Xbox One controllers feel amazing. These are some of the nicest feeling controllers I have ever used. This is all I can say that is nice about the Xbox One controller however. First, all Xbox controllers seem to have decided that the A, B, X, and Y buttons needed to be reversed from the SNES controllers that created this design, so, if you map these buttons the way that your memory would expect, the button labelled A will actually be your B button. Second, why do they ship with regular AA batteries, instead of a rechargable li-ion battery, like every other controller on earth? Yes, you can buy, these, but these controllers are expensive as is. Also, for some reason, it is not currently possible to map the Select button on the controller, which makes it difficult to use this as your only controller on Nerdbox. Worst of all for Nerdbox, these controllers actively do not understand ERTM Bluetooth, which means for them to work with Nerdbox, we have to disable this Bluetooth functionality. If you are not comfortable with editing a file on the Linux command line, I would strongly suggest simply using these controllers with a mini USB cable, and following the standard configuration options.
If this has not scared you away, and you would still like to setup an Xbox one controller, you will need a USB keyboard, USB controller, and you will need to be certain that you have the Bluetooth capable model 1708 Xbox one Controller. You can check the model number inside the battery compartment. Also, it is best for you to update the firmware on your controller, by plugging it into an Xbox one, or by plugging it into a windows 10 computer, and using the Xbox Accessories app.
From the system selection menu, press F4 on your USB keyboard to open up the Linux command prompt and type the following:
sudo nano opt/retropie/configs/all/autostart.sh
Press the Up arrow, until you are at the beginning of the file, then press Enter to create a line before the emulation station line. Press Up once again to be on the empty line, then type in (exactly):
sudo bash -c 'echo 1 > /sys/module/bluetooth/parameters/disable_ertm'
To save the changes we have just made, press CTRL + X then Y and Enter. This should return you to the command line, where you can type the command sudo reboot, then press enter.
After the reboot, using the USB controller, on the system menu, navigate to Nerdbox Configuration, then press A.
Select Bluetooth, and press A.
Here is where you will want to switch to the USB keyboard. At this point, you will also want to set your Xbox One controller to pair mode by turning it on (if it wasn't already), then holding the pair button on the top of the controller until the light begins to flash quickly. On the Nerdbox, select Register and Connect to Bluetooth Device on the menu, and press Enter.
At this point, the Nerdbox will begin searching for any nearby Bluetooth devices. Be sure that the light on your controller is still blinking rapidly.
If all goes properly, you will be given a list of your nearby Bluetooth devices. Select your controller, and press Enter. Note: some Xbox One controllers are identified as Wireless Controller, Microsoft Xbox One Controller, or sometimes simply the unique address of the device. If you do not see it by name, try the numbered device.
On this screen, simply select DisplayYesNo and press Enter.
With any luck, you will see a notice that you have successfully connected your controller! Press Enter to confirm.
Your controller should now be connected properly via Bluetooth. Use your keyboard to select Cancel on the following menus until you are returned to the Nerdbox Configuration Menu. Using the connected USB controller, you will now be able to follow the general configuration steps to map your controller's buttons. Note: the button that is where the Select button should be doesn't usually map. If it does, lucky you! If not, move on to the next button.
Your controller will turn off when you turn the system off. If you would like to turn it off manually, you can hold the home button for 10 seconds. When you turn the controller back on (by holding the home button), it should automatically pair with the Nerdbox again, unless you have since paired it with another device.
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.