MiSTer FPGA Forum

Anyone tried to use the 8bitdo modkit for the original N64 controller with the MiSTer? I just got mine, but early tests were quite confusing.

It sort of worked both over bluetooth and over USB, but I can't assign every button of the original controller inside the N64 core or the MiSTer main menu. I connected it to my computer and tested with jstest on Linux and there's some weird stuff going on. It advertises 8 axis, two for the d-pad, two for the analog stick, and four for the C buttons, two of them work as a regular d-pad and the other two also change when I press the C buttons, but instead of being neutral by default, it defaults to pointing to a diagonal.

When I try to set it up, what happens is usually the C up and C left won't get recognized. I tried cleaning the rubber pads to make sure it wasn't bad connection, but when connected to my PC it register those button presses just fine. I thought maybe it was getting confused with the C buttons showing up as another d-pad, but then I remember it worked when I assigned the right analog joystick with the DS4 as a stand-in for the N64 controller before the modkit arrived, maybe it's the other two axes screwing up with the input mapping setup?

I still have to try using the 8bitdo bluetooth adapter, as some people have reported it helped using the NSO N64 controller with it and this modkit seems to work with the Switch just as if it was a NSO controller. I'll have to dig around my mess of controllers and accessories to find where I left it and give it a go.

I would keep an eye on this thread.

chopperthedog wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 1:53 pm

The camera buttons on the 8bitdo mod kit are handled as right analog stick and need to be assigned as so in main. Learned rumble will only work on the switch while playing n64 games. The mod kit only supports D input as well.

good day.

I put mine together a while back but haven't had time to fiddle with it; kind of sucks that it's only D-input but 8bitdo might put out a new firmware and/or we might see some fixes from the community.

Following a tip on Discord I tried using it via Bluetooth and every button worked this way, although rumble didn't work when I tried it, while it was working on a DS4 on F-Zero with the september 25 core. But there's a catch: there's SOCD filtering, I'm not sure if any games rely on having opposite direction C buttons be pressed simultaneously, but using a controller test ROM I noticed this behavior I didn't noticed on a real N64 before.

New issue, not sure if anyone noticed, I was running low on power and by mistake I plugged the controller to a cable connected to my laptop instead of a charger, the laptop instantly froze with a kernel panic, looks like a division by zero bug in nintendo_hid_event. On the MiSTer it didn't crash, but the system became somewhat unresponsive and threw tons of "Division by zero in kernel." messages on the serial console until I disconnected it. No anomalous issues when connecting to a Raspberry Pi with a 64 bit kernel. This issue only happens when using wired USB connection on Switch Mode, doesn't happen on D-Input Mode.

MiSTer 231018 kernel 5.15.1-MiSTer
Laptop running kernel Linux 6.5.9-arch2-1
Pi4B running kernel 6.1.21-v8+ (aarch64)

I'm not sure who's responsible for this code to send an appropriate bug report, I'll investigate it later. Just posting here in case anyone bumps into a similar issue and has a "WTH?" moment.

I am experiencing the exact same thing as everyone above.
No C-up or C-left when mapping to the N64 core, but they work in Windows, albeit the same as above, they show up as the second half of 2 different sliders and not buttons.
I could also never pair it with a Magic-NS controller, but the Asus 500 worked first try.
I also did experience it making Mister crazy when plugged in via USB once.
I checked, there is no newer firmware, just 1.0.
Hopefully they fix those clearly common bugs soon, but it's been 6 months so I probably shouldn't hold my breath.

MacGyverr wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:08 am

I am experiencing the exact same thing as everyone above.
No C-up or C-left when mapping to the N64 core, but they work in Windows, albeit the same as above, they show up as the second half of 2 different sliders and not buttons.
I could also never pair it with a Magic-NS controller, but the Asus 500 worked first try.
I also did experience it making Mister crazy when plugged in via USB once.
I checked, there is no newer firmware, just 1.0.
Hopefully they fix those clearly common bugs soon, but it's been 6 months so I probably shouldn't hold my breath.

See this thread. You probably need to map the analog stick in the main menu, then in the core menu map the d-pad to the cardinal directions, ignore the analog stick and then set up your c-buttons (they are mapped as an axis from memory, not individual buttons).

What bluetooth receiver is everyone using? I have the modkit and the 8BitDo wireless receiver 2, but it only seems to connect in S-Input, and the MiSTer doesn't register the inputs in that mode. I've been told by 8BitDo support that the wireless receiver 2 is not officially supported with the N64 controller modkit, I'm at a loss.

Valtyr wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:55 pm

What bluetooth receiver is everyone using? I have the modkit and the 8BitDo wireless receiver 2, but it only seems to connect in S-Input, and the MiSTer doesn't register the inputs in that mode. I've been told by 8BitDo support that the wireless receiver 2 is not officially supported with the N64 controller modkit, I'm at a loss.

Do you have the latest firmware?

Edited to add that in the FAQ it specifically states "It works with... ...as well as all 8BitDo Bluetooth controllers."

Valtyr wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:55 pm

What bluetooth receiver is everyone using? I have the modkit and the 8BitDo wireless receiver 2, but it only seems to connect in S-Input, and the MiSTer doesn't register the inputs in that mode. I've been told by 8BitDo support that the wireless receiver 2 is not officially supported with the N64 controller modkit, I'm at a loss.

Did you remember to configure it in the MiSTer main menu before configuring it inside the N64 core? Also note that this modkit has different MAC addresses for Switch and D-Input modes, if you paired to the 8bitdo wireless receiver 2 on one mode and later switches to another mode, the receiver will think the device is turned off, as it only pairs to one device at a time. Remember to always use it in the same mode you paired it, or just re-pair it again in the mode you want to use.

I usually use one of those generic "CSR" receivers. I've used with one of those "BT + AC600" BT+WiFi combo adapters on occasion, usually when bring my MiSTer to a friend's house and have to connect to their WiFi instead of using Ethernet. In my experience, with those generic adapters either they don't work at all and will fail to pair any BT devices or scan WiFi Access Points, or they work just fine. Luckily I never got one of those with erratic, hard to figure out "sometimes it works 100%, sometimes it misbehaves in unexpected ways."

Just note that if you swap your bluetooth controller, you'll either have to copy/move the pairing data on /var/lib/bluetooth from the old controller to the new one or re-pair e reconfigure every controller you're going to use. Also, although it can work with two bluetooth adapters connected at the same time and you can swap them as often as you'd like, unless you have a really good reason to do so, avoid doing it, it's very easy to forget how you setup your stuff and waste a lot of time trying to figure out what went wrong.

I've got the same issue d-mode won't pair, s-mode pairs but no inputs are recognized. Firmware for kit is 1.00 firmware and for dongle is 1.06. I can get the mod kit to work wired or with a cheap wifi+Bluetooth dongle but not with 8bitdo in house dongle? I have to be doing something wrong right?