I'm one of those players who usually avoid survival games, which is perhaps why I took so long to get to We Happy Few. Eventually my gamer instinct whispered in my ear: "You have to play this someday! Apparently it's very similar to Bioshock - not only in terms of its graphic style …". So […]
I had a pleasure to hold a lot of controllers, but DualShock 4 is without a doubt my favorite. Not only because of the shape and the arrangement of buttons, but also because of pure practicality. Firstly - it's compatible with PlayStation 3, so when I want to play a game on the older generation, I don't have to get used to a different controller. Secondly - it does an excellent job as a PC controller, and the touchpad is a salvation in games that don't have native support for controllers and require frequent clicking on some icons or windows.
- If you have a DualShock 4 - take advantage of its full capabilities.
- If you plan to purchase a controller for your PC - DualShock 4 will be a very good choice.
How to make it work?
Make sure that you meet the following requirements:
- Windows XP SP1, Vista SP1, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 - Version for Linux / Mac also exists, but today I’m writing for Windows OS users only.
- Bluetooth adapter (version 2.1 with EDR technology) - It's a lottery with adapters, but most should work. If you can not find the driver, try the Bluetooth Installer
- USB <-> Micro USB cable - If you are not bothered by the cable, do not have a Bluetooth adapter or just want to recharge the controller.
- Make sure that the bluetooth drivers for your device are installed. Often, you don't need to do that at all because Windows does it for you. If you have Windows 7 or older, you also need drivers for Xbox 360 Controller (Windows 8 has them already in the package). Then download InputMapper software and install it like any other application.
- Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. Press and hold the SHARE and PlayStation buttons on your controller. After a few seconds a lightbar (the front of the controller) will flicker with white light. Your gamepad should be detected as a "Wireless Controller" and a Bluetooth pairing notification should show up in the Bluetooth settings. If a pairing code is required - enter “0000”.
A white solid light will indicate that everything went according to the plan. If the pairing does not start automatically, go to Control Panel> Hardware and Sound> Devices and Printers, and then click "Add Device".
- Now start the InputMapper software. The application should automatically detect your controller. If it doesn't, use the micro USB cable to connect the controller to your PC and check whether it has been detected. Run your finger across the touchpad and check if it allows you to control the mouse. The controller will be visible in the settings as "Controller (XBOX 360 For Windows)".
- In the InputMapper settings check “Start Minimized” option - unless you want to manually run the software only when you wish to play. Select the option "Use Exclusive Mode" so the controller won't be duplicated as two seperate devices.
- Set up your own profile. You can change assigned to buttons and the color and mode of the lightbar.
I have set it in such a way that when fully charged it glows green and while the battery is discharging it will change color to yellow and then red. I also set the timer to shut it down after 10 minutes of inactivity (600 seconds).
From now on all games that have built-in controller support should work fine with your DualShock 4. The application supports up to four controllers at once. Plus you can of courese use additional Xbox 360 controllers to increase the number of players.
To handle games that do not support controllers you will need another application (like Pinnacle Game Profiler or Xpadder) that maps controller buttons to keyboard and mouse. I have recently beaten the first Witcher that way though the game was designed to operate only with mouse and keyboard. There's always a way!
COMMENTS