Usb Gamepad For Mac

I like playing games on my Mac, but as a console gamer at heart, I much prefer the joypad to the keyboard and mouse. In particular, racing games like Dirt 2 - recently acquired as part of the - just don't feel right to me controlling them with a keyboard. Not to mention the immense discomfort I'm feeling after a session.

The solution; hooking up a controller. And, since the Xbox 360 controller is common, not that expensive, and easy to connect, that's the route I went.

So, lets show you how you can do it too. I'm using a wired Xbox 360 controller, but you can use a wireless one but you'll need to purchase a receiver to plug into your Mac. Since the wired controller has a standard USB port on the end, it seemed like the easiest option. To make it work, you're going to need to pick up a driver. The one we want is the Tattiebogle driver. Download the latest disk image, open it up and go through the install process. Once completed, your Mac will require a restart.

Download the Tattiebogle Xbox 360 controller driver UPDATE: Tattiebogle hasn't been updated since OS X Snow Leopard and doesn't seem to work on Yosemite. However, there's a GitHub repo that fixes the unofficial support unofficially:. For the times your controller isn't supported out of the box, something like Joystick Mapper or Gamepad Companion could be your salvation. Available to download via the Mac App Store, Joystick Mapper sells for $4.99 and Gamepad Companion is $7.99. Their purpose is to configure your controller to act as a keyboard and mouse, with you getting the chance to dictate which buttons map to which keyboard presses. Joystick Mapper -.

Gamepad Companion - That's about all she wrote. From here on out you should be good to go with your Xbox 360 controller and your Mac games.

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If you've hooked up a game controller to your Mac, let us know what it is, how you did it and why you like it in the comments below! Note: Published May 2013, updated November 2014. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Considering the awkwardness of almost every other aspect of Mac gaming, I was a little shocked to discover how easy it is to pair popular console controllers with my MacBook. Sure, you’ll need to tweak a few things. Yes, some of the “support” exists only through the generosity and dedication of a few modders.

Even so, you’re not entirely nuts if you assume you can pick up your PlayStation or Xbox controller and use it with your MacBook without dropping any extra cash. There’s a catch, of course (and there always is): It’s easier to pull this off with some controllers over others. You’ll sometimes need to download separate drivers, and you might need to reboot the system to see those drivers take effect. You’ll almost certainly have a better time if you use a wired gamepad. For that matter, there’s no guarantee that every controller here will work with every game (although you’ll have a better chance if you play games downloaded through Steam). Luckily for us, it is possible.

You just might have to do a little work, so that’s why I’ve listed each controller here according to ease of use and setup, with the easiest being at the top. Sony DualShock 4 for PlayStation 4 You’re in luck if you own a PlayStation 4. Sony may be the company that infamously resisted crossplay with other console systems to the point of absurdity, but it’s also the only major console maker that made an official adapter that’s partly aimed at Mac users. Just buy the $60, plug it into your Mac, and your should work immediately.

Power to the players, indeed. Leif Johnson/IDG As with the rest of the controllers, you shouldn’t need any special mapping app to use the DualShock 4. But if you don’t feel like paying $60 for what’ll likely amount to a dongle for another dongle, you can plug the controller directly into your Mac with a Micro USB cable.

It should work immediately. If you’re having trouble, you can see if your Mac is properly recognizing the device by opening About This Mac, clicking System Report, then USB, and seeing if Wireless Controller is listed (yes, even if you have it plugged in).

Alternatively, you can simply pair it through Bluetooth. First, open the Bluetooth menu under your Mac's System Preferences. Then reset the DualShock 4 by slipping a paperclip into the tiny hole near the DualShock’s L2 button (on the back). Hold it down for a couple of seconds. After that, activate the DualShock 4’s Discovery Mode by holding the Share and PlayStation button at once for a few seconds.

The controller should appear in the Bluetooth menu, and hopefully you’ll soon be shocked by how well it works. Xbox 360 controller Plenty of folks still claim the aging is still the best gamepad for the PC, and as far as I’m concerned, that remains true for the Mac as well. Alas, it’s not through any effort on the part of Microsoft itself.

