September 4, 2024

How to Use Wii Remotes with Your Raspberry Pi Using wminput

Ben

@benjislab

The Wii Remote (Wiimote) is a versatile controller that can be used for various projects on your Raspberry Pi. With the help of wminput, you can connect your Wiimote to the Raspberry Pi and use it for gaming, controlling media, or even as a general-purpose input device. This guide will walk you through the steps to set up and use Wii Remotes on your Raspberry Pi using wminput.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

Raspberry Pi with Bluetooth capability (Raspberry Pi 3, 4, or with a Bluetooth dongle)
MicroSD card with Raspberry Pi OS installed
Wii Remote (Wiimote)
Stable internet connection
Access to the command line (via monitor and keyboard or SSH)

Step 1: Update and Upgrade Your Raspberry Pi

First, make sure your Raspberry Pi is up to date.

Open a terminal on your Raspberry Pi or SSH into it.
Run the following commands to update and upgrade your system:
```
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
```

Step 2: Install Required Packages

To connect your Wiimote to your Raspberry Pi, you'll need to install wminput and other necessary packages.

Install wminput and dependencies:
```
sudo apt install wminput bluetooth -y
```
Install the xwiimote package (optional for advanced features):
```
sudo apt install xwiimote -y
```

Step 3: Pair Your Wii Remote with Raspberry Pi

Now, you'll need to pair your Wiimote with your Raspberry Pi via Bluetooth.

Start the Bluetooth service:

Make sure the Bluetooth service is running:
```
sudo systemctl start bluetooth
```
Scan for Bluetooth devices:

Use the hcitool command to scan for Bluetooth devices, including your Wiimote:
```
hcitool scan
```
Put your Wiimote into discoverable mode:

Press and hold the 1 and 2 buttons on the Wiimote simultaneously. The LEDs on the Wiimote will start blinking, indicating it is in pairing mode.
Pair the Wiimote:

Use the bluetoothctl tool to pair your Wiimote with the Raspberry Pi:
```
sudo bluetoothctl
```
Inside the bluetoothctl prompt, run the following commands:
```
scan on
pair <Wiimote MAC Address>
connect <Wiimote MAC Address>
trust <Wiimote MAC Address>
```
Replace <Wiimote MAC Address> with the MAC address of your Wiimote that you found using hcitool.

After pairing, the Wiimote should be connected, and the LEDs will indicate its status.

Step 4: Configure wminput

wminput maps the Wiimote buttons to keyboard or mouse inputs. You can configure it to suit your needs.

Create a configuration file:

Create a custom configuration file for wminput. For example:

nano ~/wminput.conf

Add the following content to map basic controls:

# Classic controller emulation
Wiimote.A       = KEY_SPACE
Wiimote.B       = KEY_LEFTCTRL
Wiimote.Up      = KEY_UP
Wiimote.Down    = KEY_DOWN
Wiimote.Left    = KEY_LEFT
Wiimote.Right   = KEY_RIGHT
Wiimote.Minus   = KEY_Q
Wiimote.Plus    = KEY_E
Wiimote.Home    = KEY_H

This configuration maps the Wiimote's buttons to specific keyboard keys. Customize it as needed for your application.

Start wminput with the configuration file:

Run wminput with your custom configuration:
```
sudo wminput -c ~/wminput.conf <Wiimote MAC Address>
```
This command starts wminput using your configuration file, allowing the Wiimote to control your Raspberry Pi as per the mappings you defined.

Step 5: Test and Use Your Wiimote

With wminput running, test your Wiimote by pressing the buttons to see if they correspond to the keys or actions you've mapped.

Use in games: You can now use your Wiimote as a controller for games that support keyboard input.
Media control: Map Wiimote buttons to media keys to control playback on media players.
General input: Use the Wiimote as a mouse or general input device for your Raspberry Pi.

Additional Tips

Multiple Wiimotes: You can connect multiple Wiimotes to your Raspberry Pi. Just repeat the pairing process and start additional instances of wminput.
Custom configurations: Explore different configurations and mappings for various applications, such as emulators or custom scripts.
Automatic startup: Add your wminput command to your Raspberry Pi's startup scripts to automatically connect and configure your Wiimote at boot.

Conclusion

Using a Wii Remote with your Raspberry Pi opens up a world of possibilities for gaming, media control, and general input tasks. With the wminput tool, you can easily connect and configure your Wiimote to work seamlessly with your Raspberry Pi. Whether you're looking to play retro games, control media playback, or experiment with new projects, this guide provides the foundation to get started with Wiimote on Raspberry Pi.