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Although the mouse and keyboard are the traditional means of input in computer games ah, many games also use joysticks. Many users prefer them, having experience of games on consoles and getting used to joysticks. In addition, joysticks are finding use in emerging virtual reality games.

If you own a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One console, you can use the joysticks from them to play games on computers. Several simple steps will allow you to connect joysticks to a computer and configure.

Xbox One controller

Joystick from Xbox consoles One is one of the easiest to use in Windows system, its support is integrated into the Windows 10 version. Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers can also use these joysticks, although this one is a little more complicated here. Xbox One joysticks have excellent compatibility with most other gamepads, including Sony DualShock 4 joysticks.

Connecting an Xbox One controller via microUSB

The easiest way to connect an Xbox One joystick to a computer is via a USB-microUSB cable using drivers for the latest versions of Windows. It is enough to connect the joystick to the connector, nothing else needs to be done.

• If you're using Windows 10, the Xbox One joystick drivers come preinstalled with it. They will be automatically updated through the Xbox Accessories app.
• Windows 7 and 8 users can use the Xbox One joystick through automatic download. After connecting the joystick to the computer the right drivers will install themselves.

If you're having trouble obtaining drivers automatically, you can manually install them from the Xbox website.

Connecting an Xbox One controller with an Xbox Wireless Adapter

If you prefer to use the Xbox One Wireless Joystick, Microsoft sells wireless adapters. This is a keychain for connecting to a USB connector, which allows you to connect eight joysticks to it at the same time.

The Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows can be used with versions 7, 8, and 10, supporting all Xbox One controller models. A limited number of modern joysticks have additional support for the Bluetooth communication standard, the adapter allows you to connect a computer via a proprietary wireless connection for all Xbox One models.

Follow these steps to use the Xbox Wireless Adapter:

1. Connect your Xbox Wireless Adapter to your Windows PC.
2. The adapter should be detected by the system, the drivers will be automatically installed.
3. To connect a joystick, press the bind button on the adapter and on the joystick.
4. Wait for the devices to discover each other.

Connecting an Xbox One controller via Bluetooth

Along with the release of the Xbox One S this year, Microsoft introduced a new joystick for it. This version of the joystick received new internal components, including support for connecting via the Bluetooth communication standard. If you own a new joystick, you won't need a wireless adapter to connect it to your computer.

Here's how to connect your Xbox One joystick to your computer via Bluetooth:

1. Make sure it's installed latest version Windows 10.
2. Press the Xbox button to turn on the joystick.
3. Press the bind button on the top of the joystick for three seconds.
4. Open Settings > Devices > Bluetooth in Windows.
5. Select your Xbox Wireless Joystick from the list of available devices and click Connect.

PlayStation DualShock 4 controller

While joysticks Sony PlayStation do not have built-in support for Windows, there are several methods for connecting them to a computer. For getting best result You have to use third party solutions.

A PlayStation DualShock 4 wireless controller adapter for Windows is also available, but is not recommended due to limited game compatibility. Designed for use with PlayStation Now, the DualShock 4 is not compatible with most games with this adapter.

Connecting a PlayStation DualShock 4 controller via microUSB

Although the DualShock 4 joystick can be used on a PC, direct connection on Windows 10 is currently not available. The joystick can be connected to Windows, but assigning actions to buttons for controlling games is difficult.

To make the joystick work with a computer, you need third party program called DS4Windows. it simple program, which helps the joystick emulate the Xbox 360 gamepad, to configure it, you need to follow these steps:

1. Download the DS4Windows ZIP archive from here.
2. Unzip the archive and you will see two programs - DS4Windows and DS4Updater.
3. Launch DS4Windows.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation process. When prompted to connect the joystick, use a USB to microUSB cable.

Connecting a PlayStation DualShock 4 joystick via Bluetooth

All versions of DualShock 4 have Bluetooth support, so you can connect them to your computer through this standard. As with a wired connection, it's best to use DS4Windows.

