diff --git a/src/wx/widgets/sdljoy.cpp b/src/wx/widgets/sdljoy.cpp
index aafc2696..a7e60b00 100644
--- a/src/wx/widgets/sdljoy.cpp
+++ b/src/wx/widgets/sdljoy.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ wxSDLJoy::wxSDLJoy(bool analog)
     if (!njoy)
         return;
 
-    joystate = new wxSDLJoyState_t[njoy];
+    joystate = new wxSDLJoyState[njoy];
     memset(joystate, 0, njoy * sizeof(*joystate));
 
     for (int i = 0; i < njoy; i++) {
@@ -45,7 +45,17 @@ wxSDLJoy::wxSDLJoy(bool analog)
         nctrl += joystate[i].nax = SDL_JoystickNumAxes(dev);
         nctrl += joystate[i].nhat = SDL_JoystickNumHats(dev);
         nctrl += joystate[i].nbut = SDL_JoystickNumButtons(dev);
-        joystate[i].curval = new short[nctrl];
+        joystate[i].curval = new short[nctrl]{0};
+
+        // initialize axis previous value to initial state
+#if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2, 0, 6)
+        for (int j = 0; j < joystate[i].nax; j++) {
+            int16_t initial_state = 0;
+            SDL_JoystickGetAxisInitialState(dev, j, &initial_state);
+            joystate[i].curval[j] = initial_state;
+        }
+#endif
+
         memset(joystate[i].curval, 0, sizeof(short) * nctrl);
     }
 }
@@ -134,13 +144,6 @@ void wxSDLJoy::Notify()
             for (int j = 0; j < nax; j++) {
                 val = SDL_JoystickGetAxis(dev, j);
 
-                // trigger axes always return max negative value, we ignore these
-#if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2, 0, 6)
-                int16_t initial_state;
-                if (SDL_JoystickGetAxisInitialState(dev, j, &initial_state) && val == initial_state)
-                    continue;
-#endif
-
                 if (digital) {
                     if (val > 0x3fff)
                         val = 0x7fff;
diff --git a/src/wx/widgets/wx/sdljoy.h b/src/wx/widgets/wx/sdljoy.h
index bdc7b194..9fcd3cef 100644
--- a/src/wx/widgets/wx/sdljoy.h
+++ b/src/wx/widgets/wx/sdljoy.h
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 #include <wx/event.h>
 #include <wx/timer.h>
 
-typedef struct wxSDLJoyState wxSDLJoyState_t;
+struct wxSDLJoyState;
 
 class wxSDLJoy : public wxTimer {
 public:
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public:
 protected:
     bool digital;
     int njoy;
-    wxSDLJoyState_t* joystate;
+    wxSDLJoyState* joystate;
     wxEvtHandler* evthandler;
     bool nosticks;
     void Notify();