Creating virtual device

Question

• Is it possible to create virtual device "on the fly" ? (The guy click on a button "new virtual device", write the device name and the windows popup appear as if he a just plugged a new device).
• Do i have to create a custom device driver or can i use a generic one ?
• Where should i start (documentation link) ?

My goal is to emulate one or more virtual gamepads, visible in games (with their custom names), and mapped to one or multiple physical devices, like keyboard and mouse.

Thank you !

Answer 1

Yes, it's possible. The Windows driver architecture needs such support to allow USB drivers to load on the fly. You will need a custom device driver. There are existing "virtual" device drivers, e.g. for NUL, but those aren't what you want.

However, device driver writing isn't for the faint of heart. You really can't expect to read a single article and start hacking.