PS1 Controller to PC

[PKr]

Hey guys!

 

Since there are a lot of people around here who like to fiddle with the old hardware, I bet some of you already know the answer... So, there is a bunch of "PS1 to usb" adapters available on Amazon. Some have ~2 stars and some ~4. Has anyone bothered trying them out? Will the controller be recognized as a dinput device? Will rumble/analog sticks work properly?

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Most controller adapters in general have issues, based on my experience. I tried two different Gamecube adapters, one fucks up the analog triggers, the other has no rumble and disconnects randomly. I'd imagine it's similar with PSX adapters. 

 

inb4 "Just use a PS5 controller bro it's literally the same thing"

[MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai]

Just use a ps5 controller bro it's literally the same thing

[Captain red pants]

12 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

inb4 "Just use a PS5 controller bro it's literally the same thing"

Don't be silly.

 

...

 

Just use a PS3 controller bro it's close enough to the real thing

[houston]

Just my bit of input, I'm pretty sure that DualShock 2 adapters should work just fine as well.

If you're looking for a deluxe and branded option, RaphNet offers one for mail order. I can vouch strongly for the quality of his adapters, he even writes his own drivers if Windows' existing DInput/XInput drivers are insufficient. Don't own a DualShock adapter personally, but they're probably to the same level of quality.

[Azuris]

Haven't one for PS1/2, but 8Bitdo sells a USB Dongle that covets up many Controller, including PS3 and that one is gladly the same.

 

If not, the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro and similiar ones are very close to the Playstation ones, as those are also "just" evolved Super Nintendo Controllers.

 

https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B01NCLG45T?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

have that one for N64

https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B089LKCBLG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

That one for Gamecube (works also over usb)

 

https://www.amazon.de/Wireless-Adapter-Nintendo-GameCube-Controllers/dp/B07JLF9PVG/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1HO0KH44CURJQ&keywords=8bitdo+gamecube&qid=1694863814&sprefix=8bitdo+gamecube%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-4

 

 

I ve searched a bit and what could be a true Problem with many of the Adapters is, that they simulate Xinput to the PC and that costs the Analogue Buttons.

Had that Problem when emulating Grand Turismo, as X was full Throttle or non, nothing inbetween as with a true PS2 Button.

From some Information of those simple Adaptors on Amazon it seems that People are losing Analogue.

 

I have the Defender, it comes with an USB and PSX Connection Dongle.

It has Analogue Buttons but i haven't tested them out on PC besides the Shoulder ones (they work analogue).

Maybe thats also something for you.

 

https://dragonbox.de/de/produkte-fur-sony-playstation-reihe/defender-psx-ps2.html

 

If i'll find some Time this Evening i'll try it out emulating PS2, to see if it translates the analogue Buttons.

 

At least you can see some Names of Companies with Stuff that actually works, be it 8bitso, Kaico, McBazel and Brook.

 

In the US they have ofte a better Choice of Products, so if you find something there, the Chances it works are bigger than an absolute Noname.

 

Edit: If you don't need Analogue i would say just go for one of those 10€ Adapters.

 

Btw. Before you buy many Controller, better go for some Controllers that Cover up many Systems.

So 8bitdo Adapter 2 is something that covers up nearly everything.

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Azuris

[houston]

3 hours ago, Azuris said:

Haven't one for PS1/2, but 8Bitdo sells a USB Dongle that covets up many Controller, including PS3 and that one is gladly the same.

...

I ve searched a bit and what could be a true Problem with many of the Adapters is, that they simulate Xinput to the PC and that costs the Analogue Buttons.

Had that Problem when emulating Grand Turismo, as X was full Throttle or non, nothing inbetween as with a true PS2 Button.

From some Information of those simple Adaptors on Amazon it seems that People are losing Analogue.

The DualShock 3 uses a USB/Bluetooth connection, DualShock 2 and earlier PlayStation controllers use their own connection. I forgot to mention this in my earlier post, but what your usual Radioshack/brandless DualShock (2) converter does is simply make the controller look like a DualShock 3 to the other side of the USB connection.