Follow these steps:

1. The PlayStation joystick must be disabled.
2. Hold down the PlayStation and Share buttons at the same time. The light bar of the joystick will start blinking, indicating that it is in connection mode.
3. When the device is in pairing mode, open Settings > Devices > Bluetooth.
4. Select your wireless controller from the list of available devices and click Connect.

Once connected, the installation process for DS4Windows is almost the same as for a wired connection.

We've covered the process of connecting Xbox One and PlayStation 4 joysticks, but there are many third-party joysticks available for purchase.

The Xbox One controller is rightfully considered one of the best gamepads that works not only with the Xbox One / One S / One X console, but also with Windows computers. You can easily connect the gamepad to your computer and play your favorite games comfortably. This short guide will show you how to connect your Xbox One S Wireless Controller to your Windows 10 PC.

Connecting an Xbox One Controller to a Windows 10 PC

First of all, you need to check which gamepad you have on hand. To freely connect your controller to your computer via Bluetooth, you need the updated version of the controller that came out with the Xbox One S in 2016. It features Bluetooth connectivity, a redesigned design and a textured back for a more comfortable grip. You can distinguish the old controller from the new by the design of the Xbox button. AT new version the button is built into the main body of the gamepad, while in the old version the button is part of the design with triggers and bumpers. If you have a white controller, then the updated Xbox One S variant will have white additional buttons, as well as a white back. In the white controller from the original Xbox One, the additional buttons, the back side, and the plastic around the Xbox button are painted black.

For the controller to work correctly, your computer must be updated to Windows 10 Anniversary update 1607 and older. To check your Windows 10 version, click Win+ R and type winter. In the window that appears, the version number operating system must be 1607 and above (1607, 1703, 1709 and so on). If the computer is not updated to 1607, download all available updates, or update manually.

Of course, the PC must be equipped with Bluetooth, otherwise the gamepad cannot be connected in wireless mode e. If your computer does not have Bluetooth, then you will have to buy a USB adapter. It will work exactly the same as built-in Bluetooth.

The gamepad connects to your computer very easily, as it was designed to work with Windows 10 devices.

After that, the gamepad will be ready to work at any time. If it is left idle for 15 minutes, the controller will automatically turn off to conserve battery power. To turn it back on, just press the Xbox button. It will blink once, after which it will glow. This serves as a signal that the gamepad is paired with the computer and is ready for kneading.

Note: 3.5mm audio output does not work when the controller is connected to the computer in wireless mode. In addition, this connection method does not support chatpads and other controller accessories.

If it turned out that you old version Xbox One controller, then the connection process will be a little more complicated. Your computer must be equipped with a specific adapter to work with Xbox-certified peripherals. It's like dongles for wireless keyboards. Some manufacturers install Xbox Wireless adapters right at the factory, but such computers are very rare. You will most likely need to purchase a wireless adapter to pair your computer with the controller. Another option is to purchase a connection cable. This type of connection will be more reliable in some sense, but this method is no longer as convenient as connecting via Bluetooth or using wireless adapter, which is quite obvious.

Also note that you can connect your Xbox One S Controller to your computer using a microUSB cable. In this case, the controller will simultaneously receive power from the computer and work in your games.

How to connect an Xbox One gamepad to a Windows 8/7 PC wirelessly

On computers running Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, only wired mode is supported. These devices do not support connecting an Xbox One S controller via Bluetooth. You just need to connect the controller via a microUSB cable to the computer, after which the PC itself will find all the necessary drivers and prepare your wonderful gamepad for work.

Note Note: To use your controller with Xbox again after connecting to your computer, you must re-sync your controller with your console.

How to find out the battery level in the gamepad

If you connect a controller to your console, then Xbox will display the remaining battery level on the dashboard. If you connect the controller to a computer, you will need third-party utilities. Windows 10 does not yet have a system battery status indicator in the gamepad, which is a very big drawback of the operating system, which places a lot of emphasis on games.

