Pairing a Bluetooth PS3 Controller to your RetroPie
The Bluetooth controller from the PlayStation 3 is a very popular controller to use, particularly for RetroPie. It works well with the RPi's onboard Bluetooth, once the respective driver package has been installed. I happened to have a PS3 that's been nothing but acting as a glorified Blu-Ray player, so I'm putting the wireless controller to good use. Frankly, I got it working over Bluetooth by accident. After reproducing my steps though, I can now instruct how it's done.
When I initially configured my RetroPie, I'd been using a wired 3rd-party PS3 controller. They're both USB, so I figured why not? In my post about Configuring RetroPie, I'd suggested that if you're planning on pairing a wireless controller, you'll need to start off with a wired controller or keyboard initially.
Assuming you've got your wired controller or keyboard working, Go to RetroPie Menu > RetroPie Setup > Manage Packages > Manage Driver Packages. Look for the ps3controller package. Select it and install it. Once done, it should look like this.
Now, take your PS3 controller and plug it into your RPi using any miniUSB cable. Then, reboot your Pi. When it boots back up, map this as a wired controller.
Once it's been mapped as a wired controller, disconnect the controller from the USB cable and press the PS button in the center. You should see the lights on the top of the controller roll from side to side, followed by feeling the vibration of the controller and then the light settle into the Player 1 LED. You're now connected via Bluetooth! You'll need to map the controller once more, but you're probably a pro at it by this point. At the moment, I can't comment on having multiple wireless PS3 controllers going. From my research, there doesn't seem to be a lot of issues connecting 2, 3, or even 4 of them. Most of the issues I read about were older posts using the controllers with 3rd-party Bluetooth dongles before the RPi came stock with Bluetooth.
When I initially configured my RetroPie, I'd been using a wired 3rd-party PS3 controller. They're both USB, so I figured why not? In my post about Configuring RetroPie, I'd suggested that if you're planning on pairing a wireless controller, you'll need to start off with a wired controller or keyboard initially.
Assuming you've got your wired controller or keyboard working, Go to RetroPie Menu > RetroPie Setup > Manage Packages > Manage Driver Packages. Look for the ps3controller package. Select it and install it. Once done, it should look like this.
Now, take your PS3 controller and plug it into your RPi using any miniUSB cable. Then, reboot your Pi. When it boots back up, map this as a wired controller.
Once it's been mapped as a wired controller, disconnect the controller from the USB cable and press the PS button in the center. You should see the lights on the top of the controller roll from side to side, followed by feeling the vibration of the controller and then the light settle into the Player 1 LED. You're now connected via Bluetooth! You'll need to map the controller once more, but you're probably a pro at it by this point. At the moment, I can't comment on having multiple wireless PS3 controllers going. From my research, there doesn't seem to be a lot of issues connecting 2, 3, or even 4 of them. Most of the issues I read about were older posts using the controllers with 3rd-party Bluetooth dongles before the RPi came stock with Bluetooth.
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