[OS X 10.9.5] RetroArch only detects one controller

RetroArch Apple devices
#1

I have an Xbox 360 Controller and a Switch Pro Controller. I want to use them both to play local multiplayer in RetroArch. Unfortunately, RetroArch only ever seems to see one controller at a time.

If I start RetroArch with no controllers connected and connect my 360 Controller, it says “Xbox 360 Wired Controller configured in port #0.”, and I can use the controller. However, if I then connect my Pro Controller, no message appears, and I cannot use it.

If I disconnect my 360 controller before connecting my Pro Controller, I see “Pro Controller configured in port #0”, but I then can’t connect my 360 controller.

I experience the same behavior when I replace either of these controllers with a Wii Remote, so I do not think the issue is controller-specific. I’ve also tested RetroArch versions 1.7.5, 1.7.8, and the current latest 1.8.5, and all get the same behavior.

Is there something I’m doing wrong, or is this a bug with RetroArch on my relatively old version of OS X?

Edit: Kind of interesting how this is, in some ways, the opposite issue of One controller detected as two - MacOS. Could they be related?

#2

They could definitely be related. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone among our current contributors who uses Macs extensively and can debug this issue :confused:

#3

So it sounds like a bug to you to then, right, not something stupid I’m doing? Is it worth me opening up a Github issue for this? Just want to make sure so I don’t flood your issue tracker. :slight_smile:

I’d actually be interested in putting a bounty on it as well.

#4

There’s already an issue for the other “one controller controls both players”, so you may want to open up a new one and then link that other one so we have our bases covered whether they’re related or not.

As for filling up the issue tracker, we have like 1500 issues, so another one isn’t gonna kill us :wink:

#5

I’m increasingly convinced this issue is extremely old. If you start searching, a lot of reports have actually come up over the years, dating back a while. Most lack detail, but it’s pretty clear to me that they’re describing the same thing.

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/15602/problems-with-adding-multiple-controllers-in-retroarch/3 (Yes, this user appears to have been using RetroArch on Mac, they posted on the wrong website.)

https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues/2808 (I’m quite sure the final suggestion in this thread is unrelated—totally different platform!)

Please let me know if there’s any sort of research at all I can do to move this forward. I did also post a $50 bounty on the issue. At the moment, local multiplayer on Mac is effectively impossible!