Bluetooth Controller Support for UE4 GoogleVR iOS Apps

Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) plugin to enable usage of bluetooth remote controllers / gamepads / joysticks in iOS virtual reality (VR) apps.

Getting Started

Installation

Create a new C++ project or convert an existing project into a code project
Create a folder Plugins in the root of the project and copy the BTC plugin into this folder
Open the project in the UE4 editor
Activate the GoogleVR plugin (Edit → Plugins → Virtual Reality → Google VR)
Verify that the BTC plugin is activated (Edit → Plugins → Project → VR Input Devices → BTC)
Click File → Refresh Xcode project

Final file structure:

GameProjectName
+-- ...
+-- Content
+-- Plugins
    +-- BTC
        +-- BTC.plugin
        +-- LICENSE
        +-- README.md
        +-- Resources
        +-- Source
+-- ...
+-- GameProjectName.xcworkspace

Usage

In Blueprints, for example:

Default mapping of controller buttons to UE4 events

| UE4 event | Generic controller | ACGAM R1 | VR SHINECON / HIZEK | |---|---|---|---| | Gamepad D-pad Left | Left | - | Joystick Left | | Gamepad D-pad Right | Right | - | Joystick Right | | Gamepad D-pad Up | Up | - | Joystick Up | | Gamepad D-pad Down | Down | - | Joystick Down | | Gamepad Right Shoulder | Enter | - | OK | | Gamepad Face Button Left | Mute | A | - | | Gamepad Face Button Right | Play / Pause Toggle | B | - | | Gamepad Face Button Top | Volume Down | C | - | | Gamepad Face Button Down | Volume Up | D | - |

Configuration

Open the source code in Xcode (file GameProjectName.xcworkspace)
Go to the file Game/GameProjectName/Plugins/BTC/Source/BTC/Private/BTCConfiguration.h
Use the preprocessor macros USE_ENTER_BUTTON, USE_ARROW_BUTTONS, and USE_SOUND_BUTTONS to define which controller buttons should be re-mapped
Use the constants in the BTCEventMapping namespace to define which controller buttons are mapped to which UE4 events (i.e. to modify above table)

Important: If your controller does not implement the Bluetooth HID profile (e.g., ACGAM R1), remove USE_ENTER_BUTTON because otherwise the virtual keyboard will appear in VR mode.

Tested Software Versions

iPhone 8
iOS 11.2.2
UE 4.18.3

Tested Bluetooth Remote Controllers

ACGAM R1

Supported buttons: A, B, C, D
Controller has to be in "music mode", which can be activated by pressing M-A

VR SHINECON / HIZEK

Supported buttons: Enter, Left, Right, Up, Down
Controller has to be in "VR mode"

Implementation

The implementation does - very likely - not conform to iOS and UE4 programming guidelines, but - to the best of my knowledge - it is the only way to get such bluetooth controllers working.

The plugin adds an additional iOS UIViewController on top of UE4's main UIViewController. This additional controller...

contains a hidden UITextField and implements the UITextFieldDelegate to capture the Enter button,
contains a hidden MPVolumeView to capture the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mute buttons,
adds an observer to the togglePlayPauseCommand of the MPRemoteCommandCenter.

If any of these modifications affect other UE4 features, use the preprocessor macros USE_ENTER_BUTTON, USE_ARROW_BUTTONS, and USE_SOUND_BUTTONS to deactivate the corresponding modifications.

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.

Btc

Install / Use

README