Issues with BTstack mode on A7 devices

RetroArch Apple devices
#1

The specific issue I’m having with retroarch and btstack mode is that upon picking BTstack mode in the frontend settings/or if it’s already enabled and upon starting the app, retroarch will initiate the btstack process which is signified by the grayed-out Bluetooth icon appearing; however, after a few seconds the bluetooth icon will turn black to signify that a controller is connected. The issue with that is that it always happens even when I DONT press the ps3 button. This causes several issues for me, such as:

  1. PS3 controller never connects.
  2. Unable to sync two controllers.
  3. PS3 controller will show that it’s connected, however inputs are unresponsive nor can button settings be reset due to unresponsivness.
  4. PS3 controller continues to blink or show that it’s connected (even though it’s unresponsive in RA or even after RA has already been closed out for a few minutes) and the only way to make the controller turn off is by rebooting my device (iPhone 5s/ipad air).

I have been able to connect a ps3 controller, though only if I press the ps3 button right before I open up retroarch. That seems to be the only way I can get RA to register the controller, though that isn’t always successful. Also with that method, I’m unable to sync a second ps3 controller to RA. If I open up RA first and then quickly press the ps3 button, RA will always show that a controller is synced even before it actually sync with the controller, which leaves the ps3 controller continuously blinking and unusable.

I have removed RA, deleted all old RA folders, and reinstalled RA. However, the issue still persist. I thought maybe it could be a btstack issue and even uninstalled/reinstalled it, though that isn’t the cause of the issue. Though blutrol isn’t yet updated for ios7 use, I can still connect a ps3 controller in its settings just fine. I also have no issues connecting 1 or even multiple ps3 controllers in NEO.emu, GBA.emu, and snes9x EX+. The thing with those emulators and blutrol is that after it initiates the btstack process, it will then ask you to press the ps3 button unlike RA which appears to be an automatic process. So I know it’s not BTstack or a conflicting tweak that’s causing the issue. Does anyone know what could be causing this issue and how I can fix it? I just redownloaded the .emu emulators so I could test this issue, I don’t really want to rely on them for multiplayer play on my ipad, plus there’s a status bar bug in all those emulators which hasn’t been fixed in a update yet. Plus, I’ve already decided awhile ago that RA is the way to go for my emulation needs on my idevices, though the ps3 controller connection issues have been a hinderence. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

#2

see this tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpRHlGw2Gvo

will help you to connect up to 4 ps3 controllers :open_mouth: . you can play up to 4 players on N64, Pc engine, and super nintendo. And up to 2 players PSX, Neo geo, etc. make sure to to follow the tutorial and download the config files and Psx bois in the description. you don’t have to worry about mapping buttons because I already did for player 1,2,3, and 4 and left analog working too =D

#3

I have already watched that video. It was actually your post and your great video tutorial that made me want to check out multi-player play on my ipad. :wink: lol However, I can’t even enjoy multiplayer through retroarch due to the issues with RA and BTstack I am experiencing on my devices. Anyways, I’m going to be updating my 5s and Air to 7.0.6 since apple fixed a major security issue; then I’ll be re-jailbreaking both devices with the recently updated evasi0n7. I’ll then attempt this one more time and follow your video tutorial to the ‘T’. Hopefully all goes well, if not, then I guess I’ll just wait for the MFI wrapper that the RA devs are creating for use with RA and all MFI enabled apps.

#4

Alright, just got through trying it one last time on a freshly jailbroken ipad air. The first thing I did after the fresh jailbreak was watch your video again and followed every step to the T. Everything. However, I’m still having the same issues as I described in my first post. I noticed in your video that you have an older ipad, your tutorial probably works fine for anybody else on older devices (A6 and lower), though it just isn’t working right for those on A7 devices. I can confirm this because I have both an iphone 5S and ipad air. Something is def wrong, especially seeing as how I just tried it on a freshly jailbroken ipad air (with no other tweaks or apps installed) and am still having the same issues. Like I said in my first post, it can’t be an issue with btstack, seeing as how it has been updated for 64bit devices. Also, I have no problems with connecting multiple ps3 controllers in other emulators. It has to be retroarch itself along with A7 devices. Older devices don’t seem to have any issues connecting even just 1 ps3 controller, you’ve shown us in your video just that. So the problem is def RA on A7 devices. I guess all I can do is wait until the next update of RA is pushed out with the MFI wrapper support and see how that goes.

It would be nice to hear from other users on A7 devices…what have your experiences been like in regards to connecting a ps3 controller to your device? Have you had similar issues like mine? Are your connections always successful? etc?

