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:

The haptics layout discussed during development aimed to expose a single D-Input device with analog inputs and unique joystick buttons; identify the released profile before assuming those assignments. This avoids duplicate inputs and gives VPX users cleaner assignment targets.

Earlier development discussion favored separate keyboard and D-Input profiles, but that was not a permanent hardware limitation. Subsequent profile testing included combined input arrangements. Do not tell users that hybrid keyboard + D-Input is universally impossible, or infer a released mapping from an early development email. Use the current public guide and the exact firmware/profile installed.

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:

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.

An earlier dedicated VPX test firmware used three built-in modes cycled by holding P1 MODE for about five seconds and did not offer custom mapping. This historical description does not establish the current number of modes or remapping support. Obtain the current public firmware/layout for the exact original-XR setup before changing it.

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 the standard original-XR firmware profile described here, Windows pinball software such as Visual Pinball X or Future Pinball uses Pinball Mode, shown by a blinking purple light. Dedicated VPX firmware is a separate profile family; do not transfer this standard color map to every VPX build or XR MAX. 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.

Verify the installed profile before diagnosing missing controls

Scope: original Arcade2TV-XR with or without the separate Haptics Kit. Use the current controller firmware guide, not a development layout or a different model's mode numbers.

  1. Record the exact controller firmware/profile, PC connection, VPX build, frontend and table.
  2. Test keyboard assignments with a keyboard-input viewer and gamepad buttons/axes in Windows joy.cpl. One test tool may not show both kinds of input.
  3. Compare the actual outputs with the matching published layout. Assign the observed inputs in VPX; VR table positioning may also be owned by the separate frontend.
  4. If an input works outside VPX, change the software assignment before assuming a dead button. Do not cut or rewire controls merely to copy another user's customized cabinet.
  5. If a configuration app causes Windows to crash, stop repeatedly reproducing the crash. Send support the exact app/firmware versions and existing diagnostic logs or minidump information privately.

A long reviewed test history contained later withdrawals of initially reported missing-button and joystick-axis faults. The customer subsequently reported normal operation, and earlier crashes stopped recurring without an identified cause. Those earlier observations must not be repeated as confirmed firmware defects, nor does the later result prove a specific Windows or firmware repair. Exact unpublished test mappings and latency targets are not production specifications.

Wired VPX test can expose two gamepads, not a guaranteed single-device profile

An October 2026 test of supplied dedicated VPX firmware on Windows 11 over wired USB reported keyboard buttons plus two devices named "Arcade VPX Wired Ctrl-KMD"; nudge appeared on axes 0/1 and plunger on axis 5. Those inputs worked in that tested build. This is not proof that every production profile exposes those names, axes or two devices. The exact tested build must be confirmed from the installed file/version; do not transfer it to XR MAX or the dongle, which the tester explicitly had not tested.

The developer found that keyboard emulation could conflict with an existing VPX keyboard layout and recommended gamepad button mappings. That requested firmware change was not verified or released in the history. Before changing global keys, record VPX version, exact firmware and connection, inspect each reported device with Windows input tools, and compare the matching published layout. If conflicts remain, send those observations to support/engineering; do not promise automatic detection, one device, identical wired/wireless behavior or a future release date.

Older VPX 10.8 keyboard screenshots can show different letters on US QWERTY and French AZERTY layouts while using equivalent physical scancodes. The developer distinguished this from the evolving 10.8.1 input system. Match the exact VPX build and actual inputs rather than copying displayed letters across locales. USB timing targets, proposed MagnaSave layouts, AR calibration and SSF/DOF experiments are development evidence, not general production compatibility specifications.