How do I use the left analog stick as a d-pad in RetroPie?

Question

I have a Switch Pro Controller paired to a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ to play games in RetroPie.

I would like the option to use the leftthumb stick on my controller as a d-pad when playing systems that didn’t support analog control. (NES, SNES, Genesis).

I considered rebinding my thumbstick to the d-pad, but that would mean I can’t use the thumbstick on systems with analogue controls such as N64 or PS1. (Preferably, I would also like my d-pad to continue working as a d-pad.)

How can I configure RetroPie to use my left thumbstick as a d-pad for games that don’t support analog sticks?

score 5 · Answer 1 · edited May 03 '18 at 15:08

In /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg, add these lines to the bottom to make the left joystick act as a D-Pad (and vice versa).

input_player1_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player2_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player3_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player4_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player5_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player6_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player7_analog_dpad_mode = "1"
input_player8_analog_dpad_mode = "1"

You can use either the joystick or the D-Pad and switch at the drop of a hat. It seems to work in ALL the emulators I've tried (mostly NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, and MAME):

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 08 '20 at 11:34

1

There's an easier way. Just change the settings for your controllers in RetroArch.

You can find it under input settings and the second line should say something about "Assign DPad to Analogue stick". You can also change the first line to "Gamepad with Analogue sticks". Mine was set to just "Gamepad".

edited Jun 08 '20 at 11:34

Stevoisiak

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answered Jun 04 '20 at 23:15

Maurycy

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It didn't occur to me that RetroArch is what powers this stuff. Sure enough though, start RetroArch, go to Input settings, scroll down to P1 Input, and there's an option to remap d-pad as analogue. Great stuff. Thanks! – Scaine Sep 07 '20 at 12:25

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 07 '20 at 05:57

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Download the joypad profile configuration in retroarch and activate analog button on joystick.

answered Jun 07 '20 at 05:57

Sohan Arafat

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How do I use the left analog stick as a d-pad in RetroPie?

3 Answers3