Can Microsoft's First Game Controller, the SideWinder Game Pad, Work on Modern PCs? I Bought Three to Find Out

The author bought three SideWinder Game Pad 1.0 controllers for 2 euros each at a car boot sale to test whether Microsoft's first gamepad, discontinued in 2003, still works with modern PCs and games. The pad features an eight-direction circular D-Pad, macro buttons, and a pass-through port for daisy-chaining up to four controllers, though its cheap plastic shell and thin triggers feel poor in hand. The piece also cites a November 1996 PC Zone review and notes design elements later echoed in the original Xbox "Duke" controller.