In this matter, one very small, but effective program. It puts your controller's battery indicator in the notification area. Please note that the application only works when connected with a gamepad and must be launched every time you turn on the controller. Despite this feature, the application effectively displays the remaining battery percentage for Xbox One, Xbox 360 controllers and any other XInput-compatible controllers.

Download the utility from the link from GitHub. Unpack it to any place convenient for you, and then run the file XB1ControllerBatetryIndicator.exe. The icon of the controller and its batteries will appear on the taskbar as in the screenshot above.

1. Compatibility. Useful information

You can connect your XBox One gamepads to your PC and other devices by:

• With via USB- micro USB cable(any full-length);
• by using wireless adapter;
• via Bluetooth;
• using Bluetooth, you can connect only gamepads of the third revision, these gamepads appeared in August 2016 at the same time right with the exit game console XBox One S. All previously released gamepad models (first and second revisions), as well as the first XBox Elite Controller, DO NOT have Bluetooth support. For Bluetooth connectivity there are a number of limitations compared to the proprietary wireless 5Ghz WiFi protocol;
• for wireless connection No adapter needed for XBox One.
• Bluetooth connection to XBox One is not supported.

Since the release of the Xbox One game console in 2013, three revisions of the XBox One controllers have been released:

• Gamepads of the first revision (MODEL - 1537) had a number of technological omissions: hard LB and RB bumpers, no 3.5mm headphone / headset input, no Bluetooth support;
• A distinctive feature of the gamepads of the second revision (MODEL - 1697) was improved soft bumpers and a 3.5-inch headphone / headset input, Bluetooth was still missing;
• In August 2016, along with the release of the updated Xbox One S console, an updated third revision XBox controller (MODEL - 1708) appeared, this version of the gamepad finally added Bluetooth support, in addition to the existing connection options. The presence of Bluetooth has greatly expanded the list of devices to which you can connect the gamepad. This mainly concerns mobile devices on Android, and starting with iOS 13, and devices on iOS. The XBox Elite Controller does not have Bluetooth support, support will only appear in the XBox Elite Controller Series 2.

Useful information

• The official website has instructions for connecting the gamepad to a PC and a compatibility table with different versions windows;
• For a wireless connection to a PC, you will need either a third revision gamepad with Bluetooth support. Wireless Adapter for Xbox 360 Gamepad - NOT SUITABLE;
• Gamepad revisions. First: MODEL - 1537, Second: MODEL - 1697, Third: MODEL - 1708. Bluetooth support is available only in the third revision of gamepads. The revision of the gamepad is indicated on the sticker in the battery compartment;

