Using your Xbox 360 Controller on your PC

Article by Simon Hill (27,486 pts ) , published Sep 11, 2009

Since many gamers nowadays have been raised on consoles, you may be interested to know that there is an alternative to using the keyboard and mouse for PC games. You can play PC games with your Xbox 360 controller. Here's a guide on how to do it.

Using your Xbox 360 controller on your PC

Xbox360controller

Many gamers nowadays play most of their games on consoles and as a consequence you might find adjusting to keyboard controls a bit of a nuisance.

The good news is using your Xbox 360 controller on your PC is easy. Check out the other Xbox 360 accesories to help your gaming experience.

Setting Up Your Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Your PC

First of all you want to download the software from Microsoft which will allow you to use your wired Xbox 360 controller to play PC games. You can find it at Microsoft Downloads.

Just fill in the relevant details, download the file and install it on your PC.

Some versions of Windows will automatically detect the controller when you plug it in and prompt you to update your system with the relevant drivers. You can try this first if you don’t want to download the software separately.

Once the software is installed you can plug your Xbox 360 controller into your USB port on your computer. To ensure it is working correctly select Game Controllers in the Control Panel in Windows.

Not all games support the controller; you can check the game manual to see whether your game does.

Using Your Wireless Xbox 360 Controller on Your PC

wireless gaming receiver

You can also use your wireless Xbox 360 controller to play PC games but in order to do this you will need to purchase the wireless gaming receiver. You can purchase it from Amazon here.

Downloading Profiles for Easy Configuration

Since the controller isn’t supported by all games and setting up configurations for different games can be tricky you can also download configurations set up by other people which will save you the hassle. Some of these can be found for free. For example if you want to play World of Warcraft using your Xbox 360 controller then try out the free Switchblade software from developer Blue Orb.

Alternatively if you are willing to shell out a little more cash you could opt for the Pinnacle Game Profiler. This software comes with a number of configurations for top titles which you can download and makes setting up your Xbox 360 controller to play your PC games nice and easy. It currently costs $19.95.

So if you are struggling with mouse and keyboard controls why not try one of these solutions and use your Xbox 360 controller instead?

19 Comments

Showing page 1 of 2 (19 Comments)
Nov 1, 2009 9:54 AM
martin
xbox360 controller on pc via usb charging cable
Will the wirless xbox360 controller work on pc with out the reciever, when its pluged to the pc via the charging cables. Or will it only with the reciever for pc.
Oct 26, 2009 11:30 PM
skerch_wickit
OMFG
GD THANK WHOEVER PUT ALL THIS TOGETHER!!! ive been wondering if i could do this for so long and i jus found out that i can ty ty ty ty
Oct 22, 2009 9:19 PM
Chris
RE: Using your Xbox 360 Controller on your PC

Glad to see it helped you :) these drivers work better than the official drivers for most folk. I have an Xbox360 still, until the 3 red rings :p
Oct 19, 2009 12:30 AM
jackson
games
will this work for battle field 2
Oct 18, 2009 9:51 AM
Versai
Good stuff man
Lol, I just woke up and decided I was going to make use of my wired XBOX360 controller since my console doesn't work. I log on to windows, pull up Google and to be honest I expected a wild goose chase for the software necessary to run the controller on Windows. Your website popped up, then ba-da-boom I had my software. Great site man, I was able to go right to what I needed without any hoop-jumping Thank you
Oct 10, 2009 1:00 AM
chris
Working Link
http://redcl0ud.1.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=1816

Choose the My Skydrive Link, it's the official forum of the software, you should find all the help you need on there :)
Sep 24, 2009 9:54 AM
Ed
3rd Party Drivers
Hi.

Chris, unfortunately the downloads for the all-in-one installer on that site (http://xbcd360guide.50webs.com/download.html) are down. I'll try contacting the creator of that website to let him know of the dead links.

My problem is that I can't get the trigger buttons to work as digital buttons for the wired Xbox 360 Controller. The default drivers supplied by Windows XP and through Microsoft's website (for SP3) only support the triggers as a Z axis. I need a driver (provided via a working downloadable link) that will let me map them as BUTTONS...

Any help is appreciated so thanks in advance!
Sep 17, 2009 6:42 PM
Connor
RE: Using your Xbox 360 Controller on your PC
My computer won't detect the controller at all
Sep 6, 2009 3:58 PM
Bobob
RE: Using your Xbox 360 Controller on your PC
"That should work with the play and charge cord, Liam. Obviously you'll need the reciever if you want to play wirelessly."

Actually Simon last time I checked the play and charge cord is only ever used to provide power to the controller, the controller however still connects to the console wirelessly as no data is transmitted over the cord (that's the big MS for ya). So even with the cord connected to your PC you will still require the wireless receiver which you will have to buy from the big MS (surprise surprise).
Sep 4, 2009 2:45 PM
Chris
Drivers

Those having problems you can get 3rd party drivers that work better than Microsoft Drivers surprise surprise!!! who would have thought? :D :D

here you go.

http://xbcd360guide.50webs.com/download.html

Showing page 1 of 2 (19 Comments)