How to switch from controlling player 1 to player 2 in-game

[gothats]

I'm using RetroPie to play the NES The Legend of Zelda. In order to save without dying, I need a player 2 controller, but I only have one controller. On an actual NES, I could just unplug my one controller and plug it into the player 2 port. Is there a way to simulate this action in RetroPie?

[Capeman]

Maybe set player 2 controls to your keyboard and use it when you need it? I know it's not ideal, but its an easy fix if you don't have 2 gamepads.

[mercifulhacker]

Another option is to save from the retro-arch menu.

In-game hit Select+X which should bring up a green menu. You should be able to save/load states from there.

[Capeman]

I think he means using the battery backup, in Zelda you can use the second controller to force a game over so you can save. Your referring to hardware save states. Using save states inline with battery backup can cause issues.

[mercifulhacker]

@Capeman Oops! Good point. Never played Zelda...on my list.

[meleu]

@gothats
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3882/change-retroarch-controllers-index-on-the-fly-with-no-issues

[Capeman]

@mercifulhacker Oh, you're in for a treat, a true classic!

[gothats]

@meleu Following your instructions gets me close. I updated my RetroPie install. I've ensured that "All users control menu" is set to on, but even with this set, when I unbind User 1, my gamepad no longer controls the menu, so I can't make the menu go away. I got it to work with a keyboard, but requiring a keyboard is exactly the situation I'm trying to avoid.

[meleu]

@gothats yeah, I noticed it stopped to work as expected. I'll check what's wrong and let you know if I discover something.