VitaOxiPad

Turns your PS Vita into (almost) a DualShock 4!

Based on VitaPad by Rinnegatamante and Rust-based VitaPad by saidsay-so.

• VitaOxiPad
  • 1. Description
  • 2. Installation
    • 2.1 Client
    • 2.2 Server
  • 3. Uses and options
    • 3.1 Saving Configs
    • 3.2 Using a Static IP
    • 3.3 Configurations
  • 4. What works
  • 5. Client and Server compilation
  • 6. Notes to developers
  • FAQ
    • Q1: Why Oxi?
    • Q2: Why isn't my PS Vita connecting to the PC?
    • Q3: I'm experiencing input lag. What can I do?
    • Q4: How do I update VitaOxiPad?
    • Q5: Are there plans to add support for wired connection, Bluetooth, etc.?
  • Thanks

1. Description

VitaOxiPad is a client-server application that turns your PS Vita into (almost) a DualShock 4. The PS Vita acts as a server to which the PC client will be connected within the local network (WiFi).

2. Installation

2.1 Client

Install the Client on Windows:

1. Download the latest VitaOxiPad-x64.exe or VitaOxiPad-x32.exe from the releases page;
2. Install ViGEmBus on your PC;
3. Run the VitaOxiPad-x64.exe or VitaOxiPad-x32.exe in the console (PowerShell, Windows Terminal, Bash, etc) and enter your PS Vita's IP address.

Install the Client on Linux:

Unfortunately, building static files is not supported for Linux at this time. You will need to build the Client yourself.

2.2 Server

1. Ensure your PS Vita is set up for homebrew applications;
2. Download the VitaOxiPad.vpk file;
3. Use VitaShell or another package manager to install the .vpk on your PS Vita.

3. Uses and options

$ VitaOxiPad-x64.exe --help
Usage: VitaOxiPad-x64.exe <ip> [-p <port>] [-c <config>] [--polling-interval <polling-interval>] [-d]

Create a virtual controller and fetch its data from a Vita over the network.

Positional Arguments:
  ip                IP address of the Vita to connect to

Options:
  -p, --port        port to connect to (default: 5000)
  -c, --config      buttons and touchpads config (default: standart)
  --polling-interval
                    polling interval in microseconds (minimum = 6000)
  -d, --debug       enable debug mode
  -v, --version     show version information
  -s, --sample-config
                    print sample config file
  --help            display usage information

3.1 Saving Configs

VitaOxiPad searches for the config file in the following locations:

• Current Executable Directory: config.toml
• User's Home Directory: ~/vitaoxipad.toml or ~/.config/vitaoxipad.toml
• Windows Path: C:\Users\%username%\vitaoxipad\vitaoxipad.toml

If no config file is found, default settings will be used.

With the --sample-config feature, you can generate a sample configuration file for VitaOxiPad. This output can be redirected to a vitaoxipad.toml file, allowing you to save your configuration options and avoid the need to specify flags each time you run the application.

To create a config file, run the following command:

VitaOxiPad-x64.exe --sample-config > vitaoxipad.toml

This will create a vitaoxipad.toml file in the current directory with sample configuration options.

3.2 Using a Static IP

If your router allows it, a static IP can be assigned to the PS Vita in the Wi-Fi router settings, allowing this IP address to be saved in the vitaoxipad.toml configuration file. This setup enables VitaOxiPad to run without the need to specify the IP address as a flag each time.

To set this up, the vitaoxipad.toml file should be edited to include the static IP address in the ip_address field:

ip = "PSVITA_STATIC_IP_ADDRESS"

Now, you can launch VitaOxiPad without any flags, and it will automatically use the IP address specified in the configuration file.