You can’t even pair a wireless version through Bluetooth thanks to Microsoft’s proprietary software, so you’ll need to keep it plugged in with the cable regardless of which model you use. Leif Johnson/IDG An oldie but a goodie. Fortunately, courtesy of the modder FranticRain, you can get it to work simply by from Github. It works perfectly (so long as you’re not using it wirelessly). Just download the.dmg file, run it, and let it install.

You’ll then have to restart your Mac, but after it boots up you should see Xbox 360 Controllers on the bottom row of your System Preferences. Even better, FranticRain keeps it up to date.

As of the time of writing, the file was updated just two days ago. You’ll simply need to be running macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or later for it to work. Xbox One controller The I mentioned above also works with the, but not as smoothly. You’ll still need to have it connected to the Mac through a Micro USB cable, but you’ll likely also need to head to System Preferences, click on Xbox 360 Controllers at the bottom (assuming you’ve installed the mod), and then click Advanced. Leif Johnson/IDG The mod makes it extremely easy to customize the controller. At the bottom, you’ll see an option to Pretend to be an Xbox 360 controller.

You shouldn’t have any other troubles beyond that. Plenty of other users claim it works fine without this option for multiple games, but it only worked if I checked this option on my MacBook, my MacBook Pro, and my iMac. As a reminder, if you’re installing FranticRain’s mod for the first time, you’ll need to restart your Mac before it takes effect. Steam Controller Okay, so it’s not a console controller per se, but the was designed for use with Steam’s Big Picture mode, which delivers a home console-like experience for Steam’s staggering library of PC and Mac games. But more importantly for our purposes, it fully works with Steam on the Mac out of the box. Just plug in the USB adapter (with a dongle, naturally) and it should work immediately.

Gamepad Companion Mac

Leif Johnson/IDG I get easily.steamed when using this. Sure, this sounds great, but I’m going to be frank: I can’t stand the Steam Controller. It’s comfortable to hold and looks sort of cool, but Valve designed it with indented circular touchpads rather than two traditional thumbsticks and a D-pad. A couple of years later, I still haven’t made it over the learning curve. I wouldn’t suggest buying it solely for its ease of setup, but it’s a worthy option if you’ve already bought one for your PC. Nintendo Pro Wireless Controller At $70, the packs a pro price tag, but if you’ve already bought one for Nintendo’s wildly popular Switch console, you can also bring it along for good times on the Mac.

Nintendo Connected through a USB-C cable, it’s ridiculously easy to set up—at least if you’re playing your games through the. Here, you’ll find support for the Pro Wireless Controller under Preferences Controller, where you’ll select Use Nintendo button layout so you don’t have to deal with the confusion of a Nintendo controller acting like one for the Xbox. And yes, if you were wondering, you can use the Switch’s regular Joy-Con controllers with your Mac if you pair them through the Bluetooth interface in System Preferences. The problem is that the Mac will register them as two separate controllers—which, of course, they technically are.

As I see it, it's not worth the effort. DualShock 3 for PlayStation 3 The DualShock 4 is your best bet for playing Mac games with a PlayStation controller, but you’ll be fine if you only have its predecessor. You just won’t have support from Sony’s official adapter and you’ll likely need to play it wirelessly. The pairing process for the is a little complex (and not guaranteed to work, judging from reports from other users), which is why I’ve listed it last. Sony Party like it’s 2008. First, reset the controller by slipping a paper clip in the tiny hole on in the controller’s backside near the L2 button.

Hold it down for a few seconds. This unpairs it from any other device. After that, plug the DualShock 3 into to the Mac with the Micro USB charging cable. Press the PlayStation button and then the four lights on the top of the controller should light up. When you see the lights, disconnect the cable. You should soon see a pairing request from your system for PlayStation3 Controller. If it asks for an access code, enter 0000.

This should work. Even so, numerous people claim it doesn’t always work with older versions of macOS, and other people claim they never see the code request. So if you’re going to go out and buy a console controller, take our word for it: Buy one of the controllers above instead of the DualShock 3.