01
Download
Self-contained installer, no account, no .NET setup. Windows is the launch platform; a Linux AppImage is in development for v0.9.
v0.8.2-beta.1 · Windows · Linux coming soon
Find out what your force-feedback stick can really do.
FFB Probe plays short, guided force-feedback tests through any DirectInput-visible stick. In about five minutes you get a local report, a readable JSON payload, and a choice: keep it private or share the redacted result to help build the public hardware database.
02
Run the wizard
The app detects your stick, plays one effect at a time, and asks what you felt. Stop stays visible while anything can move.
03
Share the result
You can inspect the JSON first. Sharing sends the redacted hardware payload and adds one more signal to the public database. Optional: leave an email if you want a heads-up when FFB-Bridge supports your stick.
Why this exists
FFB-Bridge supports one stick today. There are hundreds more out there.
The Logitech G940, Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar, Microsoft Force Feedback Pro, SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel, modern USB wheels, and gameport-era sticks on adapters all tell slightly different stories through DirectInput. Some will work cleanly. Some will need quirks that only show up under load. The probe turns those guesses into device-by-device evidence.
What you walk away with
A real picture of your hardware.
01
Does it actually do force feedback?
Some sticks claim FFB capability they can't deliver. Modern hardware sometimes has firmware bugs the manufacturer never patched. The probe finds out.
02
Which effects work?
Constant force, periodic vibration, springs and dampers, ramps. Played one at a time so you can feel each, not mixed into a single mystery shake.
03
Is the actuator healthy?
A current wheel might be perfectly strong. A 20-year-old motor might be weak, stuck holding force, or surprisingly fine. You'll know which.
04
Can it join FFB-Bridge?
Your report tells the maintainer what's needed to add support for your specific model. Sticks with enough good reports are candidates for the supported list.
Some sticks have been quiet for years. Plug in a SideWinder Wheel from 2002 or a Logitech Force 3D Pro that's been in a closet since Windows XP — there's something quietly satisfying about feeling force feedback come back to life on hardware that hasn't moved in a decade. If yours still works, the probe will show you. If it doesn't, you'll know that too.
The interface
A guided run, captured from the live app.
The GUI keeps the tester oriented: the app bar shows the current phase, the status bar shows device and run state, and the body changes from detection to checklist, live force preview, answers, and final report.
01
Land
First-launch landing explains what FFB Probe is, what the test takes, and why the public hardware database matters before the tester does anything.
02
Detect
The next screen identifies the joystick, VID:PID, and force-feedback capability — and shows a live readout of the stick — before any force is played.
03
Prepare
The checklist makes the tester close simulators, clear desk space, keep a hand on the stick, and handle FFB2 grip-sensor quirks.
04
Feel
The running view shows the live section, expected signal, countdown, and the current effect without hiding the Stop control.
05
Answer
After each effect, two surfaces capture the tester's response: a chip grid (multi-select, public — these labels appear on the device's hardware-DB page) and an optional free-text notes box (private — kept server-side, never on the public page).
06
Keep or share
The result page keeps reports local by default. Sharing sends the redacted hardware payload, and an optional email field lets you ask for a heads-up if FFB-Bridge starts supporting your stick.
Why share your report
This is how your stick gets supported.
Each approved submission adds one hardware signal: capabilities, effects that played cleanly, effects that failed, and the labels you picked while feeling the stick. Enough consistent reports for one model give FFB-Bridge the evidence it needs to add support without guessing.
Aggregate views land at ffb-probe.com/db. Your name, machine ID, installed software, filesystem paths, and free-text notes are never published — see privacy for the full audit.
Download and run the probe
Already flying with a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2?
That's the one stick FFB-Bridge supports today, so you can install FFB-Bridge directly. For every other device, run the probe first.
Hardware database
Be the first.
The hardware database is live but waiting for its first submissions. Run the probe and click Share to add your stick. Browse the database →
Plug it in. See if it works.
Five minutes from download to report. If your stick comes alive, share — that's how it joins the supported list.