this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2024
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Firstly, I am making a game and I want to connect my PS2 Controller to my Android phone with bluetooth for a game I am making with Unity.

Is it possible to connect both of them ?

With my lowly research, i came to know that the protocols are old and this functionality isn't supported.

Else I have to root my phone, which I don't want to.

Suggestions I need:

  1. Any third-party app that would act as a medium which would re-direct the inputs to the game.
  2. Any modules or implementation that I could make to make this work around.
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[–] breadsmasher 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Specifically Playstation 2? Is it an OEM controller or aftermarket? I wasn’t personally aware of any OEM PS2 Bluetooth controllers

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Are we entirely certain they don't mean a controller that uses the PS2 port?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Dude... Your talking about mixing ancient technology with space age hardware. What comes next? Watching VHS on the switch?

Good luck getting your setup to work. The drivers for PS5 are completely open sourced by Sony so I think it would make your life much easier by investing in a new controller 😅

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

To make this work you'll have to start playing around with firmware writing. I know people have done similar projects using a pi pico to handle the translation, but I don't know if they did it with a ps2 controller.

My recommendation is to just buy a Bluetooth controller with a ps2 layout.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

The PS2 controller isn't wireless/Bluetooth, it's got a big old PS1/PS2 wired connector. You should be able to pair a PS4 controller with an Android device and it has (more or less) the same layout.

[–] paultimate14 2 points 9 months ago

"Wireless" is going to be the challenge. The Dual shock 2 needs power somehow. Theoretically there could be some sort of device that could accept the PS2 controller port and have either a battery or plug in to external power, then send the Bluetooth signal, but I don't know that any such hardware exists.

There are wireless PS2 controllers from 3rd parties. There are also adapters to convert the PS2 controller port to USB. I got a couple of them on AliExpress for a few dollars each, and they work well. I have not used them on Android, but Linux interpreted them as Dualshock 3's (the listing advertised it as allowing you to use PS1/2 controllers on PS3's that are not backwards compatible).

So you could take a wireless 3rd party controller, then the adapter to convert to a PS4 controller signal. You'd need a USB hub to get that into your phone, and depending on what You're trying to do from there you might need an app to interpret that signal before getting to its final application. Alternatively, you could use a Mayflash USB adapter to convert from a PS3 signal to something else your phone would recognize.

If you just use a Dualshock 3 that cuts out a lot of hardware and allows you to use a 1st party controller. You can also get new fake ones on the Internet pretty cheaply that aren't all that terrible (usually the downside is a lack of sixaxis functionality). From there a Mayflash adapter or an app should be able to convert that. Some apps might even be able to accept it without any conversion. I've used DS3's on my NVIDIA Shield with Steam Link, for example.

The best experience would probably be to just get a more modern controller like a Dualsense or some 3rd party controller. I do wish a company like Retrobit or 8Bitdo would make a modern version of the Dualshock 1-3, similar to what's been done with Genesis, Saturn, and other controllers. Maybe one day.