Switch Pro Controller Support?

[A500+]

Hey guys,

I'm back with yet another controller related question!

I can't seem to map my Switch Pro controller in WinUAE 4.10.1 (though I've not tried it with any earlier releases so could be a more general issue).

I'm using it wired.

The controller is detected by Windows and works in other applications and games (Steam etc.) and it appears in WinUAE as "Pro Controller" but none of the buttons or sticks are detected when trying to test or remap in either the 'Game Ports' or 'Input' panels.

I know the Switch controller is DirectInput instead of XInput so not sure if that has something to do with it or not?

Is the Switch Pro controller supported? If not no worries (I have other controllers I can and do use) but if so does anyone know how I can get it to actually work?

Thanks.

[TCD]

Just tried it here with my Switch controller and the controller is indentified as 'Core (Plus) Wired Controller' in the Input panel. It seems to work fine when I tested it in a game and also the 'Test' on the input panel worked.

[Supamax]

Sorry for a slightly OT question:
is it better than the Xbox One controller?

It would be nice to know which is the best controller usable in WinUAE (and/or Windows games in general).
I actually have a (wired) Xbox 360 controller. Very good, apart from the cross D-pad which is not the best imho.
Maybe this could be a nice separated thread .

[TCD]

You should try each one and see which one you prefer. I prefer to use the XBox controller, but they are almost identical. /OT

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by TCD

You should try each one and see which one you prefer.

Heh, I should have all of them .

I prefer to use the XBox controller, but they are almost identical. /OT

Ok!

[A500+]

Originally Posted by TCD

Just tried it here with my Switch controller and the controller is indentified as 'Core (Plus) Wired Controller' in the Input panel. It seems to work fine when I tested it in a game and also the 'Test' on the input panel worked.

Curious. I wonder if it's a driver issue then? Did you install a driver manually or just go with the one Windows chose?

Also, is it an official Pro controller or a third party one?

[A500+]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Sorry for a slightly OT question:
is it better than the Xbox One controller?

It would be nice to know which is the best controller usable in WinUAE (and/or Windows games in general).
I actually have a (wired) Xbox 360 controller. Very good, apart from the cross D-pad which is not the best imho.
Maybe this could be a nice separated thread .

This is obviously a very subjective question but for what it's worth I find the PS4 and PS5 controllers to be great all-rounders for most things.

The Switch Pro controller probably has the best D-Pad out of the current crop of common controllers imho (hence why I'm trying to get mine to work with WinUAE).

[TCD]

Originally Posted by A500+

Curious. I wonder if it's a driver issue then? Did you install a driver manually or just go with the one Windows chose?

I haven't installed a driver (in fact it was the first time I connected it to my PC )

Originally Posted by A500+

Also, is it an official Pro controller or a third party one?

It's a third party one. The packaging is really confusing

I found this while looking for my controller: https://www.rewasd.com/nintendo-swit...ntroller-on-pc

Maybe that can be used to make the Pro controller work?

[A500+]

Originally Posted by TCD

It's a third party one. The packaging is really confusing

Ah that'll be why yours works out of the box and mine doesn't then. They may be for the same console but they're different controllers. Yours is probably using a completely different driver than the official one does (or has some other fundamental difference at least).

Originally Posted by TCD

I found this while looking for my controller: https://www.rewasd.com/nintendo-swit...ntroller-on-pc

Maybe that can be used to make the Pro controller work?

Probably but I'd rather not mess around with extra layers of software. I'm trying to keep everything as streamlined and 'portable' as possible. I've got configs for each of the most common controllers I have lying around the house so that I can just plug the nearest controller in, switch to the relevant config and play with as little fuss as possible. Thanks anyway though.

It's no big deal if I can't get the Switch Pro controller to work as I have plenty of other controllers that do work - I'm more curious than anything as to why it appears to be recognised by WinUAE but then won't actually work with it. Seems strange.

[Toni Wilen]

Include winuaebootlog.txt when controller is connected.

[A500+]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Include winuaebootlog.txt when controller is connected.

Here you go.

I used the -log parameter then loaded the Default config and went to the 'Game Ports' panel, selected 'Remap/test' and pressed a few buttons so hopefully that should have captured everything you might need in the log.

