Issues setting up 8bitdo wired controller
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@escobarrr The 8Bitdo SN30 Pro is the new joystick which I have gotten as I was informed by a lot of people that 8Bitdo was one of the better brands to use for Retropie. I don't know what the issue is setting it up. I am not sure if it is a configuration issue which I have to do something to configure the controller, after mapping it in Retropie, which I already have done or if there's another step like updating the firmware, which I have tried unsuccessfully to find instructions for doing but that there seems to be very little documentation for the wired 8Bitdo controller. I don't know also if it is perhaps an issue of that model just not being compatible with Retropie as I haven't been able to find a definite list of compatible controllers. The third possibility would be that the controller is faulty, which as it is brand new I wouldn't assume would be the case but I just don't know. I am simply trying to work out what the issue is and get it working. My old generic controller which I have since plugged in and remapped works with both direction pad and analog stick not only in the Retropie menus but within the emulators too.
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There may have been a slight typo in my initial post. It should have read that the direction pad works but not the left or right analog sticks.
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@melbmatt50 said in Issues setting up 8bitdo wired controller:
@Thorr69 The default hotkey for exit which retropie usually recommends for exiting games is start and select as far as I know. This is for example currently the combination for exiting the NES emulator which I just tried and on my old generic ps3 type controller I can use both the direction pad and the left analog joystick for movement. I cannot use select because in emulators such as Mame, select is the default button for inserting a coin so I cannot have it being both an insert coin button and game exit button. I would happily assign the insert coin button to another button but the main issue is that in neither the emulators or on the emulator/game selection screens in retropie the analog stick doesn't work at all.
I have the same controller. (I have 5 different 8bitdo controllers in fact.) Here are my suggestions:
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the Hotkey is 1 key. The command to exit an emulator (including Mame) is Hotkey+Start. If Select is your hotkey, then it's Select + Start to exit an emulator. So, your hotkey should absolutely be mapped to Select. It's perfect for these controllers. If you want Select+Start to work, you must set Select as the Hotkey (the final item in the controller config interface, which is labeled Hotkey Enable). The hotkey is the only thing you can assign to a previously assigned button (shared functionality). so, yes you CAN have it be both an Insert Coin button and the Hotkey.
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I highly recommend uninstalling and re-installing the XPad driver. I had similar trouble and found this thread here:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/21424/8bitdo-analog-stick-troubles
You'll find my same suggestion as the last comment in that thread. I found that advice in this thread also:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/21344/updates-screwed-controller-config/2
Once I re-installed the XPad driver, I got full functionality on all of my 8bitdo controllers again. The ones with analog sticks got the functionality back and the ones with triggers were recognized again (which was particularly important for the 8btdo arcade stick). -
Make sure you are up to date on the firmware for the controller.
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@Thorr69 So I went into manage packages in Retropie setup and uninstalled and reinstalled the xpad driver. I also installed the xbox360 driver as sometimes when I had started it up and selected to configure a new controller that's what the system was recognizing it as. I tried clearing previous controller configurations to prevent interference. Have been able to get it working in Mame and mapped the controls there to start being the start button and select being insert coin etc.. The analog stick works there ok but not the direction pad which is strange because with my other controller both work within the games. I can use the start button to bring up the config window etc.. but not to start games once I have launched them. Have tried the nes, snes, master system and ps1 emulators (none of them recognizing the start button). I tried a few things but as nothing seems to have fixed it, for now I went back to my old generic ps3 controller which I remapped and which the start buttons works both within retropie menus and within games. Quite frankly I am at a loss, as I would like to be able to use the 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro controller I got as it seems to be pretty good, but if I can't get certain key buttons to work on it then I won't be able to use it for retropie.
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@melbmatt50
not sure what the problem is here, but something that caught my eye is that you said that the system saw it as a gamepad. as far as i have all messed it my 4 8bitdo's they all come up with the name of the controller " 8bitdo 30NES" etc.now all of mine are bluetooth, and have not messed with wired.
so not sure if updating the firmware for the controller is a option or not, but might want to look in to that
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@ExarKunIv I have tried detecting it and sometimes it detects it as gamepad when I go to map it and at other times it detects it as a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller. I found that when I was using retropie 4.4 that despite letting me map all the buttons and directions on the analog joystick s that it wouldn't enable the analog sticks to work. I updated retropie to 4.5 and mapped it again with this time the analog stick working but some keys such as the trigger buttons and start and select either don't register during mapping or if they do work then for example the start button will work in the emulation station screen but not within emulation of games. I have tried to find out how to update the firmware and have contacted 8bitdo support but even they seem to keep confusing this controller with a wired one. There last message instructed me to press X + start while the joystick is unplugged to turn on the controller, yet they seem to not realise that as it is a wired controller it doesn't have its own internal power supply unlike a Bluetooth one and so doing this does nothing. I have really found it difficult as I said to finding information about support for the wired model let alone updating its firmware.
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I connected this to my pc and tried it using the Dolphin emulator and as far as I can see all buttons and analog sticks work, so I think the controller is ok, just something causing there to be configuration problems with Retropie.
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@melbmatt50
im sure you looked at this but here it is anywayshttps://support.8bitdo.com/ yours is the second from the left if in not mistaken. and there is a firmware update.
but thats all i can find.