#5

hey LDAHRAX

don’t worry i won’t let free until you fix your issue =D. I have iPhone 5s and I paired 4 controllers with no issue, so you shouldn’t have issue too.

tell me did you install the latest controller for all, retroarch, switchspring and afc2add. If you didn’t install them, go ahead and install them and follow the steps in video.

if didn’t work after you installed them,then install this btstack deb file for 64bit https://www.mediafire.com/?gj6hzc66z0cwae4 install via ifile reboot your device then try pair them. let me know what happen after you do this.

#6

lol, you must want me to enjoy the greatness of multiplayer gaming on retroarch too, huh? =D I appreciate the help, though I’m just going to wait till the devs push out the next update with MFI support.

Like I said in my first post, it’s not that i’m not able to connect a ps3 controller to RA, I have been able to. Though trying to do it every time isn’t always consistent with successful results. Sometimes issues will arise; sometimes a controller may not want to connect and just continue blinking, sometimes a controller will show that it’s connected yet still be unresponsive in RA, sometimes the BTstack process won’t kill after closing out RA and it still shows even after a respring (then you’re left with having to reboot), and the worst problem of all is when you start up retroarch and it initiates the BTstack process and then immediately shows that a controller is connected even when I haven’t even pressed the button yet (this is probably the number problem with RA that causes these issues).

Before I wrote this post, I messed around a bit with connecting two controllers in RA on my iphone 5s. Out of 6 tries, I only got it to work 3 times of those attempts. When you get it to work, it’s great. No issues at all. However, the process that RA uses to connect to ps3 controllers isn’t without it’s flaws. In Blutrol and other emulators that use btstack, I don’t have any issues connecting a ps3 controller to them, even multiple controllers. It works 100% (without issues) of the time without you having to do multiple trial and errors just to see what could be causing an issue or why a controller isn’t connecting. Instead of all this automated stuff, retroarch should take from these other emulators and blutrol when it comes to btstack and connecting a ps3 controller. When they connect a ps3 controller, they first initiate the btstack process, then when ready, it either waits or asks you to press the ps3 button. In blutrol and other emulators, there’s even a disconnect button that lets you disconnect the controllers and kill the btstack process all without having to exit the application. The thing is with RA is that, what if I want to continue playing a game but maybe switch to onscreen controls instead of a controller? Why should I need to close out of RA just to unpair the controller and kill the btstack process? Seems kind of silly…heck, there should be an option in RGUI that lets you disconnect the controller as well as kill the btstack process so it’s not using up your battery when it’s not needed.

I’m still figuring out why retroarch will show that a controller is connected even when there isn’t one actually connected nor has the ps button even been pressed. I believe this is the root cause for all the other issues, no other application that uses btstack does this.

#7

“I’m still figuring out why retroarch will show that a controller is connected even when there isn’t one actually connected nor has the ps button even been pressed. I believe this is the root cause for all the other issues, no other application that uses btstack does this.”

your issue will be fixed with one reboot. btstack is tricky but when you how to deal with it will be nice and smooth.

after you reboot go to settings btstack check mark on btstack then launch Retroarch wait for 3 seconds then press PS button.

#8

See? That’s the problem. A person shouldn’t have to reboot just to fix an issue with a controller not pairing (who likes rebooting anyways?! No one ). A person shouldn’t have to wait 3 or a certain amount of seconds before they press the ps button for a controller to pair successfully. A person shouldn’t have to go to settings first to troubleshoot pairing before opening up retroarch. It should just work, all the time, every time. Like blutrol and other emulators that use btstack, pairing a controller works all the time, every time. Disconnecting a controller works all the time, every time. No issues arise, no troubleshooting, it just works.

Look at all the other posts in the iOS section about ps3 controller pairing problems, this isn’t the first topic created on the subject. If pairing/unpairing a ps3 controller in retroarch was seamless and successful 100% of the time, then ppl wouldn’t make topics like this or request for help. Just recently, another user made a post about what the best method is to pair a ps3 controller in retroarch. He even stated that on his iPad 4, pairing a controller works but that sometimes it doesn’t work and just gives him issues. Even on the twitter account for libretro, there are ppl reaching out for help with connecting a ps3 controller. The dev’s response was to wait for the next update to be pushed out with MFI support which would address and alleviate the issues ppl are having in regards to ps3 controllers. So it’s safe to say that right now, the process RA uses to connect a ps3 controller is far from perfect and at the moment flawed. Don’t get me wrong, RetroArch is an AMAZING project; I love it. Though, it could use a few fixes and new features added before it can become a complete go-to package. Which is why we’re here. To help by making recommendations, bringing up bugs and other problems, etc so the devs can perfect their code and share their dream of retroarch with everyone else who shares the same passion for emulation.

Anyways, enough about that, now I’m wondering why this topic I created has a heart by the RA icon. How/why does that happen and can it be changed when creating topics? Lol