Guncon2 and Guncon3 windows driver

[TheCiscoKid]

Hey I just bought a couple guncon 2s, keen to set this up soon
Will this work with model 2/supermodel/mame? Only seen PCSX2 mentioned

[phasermaniac]

Yes it works.
Bear in mind this driver shows lightguns as joysticks.
For model 2 you have to use demulshooter for 2 players action

[TheCiscoKid]

Bear in mind this driver shows lightguns as joysticks.

Oh interesting, does this impact how their functionality thru this driver compared to how they work natively through PS2?
Like, is there travel time if you move the gun from one side of the screen to the other, etc...?

[phasermaniac]

No. But emulation is not perfect you know.

[POPO69]

hello it's ok for lcd tv? does we need IR uSB too?

[Jonathan Smith]

I installed the updated drivers for Guncon 2 by psakhis but I got lost when I read the instructions about running daemon and stuff. Can someone please either make a step-by-step video tutorial or or make a new driver app with screen flash, offscreen reload, and with the random "guncon2 disconnecting from driver" issue fixed, please?

[retroman2022]

Thanks.

[lllll44]

Hi, is there a way to implement the gcon 3 driver into rpcs3?

[javiso85@gmail.com]

I write because I can use the guncon2 on windows but I think that I am failing in some steps, It works but with a few problems.

I read a lot and I am trying to do step by step installation, but I cannot find it. May be this is for advance users and not for normal people but I have some questions.

The working problems are:

1- I have to keep opened GunconUSB.exe and Vjoy to run on mame
2- On mame if I config it as a joystick I can not navigate on the menu because the lightgun affects the movement
3- On a mame game, for example Time Crisis (640x480i), the cursor moves not linealy, and have a magnet behavior on the center of the screen like a big dead zone

I have some questions.

- GunconUSB.exe and Vjoy have to be always opened?
- If I wanted to configure it con a Front end I have to launch GunconUSB.exe and vjoy on lightgun games before it starts and close it when I finish the game
- What is "console"? it refers to GunconUSB.exe from sonik or the "Guncon2Console" folder inside GunconUSB-main, in case of Guncon2Console it has no executable and I do not know how to run it
- What is "Daemon" and how you load the winusbnet to access the driver? @psakhis say that you need My "console" or "daemon" for comunicate winusb driver to vjoy. How do you launch "console" or Daemon?

This are my step by step installation, if can help to someone

I have installed the drivers using the @psakhis instructions:

1) Install winusb driver from Sonik Guncon2_winusb_driver_installer.7z
2) Install vJoy
3) Use the guncon2_usb_app attached by @sonik and start the GunconUSB.exe with the movement disabled (keep it opened)
4) Config  Vjoy and (keep it opened)

Many thanks for your work, I appreciate a lot, and will be great to have a working arcade cabinet with real lightgun

[sonik]

The working problems are:

1- I have to keep opened GunconUSB.exe and Vjoy to run on mame
2- On mame if I config it as a joystick I can not navigate on the menu because the lightgun affects the movement
3- On a mame game, for example Time Crisis (640x480i), the cursor moves not linealy, and have a magnet behavior on the center of the screen like a big dead zone

I have some questions.

- GunconUSB.exe and Vjoy have to be always opened?
- If I wanted to configure it con a Front end I have to launch GunconUSB.exe and vjoy on lightgun games before it starts and close it when I finish the game
- What is "console"? it refers to GunconUSB.exe from sonik or the "Guncon2Console" folder inside GunconUSB-main, in case of Guncon2Console it has no executable and I do not know how to run it
- What is "Daemon" and how you load the winusbnet to access the driver? @psakhis say that you need My "console" or "daemon" for comunicate winusb driver to vjoy. How do you launch "console" or Daemon?

Hi.
I've not using it for a long time but I can try to answer some questions.

Yes, the app must be running.

The "deadzone" must be configured on mame. Set it to 0 (zero) on the ini.

For time crisis, I think you will have to enter it's calibration screen on the service menu.

Hope that it helps.

[tomysteria]

Hello,
I play most of the time with RetroBat https://www.retrobat.org/
I have two Guncon3.
I read Guncon2 may be functionnal on Windows but is it possible to play with Guncon3 on RetroBat ?

Thank you very much @sonik for all this valuable work.

[sonik]

It should work as long as you can run the "driver" in background.

[tomysteria]

Thank you so much for your reply.
Have a nice day

[javiso85@gmail.com]

Hi.
I've not using it for a long time but I can try to answer some questions.

