CtrlAssist v0.4.0 introduces demultiplexing functionality along with enhancements to the system tray and rumble targeting. The updated README now features FAQ and Cookbook sections with practical examples, such as the "Double Agent Tag Team" scenario, where a single assist controller uses a demux to help multiple primary players across separate mux instances, and the "Couch Co-Op Swap" scenario, in which two players take turns assisting each other using toggle mode, with force feedback following the currently active controller by default.

While controller demultiplexing was a requested feature from a prior release, I didn't have a concrete use case until I found myself helping a pair of youngsters play couch co-op multiplayer games with each other. Instead of needing separate assist controllers for each player, otherwise charging/pairing four controllers in total, being able to unicast between mux instances with a single assist controller made juggling both inputs much simpler. Then after being roped into the "It Takes Two" session myself, I found being able to swap primary and assist players outright much simpler when both helping and playing, allowing the Helpee to also aid the Helper when it really does take two.

New Features

Demux Operation Mode

CtrlAssist now supports demultiplexing (demux), allowing a single physical controller to be split into multiple virtual gamepads. This complements the existing multiplexing (mux) functionality and enables more advanced input routing scenarios.

Demux Modes:

  • Unicast (default): Routes primary controller input to the currently active virtual gamepad. Cycle between virtual gamepads using the reserved Mode button.
    • Assist multiple players across separate mux instances
  • Multicast: Broadcasts primary controller input to all virtual gamepads simultaneously.
    • Replicate controller input for advanced input multiplexing pipelines

Active Rumble Targeting

A new "Active" rumble target has been added as the default option for mux operations. This routes force feedback to whichever controllers are currently active according to the selected mode:

  • Toggle Mode: Rumble follows the currently active controller
  • Priority/Average Modes: Rumble sent to both controllers, same as before

Expanded Documentation

The README has been significantly expanded with:

  • FAQ Section: Addresses common questions about who CtrlAssist is for, why it was developed, game compatibility, supported controllers, and running multiple instances
  • Cookbook Section: Provides practical examples demonstrating complex multi-instance setups:
    • Couch Co-Op Swap: Two players alternating assistance
    • Double Agent Tag Team: One assist controller helping multiple primary players

Breaking Changes

  • The rumble target enum options now defaults to "Active" instead of "Both"
  • Configuration file format has been extended to accommodate separate mux and demux settings

Installation

CtrlAssist v0.4.0 can be installed via:

  • Cargo: cargo install ctrlassist --force
  • Flatpak: Download the bundle from the releases page and install with flatpak install
 

CtrlAssist v0.4.0 introduces demultiplexing functionality along with enhancements to the system tray and rumble targeting. The updated README now features FAQ and Cookbook sections with practical examples, such as the "Double Agent Tag Team" scenario, where a single assist controller uses a demux to help multiple primary players across separate mux instances, and the "Couch Co-Op Swap" scenario, in which two players take turns assisting each other using toggle mode, with force feedback following the currently active controller by default.

While controller demultiplexing was a requested feature from a prior release, I didn't have a concrete use case until I found myself helping a pair of youngsters play couch co-op multiplayer games with each other. Instead of needing separate assist controllers for each player, otherwise charging/pairing four controllers in total, being able to unicast between mux instances with a single assist controller made juggling both inputs much simpler. Then after being roped into the "It Takes Two" session myself, I found being able to swap primary and assist players outright much simpler when both helping and playing, allowing the Helpee to also aid the Helper when it really does take two.

New Features

Demux Operation Mode

CtrlAssist now supports demultiplexing (demux), allowing a single physical controller to be split into multiple virtual gamepads. This complements the existing multiplexing (mux) functionality and enables more advanced input routing scenarios.