 

I don't know if they all work this way, but the intended purpose of these converters is to use DualShock 2's with the PlayStation 3, and to achieve this, they convert its output into DualShock 3 outputs, instead of doing any XInput ABI stuff in-between, and having full support for analogue buttons (not that this is relevant for pre-PlayStation 2 controllers). If you've got one of these adapters, you'd have to install a DualShock 3 driver/program onto your OS. Easy on Linux, but might be just a tiny bit messy on Windows. Either way you should be able to get analogue buttons working, unless you got a crappy adapter I think it'd just be a question of whether your emulator supports it.

Edited September 16, 2023 by houston

[PKr]

Well damn. Found one cheap Chinese adapter on Amazon that claims to support PS1 rumble, but apparently the very old drivers that it comes with don't work on anything but XP. :(

 

Guess I am out of luck.

[houston]

Cheap USB devices don't/shouldn't come with drivers unless it specifically came with a little CD or if Windows (I'm assuming) mentioned something about downloading drivers from the device. Do you know what sort it is? It might be a matter of grabbing some reputable community DualShock 3 drivers from the net.

[PKr]

1 hour ago, houston said:

Cheap USB devices don't/shouldn't come with drivers unless it specifically came with a little CD or if Windows (I'm assuming) mentioned something about downloading drivers from the device. Do you know what sort it is? It might be a matter of grabbing some reputable community DualShock 3 drivers from the net.

https://www.amazon.com/Controller-Joystick-Converter-Compatible-Playstation-2/dp/B00FBM3JEG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1MQSEKO8LQVXN&keywords=ostent+ps1&qid=1695041692&sprefix=%2Caps%2C582&sr=8-3

https://www.ostent.com/pages/download

[Herr Dethnout]

On 9/16/2023 at 1:41 AM, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

inb4 "Just use a PS5 controller bro it's literally the same thing"

Nah, a PS3 controller is better choice, as is was the last controller with the classic design.

 

Also, it official drivers for pc unless you have a fake one, then SCPTool is your only option. :P

[Kyle07]

17 hours ago, Herr Dethnout said:

Nah, a PS3 controller is better choice, as is was the last controller with the classic design.

Its so funny, I remember magazines where the PS3 controller (prototype) looked like this:

 

 

I play since December with a DualSense PS5 controller on PC. I play many games from the PS1 era with that. For me, as someone who always wanted a Sony console, but never got one, this is enough. But if you have a PS1 controller to plugin, go for it. I have also sometimes the feeling, that the DualSense is a little bit of a waste for old PS1 titles, when you think of what this controller could actually do.

Edited September 19, 2023 by Kyle07

[houston]

On 9/19/2023 at 3:21 AM, Herr Dethnout said:

Also, it official drivers for pc unless you have a fake one, then SCPTool is your only option. :P

It's got official drivers for Linux, I haven't found any official drivers for Windows oddly enough.

 

@PKr: Yeah, I believe installing any third-party DualShock 3 drivers should be enough to make that work.

[Kinsie]

DualShock 3 never had any official drivers from Sony on Windows. There were various solutions of varying quality to bridge this gap. Some emulators like PCSX2 and RPCS3 can support a DS3 out of the box with all the special functionalities, but they're few and far between.

 

DualShock 4 and DualSense have official drivers, but they only support DirectInput and DualSense-specific features like the fancy trigger resistance things are only available in certain specific multiplatform games. For other games, there are tools to bridge the gap like DS4Windows (which lets you emulate an Xbox 360 controller for better support on games that use XInput) or Steam's built-in Input stuff.

[Azuris]

5 hours ago, Kinsie said:

DualShock 3 never had any official drivers from Sony on Windows. There were various solutions of varying quality to bridge this gap. Some emulators like PCSX2 and RPCS3 can support a DS3 out of the box with all the special functionalities, but they're few and far between.

 

 

 

Oh i had no Idea, hace to test it out.

I had one of those Programs for Windows that allowed me to use them, but i haven't got it to run in the last couple of years and i had other similiar Options.

[vyruss]

Build one!

 

https://www.printables.com/model/152512-psx2usb-playstation-controller-to-usb-adapter

 

This topic has motivated me to - thanks for the inspiration.

