Controller works in menu, stops working after loading game

RetroArch Android devices
#53

i joined these forums specifically for this issue.

i installed retroarch on my nvidia shield, unfortunately, as others have posted its not quite working…i can navigate the retroarch menu with either my shield remote or my shield controller. but loading any rom results in retroarch becoming non responsive to any input from either. my only choice is to force stop retroarch from the shield system menu.

everything else seems to be working fine…the games load, the picture looks great and the audio is fine. im so close to being able to play…but no love. my controller simply stops functioning as soon as i load a rom.

i did try the workaround of using my remote to navigate the menu and then pressing the d pad on the controller once the rom was loaded…but that didnt do anything at all.

i see there hasnt been any movement on this topic in a little bit…im hoping someone has a fix sometime soon.

#54

When you tried the workaround, you made sure to hold the action button during the process?

To load (run) the content, press and hold the B button, immediately after pressing the B button and while still holding it, start pressing repeatedly any D-Pad direction - a notification indicating gamepad detection should pop-up at the bottom.

#55

It’s sad that this issue still happens, but I found a workaround for those who are still struggling. I found that Retroarch only updates connected controllers while in the menu.

First you need to go into the settings and disable the option to hide the overlay when a controller is connected.

1. Open the desired game and the controller will stop responding.

2. Use the overlay button to open the quick menu.

3. While in the menu, just disconnect and reconnect the controller, Retroarch will recognize it again.

You can minimize overlay during gameplay. Whenever you close the game Retroarch will lose the controller again, so you need to do step 3 again.

#56

Cool, thanks for sharing this. Does this work if you close the current rom/core and load a new rom/core?

#57

Yes it works.

Just a curious fact, I was messing around with these generic controllers I have and one of them got recognized (a few times) even when I reconnected it without opening the quick menu. That same controller remained connected while changing the core/rom a few times, until it “died” again… this time it only came back when I reconnected it with the menu open.

#58

I just bought a usb-c hyperkin smartboy and this is happening on my samsung A02S phone. Android 10. Retroarch 1.10.3. I’m using gambatte if it matters. Ner0’s workaround works.

Overall, it’s annoying because if I close the emulator, the controls stop working. So I have to quit and re-start retroarch if I want to load a new game.

#59

The workaround should also work when closing the core / game. But yeah, idk why this issue keeps getting ignored, I find it hard to believe that not a single dev is able to reproduce this.

#60

It seems to be random. I tried again with closing the game and loading a new one and now the controller didn’t disconnect.

Going to the menu and re-inserting the controller also seems to be random. When it does work, retroarch takes around 15 seconds to recognize it.

#61

This happens to me with an Arduino LLC controller (daemonbite). Working fine in menu, launching a game make the controller stops working until I close RA and open it again. If I move the stick and press B button while launching the game it MAY work, or unplugging and plugin the controller, as stated by other users. Any chance this bug will be fixed?

System: Android 9 - RA version: 1.10.3 - Controller: Daemonbite controller on arcade stick/buttons.

#62

I was having the same problem, then I noticed that the Polling Behavior was set to Normal, tried to change to Late and voilà, everything is working as it should now.

2 Likes
#63

Unfortunately, at least for me, changing the Polling Behaviour options does not help (tried with Early, Normal and Late with no luck).

1 Like
#64

I just joined to continue this discussion. I’ve been using RetroArch for years and I’ve never had this problem until today. I hope that this can be helpful to pinpoint the problem.

A brief description of my setup:

Up to now I’ve been using my PC with Ubuntu MATE 20.04. I recently bought a laptop for traveling that has now Ubuntu MATE 22.04. Both have the same version of RetroArch installed (1.14.0) although I installed it through APT on the fixed PC and Snap on the laptop.

I’ve also been using two controllers: a RetroBit Tribute64 wireless controller (has its own USB receiver, it’s not connected directly to the computer’s BT), and a very old Logitech VV550 dual action.

Long story short, last time I used RetroArch on my PC (at least June 2022) both controllers worked perfectly. In the meantime the only changes I applied are updates, and now on my PC the controllers are not recognized at startup, but if I start a game, then they start working and keep working even if I stop the game.

On the laptop, on the other hand, despite the fact that I use the exact same configuration (literally, copied and pasted from my PC) I see the exact same problem reported in this topic: the controller is not recognized until I unplug and re-plug it, then as I start a game I have to do the same.

