Fake China Snes 8bitdo controller wont work wireless, does anyone have a solution?

alanmanquero

Hey there!

I am new in the forums and retropie scene and it has been really helpful to check all the topics. i have a problem, I found some snes wireless controllers on ebay at a fairly good price with joysticks included like the 8bitdo version (attached picture). I have been able to use it wired connected to the USB perfectly fine, it is detected as an xbox controller (dont know why). When I try to use it wireless through bluetooth I am able to get it found and synced to the pie but emulstation wont detect my input. It does detect a gamepad but wont detect any button press, so I am unable to map it. Through bluetooth it seems to be detected as a switch pro controller. Also according to the seller, this controller also works with the nintendo switch.

Anyone has a solution for this, I do found an old thread about this specific problem but there was no solution at that time, just wondering if someone has made it work. The controller is great and I wish to use it with it.

Thanks in advance.

(https://imgur.com/x7pJ8ut)

mitu

The 8Bitdo controllers have a mode switch - by pressing a certain button combination on start - that makes them behave like a Switch/Android or Xbox controller. Does this controller have such mode switch available ? You can try starting it in Xbox mode and re-pair it via Bluetooth, then see if inputs start working.

alanmanquero

@mitu I appreciate your response, not sure about that, I have read the instructions completely though and it does not state that it can change modes. It does say that if you want to use it with a pc you need the xbox controller driver. When I go into bluetooth it appears as if I had a nintendo switch controller in the raspberry pie. I am also able to sync it to my switch and play with it. I am just not able to use it wireless with retropie. Like I said, its detected and connected but when I press A to start mapping the buttons it wont detect anything. I will check on changing modes, maybe it does have that, will ask the seller.

Clyde

If nothing else works, you could try an adapter like this one:

http://www.mayflash.com/Products/NINTENDOWiiU/MAGIC-NS.html

I don't have that one, but my Wii U Pro wireless adapter from Mayflash works extremely well.

alanmanquero

@Clyde Wow! thank you so much. That did work, I had one available. The only problem is that it only supports a single bluetooth device at a time, therefore will have to order more if I want to get it working with this controller. Nevertheless, I really thank you for your advice. I will keep digging to see if I can get them working without the adapter for multiple players.

Clyde

My pleasure. It's a shame that it only supports one controller at a time, as the Wii U adapter from the same company supports up to four.

At least it takes some pressure from you until you may find a more elegant solution. edit: That said, I gave up on that since the adapter connects just too reliably, while connecting the Wii U Pro controllers (i.e. Qumox clones) directly always was a pain in the a$$.

alanmanquero

@Clyde Yeah I have been thinking might be wiser just to get a real 8bitdo, I love the snes model with joysticks, its a bit expensive but cheaper that getting the magic ns for each controller. I guess it probably needs some special drivers but nobody has made them yet for the pie. I do appreciate sharing your knowledge!

Clyde

De nada, like we Germans say. 😉 (Actually, we don't.) I also would prefer a direct connection, but there don't seem to be Wii-U-shaped controllers for the PC/Raspi out there. Their form and size are just perfect for my adult hands, and I like the analog sticks at the outer edge.

bradarad

I replied to that same old thread that you are talking about:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/22692/fake-8bitdo-sf30-pro-way-to-get-working/21

As I mentioned over there these controllers work just fine over Bluetooth on my Linux PC, but aren't detected over Bluetooth on the pie. Thought I'd drop a comment here also so I can see if any progress is made by anyone else.