http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1507/pcmg0022.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)

PC Magazine -- April 9, 1996

Digital Joysticks, Cool Tunes

Carol Venezia

Universal Serial Bus peripherals debut.

The simplification of the personal computer's I/O architecture through the 12-Mbps Universal Serial Bus made major strides at the USB Developers Conference in February. Numerous companies, including CMD Technology, Intel, Logitech, and Philips demonstrated the first products and components that will turn USB from a specification into a reality in the second half of this year.

USB, designed to provide a single interface to connect keyboards, mice, and joysticks as well as telecommunications devices such as modems and PBX interfaces, promises not only to simplify PCs, but also to cut the costs of peripherals. By adding a low-speed channel to the USB architecture, unpowered devices such as mice and joysticks can be attached to powered "hubs" (the host PC, for example, and monitors in the future), because power is distributed over the USB cabling itself.

Philips's demonstration of digital audio over USB was the most exciting event at the show. Philips played a digital .WAV file over the USB bus, which was converted to an analog signal externally. It was then transferred to Philips speakers attached to a working model of a USB-ready Philips monitor. The resulting sound was awesome, with incredibly full and rich bass tones--a far cry from today's audio subsystems that rely on the sound card to convert the digital signal to analog. This marks the first working model of a USB transfer of iso-chronous data--a continuous data stream required for data types such as audio and video where timing is a key issue.

The first USB products that consumers can expect to see on retail shelves will be simple peripherals including mice and joysticks. Logitech demonstrated its WingMan Extreme joystick, and Microsoft showed a fully digital joystick, which uses optical converters that enhance the response times.

To bring USB products to market, peripheral vendors require USB controllers. Intel introduced a USB-controller that supports both 12 Mbps and 1.5 Mbps and enables peripherals and telephony products to communicate with host systems. By the second half of this year, USB host systems should be available as PCs that use Intel's new chip sets come to market.

CMD Technology introduced PCI-to-USB controllers that provide an easy way to plug USB-based hardware into existing systems.