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PS3 Sixaxis controller

Ninjaboi

Joined: 11 Feb 2012

Posts: 14

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:55 am

I've been trying to use a PS3 Sixaxis controller for joystick input, yet it seems that I can't get it to do more than recognize that a controller is plugged in. I've tested the controller in device properties and can move the axis and press the buttons without a problem while getting input. The problem is that my program doesn't seem to get the input. I tried Lazy Foo's sample tutorial code to see if it would work. It compiled perfectly, but it still didn't get the input. Here is the tutorial in case someone wants it:

http://lazyfoo.net/SDL_tutorials/lesson25/index.php

The code is here:

Code:

/*This source code copyrighted by Lazy Foo' Productions (2004-2012)
and may not be redestributed without written permission.*/

//The headers
#include "SDL.h"
#include "SDL_image.h"
#include <string>

//Screen attributes
const int SCREEN_WIDTH = 640;
const int SCREEN_HEIGHT = 480;
const int SCREEN_BPP = 32;

//The frame rate
const int FRAMES_PER_SECOND = 20;

//The dot dimensions
const int DOT_WIDTH = 20;
const int DOT_HEIGHT = 20;

//The surfaces
SDL_Surface *dot = NULL;
SDL_Surface *screen = NULL;

//The event structure
SDL_Event event;

//The joystick that will be used
SDL_Joystick *stick = NULL;

//The dot
class Dot
{
private:
//The offsets of the dot
int x, y;

//The velocity of the dot
int xVel, yVel;

public:
//Initializes
Dot();

//Handles joystick
void handle_input();

//Moves the dot
void move();

//Shows the dot
void show();
};

//The timer
class Timer
{
private:
//The clock time when the timer started
int startTicks;

//The ticks stored when the timer was paused
int pausedTicks;

//The timer status
bool paused;
bool started;

public:
//Initializes variables
Timer();

//The various clock actions
void start();
void stop();
void pause();
void unpause();

//Gets the timer's time
int get_ticks();

//Checks the status of the timer
bool is_started();
bool is_paused();
};

SDL_Surface *load_image( std::string filename )
{
//The image that's loaded
SDL_Surface* loadedImage = NULL;

//The optimized surface that will be used
SDL_Surface* optimizedImage = NULL;

//Load the image
loadedImage = IMG_Load( filename.c_str() );

//If the image loaded
if( loadedImage != NULL )
{
//Create an optimized surface
optimizedImage = SDL_DisplayFormat( loadedImage );

//Free the old surface
SDL_FreeSurface( loadedImage );

//If the surface was optimized
if( optimizedImage != NULL )
{
//Color key surface
SDL_SetColorKey( optimizedImage, SDL_SRCCOLORKEY, SDL_MapRGB( optimizedImage->format, 0, 0xFF, 0xFF ) );
}
}

//Return the optimized surface
return optimizedImage;
}

void apply_surface( int x, int y, SDL_Surface* source, SDL_Surface* destination, SDL_Rect* clip = NULL )
{
//Holds offsets
SDL_Rect offset;

//Get offsets
offset.x = x;
offset.y = y;

//Blit
SDL_BlitSurface( source, clip, destination, &offset );
}

bool init()
{
//Initialize all SDL subsystems
if( SDL_Init( SDL_INIT_EVERYTHING ) == -1 )
{
return false;
}

//Set up the screen
screen = SDL_SetVideoMode( SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, SCREEN_BPP, SDL_SWSURFACE );

//If there was an error in setting up the screen
if( screen == NULL )
{
return false;
}

//Check if there's any joysticks
if( SDL_NumJoysticks() < 1 )
{
return false;
}

//Open the joystick
stick = SDL_JoystickOpen( 0 );

//If there's a problem opening the joystick
if( stick == NULL )
{
return false;
}

//Set the window caption
SDL_WM_SetCaption( "Move the Dot", NULL );

//If everything initialized fine
return true;
}

bool load_files()
{
//Load the dot image
dot = load_image( "dot.bmp" );

//If there was a problem in loading the dot
if( dot == NULL )
{
return false;
}

//If everything loaded fine
return true;
}

void clean_up()
{
//Free the surface
SDL_FreeSurface( dot );

//Close the joystick
SDL_JoystickClose( stick );

//Quit SDL
SDL_Quit();
}

Dot::Dot()
{
//Initialize the offsets
x = 0;
y = 0;

