Observations about switching between different controllers

[retrobumdart]

I use a PS5 controller for everything except N64. For N64 I use a bluetooth Brawler64. They both work perfectly as the Port 1 controller, but switching between them has caused me a headache.

solution 1: When switching controllers exit retroarch first, then switch controllers on PC, then open retroarch. The controller will show up and will load button mapping from profile, so long as the option Settings/Input/autoconfig is set to ON.

I literally remembered this autoconfig setting as I was writing this to ask why my button mapping is not loaded from profile. There is no way to force load this profile, so I was remapping buttons every time I switch controllers.

non-solution 2: Use port 1 for my PS5 controller, use port 2 for my Brawler64, then use N64 core overrides to set port 1 to ‘Mapped Port 2’. This works. BUT, Hotkeys do not work with this controller. Menus do if you enable Settings/Input/menu controls/All users control the menu.

I basically solved my problem as I was writing here. I will still present two requests, maybe there are bad, but I will throw them out here anyways.

1 That there is a button to load Load Controller Profile. There is a ‘Save Controller Profile’, so maybe add a ‘Load Controller Profile’. ( I think ‘Reset to Default Controls’ currently does this, but only if autoconfig is set to ON ). What is ‘Default’, the controller profile we saved, or from somewhere else?

2 That there be an option for hotkeys to be enabled on all controller ports (or maybe even select ports). This would turn my non-solution 2 into solution 2.

Thanks

[md2mcb]

I didn’t exactly understand what your current issue is. Correct if I’m wrong: you want to use your DualSense, but, when playing N64, you want to switch to your Brawler64 controller. Is that it? If so, what happens if you turn off the DualSense, then turn on the Brawler64? Does RetroArch pick them just fine now?

[retrobumdart]

@md2mcb

you want to use your DualSense, but, when playing N64, you want to switch to your Brawler64 controller. Is that it?

Correct

When I switch controllers. They show up fine, but button mapping is wrong. Say I used PS5, then switched to Brawler64. In Settings/Input/RetroPad Binds/Port 1 Controls it will now show Brawler64 controller in the device index. BUT the button mapping will be for the PS5. So I have to click ‘Reset to default Controls’ to load my saved controller profile. Note that this only works if Settings/Input/autoconfig is set to ON. Switching controllers currently requires me to have a keyboard. Not a big deal.

I suggest Retroarch should ‘Reset to default Controls’ (ie load the controller profile) by itself. It is also a very confusing way it is currently worded, and how it needs autoconfig ON to even work.

If it is a manual process to load the profile, then why an autoconfig setting and a button called ‘Reset to default Controls’. Why not remove the two, and just have a button called “Load Saved Profile”.

Now that I understand how it works, I am OK. But I have to explain this to someone soon and it will melt their brain.

The Solution 2 in my post was a way to avoid this complexity, by just using different ports for the different controllers so they do not conflict with each other. But the hotkey thing is an issue (only port 1 works with hotkeys). There are enough common keys on the Brawler64 and the PS5 controller that I can have common hotkeys, and both of their ‘select’ buttons have the same number. It would be less ideal trying to have common hotkeys between PS5 and Xbox360.

I am good to go with everything now. I am open to solutions, but not desperate for one. I am more just noting some observations and making some suggestions. I am not an expert with this software, so my suggestions aren’t necessarily great.

[hunterk]

If you’re using autoconfiguration and your controllers have profiles, you shouldn’t be mapping them in settings > input > retropad binds at all.

"reset all to default’ just wipes out all of the manual mapping in settings > input > retropad binds, which you should do after you create a profile, since manual mappings supersede autoconfig profiles.

[retrobumdart]

In further testing. Sometimes when I switch controllers the profile does load, but typically it does not. It could be issues with my bluetooth or windows too. Things get weird when connecting different devices. Restarting PC helps.

I have this sorted out enough to be happy.

Thanks