diff --git a/src/common/JoyMap.cxx b/src/common/JoyMap.cxx
index 87eed9d34..409d2677c 100644
--- a/src/common/JoyMap.cxx
+++ b/src/common/JoyMap.cxx
@@ -247,25 +247,39 @@ int JoyMap::loadMapping(const json& eventMappings, const EventMode mode)
 
   return i;
 }
-#if 0
-int JoyMap::loadMapping(string& list, const EventMode mode)
+
+// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+json JoyMap::convertLegacyMapping(string list)
 {
+  json eventMappings = json::array();
+
   // Since istringstream swallows whitespace, we have to make the
   // delimiters be spaces
   std::replace(list.begin(), list.end(), '|', ' ');
   std::replace(list.begin(), list.end(), ':', ' ');
   std::replace(list.begin(), list.end(), ',', ' ');
+
   istringstream buf(list);
-  int event, button, axis, adir, hat, hdir, i = 0;
+  int event, button, axis, adir, hat, hdir;
 
   while (buf >> event && buf >> button
          && buf >> axis && buf >> adir
-         && buf >> hat && buf >> hdir && ++i)
-    add(Event::Type(event), EventMode(mode), button, JoyAxis(axis), JoyDir(adir), hat, JoyHatDir(hdir));
+         && buf >> hat && buf >> hdir)
+  {
+    json eventMapping = json::object();
 
-  return i;
+    eventMapping["event"] = Event::Type(event);
+    eventMapping["button"] = button;
+    eventMapping["axis"] = JoyAxis(axis);
+    eventMapping["axisDirection"] = JoyDir(adir);
+    eventMapping["hat"] = hat;
+    eventMapping["hatDirection"] = JoyHatDir(hdir);
+
+    eventMappings.push_back(eventMapping);
+  }
+
+  return eventMappings;
 }
-#endif
 
 // - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 void JoyMap::eraseMode(const EventMode mode)
diff --git a/src/common/JoyMap.hxx b/src/common/JoyMap.hxx
index d013e82bc..6bf87009e 100644
--- a/src/common/JoyMap.hxx
+++ b/src/common/JoyMap.hxx
@@ -114,6 +114,8 @@ class JoyMap
     nlohmann::json saveMapping(const EventMode mode) const;
     int loadMapping(const nlohmann::json& eventMappings, const EventMode mode);
 
+    static nlohmann::json convertLegacyMapping(string list);
+
     /** Erase all mappings for given mode */
     void eraseMode(const EventMode mode);
     /** Erase given event's mapping for given mode */
diff --git a/src/common/PJoystickHandler.cxx b/src/common/PJoystickHandler.cxx
index 590fcda44..f045d292a 100644
--- a/src/common/PJoystickHandler.cxx
+++ b/src/common/PJoystickHandler.cxx
@@ -43,13 +43,14 @@ PhysicalJoystickHandler::PhysicalJoystickHandler(
   }
 
   json mappings;
+  const string& serializedMapping = myOSystem.settings().getString("joymap");
 
   try {
-    mappings = json::parse(myOSystem.settings().getString("joymap"));
+    mappings = json::parse(serializedMapping);
   } catch (json::exception) {
-    // TODO: error handling + migration
+    Logger::info("converting legacy joystrick mappings");
 
-    mappings = json::array();
+    mappings = convertLegacyMapping(serializedMapping);
   }
 
   for (const json& mapping: mappings) {
@@ -62,6 +63,29 @@ PhysicalJoystickHandler::PhysicalJoystickHandler(
   }
 }
 
+// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+json PhysicalJoystickHandler::convertLegacyMapping(const string& mapping)
+{
+  constexpr char CTRL_DELIM = '^';
+
+  istringstream buf(mapping);
+  string joymap, joyname;
+
+  getline(buf, joymap, CTRL_DELIM); // event list size, ignore
+
+  json convertedMapping = json::array();
+
+  while(getline(buf, joymap, CTRL_DELIM))
+  {
+    istringstream namebuf(joymap);
+    getline(namebuf, joyname, PhysicalJoystick::MODE_DELIM);
+
+    convertedMapping.push_back(PhysicalJoystick::convertLegacyMapping(joymap, joyname));
+  }
+
+  return convertedMapping;
+}
+
 // - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 int PhysicalJoystickHandler::add(const PhysicalJoystickPtr& stick)
 {
diff --git a/src/common/PJoystickHandler.hxx b/src/common/PJoystickHandler.hxx
index d5c7c5e3b..8e43bdf97 100644
--- a/src/common/PJoystickHandler.hxx
+++ b/src/common/PJoystickHandler.hxx
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ class PhysicalJoystickHandler
   public:
     PhysicalJoystickHandler(OSystem& system, EventHandler& handler);
 
+    static nlohmann::json convertLegacyMapping(const string& mapping);
+
     /** Return stick ID on success, -1 on failure. */
     int add(const PhysicalJoystickPtr& stick);
     bool remove(int id);
diff --git a/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.cxx b/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.cxx
index 67abd435e..6310c8e4d 100644
--- a/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.cxx
+++ b/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.cxx
@@ -106,12 +106,12 @@ bool PhysicalJoystick::setMap(const json& map)
   return true;
 }
 
-#if 0
-bool PhysicalJoystick::setMap(const string& mapString)
+// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+json PhysicalJoystick::convertLegacyMapping(const string& mapping, const string& name)
 {
-  istringstream buf(mapString);
+  istringstream buf(mapping);
+  json convertedMapping = json::object();
   string map;
-  int i = 0;
 
   // Skip joystick name
   getline(buf, map, MODE_DELIM);
@@ -128,19 +128,14 @@ bool PhysicalJoystick::setMap(const string& mapString)
     // Remove leading "<mode>|" string
     map.erase(0, 2);
 
-    joyMap.loadMapping(map, EventMode(mode));
-    i++;
-  }
-  // Brief error checking
-  if(i != 5)
-  {
-    cerr << "ERROR: Invalid controller mappings found" << endl;
-    return false;
+    json mappingForMode = JoyMap::convertLegacyMapping(map);
+    mappingForMode["name"] = name;
+
+    convertedMapping[jsonName(EventMode(mode))] = mappingForMode;
   }
 
-  return true;
+  return convertedMapping;
 }
-#endif
 
 // - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 void PhysicalJoystick::eraseMap(EventMode mode)
diff --git a/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.hxx b/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.hxx
index 027aba47f..454008f51 100644
--- a/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.hxx
+++ b/src/common/PhysicalJoystick.hxx
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ class PhysicalJoystick
 
     nlohmann::json getMap() const;
     bool setMap(const nlohmann::json& map);
+
+    static nlohmann::json convertLegacyMapping(const string& mapping, const string& name);
+
     void eraseMap(EventMode mode);
     void eraseEvent(Event::Type event, EventMode mode);
     string about() const;