It's possible to add USB controllers on Recalbox. Most of them should be compatible (see the compatibility list).
After plugging your USB controller (or paired your Bluetooth controller),
push START with an already configured controller (or ENTER with a keyboard),
select CONTROLLER SETTINGS then follow the instructions.
The button names are based on a Super Nintendo controller:
A Super Nintendo (SNES) controller
The L1, R1, L2, R2, L3, and R3 buttons are based on the Playstation 3 controller.
The last button to set up, HOTKEY, will be used to perform special commands inside an emulator.
For Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers, the HOTKEY Button is set to the HOME button.
For PS3 and PS4 controllers, the HOTKEY Button is set to the PS button.
If there isn't a dedicated button, it is advised to set the HOTKEY Button to either Select or L3 (Left Joystick click).
To skip any button in the configuration (except Hotkey), press Down to go to the next one.
Once you're back to the configuration screen, you can assign the controller to a specific player. Your controller is now set up.
Button mapping
For 6 buttons controllers (SNES, Arcade, ...) the buttons are mapped according to a SNES layout (see the above section).
For 2 buttons controllers (NES, PC Engine, Gameboy, ...) only the A and B buttons are used.
Using a keyboard
If you cannot configure a controller, it's possible to plug an USB keyboard into Recalbox to set it up.
Start = Enter
Select = Space
Back = S
Confirm = A
PS3 Controllers
In order to associate a PS3 controller :
First connect the controller to the USB port
Wait 10 seconds.
After this you can now disconnect the controller
Press the Home button to initiate the wireless connection.
For asian copies of the PS3 DualShock 3 (such as GASIA or SHANWAN), you will need to adust some settings.
See PS3 controllers drivers.
Warning :
If unsure about the power supply and power consumption of the device, try to avoid charging the SixAxis on the RPi as this may cause stability issues.
In this case plug the controller on the recalbox only to associate your controller with your recalbox.
If you understand the parameters involved or want to try using the SixAxis over a USB connection, you need to disable the ps3 bluetooth driver in recalbox.conf by setting controllers.ps3.enabled=0
Remember that the configuration of the controllers in recalbox is based on the SNES buttons assignment :
ps3 pad
snes pad
x
B
◯
A
⬜
Y
△
X
The default HOTKEY button is the PS button, the one in the middle of your controller.
For more info about HOTKEY actions like saving/loading see the Special commands section.
Xbox 360 controllers
Note:
XBox 360 Wireless controllers need specific wireless receiver hardware. Since 4.1, the Xbox configuration doesn't require you to enable any specific driver. It works just out of the box and can even be used along with DualShock pads (which was not the case in 4.0).
Remember that the configuration of the controllers in recalbox is based on the SNES buttons assignment :
xbox pad
snes pad
A
B
B
A
X
Y
Y
X
The default HOTKEY button is the HOME button, the big one in the middle of your controller.
For more info about HOTKEY actions like saving/loading see the Special commands section.
Add a Bluetooth Controller
To add a bluetooth controller,
Set your controller in pairing mode.
Go to the menu using the START button or a keyboard and select Controller Settings.
Select Pair a bluetooth Controller.
A list of detected controllers appears !
Select yours and now the controller is paired!
Now you can configure it if it's not already a supported controller!
For 8bitdo users, see 8bitdo on recalbox.
GPIO controllers
You can connect your arcade joysticks and buttons directly on the raspberry GPIOs. See GPIO controllers.
You can connect original controllers from PSOne, Nes, Snes, Megradrive and other. See DB9 and Gamecon controllers.
Virtual gamepads
With Miroof's Virtual Gamepads you can add up to 4 controllers with your phones ! Virtual game pad is based on snes controller.
Just start your Internet Navigator on your phone
Type the recalbox IP followed by the communication port (port=8080).
You can get the recalbox IP in the setting menu NETWORK SETTINGS