Controller Questions

[twalls]

Pi Model or other hardware: Raspberry Pi 4B 4GB
Power Supply used: Retroflag 5V 3A USB type C
RetroPie Version Used: 4.7.8
Built From: Pre-made SD Image on RetroPie website, retropie-buster-4.7.1-rpi4_400.img.gz
USB Devices connected: Retroflag NESPi 4 case, Samsung Evo 256 GB SSD in cartridge, 8BitDo Bluetooth dongle (sometimes), 8BitDo RF dongle (sometimes), Raspberry Pi keyboard (sometimes)
Controller used: 8BitDo N30 Pro2 (2x), 8BitDo SN30 Pro, 8BitDo Arcade Stick

I have several controller questions. I apologize if these duplicate previous answers. I feel like I've found parts of the answer, but not clear on certain parts or the answer looked old and maybe not accurate for current versions. Thanks for bearing with me.

Vibration/Force Feedback/Rumble Questions:

1. I am trying to enable vibration/force feedback/rumble. I'd like to do this for platforms that supported it originally (Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation). I realize this may be limited to certain games/emulators. Is this possible with an Xbox-compatible controller using the xpad driver, or do I need to use xpadneo instead?
2. For PlayStation, it seems pretty well-known that the controller on the specific input port needs to be set to DualShock or Retropad w/ Analog. For N64, there's a hotkey to enable the rumble pak. I haven't found any mention of rumble for Dreamcast or NDS. Are these just not as well documented, or do the features simply not exist?
3. I'm assuming that, for all systems that support it, the enable vibration option in Retroarch is also required to be enabled. Are there any other settings that are also related to this that are needed?

Multiple Controller Questions:

1. I have several controllers, some of them that go by the same name when connected. This seems to mean that they will share the same config if so. I am under the impression that xpadneo seems to help with multiple controllers. Is this accurate and how does it help?

xpadneo Questions:

1. Are there any current compatibility concerns with xpadneo and the Pi 4?
2. Does xpad need to be removed before installing xpadneo?
3. Can I just install xpadneo from the RetroPie setup script driver installer, or should I install from Github directly?
4. It is my understanding that I need to unpair my controllers, install xpadneo somehow, and then re-pair/re-configure my controllers. Is this accurate, and are any other steps required?
5. Should I still use the udev rule I've been using for my Bluetooth connections after switching to xpadneo?
6. Do I need to clear out any existing controller configurations in Emulation Station or Retroarch before setting up again with xpadneo?
7. For 8BitDo controllers, it sounds like I need to put them into X-input mode first when turning on. Is that something I do everytime going forward, or will it stay in that mode once paired the first time? I get this might be an 8BitDo-specific issue, so just hoping someone with experience with this can chime in.
8. Do I need to do anything with SDL if I'm using the xpadneo driver from the RetroPie setup script?
9. It is my understanding that I no longer need to disable ERTM for xpadneo. Is that still accurate?

[mitu]

Vibration/Force Feedback/Rumble Questions:

1. Yes, but xpad and xpadneo are not mutually exclusive so it's not one or the other.

2. Don't know about NDS - I don't think Drastic supports rumble. Flycast seems to support the Jump pack as long as the RetroArch input driver supports it.

3. Depends on the core. PS1 expects Dualshock to be enabled, N64 has a core option, but other than that I don't think there are other general RetroArch options that are needed.

Multiple Controller Questions:

No, it will not help and this is not a driver issue. xpadneo is not a full replacemend of xpad, it only supports the newer Xbox BT controllers.

xpadneo Questions:

1. No
2. No
3. Whatever is easier for you, I recommend using RetroPie-Setup.
4. No other steps are required.
5. Not sure what rule you have in place, so can't comment on that.
6. No
7. No sure, but I think that some models (or firmware version) retain the previous connect mode.
8. Not sure what SDL has to do with it, assuming you're referring to libsdl.org.
9. Only because the xpadneo installer disables it.

[twalls]

@mitu Thank you for your helpful reply!

I'm starting to understand the difference between xpad and xpadneo. It seems that xpad doesn't get used by my controllers when connecting over Bluetooth, but they do use xpad when connecting via USB. Therefore, xpadneo is helpful for using my controllers via Bluetooth.

To clarify, the udev rule I was referring to is the one in the RetroPie Bluetooth setup script. I guess it has something to do with forcing the 8BitDo controller to reconnect on boot.

For SDL, I saw another thread where there were some issues with SDL2 and that version not being included in Raspbian/RetroPie. Wasn't sure if there concerns for upgrading it in my use cases. Sounds like I just need to install xpadneo and go from there.

Thanks again!

[mitu]

@twalls said in Controller Questions:

For SDL, I saw another thread where there were some issues with SDL2 and that version not being included in Raspbian/RetroPie. Wasn't sure if there concerns for upgrading it in my use cases. Sounds like I just need to install xpadneo and go from there.

That was about Xbox Series X controllers - the ones accompanying the newly launched Microsoft console - and their support in libSDL. It's not relevant for 8bitdo controllers though.

[twalls]

@mitu Ah! That makes more sense now. Thank you!