No way to exit Visual Pinball returning to PinballX frontend using my game controller

[pcraenme]

I use a Hori game controller (XBox compatible) for playing pinball. When I start VPX from PinballX, I have no way to exit the table and return back to PinballX frontend using my contrroller. I can configure a button in VPX for Exit Game in VPX, but that displays the popup of VPX and then I have to use the mouse to exit the table. But then I return to VPX Editor instead of PinballX frontend, so have to close that as well.

When I do not map a button to Exit Game in VPX, but map that button to 'Quit' and 'Exit Emulator' in PBX, the button does not work in VPX and I have to use my keyboard to close the table and VPX. In PBX itself though, the button work and when I press it I get the menu with Exit in it. So the button does work in PBX.

The only workaround I found is to use JoyToKey and map a button to the ESC key. When I then hold that button, I return directly to PinballX frontend from VPX.

PinballX.ini

log.txt

[pcraenme]

@Mike_da_Spike

"Could you please provide your pinballx.ini file?"
Added to thread start.

"we would be grateful if you could include a log file captured when you launch PinballX and then press the exit button on your game controller"
Added to thread start.

"We recommend configuring this specifically within PBX rather than VPX."
I did that already, see thread start.

"Are you currently running VPX as an administrator?"
No. It is installed using Baller Installer. Did not change any startup setting.

[Mike_da_Spike]

Hey buddy,
can you create a log file where you launch a table, play the game, press exit, wait for a bit, and if it doesn’t quit, close the emulator another way (pressing Q twice usually works), then post that log?
Your current log file doesn’t show an attempt to launch a game, so it’s hard to see what PBx is doing.
Also, could you share a screenshot of your VPX ‘Configure Keys, Nudges, and DOF’ screen?

I see in your logfile :
 

20:10:01.24  23-3-2026:  Touch screen detected

Are you using a touchscreen? (Just curious, nothing to do with your settings.)

thanks

[pcraenme]

Hi Mike,

Log file attached. Pressing Button7 on my controller did not exit the table and VPX. I waited about 5 seconds and then pressed the Q key once, and that returned me directly to PBX. I used VPinballX64.exe, so not playing in VR.

I also attached screenshots of my VPX and PBX button mappings.

And no, I am not using a touchscreen, so have no clue why that is showing up in the log.

Thanks

log.txt

[scutters]

Strangely, from the log that exit looked ok. Pbx recognised the exit system button press and then found & closed a vpx process

10:32:41.94  24-3-2026:  C:\vPinball\VisualPinball\VPinballX64.exe /play -"C:\vPinball\VisualPinball\Tables\Breakshot (Capcom 1996) VPW v1.0.vpx"
10:32:48.27  24-3-2026:  Visual Pinball Player Foreground
10:32:48.32  24-3-2026:  Visual Pinball Player window foreground: 6
10:32:51.31  24-3-2026:  Found PinMAME ROM: bsv103
10:32:58.21  24-3-2026:  Exit System Control Pressed
10:32:58.50  24-3-2026:  Found Visual Pinball editor window
10:32:59.43  24-3-2026:  Process Closed
10:32:59.58  24-3-2026:  Getting high score
10:32:59.68  24-3-2026:  Writing high score
10:32:59.81  24-3-2026:  Created DirectX BackGlass Window

Did you have another VPX window open before launching from Pbx?

[pcraenme]

@scutters Isn’t that Exit coming from the Q key I pressed? I have no other VPX window open.

I wonder how this should work with the button setting only in PBX? When the table is started from PBX, I assume PBX is running in the background and VPX in the foreground. How will my system detect I am pressing the button I have mapped to Exit in PBX, when it is not running in the foreground, but VPX is running in the foreground?

[Mike_da_Spike]

5 hours ago, scutters said:

10:32:58.21  24-3-2026:  Exit System Control Pressed
10:32:58.50  24-3-2026:  Found Visual Pinball editor window
10:32:59.43  24-3-2026:  Process Closed

The exit control function is called, but look like it is taking around 53 sec9nds to close it. Maybe you pressed the q or esvbutton as well.

1 hour ago, pcraenme said:

How will my system detect I am pressing the button I have mapped to Exit in PBX

I don't know the codr, but I asume PinballX uses a keyboard/joystick hook. So every keyboard/joystick event can be captured by pinballX as well. On cabinet machines it can be shown easily. For example, i have 3 displays. Display 3 is my playfield, display 2 my backglass and display 1 is my 'desktop" if i launch PBX and switch to my desktop and set the focus to  abother program(for example Visual Studio), pinballX will still act and the keyboard and joystick events.

DBM has this as well where you can pause or quit the recording when an emulator is starting

 

Edit:

Can you retry your test, by pressing the exit and wait for about 1 minute? Just to be sure that PBX is not closing correctly your VP setting.

Edit2: Another thing, I think of.

In the settings.exe , there is for visual pinball a setting with a full screen hack(don't know the exact name). Try to switch that as well

[pcraenme]

First test with Full Screen Exclusive Hack on No, waited more than a minute after pressing button7 on my controller, nothing happened. Pressed Q to leave VPX. See log1.txt.

Second test with Full Screen Exclusive Hack on Yes, waited more than a minute after pressing button7 on my controller, nothing happened. Pressed Q to leave VPX. See log2.txt.

log1.txt log2.txt

[scutters]

Looking at the logs what i think is happening is that PinballX is not recognising button 7 in game as an exit emulator request.

