Using keyboard as joystick

Sim085 · 13 June 2018, 22:29

On WinUAE I use the keyboard as joystick. However what about real Amiga? Is there any software which allows the keyboard to be used as joytstick? My initial re-search would indicate no but I wonder why that would be if so.

Daedalus · 14 June 2018, 10:03

I'm sure such a thing would be possible, but only for system-friendly software. And since the overwhelming majority of software that uses a joystick either bangs the hardware to read it or doesn't support multitasking (or both I suspect in most cases), there's very little point in such software.

Individual patches for games, along the lines of patches that add CD32 controller support, would be the most straightforward approach I suspect.

Sim085 · 14 June 2018, 12:58

So it would need to be a hardware level hack for it to always work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daedalus

I'm sure such a thing would be possible, but only for system-friendly software. And since the overwhelming majority of software that uses a joystick either bangs the hardware to read it or doesn't support multitasking (or both I suspect in most cases), there's very little point in such software.

Individual patches for games, along the lines of patches that add CD32 controller support, would be the most straightforward approach I suspect.

Daedalus · 14 June 2018, 13:29

Yep. The Rys adaptor can use a USB or PS/2 keyboard to act as a joystick, but not the Amiga's own keyboard. It would be possible to extract the Amiga's keyboard signals from the MPU or CIA, kind of opposite to existing keyboard adaptors, and use a microcontroller to generate joystick signals from that, but that's not something I think exists...

13 June 2018, 22:29	#1
Sim085 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 962	Using keyboard as joystick On WinUAE I use the keyboard as joystick. However what about real Amiga? Is there any software which allows the keyboard to be used as joytstick? My initial re-search would indicate no but I wonder why that would be if so.

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14 June 2018, 10:03	#2
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,377	I'm sure such a thing would be possible, but only for system-friendly software. And since the overwhelming majority of software that uses a joystick either bangs the hardware to read it or doesn't support multitasking (or both I suspect in most cases), there's very little point in such software. Individual patches for games, along the lines of patches that add CD32 controller support, would be the most straightforward approach I suspect.

14 June 2018, 13:29	#4
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,377	Yep. The Rys adaptor can use a USB or PS/2 keyboard to act as a joystick, but not the Amiga's own keyboard. It would be possible to extract the Amiga's keyboard signals from the MPU or CIA, kind of opposite to existing keyboard adaptors, and use a microcontroller to generate joystick signals from that, but that's not something I think exists...

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