joycontrol-kb

Emulate Nintendo Switch Controllers over Bluetooth w/ Amiibo Support through Python3 Tested on Debian, Generic Hardware

Features

Emulation of JOYCON_R, JOYCON_L and PRO_CONTROLLER.

• button commands
• stick state
• nfc data
• controller keybinding
• controller macro recording, playback, deleting

Installation

• Install dependencies

Deb-systems: Install the dbus-python libhidapi-hidraw0 and keyboard packages

sudo apt install python3-dbus libhidapi-hidraw0

sudo pip3 install keyboard

Arch Linux Derivatives: Install the hidapi and bluez-utils-compat(AUR) packages

• Clone the repository and install the joycontrol package to get missing dependencies (Note: Controller script needs super user rights, so python packages must be installed as root). In the joycontrol folder run:

sudo pip3 install .

• Disable the bluez "input" plugin, see #8

Command line interface example

• Run the script

sudo python3 run_controller_cli.py PRO_CONTROLLER

This will create a PRO_CONTROLLER instance waiting for the Switch to connect.

• Open the "Change Grip/Order" menu of the Switch

The Switch only pairs with new controllers in the "Change Grip/Order" menu.

Note: If you already connected an emulated controller once, you can use the reconnect option of the script (-r "<Switch Bluetooth Mac address>"). This does not require the "Change Grip/Order" menu to be opened. You can find out a paired mac address using the "bluetoothctl" system command.

• After connecting, a command line interface is opened. Note: Press <enter> if you don't see a prompt.

Call "help" to see a list of available commands.

• If you call "test_buttons", the emulated controller automatically navigates to the "Test Controller Buttons" menu.

CLI Readme

While running the cli, call "help" for an explanation of available commands.

Usage:
    run_controller_cli.py <controller> [--device_id | -d  <bluetooth_adapter_id>]
                                       [--spi_flash <spi_flash_memory_file>]
                                       [--reconnect_bt_addr | -r <console_bluetooth_address>]
                                       [--log | -l <communication_log_file>]
                                       [--nfc <nfc_data_file>]
    run_controller_cli.py -h | --help

Arguments:
    controller      Choose which controller to emulate. Either "JOYCON_R", "JOYCON_L" or "PRO_CONTROLLER"

Options:
    -d --device_id <bluetooth_adapter_id>   ID of the bluetooth adapter. Integer matching the digit in the hci* notation
                                            (e.g. hci0, hci1, ...) or Bluetooth mac address of the adapter in string
                                            notation (e.g. "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF").
                                            Note: Selection of adapters may not work if the bluez "input" plugin is
                                            enabled.

    --spi_flash <spi_flash_memory_file>     Memory dump of a real Switch controller. Required for joystick emulation.
                                            Allows displaying of JoyCon colors.
                                            Memory dumps can be created using the dump_spi_flash.py script.

    -r --reconnect_bt_addr <console_bluetooth_address>  Previously connected Switch console Bluetooth address in string
                                                        notation (e.g. "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF") for reconnection.
                                                        Does not require the "Change Grip/Order" menu to be opened,

    -l --log <communication_log_file>       Write hid communication (input reports and output reports) to a file.

    --nfc <nfc_data_file>                   Sets the nfc data of the controller to a given nfc dump upon initial
                                            connection.

Issues

• Some bluetooth adapters seem to cause disconnects for reasons unknown, try to use an usb adapter instead
• Incompatibility with Bluetooth "input" plugin requires a bluetooth restart, see #8
• It seems like the Switch is slower processing incoming messages while in the "Change Grip/Order" menu. This causes flooding of packets and makes pairing somewhat inconsistent. Not sure yet what exactly a real controller does to prevent that. A workaround is to use the reconnect option after a controller was paired once, so that opening of the "Change Grip/Order" menu is not required.

Resources

Nintendo_Switch_Reverse_Engineering

console_pairing_session