How to set up a Sony Dualshock 2 controller correctly

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#1

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to know how to set up an original Sony Dualshock controller correctly in Retroarch. I’m asking because I never owned a Playstation 2 and therefore I don’t know how a Dualshock 2 is supposed to work especially with regards to the Analog mode on / off button in the middle.

So my question is this:

On an original PS2 console, when playing PS2 games and you switched the Analog button off (red light is not on), did the alanog sticks stop working just like it was with a Dualshock 1 controller on a PS1?

If I use the default retroarch setup, if I switch the analog button on or off, it does nothing. The analog sticks work either way.

However, I am able to reconfigure retroarch so that when I switch analog mode to off, the analog sticks actualkly stop working and only the dpad works.

So how should a Dualshock 2 work correctly?

Thx!

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#2

DUALSHOCK 2 behaves exactly the same as DUALSHOCK 1. Hereafter referred to as DS2 and DS1 for short.

The principle of the DS1/DS2 analog switch button is simple: the arrow switches the pad switch and the stick.

When analog is off, the pad switch moves as an analog stick, and when analog is on, the pad switch becomes an arrow and the stick moves as an analog stick.


Analog OFF -> Pad (analog), Stick (disabled)
Analog ON -> Pad(arrow), Stick(analog)

You can see the behavior in RetroArch.

So what is the difference between DS1 and DS2? That is, the pad switch and all buttons are pressure-sensitive with 255 levels. This means that there is a distinction between weak and strong presses, e.g. weak presses in Metal Gear Solid on PS2, etc. DS1 is simply an on/off switch of press/not press.

I don’t think DS2’s pressure-sensitive system is supported by RetroArch. If you have a standalone PCSX2, you can use it with a converter that is compatible with DS2.

However, unlike the DS1, the DS2 is pressure-sensitive, so it needs to be pressed medium-hard to be recognized as pressed, so I do not recommend the DS2 except for PS2 games.

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#3

Thx so much for clearing that up!

The problem then is that while DS1 just works correctly out of the box (analog switch disables the analog sticks), the same cannot be said of the DS2. I had to manually set the controlls for the pad an dthe sticks so that the analog on/off switch does what it is supposed to.

I have set up different instances of RetroArch for different original controllers (N64, GC, PS1 and PS2), so I will only use the DS2 for actuakl PS2 emulation.

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#4

It is up to the converter. I have a converter that converts to USB that supports DS2 pressure sensitive, but when I connected DS1 to it, RetroArch did not recognize it and I had to manually map the buttons.

I also use a converter that does not support the DS2 but allows the DUALSHOCK to vibrate in conjunction with sound, but this also required manual mapping.

I think it depends on the converter whether it is mapped automatically or needs to be done manually.

ps
I remember that most of the buttons on DS2 were treated as axes while DS1 was pure buttons except for the sticks.

If the converter is not compatible with DS2, it will also be a button on DS2.

#5

Now with the converter I have on hand, it works the same as DS1,

As I recall, on the actual device, the analog switch is off for PS1+DS1, but on PS2+DS1 and PS2+DS2 the analog switch is on from the start.

In the case of PS2+DS2, the pressure-sensitivity is enabled only when the analog switch is on, and disabled when the analog switch is off…
I will do some research. Perhaps the type that natively converts DS2 to USB, might be hard to get now…

ps
I am using the JC-PS101U series. The advantage of this is that it is compatible with dance mats. In dance mat mode, the Pad button becomes an independent button.

I don’t think this is in demand, but the converter that makes the DUALSHOCK vibrate in conjunction with sound is the “PC Tunaident USB”.

Sorry for the dirty picture, but the left one is “PC Tunaident USB” and the right one is “JC-PS101U”.

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#6

Oh boy, I didn’t even know the DS2 had pressure sensitive buttons. OK so let me explain why I actually use.