3.3 Configurations

There are currently 4 DualShock 4 configuration emulations that can be selected at client startup, using the -c, --config flags or conifguration file:

Configuration name	PS Vita's L1\R1	PS Vita's front digitizer	PS Vita's rear digitizer
standart	L2\R2	L3\R3	L1\R1
alt_triggers	L1\R1	L3\R3	L2\R2
rear_touchpad	L2\R2	upper area - L1\R1, lower area - L3\R3	DualShock 4 digitizer
front_touchpad	L2\R2	DualShock 4 digitizer	upper area - L1\R1, lower area - L3\R3

To better understand the emulation behavior, you can run 3D Controller Overlay after connecting your PS Vita for Windows or evtest-qt for Linux.

4. What works

Feature	Support	Details
Dpad, Sticks and Buttons	✅	All sticks, triggers and buttons, including PS button
PS Vita's L1\R1	✅	It can be used for L\R presses. For L2\R2, a full press is emulated
L2\R2 and L3\R3 emulation	✅	Can be emulated via the PS Vita's rear or front digitizer, as well as the PS Vita's L1\R1
Accelerometer and gyroscope	✅	A little less accurate than the DualShock 4, but still usable
DualShock 4 digitizer emulation	✅	Supports front and rear digitizer for multi-touch DualShock 4 emulation
DualShock 4 digitizer button	✅	Works as a quick tap on the digitizer. Supports front and rear digitizer
Any configuration	✅	You can choose from ready-made configurations
Changing the sound volume	✅	Implemented via pressing the PS Vita's volume buttons
Battery level	⚠️	PS Vita's battery level is sent to the emulated DualShock 4, not used in Linux
Sound streaming	❌	Probably will never be realized

Notes for Windows:

• The gamepad chosen for emulation was a DualShock 4 v1 (vendor: 0x054C, product: 0x05C4) like connected via USB. This allows support for a large number of Windows games without any fixes;
• You can use DS4Windows if you need to. Virtual Controller Support can be found in the schmaldeo DS4Windows fork. This option can be found in Settings -> Device Options -> Virtual Controller Support.

Notes for Linux:

• The behavior closely resembles how the DualShock 4 (vendor: 0x054C, product: 0x9CC) is defined in Linux. Four uinput devices are emulated:
  • Main uinput device (Dpad, Sticks, buttons, triggers);
  • Touchpad uinput device;
  • Motion Sensors uinput device for accelerometer and gyroscope;
  • Keyboard uinput device.
• You can also use a convenient input signal remapper, such as antimicrox or input-remapper.

5. Client and Server compilation

If necessary, you can compile the Client and Server yourself. Refer to this manual for instructions.

6. Notes to developers

If you would like to get involved in the development, please refer to this guide. It can help you.

FAQ

Q1: Why Oxi?

A: Now there are many projects with the name VitaPad. It's very confusing. In this implementation, the client application was written using Rust. Oxi stands for oxidation, the process that causes rusting.

Q2: Why isn't my PS Vita connecting to the PC?

A: Ensure both devices are on the same WiFi network and that the IP address entered in the client is correct.

Q3: I'm experiencing input lag. What can I do?

A: Input lag might be due to a poor WiFi connection. Try moving closer to the router or reducing network congestion.

Q4: How do I update VitaOxiPad?

A: Check the releases page for the latest version and follow the installation instructions provided. Alternatively, you can use VitaDB-Downloader on your PS Vita.

Q5: Are there plans to add support for wired connection, Bluetooth, etc.?

A: There are no plans to do so in the near future. For wired connection, please refer to other excellent projects like ViViD or vitapad by carlelieser.

Thanks

• Thank you to all the contributors to VitaSDK, Vitadev Package manager and ViGEm Bus Driver;
• Vita Nuova and HENkaku Discord servers for answering my stupid questions;
• Rinnegatamante for the original VitaPad version;
• saidsay-so for the improved Rust VitaPad version;
• santarl for advice and help with accelerometer, gyroscope, adding DualShock 4 digitizer emulation and also for the logic of working with configuration files;
• gl33ntwine for creating the awesome article for those new to development for the PS Vita;
• isage for ViViD that was a good example for understanding how modules work on the PS Vita system;
• CasualX for ViGEm client in Rust.