• If you are purchasing a new gamepad, refer to the manufacturer's code, it is indicated on the sticker that is glued to the box. Manufacturer codes and their correspondence to gamepad revisions, see the following section: "Commercially available options";
• Using Bluetooth, you can connect several gamepads to a PC, but performance in this case is determined by the power of your PC. Translated into normal language, one gamepad will work exactly, and two or more - it's as lucky;
• To connect the gamepad via Bluetooth to a PC, I recommend using Bluetooth adapters based on CSR chips (versions 4.0 and older) or adapters based on Broadcom chips (versions 3.0 and older);
• Using Bluetooth, the gamepad can be fully connected to a PC starting from Windows versions 10th Anniversary Update (1607);
• A full-fledged connection of gamepads of the third revision via Bluetooth in Windows 7/8.1 is not possible. Even if you manage to connect a gamepad via Bluetooth in these operating systems, there will be no support for vibration and XInput;
• The gamepad can be connected to Android devices via Bluetooth, but support will depend on the manufacturer, specific firmware and specific model Android devices. Officially supported Samsung smartphones, but in fact the list of supported devices is much larger;
• Windows 10 Mobile sees the gamepad via Bluetooth and allows you to create a pair. The gamepad works in the menu, but I could not find a game with gamepad support. Searched with using Nokia Lumia 930;
• Support for Bluetooth connectivity in iOS and iPadOS will appear starting with version 13 (Fall 2019). On the beta version of iPadOS 13, the gamepad works great right now;
• More about Bluetooth capabilities gamepad read on a separate blog page;
• When connected via Bluetooth, you cannot connect headphones or a headset to the controller. There are a couple of reviews once or twice, where people write that they succeeded. Presumably this is a useful "bug" of the very first version of the firmware. You should not expect that you will be able to output sound to the gamepad via Bluetooth, because. firmware rollback by regular means is not provided;
• Stereo headset with microphone, or regular headphones, work only on Windows 10 and on XBox One, when a gamepad is connected via USB or via a wireless adapter (in the case of Windows 10);
• There are two wireless adapters: large and small. The small adapter only officially works on Windows 10, while the large adapter is partially supported on Windows 7/8.1 starting December 2015. Both adapters are fully supported only on Windows 10. Read more about wireless adapters on these blog pages: large , small ;
• Wired connection works on OS: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 with any gamepad revisions;
• In Windows 7 / 8.1, headphones and vibration motors in triggers will not work, with any connection method;
• The first time you connect your controller to your PC, the drivers should install automatically. If for some reason this did not happen, use the official instructions: official instructions for wired connection of the gamepad to a PC \ official instructions for wireless pairing of the gamepad with a PC;
• If you are having problems with automatic installation drivers for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, drivers for a wired connection can be downloaded from the center catalog Microsoft updates and slip it manually through the device manager. We do the same with drivers for wireless connection. For how to manually install the xinput HID driver, see . You can test for XInput support using the XinputTest utility;
• Updating the firmware from under Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will not work. This can only be done using the Xbox Accessories app on Windows 10 (starting with TH2 version 1511) or using game console xbox one;
• Installing a driver from Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 to Windows 10 (and vice versa) is not recommended;
• After installing the drivers, the system and games will see the gamepad as a normal xinput device, i.e. it will be possible to play games without problems with support for the XBox 360 controller;
• Any fully soldered USB - micro-USB cable is suitable for wired connection;
• The gamepad has four vibration motors: two classic and two additional. Additional vibration motors are located in the triggers. The work of analog triggers is implemented on Hall sensors;

Many fans of computer games are familiar with the Xbox 360 controller. This is a well-deserved "veteran" who has a significant army of fans. It can be connected to a computer with a cord or wireless adapter, and many gamers prefer to play PC games with it. updated version for Xbox One too connected to PC via micro-USB connector, and also has a number of improvements that will appeal to players. Drivers for Windows 8 and Windows 7 have already been released for this controller and are compatible with the XInput API. Applications that are designed to work with gamepads will immediately be able to work with the new controller.

The Xbox 360 controller has established itself as a solid and high-quality product that lasts a long time, devoid of any fatal flaws. There has been a steady increase in sales of these controllers as well as the number of games that can be played with this device.

What's new?

The updated version for Xbox One has absorbed all the best that was in the Xbox 360 controller, it has become more convenient. The shape has changed a bit, now the controller “sits” better in the hands. Many will also note the lack of a battery compartment. Now the back of the controller does not have this ledge.

