[Explained] Controller Support Options for Android

Overview

This thread rolls-up conversation fragments in http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/566-Controller-support-for-Android, to make it easier for folks to work out what controllers work with The Pinball Arcade (TPA) on Android.

Working Controllers

The current set of controllers known to work with TPA Android are:

• Moga Pocket
• Moga Pro (in Mode B)
• Playstation 3 controller (with SixAxis app in "Native Controller" mode. Must be rooted to use this app)
• Samurai Bluetooth Controller (GameStop brand)
• NVIDIA Shield Device (in Mode A)

Control Schemes

Abbreviations:
LAS = Left Analog Stick
RAS = Right Analog Stick
Mode A/B = The Moga HID mode. Mode A (used by Moga Pocket and 3rd Party controllers) and Mode B (used by Moga Pro)
Type A/B = TPA controller scheme setting, available within the in-game table menu. Switch between modes to switch the assigned flipper and magnasave shoulder/trigger buttons)

Moga Pocket

Left Flipper = Left Shoulder Button
Right Flipper = Right Shoulder Button
MagnaSave[SUP]#[/SUP] = Up+Right on the Left Analog Stick (newly discovered in the BK2K Beta)
Launch = RAS Down
Analog Tilt = LAS
View Lock = X
Enter Initials = Flipper Buttons, and Launch

[SUP]#[/SUP]= On Black Knight both Magnasave magnets are activated when lit when the controller command is entered. You will also tilt the table in that direction as well so be wary of tilting if you have been too aggressive up until that point.

Moga Pro / Playstation 3 / NVIDIA Shield

Left Flipper = L2 (L1 in Type A scheme)
Right Flipper = R2 (R1 in Type A scheme)
Magnasave Left = L1 (L2 in Type A scheme)
Magnasave Right = R1 (R2 in Type A scheme)
Launch = RAS Down
Analog Tilt = LAS
Lock Camera View = X
Change Camera View = Y
Select Menu Item/Launch Ball/Trigger Launch = A
Back = B
Enter Initials = Flipper Buttons, and Launch (or A).

Please respond in the thread if any of this information is incorrect/requires update.

Stickied. Smashing work as always, Jared.

Awesome, thank you Jared. Going to try making the switch from touchscreen to native with my SixAxis over Thanksgiving.

I don't think I've fired up TPA on my tablet since the PC Beta came out, but with some travel in front of me, now's as good a time as any.

SpiffyRob said:

Awesome, thank you Jared. Going to try making the switch from touchscreen to native with my SixAxis over Thanksgiving.

I don't think I've fired up TPA on my tablet since the PC Beta came out, but with some travel in front of me, now's as good a time as any.

Click to expand...

Just turn this option on in 'Sixaxis'...

And make sure touch profile drop down is set to 'none'.
And your good to go with dual analogue sticks on the Dualshock.

You might want to go into 'edit mapping' in clip above and reasign the 4 pad buttons your own layout. (I moved trigger to the 'X' button etc...)

just curious. When using a controller and a tablet. How to your hold the tablet close enough to your eyes whilst holding the controller?

The portability of the tablet overrides the need to carry a controller round with me and mount the tablet in a position to play. Especially now the PC version replaces my XBox version and ability to play on the big screen with a controller.

xAzatothx said:

just curious. When using a controller and a tablet. How to your hold the tablet close enough to your eyes whilst holding the controller?

The portability of the tablet overrides the need to carry a controller round with me and mount the tablet in a position to play.

Click to expand...

Personally -

If @ work - tablet is on desk proped up on an old gel support mousemat cut short and wrong way round.
Controller is in my hand either behind the tablet, or under desk.

If on couch (sofa) - tablet either on knees, or on a cushion on knee.
Controller in hand above tablet.

If in bed - knees up, tablet resting on thigh. Controller in hand above tablet.

Whilst driving - noooo - do not do this.

I wear glasses to watch TV & drive, but I can see a 7" tablet fine like this without them.

If using a Moga Pro & phone - it actually clips into the controller like an nvidea shield (landscape only), so you can hold it as close as you like.

fanx @ the baron.

About the same setup for me, but forgot an important one: On the airplane. Tray table down, tablet leaning against seat-back, hands holding controller under the tray.

I just bought the Moga controller, and have installed the driver on my android tablet, it has paired ok but I don't see any setting in TPA and the controller does not seem to do anything.
Anyone knows how to get this working?? I searched for the Moga controller but haven't seen any explanation on how to set it up.

Arjan said:

I just bought the Moga controller, and have installed the driver on my android tablet, it has paired ok but I don't see any setting in TPA and the controller does not seem to do anything.
Anyone knows how to get this working?? I searched for the Moga controller but haven't seen any explanation on how to set it up.

Click to expand...

Switch the Moga into 'mode B' you will see the 'power A' button on the controller start flashing.
Turn bluetooth on in your phone settings. In the bluetooth menu a list of previously paired devices will show, find the one that says 'Moga Pro HID' it will probably say 'paired'.
Click on this line and it should change to say 'connected' and the 'power A' button will go from flashing to steady.

