Using a Playstation Controller With Windows

There are many people who love video games using a Windows computer that prefer to use a controller rather than the keyboard and mouse in order to enjoy their hobby, and Microsoft helps this desire by making Xbox 360 controllers work flawlessly with Windows; one only needs to plug the controller in and it works. However, many people prefer the controller from the PlayStation and there is no built in support for this option. Today I'm going to show you how to configure your computer to give a PlayStation controller the same easy support that the Xbox controller already has.

Step 1: You Will Need

A computer running Windows 7

7zip

Microsoft .NET 4.0 (Done automatically with Windows Update)

Visual C 2013 Runtime (Done automatically with Windows Update)

Latest Direct X Runtime (Done automatically with Windows Update)

Administrator rights to the computer

A Sony PlayStation controller

A USB Charge cable for the controller OR A Bluetooth Dongle

Step 2: Ensure Your Xbox Controller Drivers Are Up to Date (If on Windows 8, Skip This Step)

If you have been keeping Windows up to date (Or are using Windows 8), this shouldn't be an issue, however if you are unsure you can always download the newest drivers from Microsoft at: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/xbox-360-controller-for-windows#support

When it loads, click on the support tab on the page and then the download button pictured here

After downloading, run the .EXE file and follow the installation steps within.

Step 3: Download the Xinput Wrapper

All of this is made possible thanks to the user Scarlet.Crush of the PCSX2 community, who has taken it upon themselves to program a simple and elegant solution to the PlayStation controller's incompatibility with Windows. The Author does include instructions on how to install the drivers and I will be providing images and a more simplified set of instructions.

This is the link to the program

http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-XInput-Wrapper-for-DS3-and-Play-com-USB-Dual-DS2-Controller

The download is listed right at the top of the post, simply click on “Download Latest Version Here” and you will be ready to proceed.

Step 4: Create a Folder

Go to my computer, then Program Files. Once there, right click any blank space in the window and navigate to New and then Folder. You will want to rename the folder to something relevant to the task at hand, such as “PlayStation Controller Drivers” or anything like that.

Step 5: Drag the Downloaded File to Your New Folder

Use the simple click and drag technique to move it into place

Step 6: Extract the File

Right click on the file, then navagate down to 7-Zip and then Extract Here

The drivers will be extracted to a usable form, with the main program itself being inside the Bin Folder

The Source folder is providing the source code for those who want to see the it for themselves to ensure that the program is free from viruses and other malware.