Multiple Controllers

[lilspanisheddie]

I have just started getting into using MAME and other emulators and I want to know if it is possible to use multiple USB game pads to play MAME through MAME32.  I have a 1.3 AMD running XP. Currently if more than one person plays I have a Saitek game pad and the 2nd player uses a keyboard.  Would it be possible to plug in 4 USB game pads and play a 4 person game? Do the game pads have to be different brands?

[ahofle]

Yep, it works fine.  And no they don't have to be different brands.  Just enable joystick, go into the in-game MAME input settings by pressing 'tab' and press the appropriate buttons/sticks on the gamepads for each respective game input.

[lilspanisheddie]

Thanks for the responce.  This will get me through until I get a chance to build my cabinet.

[u_rebelscum]

And no they don't have to be different brands.... the appropriate buttons/sticks on the gamepads for each respective game input.

The one problem that might occur more often with same brand & model is the pads might be renumbered (reordered) on reboot.  It doesn't always happen with same brand  or model, and it has happened with different brands too.  Which USB port(s) they are plugged into, what (if any) hub(s) are used, and the motherboard seem to make a difference.

FYI, the numbering is due to USB standards (plug & play, device "IDs"), timing issues (the order the devices "check in" to the the computer can change at boot up), windows (how it tracks devices), and directX (mame numbers the devices in the order directX "gives" them to mame).