Could be that file ownership/permissions on your home directory got hosed. Run the following command to ensure the 'pi' user owns everything in his home directory:

sudo chown -R pi:pi /home/pi

If you still have issues, you may have to fix directory permissions under /home/pi with the following command:

find /home/pi -type d -exec chmod u+rwx {} \;

EDIT: Changed find command slightly, first cut could have made some things like .ssh/ become too permissive and hinder some functionality (i.e. sshd will refuse to honor .ssh/authorized_keys if permissions are too open).

I should use the title to describe your problem.
Maybe you should edit it...

Good news! I tried an alternate SD card install and it worked. I'll be more mindful before i make changes to the configs from now on. Thanks everyone for your help!

have you managed to solve this? i got my ps3 working like a charm except for the D-Pad, it won't work at all, only analog pad :(

error log -

terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::logic_error'
what(): basic_string::_S_construct null not valid
/opt/retropie/emulators/reicast/bin/reicast.sh: line 76: 1076 Aborted

Did you try first using the sixad driver? I don't think the controller works as a generic bluetooth device. Are the controllers the only bluetooth devices you are using?

I would 1) re-install from scratch, 2) pair any other bluetooth devices you want to use, 3) install sixad from retropie-setup.

After that, simply plugging in the controller once should register it with bluetooth. You never have to actually pair it yourself. After the initial plug-in, hitting the PS button should pair it up, and from there Emulationstation should detect it with no issues.

I'm only suggesting #1 (reinstalling) because I haven't a clue what that message means, and not knowing what you tried, it's probably easier to re-install than attempt to backtrack. #2 is necessary because sixad disables something that bluetoothctl needs (some kernel module I think, I forget), and you won't be able to pair new devices after that.

Once you get this working, before you tinker with anything else, I'd highly recommend saving an image of your card, so that the worst-case scenario is simply backtracking to a working system, not a brand-new installation.

I run it on my ubuntu setup myself, and have not seen any problems when updating - so I would be interested in knowing what went wrong.

@kraken0667 mc

Unfortunately it seems this controllers latest firmware still requires the hack on. If you had configured joypad with it off you would have lost controls in retroarch also.

@darkchild1336
I'm running into the same issue and haven't been able to resolve anything. Did you find any answers on your end?

Thanks I ended up using that ROM, which is the Rev 1 set. It checks out against your MD5 checksum. I was using Alex Kidd in Miracle World (USA, Europe).sms from No-Intro initially.

Now that is sorted, does anyone know anytime about playing the BIOS version of the game?

FYI, any Windows 8\10 users who want to calculate checksum from the command line, use this:
C:\WINDOWS\system32>certutil -hashfile c:\rompath\rom.ext MD5

Thanks again bobcat987

@BuZz That did the trick, after I turned the 8bitdo hack mode to on in the Bluetooth menu. I thought I already had it switched to on. Thanks for the help.

@obsidianspider I'm sure it will come in handy later. I'll order one too.

@wmcclelion Cool, I'll fiddle around some more with the gamepad then. Thanks. :)

@bkay Some discussion on the topic here as well:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/140/how-to-use-overclock-and-mupen-core-options-to-significantly-increase-64-game-playability-quality-and-stability/

Samsung card is good one. I got the 64gig version of that and it's been perfect. I'm referring to the GOLD Evo

I see what your saying but since these OS's are all based on basically the same foundation I bet you just need to install a driver is all. I could be wrong but it makes sense. Lets wait for a Guru to chime in ;)

@jay81uk

Hi

Yes you can and I do this with a card with Raspbian on and another with My weather station software so I can try things out without ruining my live environment.

Cheers

Paul