How to properly map 6-button controllers?

RetroArch General
#1

I‘m trying to get two different SEGA-style 6-button controllers to work properly with RetroArch. Namely a retro-bit Sega Saturn bluetooth controller as well as a M30 bluetooth controller by 8BitDo.

If you go into RetroArch main controller setup menu, how should one map the buttons so that all the buttons properly align with the original button layout when using SEGA cores?

Button on 6 button pad = RetroArch layout

A = B
B = A
C = R1
X = Y
Y = X
Z = L1
LT = L2
RT = R2
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#2

I use this with a saturn controller. This is hard to explain and i’m probably going to do a terrible job but here goes:

You have to set the controls up twice so everything matches. First in the main menu before any games/cores are loaded, and then again in the core options (in a differeny menu entirely) after you have a game running. Once you do that you can save the remapped controls for that core.

(Left = Retropad, Right = Saturn Pad)

B button - B

Y button - Y

Select button - A

Start button - Start

A button - C

X button - Z

L button - L

R button - R

L2 button - X

Good luck.

#3

Just FYI, different cores have different layouts (e.g., genesis plus gx and blastem both emulate Genesis/MD but they use different layouts), so just map the gamepad to the retropad however makes sense to you and know that you may need to remap sometimes for individual cores.

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#4

For anyone who stumbles here, this is for Retro-bit Sega Saturn Bluetooth Controller on Android (eg. Google TV - Chromecast). Paired using Home + A, then with L + R + Start for 3 seconds which changes the D-Pad to left analog.

I followed butanebob’s way for the Retropad’s bindings in the main settings (eg. port 1 controls) with the modifications mentioned below.

(Left = Retropad, Right = Saturn Pad)

B button - B

Y button - Y

A button - A

X button - X 

L button - C

R button - Z

Start button - Start

Select button - Select

This gives me alignment needed for Genesis.

The shoulder buttons could be mapped further for Saturn’s alignment maybe, but I haven’t tested it.

L2 button - L

R2 button - R

Afterwards, as mentioned by both butanebob and hunterk, further mapping is as needed, at the time when the game is running via the ‘Quick Menu’.

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#5

had also issues with Sega Mega Drive Mini Controller. In Retroarch every auto assignment was arbitrary and up/down were reversed