RetoArch - use of Xbox Guide button messes with Launchbox pause screen closout

[ItchyRobot]

I am using Xbox controllers for my RetroArch console emulation. I set up BigBox to bring up its Pause screen when I click the Guide button (middle Xbox button).  With RetroArch cores, when I close the BigBox Pause screen, I am greeted with a second pause screen... that is, the RetroArch pause menu. I then have to scroll down to quit out of it, where it then brings me back to the BigBox game menu.

I do not have this issue with MAME. I can open BigBox, start a MAME game, bring up the BigBox Pause menu, and close the pause menu without issues. It takes me back to the game after closing the BigBox pause screen. It works as intended.

So, I assume this is some hard coding in RetroArch when it comes to the Xbox Guide button. RetroArch is set up so "P" keyboard pauses games, so that is why I was thinking it is caused by some hard coded function in RetroArch that is not easily changed. Nowhere can I find a setting showing that I have the Guide button set to pause in RetroArch. Do any of you have this issue?

Thanks

 

Edited February 28, 2020 by ItchyRobot

[neil9000]

3 minutes ago, ItchyRobot said:

I am using Xbox controllers for my RetroArch console emulation. I set up BigBox to bring up its Pause screen when I click the Guide button (middle Xbox button).  With RetroArch cores, when I close the BigBox Pause screen, I am greeted with a second pause screen... that is, the RetroArch pause menu. I then have to scroll down to quit out of it, where it then brings me back to the BigBox game menu.

I do not have this issue with MAME. I can bring up the BigBox Pause menue and close it without issues. It works as intended.

So, I assume this is some hard coding in RetroArch when it comes to the Xbox Guide button. RetroArch is set up so "P" keyboard pauses games, so that is why I was thinking it is caused by some hard coded function in RetroArch that is not easily changed. No where can I find a setting showing that I have the Guide button set to pause in RetroArch. Do any of you have this issue?

Thanks

 

Retroarch uses the guide button as default to bring up the menu, so you either need to change it in Retroarch, or change your button for pause in Launchbox/Bigbox. There be be other emulators that do this also, i believe PPSSPP also brings up its own menu with the guide button.

[ItchyRobot]

1 minute ago, neil9000 said:

Retroarch uses the guide button as default to bring up the menu, so you either need to change it in Retroarch, or change your button for pause in Launchbox/Bigbox. There be be other emulators that do this also, i believe PPSSPP also brings up its own menu with the guide button.

There does not seem to be a way to change it in RetroArch. I have it set to "P" in RetroArch, though it still brings up the RetroArch pause menu when I click the guide button. Maybe it is hidden in a config file somewhere?

If not, it sounds like I just need to stay away from using the Xbox guide button for anything, and stick with other button combinations instead.

[neil9000]

3 minutes ago, ItchyRobot said:

There does not seem to be a way to change it in RetroArch. I have it set to "P" in RetroArch, though it still brings up the RetroArch pause menu when I click the guide button. Maybe it is hidden in a config file somewhere?

If not, it sounds like I just need to stay away from using the Xbox guide button for anything, and stick with other button combinations instead.

I changed it in Input/Hotkey Settings, to use a combo instead of the default, which is on "Nothing" but uses the guide.

[ItchyRobot]

2 hours ago, neil9000 said:

I changed it in Input/Hotkey Settings, to use a combo instead of the default, which is on "Nothing" but uses the guide.

Hmmm ... I am 99.9% sure I have that set to Left stick button + Right Stick button (press down on the sticks at the same time). I'll give it another look when I get home.

[ItchyRobot]

4 hours ago, neil9000 said:

I changed it in Input/Hotkey Settings, to use a combo instead of the default, which is on "Nothing" but uses the guide.

 

As I thought, I have this mapped to L3+R3 stick buttons. But it still brings up the RetroArch menu when pressing the Guide button. It must be a deeper setting that is part of RetroArch. Because I seem to have everything set up correctly  =(

[ItchyRobot]

@neil9000

Actually, I confused the issue a bit. Now that I am home I can test it. When I go to the Pause screen, then quit the game... this works as intended. My issue is when I try to resume from the BigBox pause menu. It kicks me back to the RetroArch pause menu, where I then have to scroll down and click resume. Is this a command that BigBox should be sending to RetroArch, like a "p" on the keyboard signal? Maybe I need to make BigBox somehow pause for a second more before sending the signal. Is there a way to do that?

Edited February 29, 2020 by ItchyRobot

[Johnyeye]

@ItchyRobot Did you ever figure out a solution?  I finally got the pause menu to work with the xbox one controller.  If not, what worked for me was to change the Menu Toggle from the Auto (#10) to another controller button, I used #7.  I couldn't find a way to delete the Auto (#10).

[ItchyRobot]

2 hours ago, Johnyeye said:

@ItchyRobot Did you ever figure out a solution?  I finally got the pause menu to work with the xbox one controller.  If not, what worked for me was to change the Menu Toggle from the Auto (#10) to another controller button, I used #7.  I couldn't find a way to delete the Auto (#10).

 

No solution since it the guide button (#10) can not be deleted from the "Hotkey Binds > Menu toggle" default like the other inputs allow. I have got used to just dealing with the extra Retroarch menu though. Annoying though, since it breaks up the clean flow of the rest of my setup.

Which button is #7, the right analog stick button? If so, does that not interfere with any of your games? I can think of any conflicts, but imagine it could.