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@ExarKunIv I have seen that page a couple of times thanks. Unfortunately there seems to be almost no information about updating the firmware on that page or anywhere else for the wired controller that I have, which for such a well regarded brand is disappointing. The manual on that page is so brief that it is basically useless. I followed the instructions for copying the dat file to the Udisk as mentioned by the update instructions but when you connect the controller to the pc via the method you are instructed to you then you just get an empty drive screen so I am not sure what you are meant to do after you copy it over as there are no further instructions.!)
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@melbmatt50 Firmware update is pretty simple. You just need to use their tool.
https://support.8bitdo.com/firmware-updater.html -
@Thorr69 I have tried using this updater to update the firmware and it is flawed. First off, I plugged the controller as shown into the usb and then clicked on Firmware update above where it says v2.59, it then asks me to pick an update, the most recent of which is the 1.32 update from 2019-8-15 if I click on update then it says updating (although nothing happens) and it says prepare to update and an empty windows explorer screen is shown. If I click on prepare to update then it instructs me to 1. unplug the usb controller and press start to turn it off 2. hold l1 and r1 and press start for 3 seconds and blue and green lights will blink (this is as I have said flawed because it is not the Bluetooth version and so doesn't have any internal power source so pushing these buttons does nothing. The final instruction of putting it back in the usb of the computer is redundant because as the device has no internal power source it obviously wasn't going to have the blue and green blinking lights required from the previous step. Pressing these combinations of buttons when it is plugged in similarly does nothing and after a while it just gives me the usb device not recognized error. It seems even 8Bitdo themselves don't realise that this is not a self powered device like the Bluetooth model and provide instructions that are wrong. I have been going round in circles and this is extremely frustrating.
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question, where did you get this controller from. i did a little looking as i have messed with about a dozen of their controllers and i have updated them all, yes they are bluetooth.
but from what you said, your controller has a higher version then what they provide
when i had to do it i, i was always able to find the same version on the controller from their server.
and if you look at all the pics of them there are places for LEDs.so im wondering if you got a knockoff version. or something
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Ok, now I am wondering if you have the current SN30 Pro V2 or the legacy SN30 Pro. If you have the older one, you have to use the individual tool (https://download.8bitdo.com/Firmware/Controller/SN30pro+SF30pro/SN30pro+SF30pro_Firmware_V1.32.zip) and not the automatic updater tool they use for current items.
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@ExarKunIv I got this from eBay from a seller with 100%. I looked at the firmware version that was available using the 8Bitdo support site. 8Bitdo have no after being unable to tell me how to tell me how to update the firmware have basically told me that it is a raspberry pi issue and all but thrown up their hands. I am not sure if there's a way to tell whether it is a genuine controller or not as there seems to be almost no support available for the wired version. Was looking at the Bluetooth version but that is around $60AU and I may have similar configuration issues which would result in me having another boat anchor.
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@Thorr69 Unfortunately this is yet another site that has wrong information. Once again it instructs you to press l1 and r1 and start while it is unplugged to put it in update mode but as I have said before this is a wired controller so has no internal power source and doing that does nothing. I even tried doing that with the controller plugged in and still nothing. I ran the installer exe program that was in the windows folder which instructed me to do the flawed put in update mode steps which it says will then allow me to press the USB update button and load the dat file, but this button is greyed out so I cannot run it. I have emailed 8Bitdo several times as they have continually given me wrong information and their end result is that they are blaming it on raspberry pi and claiming this kind of thing almost never happens which does me no good and leaves me with a boat anchor for a joystick.
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@melbmatt50
Yeah. This is odd. But I will have to do with my gut on this and say that you got a clone. If anything the very high firmware that you gave us compared to what they even have listed in the file server to me is a dead giveaway.As no one else has come up with problems with wired controllers with the pie.
But as I said I don't have wired controllers. All of mine are Bluetooth but even when I had then plug in the a USB I never had a problem.
Just with how long they have been. I'm sure they would have a clue on what they made.
I just know clones are out there for just about everything. Hell the clones for PS3 are almost impossible to tell apart.
If you where to get a Bluetooth version from them and it's not a clone it will work fine. As I just got a SN30 pro 2+ and it worked right out of the box.
Also I get mine from Amazon. I have gotten burned from sellers on eBay.Hope you get this figured out. It would piss me off as well. And I'm sure you can't return it can you
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@ExarKunIv I was under the impression that with Bluetooth joysticks that there was a separate setup procedure than just connecting the joystick and the receiver. Can you provide information about this setup process. I am a bit reluctant to get one however, as they are nearly $60 and I am concerned that I may have similar configuration issues.
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@melbmatt50
you still need to pair them with the pie as it is documented herebut after that its the same with mapping the controls. if you end up having a problem with that i will have to say something is wrong with your build.
that all i had to do.
as i said this whole this is very weird. and hard to point where the problem is.
if you have a spare SD card. i would say get a fresh copy of RetroPie and try it clean with the controllers.
sorry if you said that you have done that. been a long weekend :) -
@ExarKunIv I have ordered a SF30 Pro. This time from a fairly reputable website. So from what I have seen, do I need to update the firmware before trying to register it with Retropie or should I only do that if I get confiugration issue? Thankfully there seems to be more videos and support for the Bluetooth version of their controllers.
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