, having found the C-Media card earlier (and later tons of other cards on eBay, nearly all no-brand), I have no clue if it contains a game port driver.
Perhaps the only alternative is to rely on third-party drivers, which makes a hard thing even harder. For now, I'll probably contact C-Media and hope that someone at their support department understands the basics of English...
So yes, the "driverless constraint" is hereby lifted. I can't be picky here.
posted by lifeless at 6:56 AM on February 17, 2010
Perhaps the only alternative is to rely on third-party drivers, which makes a hard thing even harder. For now, I'll probably contact C-Media and hope that someone at their support department understands the basics of English...
So yes, the "driverless constraint" is hereby lifted. I can't be picky here.
posted by lifeless at 6:56 AM on February 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
A good first step, but verified accounts of similar working cards would really be valuable.
posted by lifeless at 1:57 AM on February 17, 2010