Yes, the app must be running.

The "deadzone" must be configured on mame. Set it to 0 (zero) on the ini.

For time crisis, I think you will have to enter it's calibration screen on the service menu.

Hope that it helps.

Many thanks for your replay Sonik.

So I have to launch de app and close it by some kind of command if I am using a front end, May be it is better to use it on manual mode without any front end.

What is "console"? it refers to GunconUSB.exe or the "Guncon2Console"

Finally how you navigate thru menus once the lightgun is activated without interferng the menu movement with the gun?

[darknezz19]

How do we configure groovymame to use this? Everything is installed, and I can see the X and Y coordinates moving properly in vjoy monitor. If I enable mouse mode with psakhis run.py, the gun is working properly to control the mouse. If I try to run GM with mouse set to lightgun, like in the video below, the game isn't responding to the guncon2.

https://youtu.be/mzGSbQd1WUs?t=35

Should we be running py script in mouse mode? How are you guys doing it?

[phasermaniac]

Just use it as joysticks not mouse, and configure mame lightgun to joystick inputs

[darknezz19]

Okay went back to joy input for the lightgun. Also set the joystick deadzone to 0. I get some movement in groovymame, but it just jumps all over the place. It works pretty good on the desktop resolution when I open vjoy monitor, but in mame the coordinates are not responding the same at all. Try to run calibrate.py, but get an error about usb.core backend not able to find the namco guncon 2. Tried to add the libusb dll from libusb git hub releases as that's what I think is needed. Dropped it in my system32 and wowsys64 folders, but then get a different error. Can someone explain how they get the calibratio.py to run on their windows? Or maybe someone could convert their working calibration.py into an exe and upload it?

https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2024/01/ways-to-convert-python-scripts-to-exe-files/#h-method-1-using-pyinstaller

[phasermaniac]

Sorry cause I don't remember very well, but I think I couldn't use the calibration properly.
I use these values, got them trial-error:
    parser.add_argument("-x", default=(136, 736), type=point_type)
    parser.add_argument("-y", default=(86, 296), type=point_type)

[darknezz19]

Thanks for getting those values, still having issues. Has anyone got a working setup of this on a current groovymame release? Again, it seems to work fine on the desktop, but in groovymame menu and in game the coordinates are jumping all over the place.

Edit: It's working. Don't try to set the X and Y to the increment and decrement inputs><, Just set the X and Y lightgun settings in the mame controls.

Edit2: Got the calibrate.py file working. You have to grab that libusb1.0.dll from https://github.com/libusb/libusb and extract the built x32 and x64 dlls to system32 and wowsys64 folder in /windows. It calibrates it for a good baseline, and then you can manually adjust it. Turn your brightness or contrast up to get shots registering. Don't have run.py in the background beforehand, just run calibration first. You alt tab out of the screen when done to see what x and y values it set and then type those in to run.py.

[Rion]

Thanks for getting those values, still having issues. Has anyone got a working setup of this on a current groovymame release? Again, it seems to work fine on the desktop, but in groovymame menu and in game the coordinates are jumping all over the place.

Edit: It's working. Don't try to set the X and Y to the increment and decrement inputs><, Just set the X and Y lightgun settings in the mame controls.

Edit2: Got the calibrate.py file working. You have to grab that libusb1.0.dll from https://github.com/libusb/libusb and extract the built x32 and x64 dlls to system32 and wowsys64 folder in /windows. It calibrates it for a good baseline, and then you can manually adjust it. Turn your brightness or contrast up to get shots registering. Don't have run.py in the background beforehand, just run calibration first. You alt tab out of the screen when done to see what x and y values it set and then type those in to run.py.

Question is from what folder?
libusb-1.0.27/

MinGW32/dll
MinGW64/dll
VS2013/MS32 & MS64
VS2015/MS32 & MS64
VS2017/MS32 & MS64
VS2019/MS32 & MS64
VS2022/MS32 & MS64


 

[Jonathan Smith]

Is the driver for Guncon 3 functional? Is there tutorial? I currently use a couple to play PSOne on FPGA and I would love to use it for the same on PC. Thank you.

Python daemon it's only for GunCon2, although will be easy adapt to GunCon3 i don't have this gun to testing.

Are you tested @Sonik-br's driver and console for GunCon3?

I have installed the Guncon 3 driver however I don't know how to run the console (I am using Windows 10 by the way). Is running the "console/daemon" a Linux thing or something?

