diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/LibSameboy.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/LibSameboy.cs
index 5c13e48d23..c9ba9cc16b 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/LibSameboy.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/LibSameboy.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ using BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Waterbox;
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Text;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 
@@ -10,6 +11,26 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Consoles.Nintendo.Gameboy
 {
 	public abstract class LibSameboy : LibWaterboxCore
 	{
+		[Flags]
+		public enum Buttons : uint
+		{
+			A = 0x01,
+			B = 0x02,
+			SELECT = 0x04,
+			START = 0x08,
+			RIGHT = 0x10,
+			LEFT = 0x20,
+			UP = 0x40,
+			DOWN = 0x80
+		}
+
+		[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
+		public new class FrameInfo : LibWaterboxCore.FrameInfo
+		{
+			public long Time;
+			public Buttons Keys;
+		}
+
 		[BizImport(CC)]
 		public abstract bool Init(bool cgb);
 	}
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Sameboy.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Sameboy.cs
index 8d93b7521f..a052576634 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Sameboy.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/Gameboy/Sameboy.cs
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Consoles.Nintendo.Gameboy
 
 		private LibSameboy _core;
 		private bool _cgb;
+		private bool _sgb;
 
 		[CoreConstructor("GB")]
 		public Sameboy(CoreComm comm, byte[] rom)
@@ -76,10 +77,65 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Consoles.Nintendo.Gameboy
 			PostInit();
 		}
 
+		#region Controller
+
+		private static readonly ControllerDefinition _gbDefinition;
+		private static readonly ControllerDefinition _sgbDefinition;
+		public override ControllerDefinition ControllerDefinition => _sgb ? _sgbDefinition : _gbDefinition;
+
+		private static ControllerDefinition CreateControllerDefinition(int p)
+		{
+			var ret = new ControllerDefinition { Name = "Gameboy Controller" };
+			for (int i = 0; i < p; i++)
+			{
+				ret.BoolButtons.AddRange(
+					new[] { "Up", "Down", "Left", "Right", "A", "B", "Select", "Start" }
+						.Select(s => $"P{i + 1} {s}"));
+			}
+			return ret;
+		}
+
+		static Sameboy()
+		{
+			_gbDefinition = CreateControllerDefinition(1);
+			_sgbDefinition = CreateControllerDefinition(4);
+		}
+
+		private LibSameboy.Buttons GetButtons(IController c)
+		{
+			LibSameboy.Buttons b = 0;
+			for (int i = _sgb ? 4 : 1; i > 0; i--)
+			{
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} Up"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.UP;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} Down"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.DOWN;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} Left"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.LEFT;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} Right"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.RIGHT;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} A"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.A;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} B"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.B;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} Select"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.SELECT;
+				if (c.IsPressed($"P{i} Start"))
+					b |= LibSameboy.Buttons.START;
+				if (i != 1)
+					b = (LibSameboy.Buttons)((uint)b << 8);
+			}
+			return b;
+		}
+
+		#endregion
+
 		protected override LibWaterboxCore.FrameInfo FrameAdvancePrep(IController controller, bool render, bool rendersound)
 		{
 			return new LibSameboy.FrameInfo
 			{
+				Time = 0,
+				Keys = GetButtons(controller)
 			};
 		}
 
diff --git a/waterbox/sameboy/bizhawk.cpp b/waterbox/sameboy/bizhawk.cpp
index 187c668a5b..c704aaf13a 100644
--- a/waterbox/sameboy/bizhawk.cpp
+++ b/waterbox/sameboy/bizhawk.cpp
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ ECL_EXPORT bool Init(bool cgb)
 
 struct MyFrameInfo : public FrameInfo
 {
+	int64_t Time;
+	uint32_t Keys;
 };
 
 static int FrameOverflow;
@@ -98,8 +100,7 @@ static int FrameOverflow;
 ECL_EXPORT void FrameAdvance(MyFrameInfo &f)
 {
 	GB_set_pixels_output(&GB, f.VideoBuffer);
-	for (int i = 0; i < (int)GB_KEY_MAX; i++)
-		GB_set_key_state(&GB, (GB_key_t)i, false);
+	GB_set_key_state(&GB, f.Keys & 0xff);
 	
