Bring your classic PC joystick back to life. This adapter board takes any legacy DE-15 game port joystick and converts its analogue X/Y axes and two buttons to I2C via an onboard ATtiny816 running the Adafruit seesaw firmware. No analogue inputs needed on your microcontroller — just plug in a STEMMA QT cable and start reading.

With two STEMMA QT / Qwiic ports for daisy-chaining and an onboard 5 V power generator (since classic joysticks expect that voltage), this adapter makes retro controller integration completely non-destructive — no cable cutting required.

Key Features

• DE-15 Game Port Socket – Plug in any classic PC joystick directly
• Seesaw I2C Interface – ATtiny816 converts analogue joystick axes and buttons to I2C data
• STEMMA QT / Qwiic Connectors – Two ports for solderless I2C connection and daisy-chaining
• Onboard 5 V Generator – Powers the joystick at its expected voltage from a 3.3 V I2C bus
• No Analogue Pins Required – Read joystick X, Y, and two buttons entirely over I2C
• Breadboard Compatible – Header strip included for optional breadboard use

Reads

• Joystick X axis (analogue)
• Joystick Y axis (analogue)
• Button 1 (digital)
• Button 2 (digital)

Ideal For

• Retro gaming projects with classic PC joysticks
• Adding analogue joystick input to I2C-only boards
• Interactive exhibits using vintage controllers
• CircuitPython and Arduino game projects

Package Contents

• 1× Adafruit PC Joystick to Seesaw I2C Adapter, fully assembled and tested
• 1× Header strip for optional breadboard mounting

Resources

• ATtiny817 Seesaw Guide – Seesaw library and I2C interface documentation
• What is STEMMA QT? – Introduction to the STEMMA QT connector system