//Initialize the velocity
xVel = 0;
yVel = 0;
}

void Dot::handle_input()
{
//If a axis was changed
if( event.type == SDL_JOYAXISMOTION )
{
//If joystick 0 has moved
if( event.jaxis.which == 0 )
{
//If the X axis changed
if( event.jaxis.axis == 0 )
{
//If the X axis is neutral
if( ( event.jaxis.value > -8000 ) && ( event.jaxis.value < 8000 ) )
{
xVel = 0;
}
//If not
else
{
//Adjust the velocity
if( event.jaxis.value < 0 )
{
xVel = -DOT_WIDTH / 2;
}
else
{
xVel = DOT_WIDTH / 2;
}
}
}
//If the Y axis changed
else if( event.jaxis.axis == 1 )
{
//If the Y axis is neutral
if( ( event.jaxis.value > -8000 ) && ( event.jaxis.value < 8000 ) )
{
yVel = 0;
}
//If not
else
{
//Adjust the velocity
if( event.jaxis.value < 0 )
{
yVel = -DOT_HEIGHT / 2;
}
else
{
yVel = DOT_HEIGHT / 2;
}
}
}
}
}
}

void Dot::move()
{
//Move the dot left or right
x += xVel;

//If the dot went too far to the left or right
if( ( x < 0 ) || ( x + DOT_WIDTH > SCREEN_WIDTH ) )
{
//move back
x -= xVel;
}

//Move the dot up or down
y += yVel;

//If the dot went too far up or down
if( ( y < 0 ) || ( y + DOT_HEIGHT > SCREEN_HEIGHT ) )
{
//move back
y -= yVel;
}
}

void Dot::show()
{
//Show the dot
apply_surface( x, y, dot, screen );
}

Timer::Timer()
{
//Initialize the variables
startTicks = 0;
pausedTicks = 0;
paused = false;
started = false;
}

void Timer::start()
{
//Start the timer
started = true;

//Unpause the timer
paused = false;

//Get the current clock time
startTicks = SDL_GetTicks();
}

void Timer::stop()
{
//Stop the timer
started = false;

//Unpause the timer
paused = false;
}

void Timer::pause()
{
//If the timer is running and isn't already paused
if( ( started == true ) && ( paused == false ) )
{
//Pause the timer
paused = true;

//Calculate the paused ticks
pausedTicks = SDL_GetTicks() - startTicks;
}
}

void Timer::unpause()
{
//If the timer is paused
if( paused == true )
{
//Unpause the timer
paused = false;

//Reset the starting ticks
startTicks = SDL_GetTicks() - pausedTicks;

//Reset the paused ticks
pausedTicks = 0;
}
}

int Timer::get_ticks()
{
//If the timer is running
if( started == true )
{
//If the timer is paused
if( paused == true )
{
//Return the number of ticks when the timer was paused
return pausedTicks;
}
else
{
//Return the current time minus the start time
return SDL_GetTicks() - startTicks;
}
}

//If the timer isn't running
return 0;
}

bool Timer::is_started()
{
return started;
}

bool Timer::is_paused()
{
return paused;
}

int main( int argc, char* args[] )
{
//Quit flag
bool quit = false;

//Make the dot
Dot myDot;

//The frame rate regulator
Timer fps;

//Initialize
if( init() == false )
{
return 1;
}

//Load the files
if( load_files() == false )
{
return 1;
}

//While the user hasn't quit
while( quit == false )
{
//Start the frame timer
fps.start();

//While there's events to handle
while( SDL_PollEvent( &event ) )
{
//Handle events for the dot
myDot.handle_input();

//If the user has Xed out the window
if( event.type == SDL_QUIT )
{
//Quit the program
quit = true;
}
}

//Move the dot
myDot.move();

//Fill the screen white
SDL_FillRect( screen, &screen->clip_rect, SDL_MapRGB( screen->format, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF ) );

//Show the dot on the screen
myDot.show();

//Update the screen
if( SDL_Flip( screen ) == -1 )
{
return 1;
}

//Cap the frame rate
if( fps.get_ticks() < 1000 / FRAMES_PER_SECOND )
{
SDL_Delay( ( 1000 / FRAMES_PER_SECOND ) - fps.get_ticks() );
}
}

//Clean up
clean_up();

return 0;
}

I'm using SDL 1.2.14 on a Windows XP SP3 machine. My IDE is Visual Studio 2008 ( Non-Express Edition ). Again, no compiler errors or warnings, and the controller itself tests perfectly on games I play it with on the PC as well as testing it via device manager.

