IDirectInput

IDirectInput is a COM interface in the DirectInput component of the DirectX API. It serves as the primary entry point for working with input devices in DirectInput, providing the means to enumerate devices and create device-specific interfaces. DirectInput supports a range of devices, including keyboards, mice, joysticks, game controllers, and other HID devices.

The interface exposes a small set of operations used to initialize DirectInput, enumerate connected devices, create device objects, query device status, and, on some versions, launch the DirectInput control panel. The typical workflow involves obtaining an IDirectInput pointer, using EnumDevices to list available devices or CreateDevice to obtain a device object, and then configuring and acquiring the device to read input state through the corresponding IDirectInputDevice interface.

IDirectInput is part of the legacy DirectInput API. It is commonly discussed alongside IDirectInput8 and IDirectInputDevice8, which represent later iterations of the same architecture used with DirectX 8/9. While DirectInput remains supported for backward compatibility, modern Windows input handling for many controllers has shifted toward alternative APIs such as XInput for Xbox-style gamepads and Raw Input for general HID devices. As a result, DirectInput is typically associated with older games and applications that rely on non-XInput devices or require broad device compatibility.

See also: DirectInput, IDirectInputDevice, IDirectInput8, XInput, Raw Input.