Using a ps4 controller on pc: is it possible?
If you are a video game lover but you do not have the budget to be able to equip your pc with the necessary accessories, in particular an adequate keyboard and mouse, in order to be able to play properly, you can simply connect your ps4 controller to your pc whether desktop or portable, and you’re ready to play.
Use a ps4 controller on pc under Windows?
The ps4 controller allows you to plug it into your pc and play with it just like an Xbox 360 controller, it has most of the buttons that pc gaming requires, and an added bonus, you can also use its trackpad as a mouse . To connect it to your pc, you can either use a micro USB cable or connect it via the built-in Bluetooth to your pc.
Install and configure DS4Windows
You should know that unlike the Xbox 360 controller, the ps4 controller is not supported by Windows , so you must download software called DS4Windows to be able to use the controller on Windows.
Basically, the DS4Windows software will make Windows believe that the ps4 controller is an Xbox 360 controller so that it can support it.
After downloading the DS4Windows software as a zip file, you must right click and choose “extract all”, once the files have been extracted, the destination folder will open and 2 files will appear.
The first file is the DS4Updater file . exe which has the role of keeping the DS4Windows software up to date with the latest drivers. This file will be very useful to you in case you encounter problems later. As for the 2nd file, it is the file “ DS4Windows . exe ” that you will need to run to begin installing the DS4Windows software that will connect your ps4 controller to the Windows PC.
When you launch the DS4Windows software for the very first time, you will have to choose where to save your settings and profiles. It is recommended to choose the default selection “ Appdata ”. After completing this step, another window will appear, then you need to click on “ install DS4 driver ” , once its installation is complete, you will be able to use the ps4 controller under Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 .
If you want to use the controller under Windows 7 or older versions, in addition to the previous step, you will need to select “ install the 360 driver ”.
How to connect ps4 controller to pc on windows
To connect your ps4 controller to the pc you can use a USB cable or simply use the Bluetooth built into your pc.
For the first method, just use a micro USB cable and follow a few steps:
- Plug in the USB cable;
- Plug in your ps4 controller;
- Make sure Windows detects your controller, and you’re ready to play.
If you want to use your wireless controller to have more freedom of movement while playing, then the method via Bluetooth is the best solution for you, to do so, you will have to follow these steps:
- Make sure the pc has built-in Bluetooth, otherwise use a Bluetooth USB adapter;
- Press the middle PS button and the share button for a few seconds;
- Open Bluetooth settings on pc, go to Windows 10 and click bottom right;
- Once the notification center is open, click on Bluetooth then “wireless controller”;
- If you are asked for a pairing code, enter 0000. All you have to do is play.
Use a ps4 controller on mac pc and under linux
Even though a MAC automatically registers the input of a ps4 controller, it does not offer any customization options, so you must use the Steam client .
It has been a few years since support for the ps4 controller was implemented in the Steam client, to the delight of gamers!
In order to be able to use the ps4 controller, just plug it into the pc or mac while Steam is running, and you will be able to access a number of customizations.
If Windows is not natively compatible with the ps4 controller, this is far from the case for Linux distributions . In this case, you will only have to connect or associate the ps4 controller via the Bluetooth integrated into the pc or by using a Bluetooth adapter, and the ps4 controller will be detected by your computer and ready to be used.