Release v1.2.25 enable SDL game-controller backend per prefix

Xbox/PlayStation controllers enumerated under GPTK (they showed up in Steam and
in games) but delivered no input: macOS's GameController framework takes
exclusive ownership of those pads (UsbExclusiveOwner in ioreg), which starves
Wine's default raw-HID backend. Affects USB and Bluetooth alike and is
independent of Steam Input. Wine's SDL backend reads the pad through the same
macOS framework cooperatively, so input reaches games.

- gptk_apply_input_backend sets winebus "Enable SDL"=1 in a prefix, once, via a
  per-prefix marker; the value loads when the prefix's wineserver next starts.
- gptk-launch applies it on every launch (covers existing prefixes) and again
  after wineboot on --init (covers freshly created ones).
- GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL (default 1) gates it; documented in env.example, README,
  and docs/steam.md with the macOS exclusive-grab explanation.

Author: Ripper Moon

README.md

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ The screenshots show the launcher profile and a live Elden Ring GPTK run. See [d
 - `gptk-stubs`: cross-compiles and installs minimal stub DLLs for Wine/GPTK missing APIs (GameInput, etc.) so delay-load crashes are resolved without touching game files.
 - `gptk-dsound-nocap`: installs a DirectSound no-capture forwarder into a prefix (and sets the Wine override) so Steam Voice cannot stall the Elden Ring ERSC Golden Pot lobby. It forwards to the prefix's own dsound and redistributes nothing copyrighted.
 - `gptk-steam-layout`: assigns a Steam Input controller layout (`.vdf`) to a Steam app id by writing the selection into the prefix's controller config sets, so a layout applies even though Steam's in-client configurator renders blank under GPTK. Steam must be stopped; config sets are backed up before editing.
+- SDL game-controller backend enabled per prefix so Xbox/PlayStation pads actually deliver input under GPTK (macOS exclusively claims those controllers, which starves Wine's default raw-HID backend). Toggle with `GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL`.
 - Dynamic path configuration through `~/.rippermoon-gptk.env`.
 - Configurable Wine drive mappings with any letters except `C:`.
 - Installer bootstrap with timestamped logs.

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.2.24
+1.2.25

bin/gptk-launch

@@ -151,10 +151,15 @@ gptk_configure_environment "${prefix_path}"
 [[ -n "${log_file}" ]] || log_file="$(gptk_log_file "${prefix_name}")"
 gptk_note "open-file limit ${GPTK_EFFECTIVE_NOFILE_LIMIT:-$(ulimit -n 2>/dev/null || print unknown)}"
 
+# Ensure the SDL game-controller backend on existing prefixes (runs once).
+gptk_apply_input_backend "${prefix_path}"
+
 if [[ "${do_init}" == "1" ]]; then
   gptk_note "initializing prefix ${prefix_path}"
   gptk_run_logged "${log_enabled}" "${log_file}" gptk_run_tool wineboot -u
   gptk_link_configured_drives "${prefix_path}"
+  # New prefixes have a windows dir only after wineboot, so apply it here too.
+  gptk_apply_input_backend "${prefix_path}"
 fi
 
 if [[ -n "${set_winver}" ]]; then

docs/steam.md

@@ -124,3 +124,11 @@ From the GUI:
 3. Pick the game and click **Add**. It appears as a tile; its **Launch** button starts Steam and the game in one click.
 
 You can also set a profile's **Steam App ID** by hand in App Settings to make any profile launch this way. The download path itself prefers the internal `S:` library; a Steam library on an external drive that unmounts mid-download is the usual cause of "Unpack failed" content errors.
+
+## Controllers don't respond in games
+
+If a controller shows up in Steam and in the game's settings but does nothing when you press buttons, the cause is macOS, not Wine. macOS's GameController framework takes **exclusive ownership** of Xbox and PlayStation pads (visible as `UsbExclusiveOwner` in `ioreg`), which starves Wine's default raw-HID backend — the pad enumerates (so it appears everywhere) but no button or stick input reaches the game. This affects USB and Bluetooth equally and is independent of Steam Input.
+
+RipperMoonKit fixes this by enabling Wine's **SDL controller backend** per prefix (`winebus` `Enable SDL`), which reads the pad through that same macOS framework cooperatively, so input flows to games. It is applied automatically the first time a prefix is launched (and on prefix init), and loads when the prefix's Steam/Wine next starts. Set `GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL=0` in `~/.rippermoon-gptk.env` to opt out.
+
+To apply it immediately to a prefix that is already running, close Steam/the game so the Wine driver reloads, then launch again. A controller that still works through Steam Input but not natively is a separate, game-specific issue.

env.example

@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ export GPTK_NOFILE_LIMIT="49152"
 export GPTK_DXR="1"
 export GPTK_USE_DXVK="0"
 export GPTK_MTL_HUD_ENABLED="0"
+# Read game controllers through Wine's SDL backend so input reaches games.
+# macOS exclusively claims Xbox/PlayStation pads, which starves the default
+# raw-HID backend (the pad enumerates but sends no input). Set to 0 to opt out.
+export GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL="1"
 
 # Installer bootstrap defaults.
 export STEAM_SETUP_URL="https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/client/installer/SteamSetup.exe"

libexec/gptk-common.zsh

@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ gptk_init_defaults() {
     GPTK_STEAM_PREFIX
     GPTK_STEAM_LEGACY_CEF
     GPTK_STEAM_RESET_WEBHELPER_CACHE
+    GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL
   )
   typeset -A env_overrides=()
 
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ gptk_init_defaults() {
   export GPTK_METALFX="${GPTK_METALFX:-0}"
   export GPTK_ADVERTISE_AVX="${GPTK_ADVERTISE_AVX:-0}"
   export GPTK_NOFILE_LIMIT="${GPTK_NOFILE_LIMIT:-49152}"
+  export GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL="${GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL:-1}"
 }
 
 gptk_find_wine_home() {
@@ -312,6 +314,33 @@ gptk_log_file() {
   print -r -- "${GPTK_LOG_DIR}/${prefix_name}-${stamp}.log"
 }
 
+# Make Wine read game controllers through the SDL backend. macOS's GameController
+# framework takes exclusive ownership of Xbox/PlayStation pads, which starves
+# Wine's default raw-HID backend: the controller enumerates (so it shows up in
+# games and Steam) but delivers no button/stick input. The SDL backend reads the
+# pad through that same framework cooperatively, so input actually reaches games.
+# Applied once per prefix (marker-guarded); the value loads when the prefix's
+# wineserver next starts. Disable with GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL=0.
+gptk_apply_input_backend() {
+  local prefix_path="$1"
+  if [[ "${GPTK_CONTROLLER_SDL:-1}" != "1" ]]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if [[ ! -d "${prefix_path}/drive_c/windows" ]]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  local marker="${prefix_path}/.gptk-input-backend-sdl"
+  if [[ -e "${marker}" ]]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if gptk_run_tool reg add "HKLM\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\winebus" \
+       /v "Enable SDL" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    : > "${marker}"
+    gptk_note "enabled SDL game-controller backend for ${prefix_path:t}"
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
 gptk_run_logged() {
   local log_enabled="$1"
   local log_file="$2"