WM_INPUT, DirectInput

A quick search on these forums will answer all of these questions for you...

Microsoft, from my understanding, will be removing Direct Input from DX10. It's basically just a wrapper anyways, that's why I've never used it. There will be a new "input" library for new controllers I do believe also but it won't support things like keyboards etc. Anyways it's all explained on the forums just go hunting :)

The general consensus at the moment is that you should use windows messages for mouse and keyboard, DInput for legacy joypads if you need to, and XInput for future control pads (which is just the XB360 one atm)...

I can't remember the details right now, but DirectInput under WinXP sits on top of the windows messages for the system mouse/keyboard, so you're not really gaining anything performance wise by using DInput. I'd argue that things like Action Mapping might add extra features, but seems that very few (if any) developers use that.

Chuck Walbourn mentioned (on DirectXDev) that DInput might be moved to the Platform SDK at some point in the future, but thats all that has been officially stated. There's not been much information about what DirectX 10 will include - currently we've only seen Direct3D 10.

As far as converting to/from DInput... if you've already got DInput working then theres no point in changing it just for the sake of changing it. Conversely you don't really want to be starting any new code based on DInput.

hth
Jack

I really hope they rethink some of the decisions concerning this. There are a number of features in DirectInput I prefer to the "new" XInput api, although some for no other reason than I am not limited by the "static" nature of the XInput api. Removing the choices developers had before, solely because they are rarely used should not be sufficient reason in my opinion. Not only that, but crippling a "newer" device under the old system for no apparent reason is just rediculous.

But there are a lot of things present ActionMapping, Buffered Input, Deadzones, Device and Object Querying, etc. I particuar found useful.

I suppose once you rewrite a good framework over XInput to add desired support back it will be fine in the long run, but currently this seems somewhat like a step backwards and in most instances, unwarranted.

Though it may be too early to judge.