A bit lost...could use a push in the right direction

RetroArch Android devices
#1

I picked up a FireTV last week, and I’ve been messing with it ever since. It’s running the FireOS version of Lollipop (I think). One of the things I wanted to do was put emulators on it. RetroArch seems to be the best solution.

But I’m encountering a problem with my controller. I’m using a Tronsmart Mars GO1. It works fine with my FireTV. Navigating works perfectly. But as soon as I click on RetroArch, the controller won’t navigate it anymore. My native FireTV Remote is the only thing that works. I go into User 1 Input config, and I see that it’s labeled FireTV Controller (or something like that). I try to change it to USB 1, and everything stops responding. The remote doesn’t work and neither does the controller. I have to go back to Home and force close RetroArch. Then when I open it again, the FireTV remote is working again for navigation.

Now, I know RetroArch can take signals from the controllers. Whenever I go into User 2 input config, I can bind buttons by selecting the menu option with the FireTV remote and then pushing the controller button to map it. RetroArch picks that up just fine. But mapping User 2 isn’t doing me any good. I need to map #1.

I’ve done a lot of Googling and searching the forums, and I’ve tried a number of things, but so far, nothing has worked. I’ve even tried a few crazy things like binding the controller to user 2, saving the config, opening up the config file, swapping user 2 for user 1, and opening RetroArch again. Needless to say, that didn’t work.

I tried the USB Host View program stickied in the instructions at the topic of this forums section, and it detects the controller as XBox 360 Controller.

Anyway, I’m lost. I feel like there’s something obvious I should know to make this work, but I haven’t found the answer yet. I’m hoping someone here can clue me in.

Also, I tried downloading things like config, cheats, etc. using the Online Updater. And while I can see the yellow message at the bottom saying it downloaded and extracted something, I can’t tell any difference. I looked around in the file system too, and I can’t tell that anything has changed. I have no idea where it put that information. Again, I’m feeling pretty stupid and I assume there’s an obvious answer.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Oh…I should add, I’m installing the 1.3 version. I’ve tried the Stable and Nightly version of 1.3. I’m having the same problem in both.

#2

Have you tried disabling autoconfig in the input settings then map your controller to input 1?

#3

Does it respond when you use the ‘bind all’ command?

#4

Whenever I first open RetroArch and push the remote button, I see yellow text at the bottom of the screen. I assume this is “autoconfig” firing. I go to Input config and turn off autofig, but since it already fired, I was assuming that this doesn’t do anything at this point. I’d have to save and exit and then come back in at which time autoconfig does not fire.

When I just turn it off and then go straight to user 1 bindings, I have all the same problems I had before.

When I turn it off, save, exit, and come back in, nothing works. I cannot navigate the RetroArch menus at all.

The problem seems to be that the user 1 input device and the menu navigation device are treated as exactly the same. Therefore, when you change User 1, you change menu navigation device. In this case, the result is that you have essentially locked yourself out of RetroArch. You have to kill it and reload.

As a test, I took my son’s Logitech controller. It autodetected (saw the yellow text at the bottom and it showed up in my device index), but I could never navigate the RetroArch menus with it. I hit a button on the FireTV Remote, and saw the yellow autoconfig text at the bottom saying the remote had detected. Now I could navigate the RetroArch menu normally. I went to User 2 input config, and there in the input device index, it had the logitech controller listed instead of Port 1. I thought this was progress. I went to User 1 config where the remote was listed in the input device index. I changed the input device index to Logitech, and immediately lost all ability to navigate through the menu. The Logitech controller was unable to navigate it any better than my Mars Go1.

So I’m still stuck. Not sure what to try next.

#5

When I click the “bind all” on user 2, buttons from my controller register when they are pressed.

When I click the “bind all” on user 1, buttons from my controller do not register when they are pressed.

If I change the input device index of user 1 to anything besides FireTV remote, I immediately lose my ability to navigate the RetroArch menus.

So far, the controller has acted normally in all other applications. I even loaded a stand alone NES emulator (iNes) and the controller worked as normal with it. It’s only RetroArch so far that I’ve found has the issue.

Also, I noticed that RetroArch has not been updated to handle Lollipops’ new security restrictions for external storage. I cannot save any files from RetroArch on external storage because it has not been updated to ask for permission to write to the directory as, for example, ES Explorer does. You just get a message saying that the write has failed. They can be read just fine from external storage. You just can’t write to it.

#6

What happens if you do this?: disable the autoconfig option but don’t exit retroarch then go to input user 1 binds, don’t change the user 1 device index, just go to user 1 b button down and press the confirmation key then when the mapping screen appears press any button on your Tronsmart. What happens?

#7

If that does not work you can use a gamepad overlay to navigate retroarch that way when you change input 1 user device you can still navigate retroarch and map your controller, do you have a mouse to use on your fire tv? I think there are also apps to use your cellphone as a remote mouse for the fire tv, dunno if a mouse works to control the gamepad overlays in retroarch though, but it is worth a try. Go to onscreen overlay, select a gamepad overlay and turn off the option hide overlay in menu.

#8

It sounds like you’re doing the right stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of that hardware to try and reproduce. Perhaps someone else who does can chime in and explain better.

As for Lollipop security, it’s not that we haven’t updated, it’s that the security waiver ability isn’t exposed through the NDK, which is what we use. We only use the Android Java stuff for the initial launch and exit of the program, so there’s no way for us to trigger the request. In other words: blame Google.

#9

Sorry for the delayed response. Had a lot of family activities this weekend and didn’t get to try stuff out.