Demux Modes:

  • Unicast (default): Routes primary controller input to the currently active virtual gamepad. Cycle between virtual gamepads using the reserved Mode button.
    • Assist multiple players across separate mux instances
  • Multicast: Broadcasts primary controller input to all virtual gamepads simultaneously.
    • Replicate controller input for advanced input multiplexing pipelines

Active Rumble Targeting

A new "Active" rumble target has been added as the default option for mux operations. This routes force feedback to whichever controllers are currently active according to the selected mode:

  • Toggle Mode: Rumble follows the currently active controller
  • Priority/Average Modes: Rumble sent to both controllers, same as before

Expanded Documentation

The README has been significantly expanded with:

  • FAQ Section: Addresses common questions about who CtrlAssist is for, why it was developed, game compatibility, supported controllers, and running multiple instances
  • Cookbook Section: Provides practical examples demonstrating complex multi-instance setups:
    • Couch Co-Op Swap: Two players alternating assistance
    • Double Agent Tag Team: One assist controller helping multiple primary players

Breaking Changes

  • The rumble target enum options now defaults to "Active" instead of "Both"
  • Configuration file format has been extended to accommodate separate mux and demux settings

Installation

CtrlAssist v0.4.0 can be installed via:

  • Cargo: cargo install ctrlassist --force
  • Flatpak: Download the bundle from the releases page and install with flatpak install
[–] 2 points 1 year ago

You should be able to rebuild offline if the minimal change set is self contained enough, as in purely local. Did you update any other inputs? I guess you could be missing some kind of extra TLS or CA store dependency for adding custom CAs, but that doesn't seem likely for regular NixOS install. I use flakes instead of channels, so I wouldn't know what else may be blocked you. A stdout log may showcase your error more clearly.

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I think you may need a successful switch to actually apply the addition of the proxy CA to your root CA store before attempting any other changes that could require reaching out across the network. At least that was the order of operations I had to follow to remove an offline remote cache before attempting any package updates.

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I'm in search for the same white whale. There's quite a bit of documentation for multi-seat configurations for Linux, i.e. supporting the use of multiple screens and keyboards for separate simultaneous logins.

    However I'd like to remote into a separate game scope session with its own human interface inputs and virtual audio and video outputs, as the same primary user normally logged in active desktop environment session. I'd like it so the remote and local sessions would not interfere with each other state, but without necessitating multiple Linux users for each session use case.

    That last bit is what makes it more tricky and very niche. Supporting essentially multiple desktop environments probably demands separate user debus sockets. Using c groups via containers makes that viable, but like you, I also like to avoid containers and extensive volume mounts.

  • source
  • parent
  • context
  • [–] [S] 5 points 1 year ago

    I top linked the most recently published video mostly for the introductory breakdown in ternary logic equivalence, but the interview with the ternary researcher, Dr Bos, also linked in the description above includes a number of corrections and accurate description of the subject.

    Yeah, definitely not a lost art or anything, as physical ternary signals already have applications in communication like high data rate interfaces. Still, would be interesting to see ternary expand into logic domains with emerging developments in TCMOS research.

  • source
  • parent
  • context
  • [–] [S] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    This is discussed around the 27 min mark of the video with Dr. Steven Bos, particularly in maintaining voltage thresholds for signal propagation when using multiple devices, in context of logic, memory, and communication use cases. Interestingly, for example, GDDR7 and USB 4.2 already use physical ternary signals.

    Edit: signal to noise ratio is also discussed at the 40min mark, also with respect to increasing information density vs complexity from higher symbol bandwidth, or terms of radix vs frequency.

  • source
  • parent
  • context
  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago

    Appreciate the heads up. Looks like they use merge bots to auto update the package version JSON files for git packages, making for a very large/frequent commit history. Was that what made bisecting imposable?

    I also see they pin the nixpkgs input, but do others normally modify that nixpkgs input to follow their global nixpkgs from their own system flake, or does that invalidate the use of Nyx community cache?

  • source
  • parent
  • context
  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 year ago*

    Compiling the Linux kernel from scratch takes over an hour on this laptop. Given I'm tracking the unstable channel on a rolling distro means doing that several times a week. Ain't nobody got time for that. Or at least I don't...

  • source
  • parent
  • context
  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I don't have resources to locally build an optimized kennel for every update for each of my systems, thus my interests in keeping with a community cache.

    I didn't do much here, just swapped the kernel via config and ran some benchmarks. I posted as I was more curious to hear of what engineering trade offs may be at play, and what experience folks have had in daily driving CatchyOS's kernel patch sets.

  • source
  • parent
  • context
  • view more: ‹ prev next ›