[Jonathan Smith]

I have the Guncon 3 driver installed to where my Windows 10 computer can recognize it, but I don't know how to run Sonik's "console/daemon" and I am a beginner at all this programming stuff. Can someone tell me what I need to do, download, or install in order to get it working so I can play games like Time Crisis 5 on my Guncon 3?

[QuezacotlStorm]

Hello! I currently have dual Guncon 3 on Windows 10. I've tried to follow the steps to get everything running but seem to be having an issue with some things.

To start I have installed Visual Studio and created a build. Though I did have to move 2 .dll files and create an x64 folder for vJoystick in order to create a build or I get errors...

That has created the GunconUSB.exe
When I click on it I see Guncon 2 as the name of the title(everything i click on for Guncon 3 closes out)... but it shows the 3 settings for no movement, Joystick or Mouse.

I'm still having an issue getting the Guncon 3 detected though. I feel like I've missed a big step with the driver installation possibly? I unzipped the file and have installed the Guncon 3 driver. I also see my Guncon 3 under "Devices" but i do not see it under any Joystick applications... Any help would be great. I would be happy to make a video tutorial on this as well to help people get through the door when trying to build for this!

[sonik]

There's two things here...

1 - My "driver", that's a windows EXE file and requires "TetherScript's HID Virtual Driver Kit". Unfortunately this is not available anymore.
I'm not sure if vjoy works with it. Been too long since I've used this project.

2 - psakhis's "driver". It's a python script and requires VJoy to work. It should work better than mine but I have not tested it yet.

Btw I'm not sure if it was posted here but psakhis is not with us anymore :'-(

[phasermaniac]

So sorry.
Grącies per tot, Sergi

[QuezacotlStorm]

Oh my. I just looked it up and was extremely recent. My condolences and everything he has done for the community is amazing.

[Jonathan Smith]

There's two things here...

1 - My "driver", that's a windows EXE file and requires "TetherScript's HID Virtual Driver Kit". Unfortunately this is not available anymore.
I'm not sure if vjoy works with it. Been too long since I've used this project.

2 - psakhis's "driver". It's a python script and requires VJoy to work. It should work better than mine but I have not tested it yet.

Btw I'm not sure if it was posted here but psakhis is not with us anymore :'-(

@sonik I downloaded your driver but I am stuck. I have TetherScript's HID Virtual Driver Kit installed but I can't find the windows .exe file to run the Guncon 3 app. I just see a bunch of C# files and I don't know how they work. Can you please guide me on how this works?

[sonik]

Its attached here
https://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,166121.msg1753876.html#msg1753876

[Jonathan Smith]

Its attached here
https://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,166121.msg1753876.html#msg1753876

I already got the app for the Guncon 2 and it works, but is there an app for the Guncon 3? Or does that same app work for Guncon 3?

[bigassrobot]

I recently got a Guncon 3 and want to use it as a normal controller on my Windows 11 PC--- is that possible with the stuff I'm seeing in this thread?

I just want my PC to be able to recognize the controller as a normal controller, and use its thumbsticks and buttons as if it were a regular game controller; no need for special lightgun stuff.

[sonik]

I just want my PC to be able to recognize the controller as a normal controller, and use its thumbsticks and buttons as if it were a regular game controller; no need for special lightgun stuff.

The program does not use the guncon3's analog stick. And it just emulates a keyboard and mouse. It will not appear as a gamepad.
I'm not working on that app anymore. And I don't have access to a GC3 anymore.

What you want, can be done using an external usb adapter.
I can get you the code for it if you're willing to build the hardware and test. Requires a few components and basic soldering skill.

[gameotaku]

Hi Everyone,

I couldn't quite get this to work with GunCon 3  + Windows 10.
Specifically, I couldn't get the calibration tool to work.

So, I decided to jump in and revamp the tool.

The version I've created is now fully funcional and has an integrated calibration tool, similar to the ones in the games. It allows you to check your calibration and save or recalibrate.

Once done the calibration es VERY accurate

You can find it here: https://github.com/gameotaku79/Guncon3Windows

It's now a fork of Sonik's work

Important notice: I'm no programmer, I've never programmed anythin in my life, except for some very basic scripts.

I've done all this development relying heavily on chat gpt and giving it A LOT of trial and error, and a lot of patience. I've learnt a lot in the process and now I have a wornderfully functional Guncon 3 for PC

Any comment is welcome, but due to my total lack of programming skills, I won't be able to get into deep technical discussions