How to Connect a Game Controller to a PC

– Many PC gamers love a good mouse and keyboard combo, but some games, controllers just work better. How do you connect one? Well, from the Switch Pro Controller to the PS5 DualSense, we've got you covered. Here's how to connect any modern console controller to a PC. We'll start with Microsoft's Xbox controllers.

For wired connection, any and all Xbox gamepads from the One or Series lines will work just fine. For a wireless connection, almost all of them will work with Bluetooth, but the original Xbox One controller that came with the first Xbox One, not the S or X, that doesn't have Bluetooth, so you'll need a Microsoft Wireless Adapter. Otherwise, for wireless play with.

Any of these gamepads that have Bluetooth, you just need to activate the controller by holding down the Guide button and then holding the pairing button down for three seconds until the Guide button flashes. Then, connect with Windows using the Bluetooth menu, and it should work automatically. These are built to also work with PCs just fine. Next is the Switch Pro Controller.

You can use it wired using a USB cable or wirelessly by pressing and holding the Sync button and pairing over the Bluetooth menu. Then you need to get it to work with games. Valve has added full Switch Pro Controller support to Steam, which should take care of most of your game library, but for non-Steam games, you need to go one of two ways. Using a hardware Bluetooth adaptor,.

Specifically designed for multiple gamepad types, or a software-based XInput wrapper. For an adaptor, we recommend the 8Bitdo wireless USB adapter, a $20 Bluetooth adapter that lets you easily connect the Switch Pro Controller, Joy-Cons, and many other gamepads. As for software, we recommend x360ce, an open-source program that lets you control.

How Windows sees a non-XInput controller like this one. Last up are the PlayStation 4 and 5 controllers like the DualSense for the PS5 right here. But let's start with the PS4 first and the DualShock 4. It can be used wired or Bluetooth by pressing and holding the PlayStation and Share buttons for three seconds then connect through the Bluetooth menu on your PC. That's only the start though because, like the Switch Pro Controller,.

The DualShock 4 doesn't actually connect over XInput. For Steam games, there is a PlayStation option, so you can just connect or you can use a freeware program like DS4Windows or the 8Bitdo USB adapter for non-Steam games. And as for the DualSense, well, unfortunately many features like the advanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, they don't translate to PC games yet.

But it's still a good gamepad. You can use the Steam beta client to enable DualSense support on Steam games, but otherwise you need to use a USB adapter like 8Bitdo because there is not a dedicated software wrapper for it just yet. Playing on PC doesn't mean saying goodbye to your gamepad and, well, you don't have to.