 	sound_start_clock = GB_epoch(&GB);
 
diff --git a/waterbox/sameboy/gb.c b/waterbox/sameboy/gb.c
index 986a5623c6..0f6b298b07 100644
--- a/waterbox/sameboy/gb.c
+++ b/waterbox/sameboy/gb.c
@@ -252,14 +252,12 @@ void GB_run(GB_gameboy_t *gb)
 
 uint64_t GB_run_cycles(GB_gameboy_t *gb, uint32_t cycles)
 {
+    GB_update_joyp(gb);
+    GB_rtc_run(gb);
 	uint64_t start = gb->cycles_since_epoch;
 	uint64_t target = start + cycles;
     while (gb->cycles_since_epoch < target) {
         GB_run(gb);
-        if (gb->vblank_just_occured) {
-        	GB_update_joyp(gb);
-        	GB_rtc_run(gb);
-        }
     }
 	return gb->cycles_since_epoch - start;
 }
diff --git a/waterbox/sameboy/gb.h b/waterbox/sameboy/gb.h
index 5eb644d20a..d1fb323d3e 100644
--- a/waterbox/sameboy/gb.h
+++ b/waterbox/sameboy/gb.h
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ struct GB_gameboy_internal_s {
 
         /* I/O */
         uint32_t *screen;
-        bool keys[GB_KEY_MAX];
+		int keys;
                
         /* Timing */
         uint64_t cycles_since_epoch;
diff --git a/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.c b/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.c
index 21e6d666b0..0cad7ab084 100644
--- a/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.c
+++ b/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.c
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ void GB_update_joyp(GB_gameboy_t *gb)
 
     /* Todo: add delay to key selection */
     previous_state = gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] & 0xF;
-    key_selection = (gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] >> 4) & 3;
+    key_selection = gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] >> 4 & 3;
     gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] &= 0xF0;
     switch (key_selection) {
         case 3:
@@ -19,24 +19,17 @@ void GB_update_joyp(GB_gameboy_t *gb)
 
         case 2:
             /* Direction keys */
-            for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-                gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= (!gb->keys[i]) << i;
-            }
+			gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= ~gb->keys >> 4 & 0xf;
             break;
 
         case 1:
             /* Other keys */
-            for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-                gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= (!gb->keys[i + 4]) << i;
-            }
+			gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= ~gb->keys & 0xf;
             break;
 
         case 0:
             /* Todo: verifiy this is correct */
-            for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-                gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= (!gb->keys[i]) << i;
-                gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= (!gb->keys[i + 4]) << i;
-            }
+			gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= ~(gb->keys >> 4 & gb->keys) & 0xf;
             break;
 
         default:
@@ -49,8 +42,7 @@ void GB_update_joyp(GB_gameboy_t *gb)
     gb->io_registers[GB_IO_JOYP] |= 0xC0; // No SGB support
 }
 
-void GB_set_key_state(GB_gameboy_t *gb, GB_key_t index, bool pressed)
+void GB_set_key_state(GB_gameboy_t *gb, int keys)
 {
-    assert(index >= 0 && index < GB_KEY_MAX);
-    gb->keys[index] = pressed;
+    gb->keys = keys;
 }
diff --git a/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.h b/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.h
index def4b9ac82..f7ffdfdec4 100644
--- a/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.h
+++ b/waterbox/sameboy/joypad.h
@@ -2,19 +2,7 @@
 #define joypad_h
 #include "gb_struct_def.h"
 
-typedef enum {
-    GB_KEY_RIGHT,
-    GB_KEY_LEFT,
-    GB_KEY_UP,
-    GB_KEY_DOWN,
-    GB_KEY_A,
-    GB_KEY_B,
-    GB_KEY_SELECT,
-    GB_KEY_START,
-    GB_KEY_MAX
-} GB_key_t;
-
-void GB_set_key_state(GB_gameboy_t *gb, GB_key_t index, bool pressed);
+void GB_set_key_state(GB_gameboy_t *gb, int keys);
 
 #ifdef GB_INTERNAL
 void GB_update_joyp(GB_gameboy_t *gb);