[Toni Wilen]

Hmm.. Looks fine. I'll need to buy official Switch Pro controller. Consider it fixed in 5.0 release

[A500+]

Looking forward to it

[Toni Wilen]

Local availability is non-existing currently (mid February or so).

So lets do some quick debugging..

Run "winuae.exe -log -inputlog 4 -inputdevicelog". Game Ports panel -> Remap/Test -> Test to enable input read mode. Do not start emulation.

Check log window. Press first button and keep it pressed. Some long hex string should get logged (and possibly few other lines). Release button. Hex string should get logged again with some difference. Repeat same using button 2.

Include log lines.

[A500+]

Log attached but I don't think it worked as expected - no hex string logged when button pressed and held. Tried with a few different buttons.

If it helps (and this isn't in the attached log as I tried this separately), when I select 'Pro Controller' from the drop-down list (rather than Custom #) the default mapping is displayed but 'Test/Remap' > 'Test' fails to detect any button presses at all. If I launch WinUAE without the controller connected the 'Pro Controller' option isn't in the drop-down, so it's as if the controller is being detected and identified correctly but no input is being registered. This is the same on both my machines and I can confirm the controller is working correctly with other applications on both machines.

[Toni Wilen]

That is strange..

New test: download https://www.winuae.net/files/b/winuae2.7z No need to use any command line parameters except -log to get log window. Boot to some basic config (like A500 quickstart)

Press pad buttons. You should see something like this:

GetRawInputData 40 bytes
GetRawInputData type 2

Do you get any? (byte count most likely is different but type should be 2)

(Note that moving the mouse or keyboard also generates same messages, don't touch them)

[A500+]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

That is strange..
Press pad buttons. You should see something like this:

GetRawInputData 40 bytes
GetRawInputData type 2

Do you get any? (byte count most likely is different but type should be 2)

No, none at all. I can see that data for mouse and keyboard but absolutely nothing on any button presses on the controller.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by A500+

No, none at all. I can see that data for mouse and keyboard but absolutely nothing on any button presses on the controller.

This means WinUAE does not get any WM_INPUT (rawinput) events from this device. Are you sure you don't have any weird 3rd party software that could swallow all those events?

Does other USB joypads work?

[A500+]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

This means WinUAE does not get any WM_INPUT (rawinput) events from this device. Are you sure you don't have any weird 3rd party software that could swallow all those events?

Does other USB joypads work?

I don't think so. The laptop is a Dell and they do tend to do some weird stuff with their hardware and/or firmware sometimes but I'm having the same problem on my Desktop and I built that one myself so I know there's nothing weird or non-standard in there. The laptop is rocking a fresh install of Windows 10 too with none of the bloatware that originally came with it.

All other USB controllers I've tried work fine - including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and an 8BitDo Arcade Stick. Also the Switch controller works fine in other applications on both machines.

Both are using the same driver so I'll have a little look around and see if perhaps there is an alternative or more up to date driver available. Maybe that's the problem?

[A500+]

Okay, I'm really sorry to have sent you on a wild goose chase, but it looks like I have a faulty Switch Pro controller.

It works with the Switch wirelessly just fine but I noticed when I plugged it in and enabled wired communication I started getting severe input lag - as in go-and-make-a-cup-of-tea-whilst-you-wait-for-the-button-press-to-register-in-game type input lag!

Same on Steam when playing games that have native supoprt for the Switch Pro controller. It'll work fine sometimes (most times, in fact) but then other times it's as if the controller goes to sleep for a while, then wakes up and sends all your inputs at once before nodding off again! It's the same on both my machines.

I have no idea what could cause this or why it appears to be intermittent (or why it continues to work flawlessly when wireless on Switch) but that's a question for a different forum!

As I don't have a known-working controller to test with I'm going to put this one down to mine being faulty, rather than anything wrong with WinUAE's controller support.

Sorry again for wasting your time. With it being an intermittent problem the controller appeared to be working just fine initially, otherwise I wouldn't have raised it as a possible issue with WinUAE.

Now with that said I have discovered another small (unrelated) bug with the newest version of WinUAE so I'll post another thread for that in a minute...