PS3 Sixaxis controller

Bl0ckeduser

Guest

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:44 am

Ninjaboi <dannymcgill <at> hotmail.com> writes:

Quote:

I've been trying to use a PS3 Sixaxis controller for joystick input, yet it

seems that I can't get it to do more than recognize that a controller is plugged
in. I've tested the controller in device properties and can move the axis and
press the buttons without a problem while getting input. The problem is that my
program doesn't seem to get the input. I tried Lazy Foo's sample tutorial code
to see if it would work. It compiled perfectly, but it still didn't get the
input. Here is the tutorial in case someone wants
it:http://lazyfoo.net/SDL_tutorials/lesson25/index.php

According to the SDL docs, "Ideally joysticks should be read using the event
system. To enable this, you must set the joystick event processing state with
SDL_JoystickEventState."

So, unless I'm mistaken, you probably want to add this line to your code:

SDL_JoystickEventState(SDL_ENABLE);

Bl0ckeduser

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SDL mailing list

http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

Ninjaboi

Joined: 11 Feb 2012

Posts: 14

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:05 am

Thanks, though I looked at the documentation to see where I should put that line ( I followed what it said by putting it right above the line that assigns the joystick ) yet came to the same problem: Joystick events won't register. I tried looking for an example or some manner of description of a PS3 controller being used in an SDL program, yet found none.

PS3 Sixaxis controller

D B

Guest

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:35 am

Hi,

We recently added support for the PS3 controller in our little game
bitfighter (bitfighter.org)

One thing we noticed was that it behaved strangely under Linux. To
solve this we implemented the old Linux device system just for it.
See our source (with comments) at:

https://code.google.com/p/bitfighter/source/browse/zap/Joystick.cpp#89

Maybe it will help a bit,
D

On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 11:05 PM, Ninjaboi wrote:

Quote:

Thanks, though I looked at the documentation to see where I should put that
line ( I followed what it said by putting it right above the line that
assigns the joystick ) yet came to the same problem: Joystick events won't
register. I tried looking for an example or some manner of description of a
PS3 controller being used in an SDL program, yet found none.

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SDL mailing list

http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

_______________________________________________
SDL mailing list

http://lists.libsdl.org/listinfo.cgi/sdl-libsdl.org

riksweeney

Joined: 17 Jan 2012

Posts: 38

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:24 am

Have you stuck in any debug to see if the motion event is being picked up?

Code:

if( event.type == SDL_JOYAXISMOTION )
{
printf("Joystick is %d\n", event.jaxis.which);
printf("Axis is %d\n", event.jaxis.axis);
printf("Value is %d\n", event.jaxis.value);
}

I've never used the event.jaxis.which, I just assume there will only ever be 1 joystick plugged in Smile

Ninjaboi

Joined: 11 Feb 2012

Posts: 14

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:01 pm

Thanks for all the help, though I got it fixed. The problem wasn't the code or the controller per say, but that SDL wasn't able to treat the PS3 Sixaxis controller like a generic joystick. I got another PS3 controller ( not Sixaxis ) made by MadCatz and it worked perfectly as it should. So, it seems to me that only Sixaxis controllers have the issue ( as I tried two other Sixaxis controllers and they didn't work ). Not sure if this is a problem that has never been recognized until now, but that's what I'm getting out of this experience.

Thanks for the link to that source by the way, as it did help me think of a slightly different way to approach my event handling for the joystick.

RodrigoCard

Joined: 23 Apr 2011

Posts: 113

Location: Brazil

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:42 pm

Which OS are you using? You may get your SIXAXIS working by installing custom drivers.
I tested it right now with a DUALSHOCK3 (it have SIXAXIS written on it too =P) in OSX 10.7 and it works.

Ninjaboi wrote:

Ninjaboi

Joined: 11 Feb 2012

Posts: 14

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 6:35 am

I'm running Windows XP SP3 using custom drivers for the SixAxis controllers. I also tried installing and using PPJoy to make Windows treat the controller like a generic joystick with no luck. I've also tried the application on Window Vista SP1 and Windows 7 SP1 with no luck until I used a joystick that wasn't SixAxis.

Quote:

Which OS are you using? You may get your SIXAXIS working by installing custom drivers.
I tested it right now with a DUALSHOCK3 (it have SIXAXIS written on it too =P) in OSX 10.7 and it works.

The SDL forums have moved to discourse.libsdl.org. This is just a read-only archive of the previous forums, to keep old links working.

The SDL forums have moved to discourse.libsdl.org.
This is just a read-only archive of the previous forums, to keep old links working.