[sundogak]

Did similar to above on how to work around it.  My setup for LB/BB keys is:

1. Guide Button brings up LB Pause Menu.  So assigned to 11 in Options
2. Assigned Exit Game to Left Shoulder + Back  (Button 5 +Button 7). 

For RA it is as follows:

1. Assigned a hot key modifier, which in my case is Left Shoulder or Button 4
2. Assigned Exit RA Emulator as Left Shoulder +Back (Button 7)
3. Assigned the RA Emulator Menu as Left Shoulder +Select (Button 6)

The CFG settings are here:

input_enable_hotkey_btn = "4"
input_exit_emulator_btn = "7"
input_menu_toggle_btn = "6"

This gets around the Guide button issue and if I am out side LB, I can still bring up the menu as well. I have tried in my other emulators such as Mame to use the same combos for the emulator menu so the LB+Select brings up MAME menu for example.  You can alter to keys you prefer but using a modifier + the hotkey helps get the Guide button free for LB use.  If didn't want to bring up RA menu at all then just assign it to some weird modified + key combo where unlikely user will trigger it. 

Below is a quick thing I made at one point to show the RA key mappings (blue numbers)

Edited March 19, 2020 by sundogak

[zetec-s-joe]

This works after setting but then doesn't stick for me? any ideas

[sundogak]

Weird.  Is the CFG getting switched back to null or is it just not using the settings even though they are in the CFG?  I am not really sure on that other than if you got a emulator CFG over-riding the main CFG (assuming the switches are not changing in the main CFG).  If the CFG is getting altered could try making it read only but that is just a hack since not really fixing the problem and doesn't identify what/why it is changing.  Stumps me!

[ItchyRobot]

I ended up setting

On 3/18/2020 at 10:05 PM, Johnyeye said:

@ItchyRobot Did you ever figure out a solution?  I finally got the pause menu to work with the xbox one controller.  If not, what worked for me was to change the Menu Toggle from the Auto (#10) to another controller button, I used #7.  I couldn't find a way to delete the Auto (#10).

I ended up taking your advice a bit. In RetroArch I set up my 'Xbox back button' as my hot key. Then set the right thumb stick button to activate the Menu, when used with the Xbox back button. I was even able to mimic the same key sequences in MAME to make the emulator's settings menu come up.

The way RetroArch organizes all those settings is a bit weird to say the least, Especially when coming from MAME. But it makes sense now. Especially once I realized there are two Menu setting under the Hotkeys section; one towards the top of the Hotkeys settings page, and one at the bottom.

Here is an example of the buttons I use in RetroArch (image is using the Game Controls BigBox pause them) ...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1W9EZoInwTzyGzuYG1AV-TwH2fnyN_tVC

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by ItchyRobot

[F. Krueger]

On 2/29/2020 at 4:58 AM, ItchyRobot said:

I am using Xbox controllers for my RetroArch console emulation. I set up BigBox to bring up its Pause screen when I click the Guide button (middle Xbox button).  With RetroArch cores, when I close the BigBox Pause screen, I am greeted with a second pause screen... that is, the RetroArch pause menu. I then have to scroll down to quit out of it, where it then brings me back to the BigBox game menu.

I do not have this issue with MAME. I can open BigBox, start a MAME game, bring up the BigBox Pause menu, and close the pause menu without issues. It takes me back to the game after closing the BigBox pause screen. It works as intended.

So, I assume this is some hard coding in RetroArch when it comes to the Xbox Guide button. RetroArch is set up so "P" keyboard pauses games, so that is why I was thinking it is caused by some hard coded function in RetroArch that is not easily changed. Nowhere can I find a setting showing that I have the Guide button set to pause in RetroArch. Do any of you have this issue?

Thanks

 

Another way:

Go into Retroarch/autoconfig/xinput/xinput_controller_user_1.cfg

and change the value of  input_menu_toggle_btn = "10" to "99"

this will set the menu button in Retroarch to a non existent button.

[AliMujahid20]

On 3/19/2020 at 4:38 PM, sundogak said:

Did similar to above on how to work around it.  My setup for LB/BB keys is:

1. Guide Button brings up LB Pause Menu.  So assigned to 11 in Options
2. Assigned Exit Game to Left Shoulder + Back  (Button 5 +Button 7). 

For RA it is as follows:

1. Assigned a hot key modifier, which in my case is Left Shoulder or Button 4
2. Assigned Exit RA Emulator as Left Shoulder +Back (Button 7)
3. Assigned the RA Emulator Menu as Left Shoulder +Select (Button 6)

The CFG settings are here:

input_enable_hotkey_btn = "4"
input_exit_emulator_btn = "7"
input_menu_toggle_btn = "6"

This gets around the Guide button issue and if I am out side LB, I can still bring up the menu as well. I have tried in my other emulators such as Mame to use the same combos for the emulator menu so the LB+Select brings up MAME menu for example.  You can alter to keys you prefer but using a modifier + the hotkey helps get the Guide button free for LB use.  If didn't want to bring up RA menu at all then just assign it to some weird modified + key combo where unlikely user will trigger it. 

Below is a quick thing I made at one point to show the RA key mappings (blue numbers)

Hi! I want to set the Guide Button as Pause Screen for LB/BB but my joystick is not detecting this button (but Steam do). My input device is called "Controller (Xbox One For Windows)".

What could I do to solve this problem?