Hacking How do I use the Wii U Pro controller with RetroArch?

[Torbjorn]

I've found various threads where a similar issue is discussed, but any answers provided tend to be too vague to be helpful.

Is there any way to use the Wii U Pro controller in Retroarch?
By this, I mean use it to both navigate the Retroarch UI AND use it as the main input device for User #1.

I've gone through all control settings in the Retroarch UI and see no option to toggle between input devices.
Is there anything that can be manually changed in the configuration files?
It seems the Pro controller is recognized as User #2 by default, but shouldn't there logically be a way to use it for User #1 if preferred?

 

[Torbjorn]

I figured out how to make this work, so I'm posting it here for future reference for anyone else who is as frustrated by this as I was.

All you need to do is navigate from the Retroarch main menu to the "Settings" screen by pressing the "Right" direction on the D-pad.
If you are in the quick menu for content you currently have open, be sure to press B to exit out of that menu to the main Retroarch menu first.

Once on the Settings screen, you simply scroll down to "Input".
From there, Input User 1 Binds - User 1 Device Index, and select the Pro controller from here.
Despite knowing this, it's very easy to overlook "Inputs" in the settings list due to how the UI pushes stuff out of sight as you highlight things, so be sure to look closely even if you think it's not there.

Hopefully this helps someone in the future since I found this way more unintuitive than it needed to be.

 

[Yanni9]

I tried this, but when I change User 1 Device Index to the Pro controller I'm no longer able to control the main Retroarch menu with either controller, requiring a hard reset of the console.

 

[Weasel211]

I tried this, but when I change User 1 Device Index to the Pro controller I'm no longer able to control the main Retroarch menu with either controller, requiring a hard reset of the console.

Same Problem here. Any Solutions?

 

[Yupper]

Simply turn off the wiiu gamepad after launching retroarch. Make sure your pro controller is on and synced before you launch retroarch. When you power off the gampad do it quickly after opening the app or you will shutdown the console instead. Retoarch should connect the pro controller to port one.

 

[justinjustins]

I'm amazed they still haven't really fixed any of these controller issues. I was still getting the same problems.

One workaround is to just leave the gamepad as input 1 globally and have the Wii U Pro Controller(s) as input 2, 3 etc. Then in the actual options/settings for the core itself change the inputs so that global input 2 is actually port 1 on the core, input 3 is port 2, and input 1 (the gamepad) is mapped to port 3 (or whatever).

This way the lights on the bottom of the pro controllers actually match up to player 1 and 2.

You will have to save this mapping per core but it should apply automatically. You might also need to leave the Wii U gamepad on. Retroarch doesn't seem to appreciate when it's disconnected.

 

[Zeox-gamer]

I'm using a 2 methods is work:

1 - Turn off gamepad before enter in retroarch and enter with pro controles only.
(On aroma: use gamepad standby plugin to turn off gamepad)

(On tiramisu: Stay at such a distance that the gamepad loses contact with the WiiU and turn it off when it loses connection with the WiiU due to being far away or go into settings and come back after the black screen with the speck disappears on the screen and it says wiiu menu maintain Press the gamepad power button during this time to turn off the gamepad without turning off the console.)

2 - Enter in retroparch with pro controller without gamepad power on and save config controller exit retroarch and enter again retroarch now your wiiu pro controle aways firsts.




In the first method you will not save anything, you will take advantage of the fact that the gamepad is turned off and the pro controller will be recognized as player 1 automatically in retroarch

In method 2 you will save and this will make it stay like this by default unless you change it back to what it was before.
This is the easiest method, it's simple for those who don't know how to use the control inputs or are afraid that something won't work, so they used retroarch's automatic methods to define their control.