However, this controller uses regular AA batteries or similar size batteries to power it. It should also be noted that there are no holes for screws, improved sensitivity of DPAD and joysticks, new vibration motors in the triggers. There are also "invisible" changes affecting wireless protocol work. Xbox 360 controller was running at about 1.6 megabits per second In the new version throughput increased by more than 20 times, which allows you to expand the possibilities of connected accessories. One of these devices can be a stereo headset:

API

The main way to work with a gamepad on Windows is to use the XInput C++ API. It should be noted that there are no initialization functions, you simply poll the controller state:

XINPUT_STATE state; DWORD result=XInputGetState(0, &state); if (result == ERROR_SUCCESS) ( if (state.Gamepad.wButtons & XINPUT_GAMEPAD_A) ( //button A was pressed ) )

The XInputGetState function takes as parameters the controller index (several of them can be connected), as well as a stateful structure where the button values ​​are returned:
typedef struct _XINPUT_STATE( DWORD dwPacketNumber; // serial number package XINPUT_GAMEPAD Gamepad; ) XINPUT_STATE, *PXINPUT_STATE; typedef struct _XINPUT_GAMEPAD ( WORD wButtons; BYTE bLeftTrigger; BYTE bRightTrigger; SHORT sThumbLX; SHORT sThumbLY; SHORT sThumbRX; SHORT sThumbRY; ) XINPUT_GAMEPAD, *PXINPUT_GAMEPAD;

Buttons coded with bits:

#define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_DPAD_UP 0x0001 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_DPAD_DOWN 0x0002 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_DPAD_LEFT 0x0004 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_DPAD_RIGHT 0x0008 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_START 0x0010 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_BACK 0x0020 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_LEFT_THUMB 0x0040 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_RIGHT_THUMB 0x0080 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_LEFT_SHOULDER 0x0100 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_RIGHT_SHOULDER 0x0200 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_A 0x1000 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_B 0x2000 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_X 0x4000 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_Y 0x8000

The situation with the values ​​of the triggers and two joysticks is a little more complicated. X, Y axis values ​​are within SHRT_MIN-SHRT_MAX (-32768 +32767), and for triggers _UI8_MAX (255). Usually in games these values ​​are normalized to -1.0 +1.0. Also for joysticks, the so-called dead zone should be taken into account. The returned values ​​of the axes in the neutral position may differ from zero, and in order to ignore them, you should use the standard values ​​of the "dead zone", which should be calculated according to the following algorithm:

Float magnitude = sqrt(state.Gamepad.sThumbRX*state.Gamepad.sThumbRX + state.Gamepad.sThumbRY*state.Gamepad.sThumbRY); if (magnitude > XINPUT_GAMEPAD_RIGHT_THUMB_DEADZONE) ( //joystick really moved)

The standard values ​​for these thresholds are as follows:
#define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_LEFT_THUMB_DEADZONE 7849 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_RIGHT_THUMB_DEADZONE 8689 #define XINPUT_GAMEPAD_TRIGGER_THRESHOLD 30

You can look at more detailed examples work with the gamepad on the site code.msdn.com and also use the wrapper that is included in the DirectX Toolkit.
In addition to functions directly related to polling controller states, XInput also includes functions for controlling vibration motors and connected accessories, for example, for recording voice from a headset or playing sound on a headset.

Joystick support is also available for managed code in the XNA library and Monogame . The Internet Explorer Developer Channel has an experimental implementation of the W3C Gamepad API and you can use your controller to create HTML/Javasctipt games for both the web and Windows applications 8:

If you want to implement gamepad support in your HTML5 game on Windows 8 now, without waiting for the release next version Internet Explorer, then you can use the XInput wrapper for Javasctipt .

Gamepad support is also available in Unity3d. The Input class contains all the necessary methods for working with controller states:

Using UnityEngine; using System.Collections; public class NewBehaviourScript: MonoBehaviour ( void Start () ( ) void Update () ( var axisX = Input.GetAxis("Horisontal"); if (Input.GetButtonDown("A Btn")) ( //Button A is pressed ) ) )
Just remember to configure the correct names for the buttons and joysticks ( Edit/ project Settings/ Input):

From the examples given, it is obvious that working with the gamepad is very simple and does not require super complex efforts. If you are developing a game for Windows 8 using C++, C#, Unity, or HTML, be sure to enable gamepad support, this feature will appeal to many gamers.

useful links

• Try Azure for free for 30 days!
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