Set up multiple control schemes (X-arcade , kbd and Xbox 1 controller)

RetroArch Windows devices
#1

Hi, I use Retroarch as software for my cabinet. I have been using most of the time the keyboard, but now I want to add a X-arcade dual joystick and an Xbox one wireless controller; so I can cover all the various control methods available in most of the games.

The problem is, that I don’t see how can I accomplish this. I set 3 as max users (one keyboard, one arcade stick, one xbox one controller); although the controls for RA can be set only for one method, so if I use the keyboard to navigate in RA, then I can’t use joystick or joypad, and when I disconnect either, I can only use the keyboard.

So fundamentally I am stuck using the keyboard for RA functionalities; and use the joypad and x-arcade for games. The x-arcade is pre-set for Mame, although it won’t work with many other emulators, because they expect the key config from retroarch; which I can’t access with the X-arcade; so I have to pull the keyboard from the case and use that to exit other cores that are not mame.

Is there an easy way to configure RA for different controllers? Or maybe someone has a config file already made for such cases? Thanks

#2

If you look in your retroarch.cfg, you’ll see that the functions all have a possible key assignment and a possible button assignment, so you can have the gamepad and a keyboard active at the same time for P1 and the same keyboard active for P2.

On my J-PAC-powered cab, I use one of the J-PAC’s built-in combos to bring up the menu, but you could do the same with one of RetroArch’s ‘menu toggle gamepad combos’.

#3

Thanks :slight_smile: Can I have multiple keyboards attached? The x-arcade has few buttons and I would really like to have more buttons just for the Retroarch controls and modifier buttons. So far when I connect and disconnect peripherals it works fine. Mame 2010 under RA is the only one giving me issues, since it does not see the controller when I try to go in the tab menu and set the buttons from the x-arcade. Not a big deal, since I can probably modify in text editor the actual controller scheme, but the fact that it does not see the button press at all, but when I play the game works, it is weird.

#4

Yes, you can have multiple keyboards, but it won’t see them as individual input devices. That is, it just sees “some keyboard event” rather than “keyboard 1 event” and “keyboard 2 event”, AFAIK.

#5

So judging from your explanation, I need to go into the retroarch.cfg file, and paste in the controller’s button configuration on top of the arcade stick?

Or am I way off on this?

Thanks! Krayvyn

#6

If you controller is autodetected, you don’t need to do anything. Just plug it in and it will jump into p1 spot but the keyboard (i.e., arcade controls) will still function.

#7

Hello everyone, I’m using pine a64 and installing retroarch, everything smooth but when i connect xbox 360 controller its keep blinking even i installed the driver using this command sudo apt-get install xboxdrv

any help?