Instead, what i think is happening is that the button press does nothing, but when you press Q to exit VPX that keyboard input is recognised by PinballX (as mapped as exit emulator key in PinballX key preferences) and then PinballX then closes the table (not VPX).

To prove this can you remap the exit emulator key in PinballX to something that's not used by VPX or PBX and then try and exit a table with that key rather than Q.

Not sure why button 7 wouldn't work in game to exit the emulator though, might be a similar issue to https://forums.gameex.com/forums/topic/31700-702-version-break-many-things-for-me/#findComment-227203

 

[jcsk8]

I have the same problem. What temporaly solved for me is to go into the exit screen settings into the pinballX settings app and select "Hold key to exit emulator". That way, when I press and hold the exit key (default) pinballx exit the game into the game list normally.

 

[pcraenme]

@scuttersI mapped a different button, which was not used in VPX and PBX, but also that button does nothing when VPX is running.

@jcsk8I changed that setting, but still nothing happens when I press the button in VPX. However, when I exit VPX with the Q key and rerurn to VPX, I get a popup from PBX to hold down the Exit button for several seconds to exit.

[scutters]

20 hours ago, pcraenme said:

I mapped a different button, which was not used in VPX and PBX, but also that button does nothing when VPX is running.

Sorry, i meant to map and try a different key rather than a button in PinballX for exit emulator, so it doesn't match the Q button key in VPX.

It does sound like for some reason PinballX doesn't recognise your button presses after launching VPX, if key presses work but not buttons it might help narrow things down a little (although to what i'm not sure!)

[pcraenme]

11 hours ago, scutters said:

Sorry, i meant to map and try a different key rather than a button in PinballX for exit emulator, so it doesn't match the Q button in VPX.

It does sound like for some reason PinballX doesn't recognise your button presses after launching VPX, if key presses work but not buttons it might help narrow things down a little (although to what i'm not sure!)

Aha... that's what you meant. Makes sense! I mapped the 'X' key to 'Exit Emulator' in PBX, which was not mapped yet in PBX or VPX. When I press the X key now in VPX when started from PBX, it works fine, table and VPX is closed and I return to PBX frontend. So... it looks like key presses are detected by PBX when VPX is running, but controller button presses are not detected. Controller is working fine though in PBX frontend and VPX.

[scutters]

1 hour ago, pcraenme said:

Aha... that's what you meant. Makes sense! I mapped the 'X' key to 'Exit Emulator' in PBX, which was not mapped yet in PBX or VPX. When I press the X key now in VPX when started from PBX, it works fine, table and VPX is closed and I return to PBX frontend. So... it looks like key presses are detected by PBX when VPX is running, but controller button presses are not detected. Controller is working fine though in PBX frontend and VPX.

Agree then, the issue is that PinballX isn't receiving button presses after launching VPX, but key presses are ok.

A few things to try;

• Launch a different table from Pbx if you haven't already tried that, just in case it's table specific. Maybe try an EM table instead to take pinmame functions out of the picture.
• Try changing VPX input API (in vpx key prefs) to Direct Input instead of Xinput
• Run Pbx as admin to see if that helps.

If none of those work then it'll be over to @Tom Speirs to see if he has any ideas!

[Tom Speirs]

I can try and replicate the issue if it is pinballx but its just with the controller yes?

i have not tested with a gamepad for a while but i know there were issues in GameEx where i had to check xinput as well as directinput. maybe something changed in vpinballx in recent version? Which version are you using? it could be the combination of xbox controller. i will test when /i can but please confirm.

I suspect i need to add xinput support for the exit button which wont take a lot as the code is already in GameEx. ill hopefully provide something for you to test shortly.

[pcraenme]

@scutters Tried a different table (Team One from VPW), but same issue there. Changed VPX input API to Direct Input, but issue remained. Ran PBX as admin, but issue remained. Probably I had done all these test before, but can never hurt to test again.😁

@Tom Speirs I am using a HORIPAD Pro controller, connected via USB to my desktop. I am using VP v10.8.0 Final (Rev. 2058) DirectX 64 bits when playing in Desktop Mode and VP v10.8.0 Final (Rev. 2058) OpenGL 64 bits when playing in VR.

Thanks!

[Tom Speirs]

i tested with an xbox 360 based gamepad. it is working but i did notice the trigger buttons do not work. i think this is normal right now.

note that button 7 is a trigger.

[pcraenme]

Button 7 is the small button (with 2 small windows on it) to the right of the left thumbstick, so it’s not a trigger on my controller. It works when I use it in the PBX frontend and also when I map it in the VPX button settings. It just does not work to exit a VPX table and return back to PBX.

[raza_debug]

Since the button works in PinballX but not while VPX is running, the issue is that VPX is taking control of the input and not passing it back to PBX.The clean way to fix this is:

Do not map Exit inside VPX.
In PinballX Setup map your controller button to Exit Emulator only (not Quit).
In VPX make sure the Exit key is set to ESC (default).
In PBX confirm that ESC is the key being sent to close the emulator.
Also make sure: VPX is not running as administrator (and PBX isn’t either — both should match).
In PBX settings “Hide Backglass” and “Hide DMD” are enabled if used.
“Launch Before/After” isn’t interfering.
If that still doesn’t work, JoyToKey mapping your button to ESC (like you are doing now) is honestly a perfectly fine and reliable solution. Many people use it for exactly this reason.