Strangely, on my laptop the controller is not recognized correctly (it says "Retro-bit Genesis/Saturn 8 Button Arcade Pad), but apart from that the mapping of the buttons is perfect. The lsusb command identifies the controller as “ShenZhen ShanWan Technology Co., Ltd. ZD-V+ Wired Gaming Controller”.

On my PC it’s recognized as “SWITCH CO., LTD. USB Gamepad”), the same name I get with the lsusb command. The device ID (2563:0575) is the same on both computers though.

Since others have been having this problem since before June 2022, it’s obviously not something created by an update, but it seems to me that a recent update has “activated” this bug on my PC.

I was hoping that I could provide a narrower window, but unfortunately I haven’t been using RetroArch lately. Whatever happened, it happened between v1.10.3 and v1.14.0.

#65

I have an NVIDIA Shield and use an NVIDIA Game Controller. I launch RA and Run the ROM and the controller will work great and I can play the game. But when I perform a Menu Toggle (set to L3 + R3 for me), the controller will not work. I can make the controller work again by hitting any button on the Nvidia Shield Remote. After that the Game Controller will work find in the RA menu. Then when I resume the game, the Game Controller stops working again until I press a button on the Nvidia Remote. Then the Game Controller works fine again. I can also hit the HOME button which takes me to the Shield home screen (and puts RA in the background). Then I can hit the RA icon again to resume where I was, and the controller will be working again.

I tried using a Dual Shock 3 controller and it does not stop working at any point.

#66

late to RA, installed nightly64 on my redmi10 and this problem still exist, using otg controller

1 Like
#67

Hi everyone, I had the same problem today with the gamepad disconnecting after starting the game and it helped. Settings/imput/Port 1 Controls/ RetroPad !!!NOT WITH ANALOG!! and Analog to Digital Type – Left Analog (forced) … Let me know if this works for you now too… Thanks and good luck :wink:

#70

Hi all I am very new to emulators and Lemuroid but I am having a similar issue but not being very tech savvy I was wondering if anyone could help.

I have a Doogee T10S tablet which runs on an Android operating system and have installed Lemuroid and also a folder of roms.

So what works: Lemuroid loads, finds the roms and I can play them using the on screen controls fine.

What sort of works: I plugged in a USB-USB-C adapter as the tablet has a USB-C in only and plugged a PS3 controller into this and it works. The D-Pad works to navigate the tablet and the roms within Lemuroid.

What doesn’t work: As soon as I load a game, from the menu to actually playing the D-Pad is non responsive and I have to use the non D-Pad controls for up/down/left and right etc (sorry not sure of the name of that control).

I hate that control stick and always have, I still use D-Pads on games when possible.

Steps tried to get the D-Pad usable in game: I have tried everything found in this and other threads and cannot get Lemuroid to allow the use of a D-Pad. I have also tried various mappings within Lemuroid and nothing seems to make the D-Pad function.

I decided to buy these QUMOX 2X N game PC controller SFC GamePad for Windows PC USB Super famicom hoping they’d work as they only have a D-Pad, but within Lemuroid it acts the same, the D-Pad works on the tablet and within Lemuroid for selecting games and navigating etc, but in game and in the games start menu’s the D-Pad is not working

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PL271Y0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Does anyone have a solution for this or some ideas I can try as I really want to get using the setup and even tried some other emulators (limited as I don’t know many free ones) and none seem to work

Thanks in advance if you are able to help or assist me as I have no idea about this stuff and just wanted to enjoy retro games when traveling etc

#71

Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone here is involved with Lemuroid, just with libretro (and RetroArch), so we can’t really provide any support for Lemuroid itself in this case, just for the cores.

#72

Can confirm this is still an issue with latest Android nightly using the hyperkin smart boy too, seems to happen in multiple cores. A workaround is using a touchscreen overlay to open the RetroArch menu when that happens then disconnecting and connecting again makes it work like you guys have said.

#73

This is my first post so I hope it’s the right thread. I’m using Retroarch and Gambatte for Link’s awakening DX on android. Worked perfectly for the first 4 hours but then the start and select menus stopped working. I tried different gb games and there it’s still working. Same with a different core and Link’s awakening. So the problem is specific to Gambatte and Link’s awakening. Does anybody know how to fix this?

#74

Hello I have a problem and I hope to solve it. I have a twin USB gamepad. It only works in the menu. When loading the game, it does not work. Is there a final solution?