Good news for all the PC master-race-ers out there who prefer console-style controllers over the good ol’ mouse-and-keyboard combo: Microsoft has finally made its Xbox One controller PC-compatible.
Xbox Live director of programmer Larry Hyrb, better known by his online handle Major Nelson, announced the news this morning in a post on his blog that also contains links to download drivers for the controller.
Microsoft toldKotaku in August of 2013 that it was planning to make the new controller PC-compatible some time in 2014. Since then, PC gamers have had to resort to unofficial means to use Microsoft’s new controller.
The official, Microsoft-produced drivers are exciting because, to be totally honest, the improvements made to nearly every aspect of the Xbox (and PS4, for that matter) controller is one of the best things to come out of the next-gen console wars so far. Kotaku’s Kirk Hamilton even said in his recent follow-up to our Xbox One review that “it’s enough of an improvement that if and when Microsoft finally makes the controller work with PC games, I’ll switch.”
Perfect timing! It’s almost like someone at Microsoft has been reading Kotaku — crazy thought, I know.
Download the drivers here.
Comments
45 responses to “You Can Now (Officially) Use An Xbox One Controller On The PC”
Kinda. It still needs a USB cable, so it’s not quite the standard of the 360 controller support yet.
Didn’t the 360 controller either need a wireless adapter or the USB controller?
Yep. We have two cheap wireless adapters for the two PCs at home, 360 controller works beautifully. Would be fairly horrible tethered to a short cable (especially for the PC using the TV)
I have a wired 360 controller for the PC, and the cable is pretty long. The USB cable that came with my One Play and Charge is pretty long also.
They did a pretty good job with cable length on the 360. The wired controller had a long cable, the charging cable for wireless controllers was pretty long, even the Ethernet cable that came with the 360 was way longer than the standard free Ethernet cables you get with everything. It beat the snot out of the 20cm USB charging cable that came with my PS3. =P
Yes but the key point is it had a wireless reciever available which the xbone controller does not.
anyone tried to see if it will connect to a 360 wireless dongle?
I did, it didn’t. No go. Right now I have a long USB cable connected. It’s really annoying, but I’m still choosing it over my 360 controller. The DPad is just a killer on the 360 controller. So, I wait and hope for a wireless adapter.
I use a wired 360 controller that is falling apart, time to start shopping for an Xbone controller! (Or I could just use a PS4 controller I suppose but then I have the pain of un-syncing it from the PS4 to use on PC then re-syncing it to the PS4 afterwards)
Oh wow, $84 on ozgameshop for the play & charge version – no thanks. Maybe if they release a cheaper wired version.
EB Games $39 for a wired X360
I want the improved dpad of the xbone controller.
Fair enough, I had a 360 for a long time. Now part of the PC master race. so I’m familiar with the 360’s controller.
Just buy the regular One controller and get a long USB cable. You only need the Play and Charge if you’re going wireless, and there isn’t a dongle yet.
But will I need to replace batteries, or will it just be powered off the USB cable?
EDIT
Turns out it can be powered by just the cable. Hooray!
Will just wait til the wireless receiver is available to switch.
..I don’t know if I should pop down to EB Games today and buy one for $68, and a play’n’charge too …
Or does anyone know if it’s micro USB charge port? Because I have extension cables already… but 2.8m play’n’charge could still be useful for now and later when wireless dongle is released.
You can just use a micro usb cable that a ps4 controller or most non iphones use, you’ll just be missing out on a little green charge light but i think thats worth saving a few dollars 🙂
Just looked this up. It’s a regular micro-to-USB, apparently.
http://support.xbox.com/en-AU/xbox-one/accessories/connect-a-wireless-controller
It’s a micro USB port (the thin one). I’d hold off on the play and charge kit until they announce a wireless dongle. Given their track record there’s every chance they’ll completely ditch support for this a month from now*. The only reason you’d consider buying one now is that the controller feels a little toy-ish without batteries in it. I had the same issue with the original rumble-less SIXAXIS. Without weight in a controller I feel like I’m going to snap it in half.
*That’s not a jab at their current flip-floppy mindset. It’s just that even years later the original XBOX 360 controller still doesn’t work with the type pad accessory, something that would have been perfect for PC gamers. I don’t think you can use a headset through it either. I’m hoping they’ve changed their attitude but considering it’s taken months for the XBOX One controller to make it to the PC I’m guessing they aren’t setting out to establish it as the controller for PC games. =(
Awwwwe yeeeeah! This is the best news today!
Better off using a PS4 controller with the PC currently (assuming you like the SD4 layout).
– Supports Bluetooth 4.0, no need for a dongle if you have it built in.
