Using your Xbox 360 Controller on your PC

Article by Simon Hill (28,789 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?

24 Comments

Showing page 1 of 3 (24 Comments)
Nov 20, 2009 4:54 PM
gamepro552
Wow...
Omg, The price for the wireless thing is to much! You could buy another controller for that much money! It should be something like $19.99 to $25.00! They must of though that if it works for a computer its a totally new controller! Omg, they need to start thinking about people and not MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY! But, everyone thinks like that now a days. Good info on this though! Nice post!
Nov 16, 2009 6:43 AM
usama
thanks alot
hey , thanks alot for that , it really helped , all up it would cost me like $120 to get an xbox controller set up , for that i can get a really desent gaming mouse , and also thanks for the part about the aiming , i didnt know that , lol
Nov 16, 2009 5:37 AM
RE: Using your Xbox 360 Controller on your PC
Hey usama I wouldn't use the pad for Modern Warfare 2, it is much easier to aim with a mouse. The console versions will have a slight auto aim to compensate for the difficulty of aiming with a controller but the PC version probably isn't as forgiving. I just finished the single player, it's an awesome game, worth getting a new mouse for!
Nov 16, 2009 2:38 AM
usama
ty
hey , i just need some advice ,
firstly i got modern warfare 2 on pc , but my mouse is not good for gaming , so i either can keep the mouse i have , or i can buy a xbox360 controller , and use that for gaming.

i dont know what would be better , coz it would be pretty wicked playing wif a controller , but i dono , can some1 with experience plz tell me...

tyvm
Nov 13, 2009 7:12 PM
Kyle
Thanks
Thanks a ton. On the Microsoft website, it wouldn't let me download the Vista version. Thanks for the alternate download link. :)
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
Showing page 1 of 3 (24 Comments)