Using wired PS1 controller with Android Phone?

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alice_squared
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Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:44 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Using wired PS1 controller with Android Phone?

Post by alice_squared »

Hello,

This may come as an unusual question, but please bare with me.

I am looking to play emulated Playstation 1 games using an emulator on my android smartphone (namely the Samsung Galaxy S6), but I want to use an old wired Playstation 1 controller in order to do so. However, obviously a wired PS1 controller does not have the correct connector for a smartphone, and thus I imagine some kind of adapter or custom hardware setup would be needed to make this work?

In order to make this request a little more simple I will break it down into the following points:

A) Is the input from this type of wired controller even detectable / compatible with an android phone?
B) If so, do you need additional software on the phone itself to make it work?
C) Is there a very simple adapter that may be used for this job?
D) If not, is there a custom piece or hardware that I could purchase to get this to work?
E) If the answer to B - D is no, is there a different type of WIRED controller that has the correct connector for the aforementioned smartphone that I could purchase?
F) If no to all of the above, what are my options? I have tried a Bluetooth PS4 controller setup but it is not usable due to delay and dependence on additional software.

I apologise for the longwinded question, and would be very grateful for any advice on the matter.
thanks,

alice
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Xer Xian
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Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2005 3:23 pm
Location: Italy

Re: Using wired PS1 controller with Android Phone?

Post by Xer Xian »

Never tried Android emulation myself, but people generally seem to go the PS3/4 gamepad+app+rooted phone route (scroll down this guide to see what's needed). If you already tried that with a PS4 controller and were disappointed with the 'delay', you must take into account the possibility that the latency is caused by the specific emulator you're using and not (or not just) the gamepad.

If for some reason you really want to use a wired PS1/2 controller, you could try to buy a PS2-to-USB adapter and an OTG cable and hook your controller to this chain. Mind you, it's not guaranteed to work at all (depends on several factors - your phone, the specific software you're using for emulation, and probably the specific game as well). By the way the PS2-to-USB adapter will also add lag on its own (depending on the specific brand, it could be irrelevant or annoying).
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Blair
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Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 5:59 am
Location: America

Re: Using wired PS1 controller with Android Phone?

Post by Blair »

i've heard from people that using the older usb xbox360 controllers on android works well, also the logitech controllers that look like ps2 controllers but are designed to be recognized as 360 controllers also seem to work fine.
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