Input Options

General Options

Controller Options

Console Type: Selects which console to emulate for all input ports. The NES and Famicom have different accessories and some of the identical accessories (e.g the Zapper) have different behavior on a hardware level. If you want to connect Famicom-only accessories that plug into the Famicom’s expansion port, select Famicom.

Automatically configure controllers when loading a game: When enabled, when loading any game recognized by Mesen’s internal game database, the appropriate controllers will automatically be setup. For example, loading up a game like Duck Hunt will connect a Zapper to the second port.

Setting up controllers

NES

For each player, select the device you want to use. To connect more than 2 controllers, check the Use Four Score accessory option.
To setup the key mappings for a controller (or other device-specific options), click the Setup button on the right of the player you want to configure.

Famicom

On older Famicoms, the player 1 & 2 controllers are hard-wired and cannot be disconnected – Mesen does the same. To connect additional controllers, select the Four Player Adapter expansion device.
To setup the key mappings for a controller (or other device-specific options), click the Setup button on the right of the player you want to configure.

Configuring Key Bindings

Controller Setup

Each player can have up to four tabs of key bindings – this allows you to control the same player with different input devices. For example, you can setup player 1 to be controlled by your keyboard and your Xbox controller at the same time.

To select a binding for a button, click on the corresponding button in the UI and then press the key or gamepad button you want to use for this button.
To clear a binding, click on it and then close the popup window by clicking on the X button.
To clear all bindings for this tab, click on the Clear Key Bindings.

To simplify configuration, a number of presets are available – click on the Select Preset button to choose one.

You can also configure that controller’s turbo buttons’ speed with the Turbo Speed slider. Note: setting the turbo speed to the fastest setting may cause some games to not detect the button presses at all.

Zapper / Light Gun

To shoot a target on the screen, target it with the mouse and use the left mouse button to shoot.
To shoot outside the screen (which some games need to control menus, etc.), hold down the right mouse button while you click on the left mouse button.

Advanced Options

Advanced Options

Controller axis deadzone size: Controls the deadzone size for analog sticks. A larger deadzone means that the analog stick will need to be moved more before a button press is registered.

Hide mouse pointer when using zapper: Hides the mouse pointer completely when a Zapper is connected. This is useful when using light guns (for PCs) that simulate a mouse.

Display Controller Input

Use these options to display the controller input on the screen.

This will be recorded by the Video Recorder - so make sure you turn it off if you do not want it to appear on the video.