How To Set Up Controller For Pc

The DualShock four is a great controller, but it'southward designed specifically for the Sony PlayStation four. That means, at least on newspaper, that it'southward not meant to be used with PC games. Fear non, since PCs are such powerful and flexible systems, you can get virtually any peripheral to piece of work on them with a little effort. Here's how to connect a DualShock 4 controller to your PC.

The Connection Itself

There are two ways to connect a DualShock four to your gaming rig. You can go the wired or wireless routes, merely setting upward those connections is a fleck different than how you would do it on a PlayStation 4 console.

The Wired Method

Plug your controller into a USB port with a USB-to-micro-USB cablevision.
That'due south it, as far as connecting the controller goes. More on getting information technology to work in a scrap.

The Bluetooth Method

With the DualShock 4 turned off (You'll know by the deactivated light bar), press and agree the PlayStation and Share buttons for 3 seconds until the calorie-free bar starts double flashing.
Access the Bluetooth menu on your PC via the organization tray.
Click "Add Bluetooth or other device."
Click "Bluetooth."
Select the DualShock four controller from the list that pops up.

Getting the Gamepad to Work

Connecting the controller is only the start of the process, due to how the DualShock 4 communicates with your PC. Almost current Windows games employ Microsoft's XInput, an interface that processes Xbox 360 and Xbox I controller inputs. The DualShock four doesn't send XInput commands, so a wrapper is needed to interpret its inputs into something your PC can deal with easier. There are ii good options: DS4Windows and Steam'southward controller compatibility settings.

The Comprehensive Style: DS4Windows

DS4Windows(Opens in a new window) is a freeware program that tricks your PC into thinking an Xbox 360 controller is connected, instead of a DualShock iv. Follow these steps to get it to work.

Download DS4Windows(Opens in a new window) and unzip information technology to a directory.
Open up DS4Windows.exe in the directory you only unzipped.
Click "Install ViGEmBus Commuter."
Follow the steps in the commuter installer. This installs a multipurpose gamepad driver to your system that DS4Windows uses to get the DualShock 4 to piece of work.
Click "Finished."
Connect your DualShock 4 to your PC.
The controller should evidence up under the Controllers tab. Wait a minute to brand sure all of the necessary drivers show up. Once Windows pops upwardly a bulletin saying it has connected a new Xbox 360 controller, you're ready to play!

What Else Can Yous Do With DS4Windows?

By default, the DualShock 4 acts like an Xbox 360 controller, with the touchpad functioning every bit a mouse. That said, DS4Windows offers more options. To kickoff, click the Profiles tab and double-click the Default profile (or create your ain new contour). This causes an outline of the DualShock 4 to appear surrounded by various settings. Here, you lot can remap the physical controls, program the touchpad and movement controls to human action in different ways, conform rumble settings, and tweak the analog sticks' dead zones and move curves. You can even change the calorie-free bar's color.

DS4Windows

DS4Windows offers many more options for getting your DualShock four to experience skilful on your PC. You shouldn't have to open these settings, because most games will behave properly after you gear up the software up the get-go time.

The (Potentially) Easier Way: Steam

If your favorite games are on Steam, they'll piece of work with the DualShock 4 with a quick tweak.

Go to the Settings carte in Steam (under Steam on the taskbar).
Select the Controller menu.
Click "General Controller Settings."
Check the box marked "PlayStation Configuration Support."
Connect the DualShock iv to your PC.

Steam's DualShock 4 compatibility is pretty hit-or-miss, and this technique apparently won't work with non-Steam games. As a result, you may take amend luck simply using DS4Windows.

Starting time With the Right Controller

For more, head over to our guide on how to choose the right controller for your PC. If you're a multi-console gamer, check out our guides for connecting your Nintendo Switch and Xbox controllers to your PC.

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