diff --git a/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/scripts/es_input.rng b/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/scripts/es_input.rng
index 6f228cb576866115327827341f32e93becb8badf..92643d4ba575a4181dab7ac2b017f80e6cae422c 100644
--- a/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/scripts/es_input.rng
+++ b/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/scripts/es_input.rng
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@
         <attribute name="deviceName">
           <data type="string" />
         </attribute>
+      </optional>
+      <optional>
         <attribute name="version">
           <data type="string" />
         </attribute>
diff --git a/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/share_init/system/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg b/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/share_init/system/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg
index 566bd016dd017e70acc1bf7439a7d4b3eceebd14..8eff0a2ac8e78d93b3bf5148c84ac310536f0e83 100644
--- a/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/share_init/system/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg
+++ b/board/recalbox/fsoverlay/recalbox/share_init/system/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
   <!-- Nintendo Switch N64 Controller -->
   <!-- Nintendo Switch Megadrive/Genesis Controller -->
   <!-- Hutopi -->
-  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="03004d2a1f08000001e4000010010000" deviceNbAxes="2" deviceNbHats="0" deviceNbButtons="10">
+  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="03004d2a1f08000001e4000010010000" deviceNbAxes="2" deviceNbHats="0" deviceNbButtons="10" version="2">
     <input name="left" type="axis" id="0" value="-1" code="0" />
     <input name="down" type="axis" id="1" value="1" code="1" />
     <input name="right" type="axis" id="0" value="1" code="0" />
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
   </inputConfig>
   <!-- recalbox 10 guid compatible -->
   <!-- GunCon 2 -->
-  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="030033ba9a0b00006a01000000010000" deviceNbAxes="2" deviceNbHats="1" deviceNbButtons="8">
+  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="030033ba9a0b00006a01000000010000" deviceNbAxes="2" deviceNbHats="1" deviceNbButtons="8" version="2">
     <input name="left" type="hat" id="0" value="8" code="-1" />
     <input name="down" type="hat" id="0" value="4" code="-1" />
     <input name="right" type="hat" id="0" value="2" code="-1" />
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
     <input name="start" type="button" id="4" value="1" code="315" />
   </inputConfig>
   <!-- HORI Battle Pad (Zelda) -->
-  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="03001f830d0f0000dc00000000010000" deviceNbAxes="4" deviceNbHats="1" deviceNbButtons="13">
+  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="03001f830d0f0000dc00000000010000" deviceNbAxes="4" deviceNbHats="1" deviceNbButtons="13" version="2">
     <input name="joystick2up" type="axis" id="3" value="-1" code="4" />
     <input name="joystick2left" type="axis" id="2" value="-1" code="3" />
     <input name="joystick1up" type="axis" id="1" value="-1" code="1" />
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
     <input name="start" type="button" id="9" value="1" code="315" />
   </inputConfig>
   <!-- RG353 -->
-  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceGUID="19009b4d4b4800000111000000010000" deviceNbAxes="4" deviceNbHats="0" deviceNbButtons="17">
+  <inputConfig type="joystick" deviceName="retrogame_joypad" deviceGUID="19009b4d4b4800000111000000010000" deviceNbAxes="4" deviceNbHats="0" deviceNbButtons="17" version="2">
     <input name="joystick2up" type="axis" id="3" value="-1" code="4" />
     <input name="joystick2left" type="axis" id="2" value="-1" code="3" />
     <input name="joystick1up" type="axis" id="1" value="-1" code="1" />
diff --git a/projects/frontend/es-core/src/input/InputManager.cpp b/projects/frontend/es-core/src/input/InputManager.cpp
index f31034640865964b34dd76a98df51cad949ffbaf..2f473db9110699ca59589d0e51e67ba57eec0d8c 100644
--- a/projects/frontend/es-core/src/input/InputManager.cpp
+++ b/projects/frontend/es-core/src/input/InputManager.cpp
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ bool InputManager::LookupDeviceXmlConfiguration(InputDevice& device)
     {
       // check the guid
       bool guid;
-      if (strlen(item.attribute("deviceName").value()) == 0) {
+      if (String(item.attribute("version").value()) == "2") {
         // sdl 2.26+
         guid = (strcmp(device.GUID().c_str(), item.attribute("deviceGUID").value()) == 0) || device.IsKeyboard();
       }else {
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ void InputManager::WriteDeviceXmlConfiguration(InputDevice& device)
       if (root != nullptr)
         for (pugi::xml_node item = root.child("inputConfig"); item != nullptr; item = item.next_sibling("inputConfig"))
         {
-          if (strlen(item.attribute("deviceName").value()) == 0) {
+          if (String(item.attribute("version").value()) == "2") {
             // new kind for nameless entry (sdl2.26+)
             if (strcmp(device.GUID().c_str(), item.attribute("deviceGUID").value()) == 0 &&
                 device.AxeCount() == item.attribute("deviceNbAxes").as_int() &&
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ void InputManager::WriteDeviceXmlConfiguration(InputDevice& device)
               root.remove_child(item);
               break;
             }
-          }else {
+          } else {
              // old kind for nameful entry (sdl2.0)
             String CRC = String::ToHexa(gen_crc16((uint8_t*)item.attribute("deviceName").value(), strlen(item.attribute("deviceName").value()), true), 4, String::Hexa::None);
             String tempGUID = "";