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Logitech F310 Controller Windows 10 & Launchbox/Bigbox Setup?


C64Crazy

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Hello. New to all this and just bought bigbox to setup. Don't know what to do to setup the Logitech f310 game controller in Windows 10 and then of course in Launchbox/Bigbox. Any info appreciated. Love the easy import ROMs and scrapping aspect of Launchbox btw!!! My retro gaming setup experience has been limited to Retropie thus far so anxious to set up a PC but haven't used a PC in several years until I just bought a new one.

Edited by C64Crazy
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F310 should basically be plug n play in Windows 10 with no setup needed. To get them to work with LB and BB you will have to enable controller use in both programs. In LB go to tools>Options>Input and look at all the sections under there. For BB use esc to go back then go to Options and you will see 3 controller specific labels look through those and set them accordingly to what you need them to do.

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Thanks! Will try that. I think I have the f310 setup properly in Windows 10 so that should be next step. Question though: On the controller I have it's mode switch set to direct input. Is this correct if I'm only planning to play C64, Amiga, and Mame games from early 1990's and older? From what I think I understand the other "x" mode is for modern PC games? Or, should I be using x mode to be more compatible with Windows 10 hardware and possibly Launchbox interfacing? Confused on that. If so, what are the advantages?

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Don't you lose the ability of the mode switch back and fourth between left joystick and d pad for various games in xinput mode? I thought I read that on Logitechs website. Or is that just in Windows based games and would be regained in LB? From what little info I've dug up so far on this controller, I was getting the impression you would only want to use xinput in newer native windows games and for all other applications it's best to use Direct input? What advantage would there be to xinput? At least on the retropie you were supposed to use direct input, but that's obviously not a window based computer.

Edited by C64Crazy
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Generally speaking you want to be using Xinput if you can, there is much better support for it on Windows as it is part of DirectX. All your emulators should be xinput compatible, and as you mention all actual PC games from probably the last 10 years or so will also support it,(if they support controllers at all that is). I use xinput for everything on my PC with no issues.

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That makes sense, thanks. And the mode switch still will allow you to flip between dpad and left joystick in xinput I hope? I loved that feature when playing games on retropie. Certain games just are meant for one or the other in ease of play, and I prefer to use my left thumb for directional movements vs the right stick.

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1 minute ago, C64Crazy said:

And the mode switch still will allow you to flip between dpad and left joystick in xinput I hope?

I would assume so, I personally have no experience with that particular controller, but again you set the controls in the emulator so you could probably set the dpad and the analog at the same time without even needing the switch.

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Thanks again for the advice. Now what may be an even more stupid question...if xinput is supported by most modern emulators I'm wondering if MAME 2000, which I want to use with an old name romset I have, will not recognize xinput and require me to set it up using direct mode?

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19 minutes ago, C64Crazy said:

Thanks again for the advice. Now what may be an even more stupid question...if xinput is supported by most modern emulators I'm wondering if MAME 2000, which I want to use with an old name romset I have, will not recognize xinput and require me to set it up using direct mode?

Ah, that I don't know. I haven't used a MAME version that old, you would simply have to boot up MAME and try setting your controls.

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Because I have a complete romset and it was hassle enough obtaining a complete one with proper bioses intact. I really don't want to go thru that journey again. Plus I'm mainly interested in 1980s arcade games and some into early 90s. I have no desire to play anything newer in terms of Mame stuff. It's weird, but the more elaborate and "movie like" a game gets the less interested I am in it. That's why my main targets are older arcade, Commodore 64, and Amiga...all stuff I grew up on. Those were the days when you'd marvel at the little extra bit of good looking graphics and game play they fought to squeeze out of the existing hardware. Plus I like the retro "shoot em up" "stick figure" type stuff, where you could clearly see if you were getting shot or not, etc. The movie like graphics of modern games seems to "generalized" and undefined to me in that respect.

Edited by C64Crazy
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9 minutes ago, C64Crazy said:

Yes, that's the only drawback I'm thinking of, but I think you can convert and old romset to a modern version that the latest mame will recognize, right? Might be something for me to consider if so.

Not really from a rom set that old, you would need about 150 different update packs to bring it up to date. It would be much much easier to download a new set than update what you have.

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Generally you should keep the gamepad in XInput mode. Since most software nowadays have native XInput support, compatibility will be best in that mode overall. Only some legacy games may work better with Direct Input mode, usually games that have built-in-support for the Logitech Rumblepad (2008 Need for Speed Undercover comes to my mind). Keep in mind though that the shoulder triggers will lose analog triggering capability in Direct Input mode and will only work as digital buttons.

Map switching of the Dpad / left analog stick works both in Direct Input and XInput mode.

Edited by IlhanK
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Thanks for the info. I have been using xinput and have played some games on vice, but I don't seem to be able to setup the buttons for exiting current open window on big box premium. At the setup window if I click on first button window certain keys I want to use don't respond to input into the settings window. I'm wondering if instead of selecting the F310 controller I should select the XBox (or whatever) controller also listed? I'm thinking xinput makes windows believe it's mimicking their OS supported Xbox controllers?

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I am not sure I can follow. Do you have button mapping issues in your emulator or in Big Box?

8 hours ago, C64Crazy said:

I'm thinking xinput makes windows believe it's mimicking their OS supported Xbox controllers?

In a manner of speaking that is what Xinput is for. An API controller manufacturers can use to produce input devices compatible to the Microsoft ones. As long as a game is decently programmed, any XInput-compatible device will work fine, just like genuine Microsoft controllers. An rare exception are some sloppily programmed older games that rely on string checking in the USB device name (Assassin's Creed 1 for example).

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3 minutes ago, IlhanK said:

I am not sure I can follow. Do you have button mapping issues in your emulator or in Big Box?

In a manner of speaking that is what Xinput is for. An API controller manufacturers can use to produce input devices compatible to the Microsoft ones. As long as a game is decently programmed, any XInput-compatible device will work fine, just like genuine Microsoft controllers. An rare exception are some sloppily programmed older games that rely on string checking in the USB device name (Assassin's Creed 1 for example).

Yep.

8 hours ago, C64Crazy said:

Thanks for the info. I have been using xinput and have played some games on vice, but I don't seem to be able to setup the buttons for exiting current open window on big box premium. At the setup window if I click on first button window certain keys I want to use don't respond to input into the settings window. I'm wondering if instead of selecting the F310 controller I should select the XBox (or whatever) controller also listed? I'm thinking xinput makes windows believe it's mimicking their OS supported Xbox controllers?

Are you trying to set the exit emulator button combo? its in a different menu, its controller automation. 

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