joystick controller in SteamVR

Four kinds of controllers

• MIDI
• motion (6 DoF VR):  sense position and angle for virtual laser pointing
• gamepad (PlayStation, XBox 360 (XInput), etc)
  
• non-game (AKA DirectInput) e.g. HOTAS (joysticks), button boxes.

SteamVR used to support DirectInput and XInput,
  but now seemingly only XInput.

• Specifically, this HOTAS HOW-TO described
  "7. On the popup, give the controller an easy label like "My NMS Joystick";
    select "Xbox One Controller" for the type"
  ... but neither popup nor option to select type now exists.
• SteamVR 2.9.6 does still support XInput controllers, using HMD gaze for pointing.
• HOTAS is IMO far easier than emulating motion controllers by hand gestures.
• HOWTO: Make a gamepad work with SteamVR

XInput emulation

Hand-On Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) as VR controller

Assetto Corsa unavoidably involves SteamVR,
  but I find VR controllers intolerable, particularly in driving sims.

2D apps such as Content Manager are seemingly unusable in VR,
without some controller, except perhaps in a virtual desktop.
- Simulate key presses to Windows desktop from SteamVR input
For more than a few controller buttons, a flight joystick (HOTAS) is wanted.

Microsoft SideWinder Precision 2 USB Controller Joystick works as a HOTAS.

Also VKB NXT EVO SCE, with more controls than an XBox 360 gamepad

...or WINWING URSA MINOR Fighter - manual

29 buttons and mini joystick (34) on the grip

XInput emulators

DsHidMini supports Sony DualShock 3 Controllers to SteamVR as XInput

x360ce bundles ViGEm

Universal Control Remapper AKA UCR

uses ViGEm, allows remapping inputs from devices
such as second mice (using interception) and joysticks to virtual HID game controllers.

• remap HOTAS using UCR and ViGEm
• UCR Wiki
• join multiple controllers

XOutput convert DirectInput into XInput

archived Dec 3, 2024. It is now read-only;  deprecated as ViGEm was deprecated
9 Mar 2024 video for using with Logitech X-56 HOTAS

World of Joysticks (WoJ)

Last updated in 2022;  employs SCPVirtualBus, Microsoft Xbox360Controller drivers

Listed in Steam, but no matches for using it with SteamVR;
- supports more than one DirectInput device in a single emulated XBox 360
- haptic feedback can be redirected to bass shakers

Joystick Gremlin reported emulates XInput

- merges multiple devices to a single virtual device

- depends on vJoy

Xbox360 Controller Binding

• Microsoft dropped WMR support in Windows 11;
  HOTAS worked in 2021 for Windows Mixed Reality and SteamVR...