Whenever I turn off autconfig and go straight to input user 1 binds without exiting and I don’t change the device index on user 1, I can use the remote to trigger the user 1 b button bind, but it does not register the controller button presses. It appears that the only device allowed to bind user buttons is the one selected in the device index.

#10

I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, and I may not get one tonight (homework night for the 8 year old). But I wanted to say thanks for the reply and the idea. I’ll let you know as soon as I get a chance to try it. I don’t have a mouse, and I’m not sure which cellphone app(s) you are referring. I do have the Fire TV remote app that I’ve been using with all my other Fire TV apps, but they Fire TV phone application seems to do the same thing the controller does. It works just fine with all my other apps, but when I got into RetroArch, it can’t be used for navigation. However, maybe it’ll be different with the overlay. It’s worth a try.

#11

[QUOTE=hunterk;34404]It sounds like you’re doing the right stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of that hardware to try and reproduce. Perhaps someone else who does can chime in and explain better.

As for Lollipop security, it’s not that we haven’t updated, it’s that the security waiver ability isn’t exposed through the NDK, which is what we use. We only use the Android Java stuff for the initial launch and exit of the program, so there’s no way for us to trigger the request. In other words: blame Google.[/QUOTE]

I’m still going to see if I can get the Fire TV to work, but my wife is interested in the Fire TV box, so I think I’m going to give it to her and use something else in the living room. I think I’m gonna go with the Matricom G-Box Q² they just released a few days ago (2nd generation of the original). Anyone have experience with the 1st one or have the 2nd one already? Wondering how RetroArch behaves on it.

#12

Let me translate: Thanks for the support guys - I probably wont use it, but now could use some help with deciding on new kitchen furniture. I was thinking about this great one year old chinese model from that no name vendor with the interesting 3D cat logo and those nice stock images on their website. Of course I havent looked up the chipset yet - but, you guys are interested in Kitchen furniture - right?

And in letting a “I could really need some help in figuring out a process” thread become yet another “hey - who wants to help me buy” opportunity. (“The BestBuy clerk isnt talking to me anymore - so i though I find me another one on the libreto forums.”)

Because - you know how it is with decision making and our wives - nudge triedonchauvinisticwink.

I’ve looked up Benchmark scores - you havent. Because someone here SURELY has to have tried that new no name brand and must be interested in me skipping a few steps.

Its astonishing, really, how each and every “help me learn something” request in the end turns out to be this tried to be dressed up differently.

#13

WHAT? You should count to ten and try to relax I don’t know why are you coming to a thread you don’t care for just to bash the OP.

[QUOTE=ManOnAMission;34370]I picked up a FireTV last week, and I’ve been messing with it ever since. It’s running the FireOS version of Lollipop (I think). One of the things I wanted to do was put emulators on it. RetroArch seems to be the best solution.

But I’m encountering a problem with my controller. I’m using a Tronsmart Mars GO1. It works fine with my FireTV. Navigating works perfectly. But as soon as I click on RetroArch, the controller won’t navigate it anymore. My native FireTV Remote is the only thing that works. I go into User 1 Input config, and I see that it’s labeled FireTV Controller (or something like that). I try to change it to USB 1, and everything stops responding. The remote doesn’t work and neither does the controller. I have to go back to Home and force close RetroArch. Then when I open it again, the FireTV remote is working again for navigation.

Now, I know RetroArch can take signals from the controllers. Whenever I go into User 2 input config, I can bind buttons by selecting the menu option with the FireTV remote and then pushing the controller button to map it. RetroArch picks that up just fine. But mapping User 2 isn’t doing me any good. I need to map #1.

I’ve done a lot of Googling and searching the forums, and I’ve tried a number of things, but so far, nothing has worked. I’ve even tried a few crazy things like binding the controller to user 2, saving the config, opening up the config file, swapping user 2 for user 1, and opening RetroArch again. Needless to say, that didn’t work.

I tried the USB Host View program stickied in the instructions at the topic of this forums section, and it detects the controller as XBox 360 Controller.

Anyway, I’m lost. I feel like there’s something obvious I should know to make this work, but I haven’t found the answer yet. I’m hoping someone here can clue me in.

Also, I tried downloading things like config, cheats, etc. using the Online Updater. And while I can see the yellow message at the bottom saying it downloaded and extracted something, I can’t tell any difference. I looked around in the file system too, and I can’t tell that anything has changed. I have no idea where it put that information. Again, I’m feeling pretty stupid and I assume there’s an obvious answer.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Oh…I should add, I’m installing the 1.3 version. I’ve tried the Stable and Nightly version of 1.3. I’m having the same problem in both.[/QUOTE]

This seems perfectly normal, you basically need a mouse or a supported device to bind your controller or create an autoconf profile for your device. Basically what you need to do is this:

Use the fire tv remote to navigate the GUI,

  • user 2 input settings
  • user 2 bind all
  • user 2 save autoconf profile
  • user 2 default all

Then the next time, don’t touch the remote and you should be good to go.

#14

Hi, I am having the same issue as the OP. I am using a dualshock4. I followed the steps listed above, and now when I start retroarch I get the message: Wireless Controller configured in port #0

But the controller still doesn’t seem to allow me to navigate the menus. The left and right Dpad buttons work, but nothing else. After creating the autoconf profile for my controller, I should be able to use the controller to navigate within retroarch shouldn’t I?

EDIT: I uninstalled RetroArch, and re-installed it. Then I configured my controller on user 2 as Radius suggested above. Now the buttons work as expected!