Question: Q: Steam compatible Mac controller? I have an iMac 5K. Been searching Amazon and a few gaming controller maker sites, but I'm seeing very very very few Mac compatible controllers. Simply plug the controller into your Mac’s USB port or pair it via Bluetooth and it’s ready to customise. If you’re wanting to use the controller via USB then there’s nothing As I stated at the beginning of this tutorial, I’m going to use Portal as our example game, which is available via Steam for Mac.
Reader Bruce Harris would like to get double-duty from a gaming device. He writes: I purchased a PlayStation 4 and an extra DualShock 4 controller for two-player games. I rarely use the second controller and wondered if I could use it to play games on my Mac. You can, though with some games you’ll need extra help. Before we get to that let’s start with the hardware configuration. As you know, the DualShock 4 controller has a micro USB port on the back, just below the status light. You use this port to initially pair the controller with the PS4.
But it can also operate as a link between the controller and your Mac. Just string a USB cable between the two and the controller is ready to use.
But, in some cases, you don’t need the wire. The DualShock 4 performs its wireless magic via Bluetooth so, in some instances, you can control your Mac games from across the room. To set up the controller for Bluetooth use, detach the USB cable, launch System Preferences, select the Bluetooth preference, make sure Bluetooth is switched on, and then press and hold the PlayStation and Share buttons on the controller until its status light blinks rapidly. The DualShock should then appear in the list of devices as Wireless Controller. Just click Pair and you’re connected. Note, however, that not all games support a wireless connection. You can pair your DualShock controller with a Mac via Bluetooth.
Speaking of which, a word about compatibility. With some games, the connected controller will work from the get-go. For example, Feral Interactive’s works perfectly with the controller without you having to do a thing. Other games, however, work a little bit or not at all.
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For instance, with Valve’s Portal and Portal 2 (available via ) you can’t use the controller to move around or look up or down, even though Steam itself recognizes the controller and lets you assign functions to it. And Aspyr’s is entirely unaware of a connected DualShock. So it’s really a matter of the original developer making their game compatible with these kinds of controllers.
Because you could wait a long time for this to happen (in some cases, forever) you should consider taking matters into your own hands by using a third-party controller utility. One such utility is Chibata Creations’ $5. With it you assign functions to the controller’s joystick or buttons. These generally come in the form of mouse movements or keystrokes.
For example, you might assign the Mac’s W key to the forward motion of the left joystick and the Fire function to the controller’s O button. According to the developer's notes, wireless control from a DualShock 4 is not yet supported. If a game doesn't natively support your controller, use a tool such as Joystick Mapper to get the job done. Another option is OrderedBytes’ $25.
This is a far more sophisticated utility that allows you to create triggered actions by stringing together building blocks. If you want to go beyond the basics with your controller, it’s worth your while to download the demo and run through the tutorial to see just how powerful it can be. The upshot is, yes, you can use a controller like this with your Mac. If you’re an enthusiastic console gamer more comfortable using a controller than a keyboard or mouse it’s something I’d urge you to try.
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While the Mac platform has not been noted for catering to hard-core gamers, there are still many popular gaming titles and gaming accessories available for the Mac OS. If you own a Mac and have a few games you would like to try, then you might also be interested in getting a gaming controller or two up and running with your system.
While the Mac's keyboard and mouse ought to be enough for most purposes, having a dedicated gaming controller can give you the feel of playing with a gaming console. Of the game controllers available for home computers, only a few are officially supported on the Mac, but you can often get others, like those for the PS3, Wii, or Xbox, working just fine.
To use any of these controllers with your system, you will first need to connect it to your system physically, and then install a driver package to make use of the controller's inputs. For factory-supported devices like the and the, drivers are available from their manufacturers; however, for unsupported devices like Wii Remote, PS3, and Xbox controllers, you will have to use a third-party driver package. The easiest of these unsupported remotes to configure is likely the Xbox controller, which can be (physically) connected directly via USB or with a for wireless Xbox controllers. If you have a PS3 controller, you'll need to follow a quick procedure to establish a connection to your Mac.
First, connect the controller to your Mac, and then open the Bluetooth system preferences and make sure Bluetooth is both on and discoverable. Next, hold the PS button on the controller for a few seconds, then unplug the USB cable, and the controller should appear in the Bluetooth system preferences and be available for use in a number of games and programs. A Wii Remote can also be connected via Bluetooth. Once the gaming controller is connected, you can use one of several software driver packages to configure its inputs. The first is, with which you should be able to configure most gaming controllers. The second is the for Xbox controllers, which should work for both wired and wireless (using the receiver noted above) controllers. For Wii users, the program and the should allow you to crudely connect and configure the motion-sensitive Wii Remote, but if you have trouble establishing a connection using these drivers in OS X 10.8, then you can try a that should work in the latest version of OS X.
A final couple of driver options for these controllers are, which is available in the Apple App Store, and, which has been a long-standing option for configuring USB input devices on the Mac platform. These last tools are useful especially if you have a controller that only has driver support for Windows.
When connected to the Mac, the button inputs will be registered, and universal drivers like USB Overdrive should be able to recognize them and allow you to assign global or application-specific settings to them. Post them below!
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