If you want to use a non-modern joystick on a modern machine, there are adapters; I have one I like, and if I remember, I'll post the brand when I get home.
Only downside is that it is self-calibrating, so if you have a joystick pot that sometimes jumps to very high (or very low I suppose) resistance, it will scale the axis to that very high value; calibration on the PC in that case will give you terrible resolution (since it is quantized before being sent to the PC). I suggest cleaning the pots with DeoxIT if that happens.
I loved Descent and Descent2! Most importantly, because speed was coded as uniform in the unit axes (x,y & z), everybody who played always chorded and flew in a permanent diagonal, which I recall was much easier to pull off with the keyboard than joystick.
Early applications of Pythagorus' theorem in action!
I took a 25 year hiatus playing, from 1996 to 2021 but I'm back at it now, playing on a period appropriate Windows 98 machine.
I love the original Descent and Descent 2 look and feel and graphics, I pass on the rebirths.
If you want a modern game from the same team with similar gameplay, try Overload on Steam.