Microsoft Windows provides extensive support for various human interface devices, such as joysticks and game pads. However, the task of associating buttons and axes of these devices with specific application behaviors, like Fire, Roll, or Pitch, is typically delegated to individual application developers.

While some applications excel in allowing users to customize controls, others may lack sophistication or lack specific customization features users desire. This is where utilities like vJoy and Joystick Gremlin prove invaluable. Unrestricted by vendor limitations, these utilities aim to reintegrate certain features into the operating system’s domain. Once configured, these features become universally accessible across a wide array of applications.

One common technique employed by these utilities involves using a feeder application that monitors physical devices on a system. This feeder application then controls one or more virtual devices that the game or application listens to. By mapping physical devices to virtual ones, these utilities enable functionalities such as dual joystick support in games designed for a single joystick or allow multiple devices to bind to the same function in games with single-controller bindings.

While this approach offers numerous advantages, it does come with a notable side effect. Many applications record user interactions during the process of binding functions to controls or button presses. When using a virtual device, the application receives input from both the triggered physical device and the corresponding virtual device. Although some feeders attempt to spam the application repeatedly to manage this, such an approach proves cumbersome and error-prone.

Enter HidHide, a solution that empowers users to restrict a specific application’s access to one or more human interface devices, effectively concealing these devices from the application. For instance, if a flight simulator prefers a Hands On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) setup, users can hide game pads. Similarly, for racing games favoring a steering wheel, users can hide joysticks. In scenarios where a feeder utility is employed, HidHide becomes a valuable tool for concealing the physical device from the application, thus preventing multiple notifications during the binding of game functions and device controls.