PS3 contorllers are very sturdy controllers, which are great for use with Nerdbox. The only real complaint I have with them is that they do not use a standard version of Bluetooth. So, they require some extra steps to configure with Nerdbox, and you cannot use them with other Bluetooth devices at the same time. Also, depending on which exact version of PS3 controller you have, they may never work wirelessly. That said, the used market is filled with inexpensive PS3 controllers, and many Nerdbox users already have a PS3 controller tucked away somewhere!
PS3 controllers work if you connect them to the Nerdbox via a Mini USB cable. If you would like to do this, simply connect them, and follow the general configuration steps.
To configure them to work wirelessly, you will need a USB keyboard, Mini USB cable (aka the PS3 charging cable), and a USB controller both connected to your Nerdbox. You will also need to connect the Nerdbox to the internet, using either an RJ45 cable, or the built in wifi (which can be setup in Nerdbox Configuration). Also, if you have a PS3 system nearby, you will likely need to unplug the power from it, so that it does not take over your controller.
Press the F4 key on your USB Keyboard, this will bring you to a Linux command line.
Type the following command (exactly, including spaces), and press enter:
sudo RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh
This will bring up a menu, in this section, use the Up and Down arrows on your keyboard to choose the options you would like.
Choose Manage packages, press enter.
Choose Manage driver pakages, press enter.
Choose ps3controller, press enter.
Choose Install from source, press enter.
At this point, the screen will go black, and many lines of text will begin to scroll by. This process is largely automatic, and you will not need any of this information, unless something goes wrong.
Eventually, you will be brought back to the menu, where you can now choose Configuratio / Options, then press enter.
You will now see a warning, reminding you that you cannot use PS3 controllers in conjunction with other Bluetooth devices. Hit Enter again.
Select the correct driver for your controller (most controllers will require the first one), then press enter.
At this point, connect your PS3 controller to the Nerdbox using the USB cable. This should light up the lights on the PS3 controller. Once the lights are active, unplug the controller. You will then see some light activity, maybe some rumbling, and then the controller will be connected!
You will once again be greeted with a menu, from here, you can use the Right arrow on your keyboard to select Cancel, and press enter. You will then see a series of other menus, continue selecting, Cancel, Back, or Exit to return eventaully to the command line.
Once you make it back to the command line, type the command emulationstation then press enter.
This should bring you back to the Nerdbox System Select screen. At this point, your PS3 controller should be working wirelessly, however, you may need to use the connected USB controller to complete the general configuration steps to get your PS3 controller fully setup for Nerdbox! Once configured, the PS3 controller will turn off when you shut down your Nerdbox, or when you hold the PS button for 10 seconds. When you turn the PS3 controller back on, it should reconnect to your Nerdbox, if it has not been paired with another device.
Note: if you wish to undo this driver installation, for example, if you'd like to use a different Bluetooth controller, you will need to do this process over again, however at the step where you were asked to Install from source, you will have the option to remove the driver package.
To specifically enable the analog sticks in a game, you will need to do a few more steps. Keep in mind that these steps are only necessary if you are playing one of the few PS1 games that make use of the analog sticks. As the original PS1 controllers did not have the analog sticks on them, there are actually very few games that make use of them.
Be aware that these sticks cannot be used as a d-pad. Many people attempt this for systems like Atari, where a joystick will feel closer to the original than a d-pad.
Here are the instructions for how to enable these:
• Start the game you wish to use the analog sticks with.
• Press Select + X to bring up the RetroArch config menu
• Select Quick Menu
• Select Core Options
• Set Pad 1 Type -> analog
• If you have a second controller setup, set Pad 2 Type -> analog
• Navigate back to the first menu, then quit the config menu with Select + X
This will enable the analog sticks for this particular game.