I bought this controller for my youngest son, to play video games with a controller similar to one he was used to (Sony PlayStation 2). Upon installing the Key Programmer utility and the drivers, my keyboard and mouse stopped responding in Windows XP (sp2).
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.
- XFX XGEAR PC Wireless Game Controller Driver 1.0 January 20, 2009 Windows 2000/XP 3,880 downloads 11.1 MB XFX XGEAR Dual Reflex PC Controller Driver.
- Here's other similar drivers that are different versions or releases for different operating systems: XFX XGEAR PC Wireless Game Controller Driver 1.0 January 20, 2009.
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 DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter, plug it into your Mac, and your DualShock 4 controller should work immediately. Power to the players, indeed.
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 wired Xbox 360 controller 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.
Fortunately, courtesy of the modder FranticRain, you can get it to work simply by downloading a driver 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 mod from FranticRain I mentioned above also works with the Xbox One controller, 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.
At the bottom, you’ll see an option to Pretend to be an Xbox 360 controller. Check it. 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 Steam Controllerwas 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.
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.
Controller Drivers For Pc
Nintendo Pro Wireless Controller
At $70, the Nintendo Pro Wireless Controller 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.
Connected through a USB-C cable, it’s ridiculously easy to set up—at least if you’re playing your games through the Steam beta client. 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.
Logitech Game Controller Drivers For Mac
The pairing process for the DualShock 3 is a little complex (and not guaranteed to work, judging from reports from other users), which is why I’ve listed it last.
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.
How to Update Device Drivers Quickly & Easily
Tech Tip: Updating drivers manually requires some computer skills and patience. A faster and easier option is to use the Driver Update Utility for XFX to scan your system for free. The utility tells you which specific drivers are out-of-date for all of your devices.
Step 1 - Download Your Driver
To get the latest driver, including Windows 10 drivers, you can choose from a list of most popular XFX downloads. Click the download button next to the matching model name. After you complete your download, move on to Step 2.
If your driver is not listed and you know the model name or number of your XFX device, you can use it to search our driver archive for your XFX device model. Simply type the model name and/or number into the search box and click the Search button. You may see different versions in the results. Choose the best match for your PC and operating system.
If you don’t know the model name or number, you can start to narrow your search down by choosing which category of XFX device you have (such as Printer, Scanner, Video, Network, etc.). Start by selecting the correct category from our list of XFX Device Drivers by Category.
Need more help finding the right driver? You can request a driver and we will find it for you. We employ a team from around the world. They add hundreds of new drivers to our site every day.
Tech Tip: If you are having trouble deciding which is the right driver, try the Driver Update Utility for XFX. It is a software utility that will find the right driver for you - automatically.
Step 2 - Install Your Driver
After you download your new driver, then you have to install it. To install a driver in Windows, you will need to use a built-in utility called Device Manager. It allows you to see all of the devices recognized by your system, and the drivers associated with them.
How to Open Device Manager
In Windows 8.1 & Windows 10, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager
In Windows 8, swipe up from the bottom, or right-click anywhere on the desktop and choose 'All Apps' -> swipe or scroll right and choose 'Control Panel' (under Windows System section) -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager
In Windows 7, click Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager
In Windows Vista, click Start -> Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Device Manager
In Windows XP, click Start -> Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System -> Hardware tab -> Device Manager button
How to Install drivers using Device Manager
Locate the device and model that is having the issue and double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
Select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button and follow the instructions.
In most cases, you will need to reboot your computer in order for the driver update to take effect.
Tech Tip: Driver downloads and updates come in a variety of file formats with different file extensions. For example, you may have downloaded an EXE, INF, ZIP, or SYS file. Each file type has a slighty different installation procedure to follow.
If you are having trouble installing your driver, you should use the Driver Update Utility for XFX. It is a software utility that automatically finds, downloads and installs the right driver for your system. You can even backup your drivers before making any changes, and revert back in case there were any problems.
Try it now to safely update all of your drivers in just a few clicks. Once you download and run the utility, it will scan for out-of-date or missing drivers:
When the scan is complete, the driver update utility will display a results page showing which drivers are missing or out-of-date. You can update individual drivers, or all of the necessary drivers with one click.
For more help, visit our Driver Support Page for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.