Gameport MIDI cable question

[jharris01]

Can you use it with a joystick while connected to a sound module with a game using them both?

[Great Hierophant]

You should be able to if you have a female DA-15 port on the split with the midi DINs.  Whether your OS will let you is another story.

[jharris01]

I always thought gameport MIDI cables were all the same "Y" type that split into connectors for both joystick and MIDI plugs. In any case that's the one I am referring to. It's been a long time since I used one of these (and always used it for one purpose only). I was thinking if having a joystick with additional buttons over the standard 2 (maybe a throttle in the case of a flightstick) would interfere with the use of a MIDI device (should they be used simultaneously over the same port). I am guessing the answer is no and that two gameports would be needed.

[Great Hierophant]

They should not interfere, because the gameport and the midi interface share the same extension port but not the same lines or system resources. 

[Locutus]

I think there might be a problem with Force Feedback, because I recall that Force-Feedback is utilizing the MIDI pins of the gameport connector. I suspect, force feedback might use genuine MIDI signals, maybe even SYSEX messages, but I am not sure about that. You'd have to google that to verify it.

[jharris01]

I googled the subject back in May when I posted this question but unfortunately did not find anything specific. I read some expensive joystick products did use the MIDI pins for supporting additional buttons, throttles or force feedback. Of course those cases included their own drivers. No concrete examples come to mind but I know they exist.