VPX firmware mapping direction for haptics users

Useful Answer

For VPX / virtual pinball setups, the firmware direction is to keep the default profiles simple while supporting the two main use cases:

• A VPX mapping for use without the Pinball Haptics Kit, primarily keyboard-based.
• A VPX mapping for use with the Pinball Haptics Kit, using D-Input with analog plunger and analog nudge.

The haptics layout should expose the controller as a single D-Input device with analog inputs and unique joystick buttons. This avoids duplicate inputs and gives VPX users cleaner assignment targets.

Hybrid keyboard + D-Input behavior was discussed, but testing showed that reliably running combined keyboard + D-Input at the same time was not practical. The simpler path is separate firmware-level mappings.

VPX users generally expect to configure controls manually, so sequential and intuitive button numbering is more useful than trying to match arbitrary default assignments. Analog nudge and plunger are the key hardware behaviors to preserve.

For non-haptics VPX setups, Keyboard Mode can be remapped with the Arcade2TV software so users do not have to change their global VPX keyboard configuration. This is useful because common VPX defaults expect keys such as left/right Shift for flippers, while the stock keyboard profile may not match those defaults. For cabinet-style setups, many VPX users expect analog nudge on X/Y axes and analog plunger on a Z-style axis, similar to common KL25Z or PinOne board layouts.

For VPX VR layouts, include controls that let the player align and manage the virtual table from the cabinet:

• VR table center / recenter.
• Table options, often mapped to F12.
• Magna-save and VR positioning controls where possible.
• Default VPX keys when there is a clear standard.

When button count is limited in X-Input/Solo style mappings, advanced users may use JoyToKey or similar tools to remap the Xbox key and Z-axis buttons as extra controls for options menus or other secondary functions. Treat that as an advanced workaround, not the ideal default.

If a customer asks why plunger and nudge do not work in Keyboard Mode, explain the mode difference directly: in X-Input/Pinball-style gamepad modes, the plunger maps to the right stick and nudge maps to the left stick; in Keyboard Mode, nudge is converted to digital keys such as A, D, and F, while plunger appears as mouse scroll up/down. That keyboard-mode plunger behavior is not useful for current pinball games, so VPX setups that need analog plunger and nudge should use the gamepad/pinball mapping path.

A dedicated VPX firmware on the support site includes three built-in modes that can be cycled by holding P1 Mode for 5 seconds. That version focuses on driver compatibility for nudge and plunger behavior, but does not yet support custom mapping.

In VPX / Visual Pinball preferences, X-Input buttons may need to be assigned through the control drop-down boxes rather than by pressing the physical button and expecting automatic detection. Keyboard Mode can often auto-map when a key is pressed, but X-Input is fixed at the controller level and should be mapped inside VPX.

For Windows pinball software such as Visual Pinball X or Future Pinball, switch the controller to Pinball Mode first, shown by a blinking purple light. Hold P1 Mode for about 5 seconds to cycle modes: red is Keyboard Mode, blue is D-Input, green is X-Input, and purple is X-Input Pinball Mode. Then open Windows Gamepad Settings / joy.cpl and confirm that the plunger axis and nudge inputs respond before mapping them in the pinball software.

Source Context

The customer provided detailed VPX/VR feedback and mapping suggestions, including VR table positioning controls, plunger/nudge behavior, D-Input button sequencing, and avoiding JoyToKey where possible. Later follow-up added missing VR center and F12 table-options controls, noted that JoyToKey can expose the Xbox key and Z-axis buttons as extra assignable controls when the current X-Input layout is button-limited, confirmed that Keyboard Mode remapping can solve non-haptics VPX keyboard-layout mismatch, confirmed that Visual Pinball's drop-down control fields can be required for successful X-Input mapping, and confirmed that blinking purple Pinball Mode plus Windows Gamepad Settings verification resolved a Windows plunger/nudge setup issue. A later support answer clarified the mode-level reason: plunger and nudge are analog stick inputs in gamepad/pinball modes, while Keyboard Mode reduces nudge to digital keys and plunger to mouse scroll.