> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.kouch.dev/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.kouch.dev/controllers/players-and-seats.md). # Players and seats Change who's Player 1, reorder the seats, remove a player, and choose who moves through the menus. Every player has a **seat**, numbered 1 to 8. The emulator sees Player 1 as its first controller, Player 2 as its second, and so on. You change seats on the **Players** screen (**Start › Players**). ## Become Player 1 Picked up a different controller than Player 1's? **Press LT on it** on the Players screen. Your controller swaps into seat 1, and whoever was there takes your old seat. The lead player can also point at someone else's box and press **LT** (**Make Player 1**) to move that player to seat 1. ## Reorder the seats The lead player can rearrange everyone: 1. Press **Y** (**Reorder**). The screen shows **Reorder mode**. 2. Highlight a player and press **A** (**Pick up**). 3. Move to another box and press **A** (**Drop here**). The two players swap seats. Dropping on the same box cancels. 4. Press **Y** (**Done reordering**) when you're finished. In Reorder mode, **X** (**Remove**) takes the highlighted player out of their seat. **B** puts down a player you've picked up, or leaves Reorder mode. ## During a game You can swap seats while playing, too. Hold **Select + Start** to open the Quick Menu and choose **Players**. Each player gets their own cursor on the list: * **A** (**Swap**) on your seat, then **A** on another seat, swaps them. * **X** (**Motion**) turns motion on or off for a seat. See [The Quick Menu](/playing/quick-menu.md). ## Rumble in games **On Windows**, when a game rumbles, the player's own controller rumbles. Kouch sets this up in the emulator each time a game starts, for emulators whose profile includes rumble. There's nothing to install, and nothing to set up in the emulator. * Rumble reaches **players 1 to 4**, through Steam Input. * Buttons, sticks and motion follow a seat swap during a game straight away. **Rumble keeps the old order until the game restarts.** Kouch shows **Rumble still follows the old order. Restart the game to update it.** in the Quick Menu, with **Restart game**, which closes the game properly and starts it again (**Restarting…**). The Players page shows the same line. * Swap the seats back and the message goes away. To check that a controller can rumble at all, use **Rumble test** in [Test a controller](/controllers/test-a-controller.md). {% hint style="info" %} **On the Steam Deck and Linux, games don't rumble yet.** Coming in a later build: rumble for every player there, following a seat swap straight away. The **Rumble test** works everywhere. {% endhint %} ## Who moves through the menus Only the **lead player** moves the highlight in Kouch's menus, so nobody on the couch does it by accident. The lead player is usually Player 1, and their dot in the top bar has a ring. To let every player navigate, turn off **Settings › Players › Only the lead player moves through menus**. Some things any player can do from their own controller, whoever leads: press **A** to join, **LT** to become Player 1, and **X** to turn their own motion on or off. ## Settings › Players | Setting | What it does | Default | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | **Only the lead player moves through menus** | Other players' controllers don't move the highlight. | On | | **Seat new controllers automatically** | A controller takes a seat as soon as it connects, without pressing A. | Off | | **Confirm destructive actions** | How red buttons confirm: **Hold to confirm**, **Red only, no hold** (one press), or **Red and hold**. | Red and hold | | **Keep empty seats for** | How long a disconnected controller's seat waits for it, up to 120 seconds. | No limit | | **Keep Steam chat history on this PC** (under **Friends and chat**) | Keeps your Steam conversations for next time. Turning it off clears them. **Clear chat history on this PC** clears them now. See [Friends and chat](/online/online/friends-and-chat.md#chat). | On | --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.kouch.dev/controllers/players-and-seats.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. 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