Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad

Description

The original Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad was an early PC gaming controller designed for use with Windows-based systems via a standard 15-pin game port interface. It featured a distinctive ergonomic design optimized for right-handed users, with a curved grip and a tactile button layout. The controller included ten digital buttons—six on the face, two on the side for the index finger, and two flanking the D-pad—as well as a four-way directional pad (D-pad) designed for precise digital input. Unlike analog controllers, the original SideWinder Game Pad did not support variable input levels, focusing instead on responsiveness and simplicity for arcade-style and platform games.

The Game Pad featured a daisy-chain port behind a removable cover, allowing multiple game pads to be connected together for multi-player games. It also introduced programmable button functionality through Microsoft’s SideWinder software, allowing users to customise input commands and macros, a rare feature at the time. The game pad laid the groundwork for future innovations in PC game controllers and was notable for its build quality and ease of integration with Microsoft’s DirectInput API. Microsoft put part numbers on every item, so the part number on the box is for the box itself. The Controller label has product part 90873. The barcode for whole product is 486-00xx with the last digits differing by region (1 for US/Canada).