Two Different “vJoy” Drivers: Shaul’s vJoy vs Headsoft VJoy

There are two completely different Windows drivers both called “vJoy,” written by different authors, with different capabilities, installed in different places — and search results, forum posts, and even some download sites mix them freely. Installing the wrong one is the single most common factual error in this niche. This page separates them once and for all: which one is which, how to tell which one is on your PC, and which one this site documents.

The two products at a glance

Shaul’s vJoy (this site)Headsoft VJoy
AuthorShaul Eizikovich (later signed builds by jshafer817, njz3, BrunnerInnovation)Ben Baker / Headsoft
Version line2.1.9.1 original line; 2.2.1.1 FFB fork; 2.2.2.0 newest (2023)v1.2
Virtual devicesUp to 162
Buttons per deviceUp to 12832
Axes / POVsUp to 8 axes, up to 4 POVs8 axes, 4 POVs
Main audienceFlight/space sims, feeder apps (Gremlin, UCR, FreePIE)Head tracking — ships with FaceTrackNoIR
Config toolvJoyConf (Configure vJoy)Its own minimal setup; installed under a different folder

Shaul’s vJoy: the sim driver

The vJoy documented across vjoy.pro is Shaul Eizikovich’s virtual joystick driver: the one on SourceForge, the one Joystick Gremlin and UCR feed, and the one with the three-build download decision — original-line 2.1.9.1 (attestation-signed for Windows 10), njz3’s signed 2.2.1.1 force-feedback fork, and BrunnerInnovation’s 2.2.2.0, the only build that explicitly claims Windows 10 and 11 support. Its signature numbers are the giveaway: up to 16 devices and up to 128 buttons per device exist because sim cockpits merge whole control panels into single virtual devices. Every guide, hash, and troubleshooting page on this site refers to this driver and no other. Get it from the download page, and choose between the builds with Which vJoy Build Should You Download?.

Headsoft VJoy: the head-tracking driver

Headsoft’s VJoy Virtual Joystick Driver — version 1.2, by Ben Baker — is a separate, smaller driver: 2 virtual devices, 8 axes, 32 buttons, and 4 POVs. Its claim to fame is distribution, not specifications: it ships with FaceTrackNoIR, the head-tracking software, which uses it to pass head-look axes into games. As the FaceTrackNoIR side itself has explained in the SourceForge forums, the VJoy bundled with FaceTrackNoIR is not the one on SourceForge — it is Headsoft’s fully signed driver, a different codebase that happens to share the name.

Nothing about that makes Headsoft’s driver bad. For FaceTrackNoIR’s job — two devices’ worth of head-look axes — 32 buttons are irrelevant and a signed, bundled driver is exactly what users want. The harm only starts when the two products are confused: a reader follows a Gremlin tutorial while the Headsoft driver is installed, hits device and button limits that “should” not exist, and concludes vJoy is broken. It is not broken; it is the other vJoy.

How to tell which one you have installed

  • Install folder: Shaul’s vJoy installs under C:\Program Files\vJoy and adds Configure vJoy (vJoyConf), vJoy Monitor, and vJoyList to the Start menu. Headsoft’s installs under C:\Program Files (x86)\VJoy and is associated with a vhidmini service rather than the vJoyConf toolset.
  • Device count in the config tool: if your configuration offers many devices and up to 128 buttons, you have Shaul’s. If the ceiling you can find is 2 devices and 32 buttons, you have Headsoft’s.
  • How it arrived: if “vJoy” appeared on your PC alongside FaceTrackNoIR and you never ran a vJoy installer yourself, it is almost certainly Headsoft’s. If you installed it from SourceForge or one of the three GitHub builds, it is Shaul’s.
  • Feeder behaviour: Joystick Gremlin and UCR expect Shaul’s driver and its vJoyInterface.dll. A feeder reporting far fewer buttons than you configured is a classic wrong-driver symptom.

If you have the wrong one for your purpose, the fix is boring and safe: uninstall the driver you do not need (FaceTrackNoIR users who rely on its bundled driver should leave Headsoft’s in place and can still install Shaul’s alongside for sim work — just know which device belongs to which driver when a game lists both), then install the correct build from the download page.

Why the confusion never dies

The collision persists for structural reasons. Both products legitimately call themselves a virtual joystick driver named vJoy, both install system-wide, and both surface in the same places — the Windows game controller panel, forum advice, and search results for the bare word “vJoy.” FaceTrackNoIR’s large user base means Headsoft’s driver sits on many PCs whose owners never chose it by name, while Shaul’s driver dominates sim forums where FaceTrackNoIR is rarely mentioned. Each community therefore assumes its vJoy is the vJoy, and version numbers get cross-quoted: Headsoft’s 1.2 is not an “old version” of Shaul’s 2.x line, and Shaul’s 2.2.2.0 is not an “update” a FaceTrackNoIR user should install over the bundled driver. They are parallel products with a shared name, full stop.

This is also why this site is strict about scope: every specification quoted here — 16 devices, 128 buttons, the three signed builds, the feeder ecosystem — belongs to Shaul’s lineage alone. When any other page on the internet quotes vJoy numbers that do not match either column of the table above, it has usually merged the two products into a fictional third one. Checking which column a claim belongs to is the fastest fact-check in this niche.

Verdict

Same name, different drivers. Shaul’s vJoy — 16 devices, 128 buttons, feeder-driven, documented on this site — is the sim driver’s driver. Headsoft’s VJoy — Ben Baker, v1.2, 2 devices, 32 buttons, bundled with FaceTrackNoIR — is a head-tracking component. Check the install path and the config tool before troubleshooting anything else; half of all “vJoy” confusion ends right there. For the rest of the name collisions and near-misses, browse the Alternatives & Comparisons hub, including vJoy vs PPJoy, the predecessor Shaul’s vJoy was built to replace.

Similar Posts