Change Log
Note
This documentation, and the code it documents, is the original SixAxis controller code from my PiWars 2015 robot, Triangula. It has subsequently been extensively modified, and now supports the PS4 and XBox One controllers in addition to the original support for PS3 controllers.
A newer version was used for my PiWars 2017 entry, this time using a PS4 controller. Several other robots in that year also used the library, and my aim is to make this the definitive library for connecting game controllers to Python code, especially for robots (but it’ll work elsewhere if needed!)
Version 2.6.4
Change to dependencies to allow installation on recent Rasbpery Pi OS versions
Version 2.6.3
Added force feedback support through the rumble() method on the Controller. Added fixes for missing LED
nodes in /sys from SainSaar, see PR39
for details.
Version 2.6.1, 2.6.2
Fix for Python versions prior to 3.7 failing with version 2.6.0 due to a missing system library, we now pick this up and make use of a backported version of importlib.resources for earlier Pythons. Also added back in some of the custom controller classes that were omitted in 2.6.0, and added documentation for the command line tools. 2.6.2 added in the missing YAML controller definitions omitted due to a packaging error.
Version 2.6.0
Introduced controller profiling as a way to add new controllers, or fix mappings in existing ones, without requiring any code changes. See Profiling and Testing Controllers for more information. Also updated the built-in steam controller class to use the native support in recent linux versions. Removed some legacy controller classes as they’ve been replaced with profiled versions.
I’ve also moved some things which were in scripts from there into the main code, and made them accessible as command line tools. When the library is correctly installed, you should be able to use the following:
approxeng_input_show_controls to test a connected controller
approxeng_input_profile to create a new controller profile
There are also a pair of internal test commands, you’ll only ever want to run these if you’re writing custom controller classes, and that should now be a rare event, but they’re here anyway:
approxeng_input_list_devices to list all attached evdev device nodes which look vaguely like game controllers
approxeng_input_scan_sys to perform a scan of /sys nodes
Version 2.5.0
Added a new property releases to the Controller, this works in the same
way as presses but returns a set of buttons released in the time between the two most recent calls
to check_presses(), as requested on the PiWars discord channel. There’s
a corresponding property has_releases on the controller object as well which works similarly to has_presses.
Version 2.4.3
Support for newer version of the PiHut controller, a couple of bug fixes from sainsaar to fix potential race conditions.
Version 2.4.2
Switched to using namespace packages, restored compatibility with Python 3.5.
Version 2.4.0
Added CircularCentredAxis to allow for smoother two-dimensional control. Tidied up aspects
of how controller discovery works, cleaned up some of the docs to match newer APIs. Note that some newly added axis
types will return (x,y) tuples rather than floats!
Version 2.3.0
Significant refactorying and reworking of the controller discovery process. Can now bind to multiple controllers in a single call or resource, and can be more specific about exactly what capabilities are required when discovering controllers. See Controller Discovery - approxeng.input.controllers for more details. Updated examples to match. Added support for the 3dConnexion SpaceMouse Pro (wired), although I suspect I’m the only person who’ll use it…
Version 2.2.0
Added support for device LEDs where applicable. If your controller supports setting LEDs, these can be accessed through
controller-class-specific methods, i.e. set_leds() for the DualShock4.
There’s no general way to do this as all controllers are different. See LEDs and Battery Monitoring
Version 2.1.0
Updated evdev dependency to 8.1.0, required for newer kernels. Added support from Tom Broughton for 8BitDo SF30 Pro controllers. Added support for multi-node controllers under latest kernels, tested with 4.15. I strongly suggest using this kernel version. Sony controllers now both support motion sense, with the PS3 supporting pitch and roll and the PS4 supporting pitch, roll and yaw rate. In addition, the PS4 now exposes two extra axes, ‘tx’ and ‘ty’ representing the most recent contact point on the touchpad, normalised to be zero in the centre of the pad and -1 to 1 at the edges.
Note that with the more recent linux kernels some of the event codes have changed. I’ve updated those used by the Sony controllers but not others, it’s likely that they’ll need fixing. Conversely, this release will not work with older kernels. If you are using a 4.9 kernel (i.e. the default for the Raspberry Pi) you should either freeze on the previous release of this library, or upgrade your kernel.
Logging is now debug level by default, so shouldn’t spam the console with messages about unknown axes unless you ask it to do so.
Version 2.0.3, 2.0.4
Updated evdev dependency to 0.7.0, added logzero 1.3.0 and moved print() statements to use logging instead. This should make cases where the previous version was printing reams of messages about missing axes on certain controllers more sane. Also updated the show_controls.py script to handle out-of-range axis codes without blowing up. Fixed default log levels in 2.0.4 to inherit properly unless explicitly set.
Version 2.0.2
Minor change to allow recognition of newer DS4 controllers with a different product ID
Version 2.0.1
Added support for the PiHut own brand controller, code from Mike Horne
Version 2.0.0
Simplified API, breaks compatibility with previous versions but allows for more pythonic access via property accessors and overridden attribute access. The API described at Simple Usage should now be all you need!
Version 1.0.7
Added support (pending documentation!) for the WiiMote controller, contributed once again by Keith Ellis! It also adds controller disconnection detection, enabling Controller Failover .
Version 1.0.6
Minor tweak to fix some of the internals
Version 1.0.5
Added support for the Wii Remote Pro from Nintendo - I’d have added the WiiMote at this point as well but my cheap clone was dead on arrival…
Version 1.0.4
Added support for the Steam Controller from Valve, although it needs an extra third party user space driver (see Steam Controller Support)
Version 1.0.2
Added support for the Rock Candy PS3 clones thanks to Keith Ellis.