ESP32-S3 DualShock 3 Emulator & Wireless BLE Controller Bridge

A high-performance, low-latency firmware for the ESP32-S3 microcontroller that emulates an authentic Sony PlayStation 3 DualShock 3 controller over native USB OTG while connecting wirelessly to Bluetooth Low Energy gamepads—specifically tailored for the Google Stadia Controller (Bluetooth Mode).

Turn your Google Stadia controller (or other BLE gamepads) into a native, fully functional PS3 controller with full button mapping, smooth analog sticks, analog triggers, interactive Serial CLI, and bidirectional rumble/haptic feedback.

Features

• Authentic Sony DualShock 3 USB Emulation:

  • Emulates an authentic Sony DualShock 3 (054C:0268) on the ESP32-S3 native USB OTG peripheral (GPIO 19 D- / GPIO 20 D+).
  • Implements genuine PS3 console handshake: responds to proprietary Feature Reports (0x01, 0xF2, 0xF5, 0xEF, 0xF8, 0xF7, and 0xF4 streaming activation).
  • Automatically pulses the PS button upon handshake completion to assign controller player number (Player 1..4 LED detection).
  • Streams standard 48-byte native DualShock 3 reports at 100Hz (10ms).

• Wireless BLE Gamepad Host (Google Stadia Controller):

  • Scans, connects, and bonds automatically to BLE HID gamepads using NimBLE.
  • Tailored mapping for Google Stadia Bluetooth mode:
    • D-Pad: 8-direction Hat Switch (Up, Down, Left, Right, Diagonals)
    • Action Buttons: $\text{A} \rightarrow \text{Cross}$, $\text{B} \rightarrow \text{Circle}$, $\text{X} \rightarrow \text{Square}$, $\text{Y} \rightarrow \text{Triangle}$
    • Bumpers & Clicks: L1, R1 bumpers; L3, R3 analog stick clicks
    • Triggers: Smooth analog L2 and R2 (0..255) plus digital click thresholds
    • System Buttons: Options ($\dots$) $\rightarrow$ Select, Menu ($\equiv$) $\rightarrow$ Start, Stadia Logo $\rightarrow$ PS / Home button, Assistant & Capture buttons

• Bidirectional Rumble / Haptic Feedback:

  • Intercepts PS3 host Output Report 0x01 motor commands in real time.
  • Maps PS3 dual motors (low-frequency heavy motor and high-frequency light buzz) to Stadia 16-bit PID Haptic Output Reports (Report ID 5).
  • Calibrated Vibration Profile: Small motor is scaled to a realistic duty cycle (~36%) instead of violent 100% saturation.
  • Live Intensity Control: Master rumble strength is adjustable on the fly via serial CLI (intensity <0-100>), defaulting to a comfortable 60%.

• Interactive Serial CLI:

  • Operates over the board's hardware UART port at 115200 baud without interfering with USB OTG.
  • Allows manual button triggering, axis positioning, live input logging (log), rumble testing (rumble), intensity adjustment (intensity), and BLE status checks (ble, scan).

• Zero-Latency Design:

  • Verbose library logging compiled out for maximum throughput.
  • Rate-limited, non-blocking rumble writes to preserve tight 100Hz controller polling rates without USB bus drops.

Hardware Setup

 +-----------------------------------+
 |         ESP32-S3 DevKitC-1        |
 |                                   |
 |  [UART Type-C]     [USB Type-C]   |
 +-------+-------------------+-------+
         |                   |
         |                   +-----> Connect directly to PS3 Console USB port
         |                           (Uses native USB OTG: GPIO 19 D- / GPIO 20 D+)
         |
         +-------------------------> Connect to PC for Serial CLI & Flashing
                                     (Uses onboard USB-to-UART bridge)

Quick Start

1. Build and Flash Firmware

Connect your PC to the ESP32-S3 UART port:

# Build the project
pio run

# Flash to the ESP32-S3
pio run -t upload

# Open the serial monitor
pio device monitor

2. Put Google Stadia Controller into Bluetooth Mode

If you haven't already unlocked Bluetooth on your Stadia controller, visit Google Stadia Bluetooth Unlock using Chrome.

1. Ensure the controller is powered off.
2. Hold the Stadia button and Y together for 3 seconds until the status LED pulses orange.
3. The ESP32-S3 will automatically detect Stadia..., pair, bond, and subscribe to input reports.
4. The controller's LED will turn solid white once paired.

3. Connect to the PS3 Console

1. Connect the ESP32-S3 USB (OTG) port to the front USB port of your PS3 using a high-quality data USB cable.
2. The ESP32-S3 will perform the authentic Sony handshake, send the PS button pulse, and pair with the console.
3. The PS3 will assign Player 1 (or next available slot), and the Stadia controller will immediately control the PS3 console!

Interactive Serial CLI Reference

You can send commands directly to the ESP32-S3 over the serial monitor (115200 baud, newline terminated):

Project Structure

PS3CTRL/
├── platformio.ini          # PlatformIO board, clock, and build flags
├── CMakeLists.txt          # IDE integration configuration
├── README.md               # Project documentation
└── src/
    ├── main.cpp            # Setup, USB connection lifecycle, Serial CLI
    ├── ble_gamepad.h       # BLE client interface, rumble intensity declarations
    ├── ble_gamepad.cpp     # NimBLE host, Stadia mapping, haptic translation
    ├── usb_hid.h           # DualShock 3 descriptors, handshake structures, API
    ├── usb_hid.cpp         # TinyUSB stack implementation, authentic PS3 responses
    ├── controller_state.h  # State storage definitions and button constants
    └── controller_state.cpp # Active controller state buffer and report compiler

Technical Details

PS3 USB Handshake Sequence

Authentic PS3 consoles require a specific USB feature exchange before accepting controller inputs:

1. GET_REPORT (Feature 0x01): Controller capabilities.
2. GET_REPORT (Feature 0xF2): DualShock 3 Bluetooth MAC address inquiry.
3. GET_REPORT / SET_REPORT (Feature 0xF5): PS3 Host Bluetooth MAC exchange.
4. SET_REPORT (Feature 0xEF): Encryption/subcmd handshake (0xA0 and 0xB0).
5. GET_REPORT (Feature 0xF8) and (Feature 0xF7): Final handshake verification.
6. PS Button Pulse: Firmware pulses the PS button to register player assignment.
7. SET_REPORT (Feature 0xF4): PS3 activates streaming (0x42 0x0C) and assigns Player LED.

Rumble / Haptic Mapping

• PS3 DualShock 3 Output Report 0x01:
  • buffer[1..2]: Right motor duration and power (binary high-frequency motor).
  • buffer[3..4]: Left motor duration and power (analog low-frequency motor, 0..255).
• Google Stadia PID Output Report 0x05:
  • Stadia expects 4 bytes: [left_lo, left_hi, right_lo, right_hi] in 16-bit range (0..65534).
  • The firmware translates the PS3 command into appropriate 16-bit actuator values and applies master intensity scaling with a 40ms rate limit to prevent BLE buffer congestion.

License

This project is open-source and intended for personal and educational use. PlayStation and DualShock are trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Google Stadia is a trademark of Google LLC. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony or Google.