– Touchpad can control the mouse.
It’s also really easy to install, just sync to your computer and install the DS4Tool (emulates XInput).
http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper
You don’t even need to do that, Windows 7 and 8 should install the DS4 and run it automatically. At least, 8.1 has been for me without installing any other programs easily.
The DS4 syncs and installs drivers just fine, the problem is it uses DirectInput where-as the XBox uses XInput.
The link I provided converts DirectInput to XInput for the games that only support the XBox controller (ie. Dark Souls, South Park, Etc.), it also enables the touchpad and changing the light bar.
Aaaah thanks for clarifying 😀
It works… but games dont read it like a xbox controller… my friend uses it and gets annoyed because it says “Use button 11 to perform this action”, wheres MS ones will tell you x/y/a/b etc… grrrrr 🙁
That’s what the software I linked is for… it will emulate a XBox controller for games that only support it.
Of course games will still say “Press x/y/a/b” and you’ll just have to know that it should be “✕, △, □, ○”… maybe someone out there will mod games to show DS4 controller buttons instead of XBox 😛
Ahhh awesome, I’ll send it his way.
I wish the 360 controller would work on the Xbone. I’d happily give up rumble triggers and better thumbsticks for the more easily accessible bumper buttons. 🙁
Roll up with your fingers still on the triggers, you don’t need to move your fingers like the 360 controller anymore.
Do you mean use middle fingers for triggers and forefingers for bumper buttons?
I think he means sort of keep your finger between the two and then slip up for bumper and down for trigger. Sort of like it was an analogue stick you’re controlling with the middle part of your trigger finger. They’re shaped and laid out so that you don’t need to take your finger off the button to go to the other. You should be able to just slide from one to the other.
That’s a pretty terrible explanation. I’ll see if I can find something on YouTube.
I’ll give it a go, but naturally for me my fingers gravitate to the inner side of the bumpers and for some reason MS decided that although the bumpers are the length they are, they are more easily depressed from the outside.
Ok. Over the weekend I gave it a shot. What I think he means is grip the controller with your two trigger fingers resting on the top of the triggers, sort of hooked over them like triggers. When you want to use the bumpers you sort of slide your palm up towards the face of the controller/XYAB buttons so you’re bumping the bottom/outer edge of the bumper with the side of your trigger finger. The movement is then in the wrist rather than the finger.
Again that’s a pretty terrible explanation but play around with it. If you can figure it out it’s actually quite comfortable.
Thanks for that! I’ll give it a shot.
Soooo I’m confused. I use the play n charge with my Xbox one. Can I use it on my PC? Coz I don’t have a wireless receiver.
Pretty sure you couldn’t with a 360 play n charge.
It works with a mirco USB cable, and I assume the play n charge cable is a micro usb?
Yep, it is.
That’s something they’ve done differently with the XBOX One controllers. On the XBOX 360 wireless controllers the port was only used for power and syncing while all the communication happened over wireless. On the XBOX One there’s a standard micro USB port on the front which is used for power and syncing, but also data communication so that Windows can detect inputs from it like a normal controller as well as allowing a PC or XBOX One to update the firmware on the controller.
It means that essentially the XBOX One controller becomes a standard wired controller when plugged in via USB. I wonder if the XBOX One sees it as a wired controller when plugged in. I’ve got a friend who is into fighting games that would see that as a big selling point.
It does, Microsoft actually made a bit of a deal about how you could get improved latency by plugging it in.
Does this mean PC games will get rumble triggers? Because man those things are brilliant.
Rumble triggers are not working on my pc. I only tried Watch dogs maybe it works on other games?
That’s cool, but i still prefer the 360 controllers when i have to choose. The Xbone bumpers are hinged on the wrong side.. so where my index finger tips are is the hinge, making button pressing harder because i have to curl my fingers more (like claw gripping on a mouse i guess)
EB are selling these for $68 each in their current sale, which is equivalent to the ozgameshop price. I grabbed one at lunch time.
I guess I will be headed to eb games immediately after work 😀
Nice, will be trying out Star Citizen with this shortly. The only issue I have with the Xbone controller is the shoulder buttons are fused at the inside edges. This requires adapting to pressing the outside of the buttons for reliable response in game. Otherwise it’s the best controller around.
I use M&K with most online multiplayer but prefer the controller for just laying back smashing single player, platform, fighting or driving games.
With USB it works without batteries. A Micro USB cable and a 2m extention got me gaming in bed.
Has Microsoft announced anything about a wireless receiver? I like the controller better than the 360 but it almost kills me that its wired in….
Will the Xbone controlle work with the 360 USB wireless controller dongle for PC?