Missing the big picture: how to use wired DualShock3 controller with PCSX2?

End goal: Using my wired DS3 controller with PCSX2. What do I need to install for that?

I have so far:

• Windows 10 Pro 64-bit with PCSX2 1.5.0-dev-3337-g90b0e7af8, a working PS2 bios and a working game, which works fine with configured keyboard bindings
• ViGemBus 1.6.115
• FireShock 3.0.0.0

I can see my controller in Windows' device manager:

However, I cannot see my controller within PCSX2's plugin Lilypad:

Neither can I go to the "Pad 1" tab and assign a binding to a button I press on the controller. It seems whatever I do with the controller is not even received at Lilypad's end.

I already rebooted to no avail. I'd be grateful for any suggestions

In short: this is currently not possible without additional software and/or modifications to the PCSX2 LilyPad plugin

Extended explanation: FireShock isn't a true HID driver, it doesn't expose the DS3 as a game controller to the system without Shibari & ViGEm how it's momentarily designed for reasons I've already explained many times so pardon me for not going into detail. The proper way to get all the advantages out of it (like pressure sensitive buttons) would be to properly integrate the FireShock and/or BthPS3 APIs into the LilyPad plugin or some intermediate solution. I have code fragments and ideas for all of that. But I'm one person and I refuse to put even more FOSS work onto my plate currently as my health, social situation and future of employment demands most of my energy right now and for the first big chunk of 2020.

So without more help or funding this won't see the light of day out of my feather, sorry

Cheers

@nefarius said in Missing the big picture: how to use wired DualShock3 controller with PCSX2?:

In short: this is currently not possible without additional software and/or modifications to the PCSX2 LilyPad plugin

Oh!

it doesn't expose the DS3 as a game controller to the system without Shibari & ViGEm

I've just installed Shibari following this guide of yours and the controller is now usable! After some configuration in Lilypad, I can now use it in my game!

I really wonder how that can be given that your reply sounds very much like it's impossible to me. Reading between the lines, I get the impression that using Shibari is not the optimal, i.e. a perfectionist's way. But it totally suffices for me and probably other users.

I had to google around totalling 2-3 hours to find Scp, read about its discontinuance only to find a whole bunch of software tools under the umbrella term ViGEm, post to this forum to finally find the solution in a post, which I would have immediately neglected given its negative prospect if it wasn't me who started this thread

I'd like to suggest making a how-to guide of using PCSX2 using a DS3 controller with Shibari in a public place, e.g. as a sticky forum thread. If you want, I can contribute to that by providing my end-user, non-developer experience.

Ideally, the PCSX2 people also link to that from their documentation. In that way, other people do not need to search and ask around like me.

Cheers and have "fun" with the small donation,
ComFreek

@ComFreek said in Missing the big picture: how to use wired DualShock3 controller with PCSX2?:

I really wonder how that can be given that your reply sounds very much like it's impossible to me. Reading between the lines, I get the impression that using Shibari is not the optimal, i.e. a perfectionist's way. But it totally suffices for me and probably other users.

Your latter assumption is correct, it wasn't my intention to sell it to you as impossible, but I've received so many requests I automatically assumed you wanted full pressure sensitivity support as well which the Shibari route can't provide you. Glad the existing toolset got you off the ground and thanks for the contribution!

Everybody who wants to help me write guides and maintain/update existing ones is welcome, as you've experienced yourself I can't keep up myself anymore with all the docs and pages and content in general I've crafted.

Cheers

I've now created this guide: Complete Guide: using wired DualShock 3 controller with PCSX2.

Feel free to

• suggest improvements,
• perhaps move it to the Guides and Documentation subforum. I hope I'll still be able to edit then.

PS: I am so glad this forum saves drafts (although it strips all newlines!). I accidentally closed my tab.

Thanks for your contribution I'll move it and you can test if permissions to edit are still fine.

Btw. why did you choose to use DirectInput in LilyPad instead of XInput? Works better?

@nefarius said in Missing the big picture: how to use wired DualShock3 controller with PCSX2?:

Btw. why did you choose to use DirectInput in LilyPad instead of XInput? Works better?

It was just an arbitrary choice. I've now tested XInput and it works as well. Hence, I've updated the guide accordingly to present both possibilities. Is there any advantage of one over the other from your perspective?

@ComFreek not really, DI will come back into the game once additional features like pressure sensitivity arise since XInput is a static API, you can't present more axes and buttons than the specification provides, DI although allows that - with pitfalls but I've successfully implemented pressure sensitivity via DI in the lab.