[Feature Request] HidHide physical controller directly from DS4W GUI in profile configuration

[eVenent]

Use case

DS4Windows is the only application which can simulate DS4 gyro for DualShock 3. Many games works fine with it, but process of hiding real controller and exposing virtual one for Steam is overcomplicated for normal users (enable DS4 gyro simulation in DS4Windows, check SteamInput enabled/disabled in Steam, add Steam to HidHide, enable hiding, restart Steam, run game). @Ryochan7 mentioned in schmaldeo/DS4Windows#68 (comment), that it was done puropsely, and now it's not a case anymore and can be simplified to enable hiding directly from DS4Windows. Adding option to "Hide controller" directly from DS4W GUI like it has DualSenseY or PadForge would be useful and more user friendly.

Problem

Hiding physical controler requires to play in HidHide GUI and cannot be activated directly from DS4Windows, unlike in other remapping apps - PadForge or DualSenseY v2. Hiding controller can be much easier (other apps are using HidHide API too).

Request

Add option in profiles where we can select if we want to hide physical controller from other apps, or no. When Steam will see only virtual controller DS4/Xbox, then we will not have problem with StamInput's double inputs and other problems where game recognizes two different controllers doing the same actions. It's doable from HidHide, but it's overcomplicating process when it can be done from one app.

[hbashton]

Manage it in HIDHide yourself. Utilizing HIDHide API right now is a hassle, and you can technically turn it on in settings it just doesn't half work right. There is currently not a Dualsense controller emulation, otherwise I would do it. You want things to be automatic, right? Well, HIDHide requires a controller to be disconnected and reconnected before it tells windows about the change. That is important because you want it to be automatic, but it wont be. There are games that want to see a Dualsense controller, not a DS4, and HIDHide needs to be OFF for those games because currently, we do not have a way to Emulate a Dualsense controller with full haptics etc (not yet anyway, I'm working on it), so the ONLY WAY for you to go from having HIDHide on to HIDHide off is to go into the application and turn it on or off, and reconnect your controller, which is literally the same amount of clicks from DS4W as it is from HIDHide. It will not simplify or reduce the amount of mouse clicks and it won't make you happy.

WHAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY THEN????
The ability to emulate a Dualsense controller with full functionality! That would allow apps which use a Dualsense to utilize the Dualsense functionality, Apps that Utilize DS4 would use DS4, and you can have your DS3 controller plugged in and emulating a DS4 if you please, because HIDHide would ALWAYS be enabled in this case (because you could just have a profile to emulate the controller you want). Luckily for us, HIDHide works REALLY well. Like super well. So I am confident that if I can code the ability to emulate a Dualsense controller, then it would simplify the entire DS4Windows process.

EVERYONE should have Autoprofiles enabled.
I have made sure you can get autoprofiles to work with any window, any time. Either by exe path or window name, it will latch on and auto switch. You also have the ability to go in and make a profile only work for a certain device type, which is fairly useful for your case, because if I were to make HIDHide work and emulate dualsense, then you could have your DS3 automatically switch from DS4 to Dualsense depending on the game you're playing and what features it has enabled.
Autoprofiles make the ENTIRE process easier, because every game prefers a different controller on PC. Some games are REALLY nice with PS5 controllers, supporting the trackpad and everything, so you would want a Dualsense to be emulated. Some games REALLY like DS4, and some really like Xbox. The problem is, if I start fucking with HIDHide, and all of a sudden I have to uncheck the box to make it see my controller again for a game I like having a Dualsense on, it makes it more troublesome. The real solution is probably to just emulate a dualsense. Then I can enable HIDHide, and force exclusivity on controller connect (I may even mess with windows bt settings and try to make sure it always works the way I want it to, just a lot of work)

[nefarius]

So easy to do for a long time 😉 https://github.com/nefarius/Nefarius.Drivers.HidHide

[Ryochan7]

@Ryochan7 mentioned in schmaldeo/DS4Windows#68 (comment), that it was done puropsely, and now it's not a case anymore and can be simplified to enable hiding directly from DS4Windows. Adding option to "Hide controller" directly from DS4W GUI like it has DualSenseY or PadForge would be useful and more user friendly.

It should be added that the manual behavior was done at the request of Nef himself

There is currently not a Dualsense controller emulation, otherwise I would do it.

You might want to look into the usbip_win2 driver and VIIPER. The recent update has DualSense emulation support although I have not tested it myself. Not much of a point for my use at the moment. Xbox 360 and DS4 controller emulation work fairly well but I have to run a couple of customizations on the usbip_win2 driver to get the performance I want; have not gotten around to making a PR for that one. At least that takes care of one of the reasons DS4Windows development was stopped in the first place. Needing an HidHide alternative was another big one; lack of money being the main reason it never happened.

https://github.com/vadimgrn/usbip-win2
https://github.com/Alia5/VIIPER

[nefarius]

It should be added that the manual behavior was done at the request of Nef himself

Uh, no? Can't have a single post from ya without a bit of slander, ey?

[hbashton]

@Ryochan7 mentioned in schmaldeo/DS4Windows#68 (comment),
https://github.com/vadimgrn/usbip-win2 https://github.com/Alia5/VIIPER

This is very helpful thank you.

I was not aware that Hiding a controller did not require a reconnect to enable HIDHide. Does Hiding a controller not require a reconnect of the controller? That was my primary reason for avoiding using the HIDHide API. Although, with the addition of an emulated dualsense, it may be beneficial to go ahead and utilize the HIDHide API and enable Passthrough through the Emulated controller.

What’s your verdict on reconnecting to enable HIDHIde? In my experience, I have never gotten it to work without reconnecting the controller

[hbashton]

I was not aware that Hiding a controller did not require a reconnect to enable HIDHide.

If this was the case, I would enable per profile HIDHide settings and make it very very modular

[hbashton]

Honestly, ATP, just going to use Viper. It seems well made. Should be able to make Exclusive mode work better now, since we should never have to turn it off with all the profile options.

[hbashton]

Added the feature you requested

[Sutibun-Sama]

Hi, thanks for the good work, but what does this actually mean?

Can I uninstall HIDHide and use the Hide DS4 Controller option in the DS4Windows settings, and will this effectively work like I am hiding the physical gamepad, like with HIDHide?
There's little information on this, and that's why I'm asking.
I am currently using the DualShock4 V2 wired mode.

[hbashton]

yes, you can use that option and it will work now as if you had it hidden in hidhide