MiSTer FPGA Forum

I picked up a brand new Dual Shock 4 to use on my MISTer after my previous one stopped working (I can't even get it to sync with my PS5 anymore, so I'm guessing it died while in storage) However, when I plug it in to the MISTer, it does light up (orange color which I believe signifies it's charging) and pressing the PS Button makes it flash blue. However, I cannot make the controller do anything in the MISTer, when I try to define joystick buttons via the menu, nothing I press on the DS4 do anything. To verify the controller is functioning properly, I paired it with my PS5, played for a while, then unsynced it. Are there any other settings I have to do to get the MISTer to detect this controller, this is the first controller I've tried using that wasn't just plug and play (including my old DS4 that died out after a short period of use)

The original DualShock 4 controller only sent data over bluetooth. Only the DualShock 4 v2 can be used in wired mode. The PS5 was likely pairing it and using it in wireless mode and just charging it via the cable if you have an original PS4 controller instead of the v2 controller.

If you have a DualShock 4 v1, my advice is to get a good bluetooth adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DFBNG7F/ - I personally use this one because I have a DualSense and the BT5.0 standard has slightly faster connection time, slightly lower latency, etc...

The dualshock 4 in bluetooth mode even with older 2.0 adapters had an average latency of under half a frame.

I'm pretty sure this is the version 2 I'm using, I looked up and it says that the V2 has a light on the touch pad button which this new one does have.

EDIT: Upon further research, I think I have to actively switch the DS4 to a wired mode. I've found guides on how to do this when the controller is plugged into a PS4, but is it possible to do it using a PS5, the MISTer itself or PC?

ps4 mode select mode is on for ps4. mister do not do that it connect to Bluetooth if connect it with out cable.and if you connect it with a cable it uses usb.

ZForceFFC wrote: ↑Sun Jul 10, 2022 2:43 pm I picked up a brand new Dual Shock 4 to use on my MISTer after my previous one stopped working (I can't even get it to sync with my PS5 anymore, so I'm guessing it died while in storage) However, when I plug it in to the MISTer, it does light up (orange color which I believe signifies it's charging) and pressing the PS Button makes it flash blue. However, I cannot make the controller do anything in the MISTer, when I try to define joystick buttons via the menu, nothing I press on the DS4 do anything. To verify the controller is functioning properly, I paired it with my PS5, played for a while, then unsynced it. Are there any other settings I have to do to get the MISTer to detect this controller, this is the first controller I've tried using that wasn't just plug and play (including my old DS4 that died out after a short period of use)

Do you try to define the buttons in the MiSTer menu or in the core menu?

Chris23235 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:53 pm

Do you try to define the buttons in the MiSTer menu or in the core menu?

I did, nothing happens when I try pressing buttons in the MISTer menu.

I use a DS4 wired and I am pretty sure at least the buttons and the D-Pad worked without any need to configure anything. Does the pad work on a different device (e.g. a Windows PC?).

Do you use a powered HUB?

EDIT: Make sure that the cable you use is a data cable and not just a USB power cable.

I tried using it on my PS5 using the same cable (not sure if it's a data cable or not) and it worked perfectly fine. I'm not totally sure if the USB hub is powered, but I think it is. I got my unit from MISTer addons.

If it works wired on the PS5 then the cable is the right cable. Can you navigate the MiSTer menu with the D-Pad? You can also use the PS5 controller on the MiSTer via USB.

No, it doesn't seem to do anything when I try using the D-Pad on the MISTer. It does light up though.

I am out of ideas here.

Sounds to me like you are likely using a power-only cable for it and not one which has the data lines. The PS5 having a cable sticking out of it doesn't mean it was being used as a wired controller, it could have just been charging it and been wirelessly synced. Do you have a PC you can plug it into?

I plugged it into my PC using the same cord I used on my PS5 and attempted to use on the MISTer. The controller was detected as a "Wireless Controller" I tried it on a couple of games through Steam, it seemed to work fine with Geometry Wars, did not work at all with Pinball Arcade and worked with Blaz Blue, but none of the buttons seemed to correspond with what I had it set to work as with other controllers I've used on PC

On a PC you'd need to do some things to get DS4 working 100%. Even so, if some games work then the cable is probably okay.

I'm on my second DS4 with MiSTer, the first one I had been using wired and now the new one via BT. The only complaint I have is about the USB socket on them, it wears really fast (why I had to buy the 2nd pad) and does not work well with all the cables which is the reason I now switched to BT. Seeing as your pad is new this shouldn't be a problem though.

I may just buy a bluetooth adaptor and try to configure it that way. I mostly just wanted to use it wired because I assumed there's less lag/latency. Right now I'm using a SN30 Pro from 8bitdo which works well, I just like the form factor of a DS4 a bit more.

I had a thought. Might the fact that the new Dual Shock I bought isn't working have anything to do with the fact that I once configured and used another Dual Shock 4? And if so, is there a way to remove those controller configurations? I found a lot of files in the "config --> inputs' folder in the root of my SD card, but don't know which of them are associated with the Dual Shock 4.

EDIT: I just tried plugging in my old Dual Shock which I thought had died, and lo and behold it worked. The plot thickens I guess.

If you've got access to a PC, try running the program DS4Win, which is a driver that maps a DualShock controller to look like an XInput device (aka XBox controller.) That should let you explore all its functionality, making sure everything's working. If it looks right in DS4Win, then it's a matter of getting Mister to talk to it.

The basic Mister menu has its own joystick configuration routine. I can't look at mine right now, but I think it's on the first screen that pops up when you hit F12 at the core selection screen. Navigate into joystick config using your keyboard, and then when it tells you to press RIGHT and LEFT and so on, use the D-pad and see if it registers. If it does, register all the buttons, and then you'll probably also want to map a secondary L/R/U/D with the analog stick.

Remember that registering the menu select and menu cancel buttons is critical. They can be the same buttons as for other functions, that's fine. I use A and B for menu select and cancel, personally. When the menu is open, it's looking for menu select and cancel, and when it's closed, the buttons revert to whatever other function you gave them, so there's no confusion about what a button press means.

If you're really stuck, post back, and the next time I read this thread I'll dig out my DS4, and see if I can make it work with the Mister. I bought it sometime early in 2021, so it should be the most recent model.