Mouse Emulators For Joysticks

[bustaballs]

So I found this thing called JoytoKey which is an emulator that converts keyboard and mouse input into joystick input.

I'm currently building a custom DVR system from a tiny barebones system and a capture card and then installing Mythbuntu on it. My kid tears up all of the DVDs and VHS tapes and I just want to back up everything onto one box and also have options to record TV, watch online videos, and other things for her. She's only three but she already loves video games and can beat many of the early levels in the uper Mario Brothers games. I'd like to be able to use it as an emulation machine for her as well. However many emulators require you use the mouse to select File > Open > and browse for your game and I don't want to have any normal computer peripherals. All I want is a wireless joystick and a TV remote. So, JoytoKey is a great program that solves the emulator problems but it's only for Windows and I was hoping that I could find a Linux program that is similar. I could just set it up to run at start up and then you wouldn't have any need for a keyboard or mouse until you're wanting to use it like a normal desktop.

Are there any programs like this out there for linux?

 

[RetiredAccount]

http://qjoypad.sourceforge.net/

I found this but I am on a Windows based computer so I cannot test it. I think this is what you are looking for...

 

[bustaballs]

You're the man. Thank you, sir.

 

[Tag5]

Handy information to know.

 

[Titcher]

Although this isn't what you was aking, wouldn't a nice front-end for the emulators work a bit better? I don't know much about these, but for an example of a (windows only) one, check out Maximus Arcade. Can be configured entirely with pad inputs, can read out the names of the games and can exit out of the games by holding a certain button on the pad.

 

[sterling976]

MythTV provides a built-in solution for this, MythGame. Setup for individual emulators can be found here.

I've been using this for quite a while to launch NES, SNES, and Playstation games from within the MythFrontend GUI. It can even launch PC games (I'm currently hooked on playing SuperTuxKart) and, if you're willing to do a little scripting, can probably even be coerced into running Windows-only software through WINE. The only thing you'll need a keyboard/mouse for is the initial setup and controller button mapping.

The only thing that differs in my setup is that I'm using USB game pads with extra-long cords, rather than a wireless solution. There are plenty of alternatives that I won't go into detail on, but if you google 'wiimote mythtv,' you'll find some interesting software solutions that might result in an all-in-one remote+gamepad solution. I've gotten some of this working at home, and believe it'd be a fairly simple matter to map buttons on a classic controller tethered to the Wiimote. Then again, this may be a slightly more expensive or involved project than you want to undertake.

One other thing to look into -- lirc (the software that most likely drives the interaction between your remote control and MythTV) can let you emulate a mouse using your remote, but it's a bit clumsy. I haven't used qjoypad, so I don't know if it's better. I strongly recommend just using MythGame to invoke your emulators in any event -- it's much simpler to set up and use.