RetroArch controller settings for PS1?

[tropez]

Hey gang, I was wondering, how do you have your controllers configured for the PS1 in RetroArch? By default the pad type is set to "default" but that doesn't seem to work properly when you fire up games like Ape Escape which requires a Dual Shock controller. For Ape Escape if I set the pad type to "analog" the game works fine. I'm building a system for my kid and I would like to have one controller setting that works for both game types instead of having to create individual game option files for all the games that use analog controllers and test each one one-by-one to see if "default" works or not. How do you guys and gals do this?

[dankcushions]

@tropez i believe game options file is the only way to go. if there was one type that worked with all, why have the option at all? ;)

i think only ape escape REQUIRES an analog controller type. the rest - depends. if you want to use the stick, some games will optionally support it and you can turn analog controller on, but this will break games that don't support it (everything before mid 1997, and i guess a few others).

[tropez]

Further testing...

I'm using PCSX-REARMed r22 as my core.

Options, Pad 1 Type set to default
Controls, User 1 Device Type set to RetroPad /w Analog

When I start Chrono Cross, I get vibration, the game starts, but I can't move with the analog stick. I then go into settings, change the User 1 Device Type to RetroPad, then right back to RetroPad /w Analog, exit the menu and I can move with the stick.

So why on the initial start of Chrono Cross with the RetroPad /w Analog does analog not work, but going into the menu then picking it again all of sudden cause it to start working. Very strange.

[tropez]

So I ended up doing the following:

I left the basic config in place.

I then tested each game, changing the controller type to analog once the game was started and if it worked, I created a custom config for that game that has the player 1 and player 2 controller set to analog.

So now each game works as it should, some work fine with the default settings and the d-pad only, others work with the analog stick. I couldn't find one blanket setting that worked for all games, I had to test each one and configure different options files for each game that supports the analog controller type. It took a good amount of time, but works like a charm now no matter what game my kid fires up on the unit.