Keyboard Location Radio Controller Driver

Posted on 13-05-2021 by admin

The Playstation 3's controller, the Dualshock 3, isn't the easiest pad to get working on the PC. So why bother when it's so much easier to use an Xbox controller on PC, or you have a much newer Dualshock 4 sitting around? The Dualshock 3 has something the best PC controllers don't have: pressure-sensitive analog face buttons. That makes the Dualshock 3 the best choice for emulating PS2 games with PCSX2—Metal Gear Solid 3, for example, just doesn't play right without those analog buttons. And if you simply prefer the feel of Sony's older controllers over the redesigned Dualshock 4, this is the perfect controller for playing those classic Final Fantasy games on Steam.

Here's the best way to get your PS3 controller working on PC using an open source tool called ScpToolkit.

Looking for advice on using a different controller? Here's how to use a PS4 controller on PC, and here's how to use a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller on PC.

How to use a PS4 controller on PC. If you're running Windows 7, install the Xbox 360 controller driver next. This driver is included with Windows 8 and 10. The best gaming keyboard in 2019.

What you need

Hardware

Dualshock 3 and mini-USB cable
Optional: Bluetooth dongle

Software

Xbox 360 controller driver (only needs to be installed on Windows 7)

Installation guide

1. Download the software linked above, and start by installing the four Microsoft packages. If you're on a Windows 7 PC, you'll also need to install the Xbox 360 controller driver. On Windows 8 and 10, it's already built in!

2. Important step: plug your Dualshock 3 into your PC with a mini-USB cable. Now we can start making it work.

Bluetooth installation note: if you also want to be able to use the controller wirelessly, make sure you have a Bluetooth dongle plugged in or your motherboard's Bluetooth enabled. ScpToolkit notes you need a Bluetooth 2.0 or higher dongle that supports Enhanced Data Rate (EDR).

3. Download ScpToolkit and run the installer. After accepting the terms and choosing your install location, you'll get a menu of all the options to install, as in the screenshot above. I recommend leaving this to the default. Click Install to begin the installation.

Bluetooth installation note: Make sure the ScpToolkit Bluetooth Pair Utility option is ticked.

4. After about 30 seconds, ScpToolkit will be installed, and you'll see this screen, with a big green button that says Run Driver Installer. Since this is a fresh install, that's what we want to do. Click the button.

5. This screen may look intimidating, but it's still pretty simple! Check the boxes for the drivers you want to install. In this case, we want to make sure Install Dualshock 3 driver is checked (it should be by default). Now click the arrow next to 'Choose Dualshock 3 controllers to install' to see a dropdown list of USB devices attached to your computer. Find the PlayStation 3 controller in the list and check it.

Bluetooth installation note: Make sure the 'Install Bluetooth driver' box is checked. Like you did with the Dualshock 3, click the arrow next to 'Choose Bluetooth dongles to install' and find your Bluetooth device in the list. Check it.

Note: If you're on Windows Vista, check the box for 'Force Driver Installation.' Otherwise, leave it unchecked. Click Install.

6. Watch the SCP Toolkit run through its installation process. You'll see lots of pop-ups on the side of your screen as it detects your hardware. Scroll to the bottom of the log and you should hopefully see 'Dualshock 3 USB Driver installed' (and 'Bluetooth Driver installed' if you chose to), signifying a successful installation. If all went well, click Exit.

7. Now that it's installed, you'll see ScpToolkit as an icon in your system tray. Look in your Start Menu for ScpToolkit Settings Manager. Here you can change some settings like disabling rumble, adjusting analog stick deadzones, and more. Most of these settings you should be able to leave alone.

ScpToolkit starts up with Windows by default, and also plays some sound effects that you might find obnoxious. To disable them, click the Sound settings tab and uncheck 'Enable notification sounds.'

PCSX2 emulator note: The PCSX2 settings tab allows you to patch the emulator's LilyPad controller plugin to support the pressure sensitive buttons. If you plan to use your PS3 controller with the emulator, click Browse to navigate to your PCSX2 installation folder, then click Enable to install the patch. Voila!

Using your Playstation 3 controller

Now that it's installed, the Dualshock 3 should behave like an Xbox 360 controller. Any game with native XInput support—pretty much any modern PC game that supports gamepads—should recognize it without a hitch. Unfortunately, this means that it won't register as a PlayStation controller to the few games that have native DualShock 4 support, so you won't get the correct Square/Cross/Triangle/Circle button icons by default. Some games let you manually choose your button icons, though. Look for that in game settings!

If you ran into issues installing ScpToolkit or using the controller, you can try posting in the official thread at the PCSX2 forums, but you may not get an answer.

How to connect your PS3 controller via Bluetooth

If you're not about that wired business, and followed all the Bluetooth installation steps above, you should be able to simply unplug the controller, and after a couple seconds it will sync via Bluetooth. You'll get a notification in the system tray when it does. Cool!

This works after a reboot, too. If you allow ScpToolkit to start with Windows, you should simply be able to plug in your PS3 controller again and it'll instantly be recognized. Once the LED is on, unplug the controller, and it'll once again be synced via Bluetooth.

