Problem
When using an X-Arcade Tankstick with the Tri-Mode USB board in Mode 4 (X-Input) on RetroPie, the LT and RT buttons cannot be mapped through the standard RetroArch controller configuration screen. The buttons appear unresponsive or are skipped during the mapping process.
Root Cause
In Mode 4, LT and RT are treated as analog axes rather than digital buttons. RetroArch's controller setup wizard expects a button press, but LT/RT send an analog signal. If a previous controller configuration file exists in the RetroArch autoconfig folder, it may conflict with or override the correct analog axis mapping.
Solution
- SSH into your Raspberry Pi or access it via the RetroPie terminal.
- Navigate to the RetroArch autoconfig folder and delete all files inside that folder:
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/autoconfig/
Delete all files inside that folder. - Launch any game — RetroArch will prompt you to remap the controller.
- When you reach the LT / RT mapping step, press and hold the button slightly longer than usual. RetroArch will detect it as an analog axis and register it correctly.
Save the configuration when prompted.
Notes
- This applies to all X-Arcade Tankstick models using the Tri-Mode board in Mode 4.
- If you are upgrading from an older Tankstick, the same steps apply after installing the new board.
- For general RetroPie setup, refer to: How to Use X-Arcade with Raspberry Pi
- Community discussion and additional context: Reddit: X-Arcade Tankstick Mode 4 / Tri-Mode in RetroPie (r/RetroPie)