I have bought for my DS1 and DS2 controllers this twin USB adapter from OSTENT:

https://www.amazon.de/OSTENT-Controller-Adapter-Konverter-Kompatibel/dp/B00FBM3F72

However, it does not support pressure sensitivity with the Dual Shock 2. It doesn’t even support vibration out of the box. To get vibration support, I needed to install this custom driver:

Using this driver, I get my DS1 and DS2 to support vibration. However, still no pressure sensitive buttons on the DS2. It treats DS1 and DS2 essentially as the same exact controllers, I guess.

Now that I know about pressure sensitive buttons on the DS2, I absolutely want to get my hands on an adapter that supports this.

What adapter for the DS2 would I need to get?

Another problem is that Retroarch (which I use for almost everything because of shaders and bezels, including PS2 games) does only support vibration on Xinput devices. For this reason, I am currently using a program called XOutput, to make windows think my DS1/2 controllers are Xinput devices.

So my setup is:

  1. DS1/2 into the USB adapter
  2. Using XOutput to make the gamepads recognized as Xinput devices
  3. map all the buttons and the vibration support in XOutput software.

Now everything works in Retroarch, well besides the pressure sensitive buttons that is.

From what I understand, it might be impossibe to have pressure sensitive DS2 buttons and having the gamepad read as an Xinput device at the same time, correct? So I’d have to decide if I want pressure sensitive buttons OR vibration, right?

Or is there a way / an adapter that can actually read the DS2’s pressure sensitive input while at the same time converting it to Xinput? That would make everything work in retroarch, I think …

Anyway thx for your answers so far!

#7

Hi, just an opinion here:

I have and still use my PS2 and I have always disliked pressure sensitive buttons, for me they are more of a problem than a nice feature. I actually now use my PS2 with a DualShock 4 (which has normal buttons) and I don’t feel I’m missing anything gameplay-wise.

Likewise I also use my DualShock 2’s with a generic USB adapter and prefer that it doesn’t enable the pressure sensitivity feature.

#8

I think it is out of print now, but “Elecom’s JC-PS101U series” is the one. However, only L2/R2 can be pressure sensitive.

L2 and R2 look like buttons, but when connected with JC-PS101U, they become axes. It also supports vibration. This is a specification that uses the Windows feedback function. At that time, most converters could only support up to two pressure-sensitive buttons.

To use all buttons as pressure sensitive, they must be DS3. If you install the LilyPad? plugin, all but the arrow buttons will be pressure-sensitive.

The difference between DS2 and DS3 is completely structural, but in terms of pressure-sensitive buttons, DS2 also had pressure-sensitive arrow buttons, but in DS3 they are now normal buttons. However, this will not be a problem because of the analog sticks.

DS4 omits pressure sensitivity on all buttons except triggers, so using DS3 with PCSX2 and RPCS3 is something that makes sense in my opinion.

However, it is not suitable for games with a play style that requires pressing L1/L2 or R1/R2 at the same time. In this case, DS2 would be the way to go.

On another topic, G-axis? Is it a gyro? You saw that it does not work. I own a PS3 console and the DS3 is usually connected to the PS3, but if I get the chance I will connect it to the PC.

#9

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The G axis worked on RPCS3. My DS3 seems to be fine. I will also post a picture of the controller part number.

PCSX2 mode with dshidmini_v2.2.282.0 and RPCS3 mode, two of the buttons are now on the axis. Pressure sensitive.

PCSX2 is using the development version build, so it is impossible to install “LilyPad”. But I’m praying it’s built into the development build, and if you look in the Windows device manager, you can see that it natively supports pressure-sensitive.

It seems that if I put it in DS4 Windows mode with dshidmin, it disables any pressure sensitivity. The gyro does not work either.

ps
Since the PS3 can be connected directly to an HDTV via HDMI, I think it would be better for my mental health to play on the actual PS3 console rather than emulate it… Or the same goes for PlayStation TV.