Responding to Player Inputs - Game Development with SlimDX - page 25

guitars. XInput supports a maximum of four controllers, each with no more than four
axes, 10 buttons, two triggers, and an eight-directional digital pad.
XInput only really supports next generation controllers, and it does not support key-
boards or mouse-type devices. DirectInput on the other hand is for all controllers and
supports controllers with up to eight axes and 128 buttons.
So, the true answer to the question of whether to use DirectInput, XInput, or both,
truly depends on the game you are developing. Just be aware that Microsoft essen-
tially forces us to use XInput if we want to support some features of Xbox 360 and
similar controllers in a PC game, as discussed earlier.