This continues to be an issue on x86 builds. I have opened an issue on the RA github but don't have much hope of it getting any traction.
https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues/12312
I updated the original post to say that I am not seeing this issue on older versions of RA (specifically 1.7.3 anyway).
Is there ANYONE else that has 4x genuine PS sixaxis dualshock controllers that can verify what I am seeing? If so, this may give us enough ammo to push the issue with the Libretro team.
John