Back out to your homepage - start TPA, start a table and when at the plunge screen, pull back the right analogue stick. It should work the plunger.
You don't need to enable anything in TPA. It will work as long as the controller is connected.

This explanation is assuming you have installed 'Moga Pivot' app, and previously paired.
If this isn't working - we need to go through your set up in the Moga Pivot app again.

Once set-up it's real easy to pair, and makes TPA on Android amazing.

Hi Baron, it seems to be working! I did not install the pivot app, just the universal driver, but this driver only finds the controller in A mode, in B mode nothing shows up, but I tried what you said in the bluetooth menu of the tablet itself and at first it would not connect but the second time I tried it did, and now the flippers work on the triggers, just now and then it seems laggy, but not all the time strange enough. I did have to activate the virtual Moga keyboard in the settings though.
There is no possibility to nudge via the controller yet?

Arjan said:

Hi Baron, it seems to be working! I did not install the pivot app, just the universal driver, but this driver only finds the controller in A mode, in B mode nothing shows up, but I tried what you said in the bluetooth menu of the tablet itself and at first it would not connect but the second time I tried it did, and now the flippers work on the triggers, just now and then it seems laggy, but not all the time strange enough. I did have to activate the virtual Moga keyboard in the settings though.
There is no possibility to nudge via the controller yet?

Click to expand...

Install the Moga pivot app.
It quite often takes 2 connects on mine also weirdly.

Nudging - yes and get this, its analogue nudging (proportionate to stick input) done through the left stick. Install Pivot and it will start working.

In TPA at the bottom of the options menu, there is a 'controller option A' or B.
A = flippers on shoulder buttons.
B = flippers on triggers.
Magna save alternate with this selection also.

Arjan said:

... but this driver only finds the controller in A mode,

Click to expand...

Just thought - the play store version of TPA only supports mode B Moga connection.
But.... Ryan put out a beta version of the TPA apk (build e) which has mode A support also.
You can download it at this post here.. http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php?p=117656

This is the build I have installed on my devices.

There is a rough guide for installing beta's quoted in this post here...
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php?p=117274
controller / keyboard / etc Support

switching the flippers on the buttons or triggers I already found out, didn't try the left stick before, but it's working! Great! Love it, I always hated the nudging on the screen, most of the time I was either too late or by reaching up I lost the ball...
Actually it is all working now with only the universal driver installed, is there any advantage of the pivot app over the universal driver?

Arjan said:

switching the flippers on the buttons or triggers I already found out, didn't try the left stick before, but it's working! Great! Love it, I always hated the nudging on the screen, most of the time I was either too late or by reaching up I lost the ball...
Actually it is all working now with only the universal driver installed, is there any advantage of the pivot app over the universal driver?

Click to expand...

Arjan - Great to hear it's working.
No - no advantage I know of, I thought it would only work with pivot installed, plus I wondered if the lag you mentioned wasn't down to it not being on.
Do you still get lag? - I have none.
I think I'll take pivot off my N7 and have a play with this, see if it works as nicely as with pivot.

Controller support is awesome - I've only played about an hour this past week but I've bust through 3 of my PB's purely down to having analogue nudge.

Edit - just figured out which universal driver you mentioned.
It's the one by Ryan Loebs https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.obsidianx.android.mogaime
This is actually a virtual keyboard app by a secondary author which allows, surprisingly 'virtual keyboard mapping' to the Moga, so if an app only works with certain keyboard inputs, you can map these inputs to make the controller work with any config.
Moga pivot is the actual official app by the hardwares creator so it would probably be better - but if the other is working for you, stick with it.
I personally have Pivot installed for pairing purposes. And if I need mapping I use this app 'Moga VK' https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.sandstorm.mogaime.gui
Although most apps I play work with the default Native controller inputs.

Larry said:

The android release build has controller support now?

Click to expand...

Yes. Pack 20 and onwards.

If you're not rooted - you can play wirelessly, with analogue nudging & plunging & all other controls using a Moga Pro or pocket in mode B.
Or you can plug in a wired controller if on Android 4.X or upwards, ps3 Dualshock via a usb/otg adapter (cost £3 on eBay) is confirmed working.

If rooted - you can use 'Sixaxis' app with 'native controller' setting switched on & wirelessly use a Dualshock.
Or any controller & pairing software that simulates native controller inputs.

There is a full list of confirmed working controllers in the OP of this thread.

Hi Baron, don't seem to have any lag anymore, restarted my tablet yesterday because the whole tablet started to be 'laggy', after that no more problems and everything runs fine! A lot better now with the controller!

Arjan said:

Hi Baron, don't seem to have any lag anymore, restarted my tablet yesterday because the whole tablet started to be 'laggy', after that no more problems and everything runs fine! A lot better now with the controller!

Click to expand...

Nice one Arjan!

The Moga Pocket looks good, but there's one major issue: is there a way to orient the phone in a vertical position to play?

Richard B said:

The Moga Pocket looks good, but there's one major issue: is there a way to orient the phone in a vertical position to play?

Click to expand...

Not out of the box.

You would need to modify the bracket.

In would opt for the Moga Pro or six axis solution over the pocket (as probably the only pocket owner here).

The pocket is just to small for big hands.