If you have issues with Bluetooth, it could be that your dongle isn't supported. You may also find help in ScpToolkit's Github discussions. Bluetooth can be finicky, and any problem you run into could be due to hardware, or your particular version of Windows, or drivers… in other words, good luck.

Not a controller person? Here's a round-up of the best gaming keyboards, and best gaming mouse.

The Playstation 4's Dualshock 4 controller is the best PC controller. It's well-made, feels great in your hands, and offers superb feedback where it matters most, especially in the analogue sticks, triggers and bumpers. And while it's not quite as plug-and-play as the Xbox 360 controller, it's relatively easy to use the PS4 controller on PC thanks to an official (but optional) Bluetooth dongle.

If you're only interested in playing games on Steam, good news—thanks to native Steam support, the Dualshock 4 is completely plug-and-play!

First we'll walk you through the basics of getting your PS4 controller working on PC, either with a cable or via Bluetooth. And if you want to play games that aren't on steam with your DualShock 4, keep reading for our in-depth guide to getting your PS4 controller working with an open source tool called DS4Windows.

What you need

Hardware

Dualshock 4 and micro-USB cable
Optional: Dualshock 4 USB wireless Bluetooth adapter

Software

Xbox 360 controller driver (only needs to be installed on Windows 7)

Installation guide

1. Download the software linked above, starting with the Microsoft .NET Framework. If you're running Windows 7, install the Xbox 360 controller driver next. This driver is included with Windows 8 and 10.

2. Important step: plug your Dualshock 4 into your PC using a micro-USB cable. (If you run into any issues, try using a USB 2.0 port instead of a USB 3.0 port. Dualshock 4s are weird like that.) Now we can get DS4Windows to do its stuff.

Bluetooth installation note: if you want to use your Dualshock 4 wirelessly, take a moment to plug in your USB wireless adapter and pair it with your controller. Simply hold the small Share button and the central circular button simultaneously until the controller's backlight starts flashing, then push on the end of the adapter until it starts flashing. Once both are flashing, they will automatically pair after a few seconds.

3. If you only want to use your Dualshock 4 to play games through Steam, congratulations, you're officially done! Steam added native Dualshock 4 support in 2016, so once you're paired or plugged in, you're good to go. Go into Steam's Settings > Controller menu to configure the controller.

Be sure to pair or plug in your controller before opening Steam or any Steam games, otherwise your controller may not be recognized. If you run into any connection issues, closing and reopening Steam should do the trick.

Read on to learn how to use DS4Windows to use your controller with games outside of Steam.

4. Download the newest DS4Windows .zip file, save it to a fresh folder, and extract its contents using 7-Zip or whatever file archiver you prefer. You'll see two applications: DS4Updater and DS4Windows. You already have the latest version, so you can ignore the updater for now.

5. Open DS4Windows and you'll see the Controllers tab. This tab displays the controllers you have connected. Since you've already plugged in your controller (or paired it via Bluetooth), it should be listed here. If it's not, close DS4Windows, reconnect your controller, then reopen DS4Windows. Don't worry about your controller's ID number; we won't be needing it.

6. Open the Settings tab in DS4Windows to configure a few things. Make sure the Hide DS4 Controller box is checked. This will prevent DS4Windows from conflicting with any game's default controller settings. For the same reason, make sure Use Xinput Ports is set to one.

Now that it's installed, DS4Windows will show up as an icon in your system tray. From the Settings tab, you can also set it to run at startup or remain active in the background. You can also update DS4Windows directly from this tab by clicking Check for Update Now at the bottom left. Above that, you'll see Controller/Driver Setup. If you run into any issues, open this setup and follow the prompts to install any missing drivers.

Using your Playstation 4 controller

DS4Windows works by reading your Dualshock 4 as though it were an Xbox 360 controller. By default, it offers a great one-size-fits-all button setup. So now that it's installed, your Dualshock 4 should behave like an Xbox 360 controller, meaning it will work with any game with Xinput support—which is to say, most every modern PC game that supports gamepads. That also means you won't get the correct Square/Cross/Triangle/Circle button icons by default in most games. Some games will give you the option, though. Look for that in settings.

You do not need to remap anything, but if you want to change some buttons or adjust sensitivity without relying on in-game options, you can. Open the Profiles tab in DS4Windows. I do not recommend making a profile from scratch, but if you really want to, click New to start one up. Otherwise, select the DualShock 4 profile and click Edit.

This screen looks complicated, but it's actually pretty simple. Let's say you want to swap your bumpers and triggers. First, find L1/R1 and L2/R2 in the scroll wheel in the Controls section, or just click them on the virtual controller. You want to swap L1 with L2 and R1 with R2, so start by clicking L2.

Keyboard Radio Controller Driver

This opens another intimidating but simple page. Just click the button you want L2 to act as—in this case, L1. Voila, your left trigger will now act as your left bumper. Repeat this process with the other triggers and bumpers to complete the change and prevent redundancy. You can save this button setup as a separate profile and swap between profiles in the Controllers tab.

How to connect your PS4 controller via Bluetooth