Silly as it is, may add a topic about it over in creative works (prototyping a PCB for an atari 7800 controller before setting up a gerber to get good PCBs built as I did not want to pay silly amounts of money for the proline controller, blech).  Been on a deep hardware kick lately, and this gives me an excuse to create another fun little toy.

[Herr Dethnout]

On 9/20/2023 at 3:04 AM, Kinsie said:

DualShock 3 never had any official drivers from Sony on Windows. There were various solutions of varying quality to bridge this gap. Some emulators like PCSX2 and RPCS3 can support a DS3 out of the box with all the special functionalities, but they're few and far between.

 

DualShock 4 and DualSense have official drivers, but they only support DirectInput and DualSense-specific features like the fancy trigger resistance things are only available in certain specific multiplatform games. For other games, there are tools to bridge the gap like DS4Windows (which lets you emulate an Xbox 360 controller for better support on games that use XInput) or Steam's built-in Input stuff.

Then what is this?

[PKr]

Sooo... Does the rumble on the original DualShock work with generic DS3 drivers?

[houston]

10 hours ago, PKr said:

Sooo... Does the rumble on the original DualShock work with generic DS3 drivers?

There's a good chance it should, it definitely would work if it does plugged into an actual PlayStation 3. Are you asking because you don't have games to test with, or because it didn't?

 

13 hours ago, Herr Dethnout said:

Then what is this?

Wow, I hadn't heard of it before. No gyro or analogue buttons so it's a little worse than the official Linux driver. It's weird more games didn't support that driver, maybe SDL isn't widely used for controller connectivity middleware on Windows?

[Kinsie]

16 hours ago, Herr Dethnout said:

Then what is this?

Something that came out many years after the PS3's original lifespan, as part of the Playstation Now streaming service. Potentially useful but there are better community-authored solutions out there.

[PKr]

10 hours ago, houston said:

There's a good chance it should, it definitely would work if it does plugged into an actual PlayStation 3. Are you asking because you don't have games to test with, or because it didn't?

I mean, I haven't bought any adapters yet. That's why I am asking. Don't really want to throw money away.

 

The problem is that some say they got some random adapter and everything including rumble works out of the box for them. Others say PS1 rumble can't work at all via usb.

[houston]

I see. I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure all of these products (except for the RaphNet one) are exactly the same, so if some guys claim PS1 rumble work, they should be right. In the case of those who don't, they might have picked an unideal driver.

Not sure tjough, just go by the reviews of the particular type you're looking at buying

[PKr]

Right, so the adaptor I bought has finally arrived. It works with dshidmini driver no problem. The funny thing is both motors work fine when tested for example in MGS options. However many effects aren't there when playing games normally. For example when you bump into objects in Spyro 2, there is no rumble. At the same time if you charge into multiple barrels in quick succession a very subtle vibration kicks in. The effect works normally when you get hit by enemies.

 

So it seems like, all in all, the rumble works, but the problem most likely lies in rumble scaling that was adjusted for actual PS3 controllers within dshidmini drivers. I'll recompile the driver and see if I can get everything to work properly by simply changing rumble formulas. 🤔

[OniriA]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:05 PM, Kyle07 said:

Its so funny, I remember magazines where the PS3 controller (prototype) looked like this:

 

 

 

Haha, I remember seeing that in a magazine back then aswell. 

 

The  controller!

[Lila Feuer]

 

On 9/19/2023 at 6:05 AM, Kyle07 said:

 

 

Is it a gaming peripheral or a fucking Turok weapon.

[OniriA]

Imagine people trying to sue Sony because they threw away the controller in anger and it flew right back to smash their teeth out.

 

Would've made for some hilarious headlines.

Edited November 4, 2023 by OniriA

[PKr]

2 hours ago, PKr said:

So it seems like, all in all, the rumble works, but the problem most likely lies in rumble scaling that was adjusted for actual PS3 controllers within dshidmini drivers. I'll recompile the driver and see if I can get everything to work properly by simply changing rumble formulas. 🤔

Well damn... The recompiled driver doesn't work. I get an error "A problem was encountered while attempting to add the driver to the store." when trying to install it.

 

A dead end.

Edited November 4, 2023 by PKr