Controllers

A guide of controllers for emulation.

See for more

PCGamingWiki: Controllers

For lists of console games that support less used input peripherals / controller features see:

• List of games with keyboard and mouse support
• List of games that support microphone
• List of games that support touchpad
• List of games that support motion controls
• List of games that support Pressure-Sensitive Face Buttons‎‎
• List of games that support touchscreen
• List of games that support HD haptic feedback
• List of games that support infrared technology
• List of games that support hybrid triggers

Gamepads

Original controllers

The best way to emulate a console is by using the actual controller for that console. Here are some different adapters that'll let you use those controllers on your PC:

• Mayflash adapters work well and are relatively cheap.
• Bliss-Box is made to order and probably the best adapters you can buy, but they don't come cheap.
• Bliss-Box 4-Play is a mass-produced version of the Bliss-Box. It supports up to 4 controllers at the same time and it uses custom cables with an HDMI connector. With the new advent of the API, it now has native controller support. The API is open source. [1]
• Bliss-Box Gamer-Pro This is a single version of the 4-play.
• RetroUSB, good adapters, not the best prices.
• RaphNet for making your own controller adapters, can also be purchased pre-made.

PlayStation

DualShock/Dual Analog Controller/PlayStation Controller

PCGamingWiki: PlayStation Controller

PCGamingWiki: DualShock/Dual Analog Controller

DualShock 2

PCGamingWiki: DualShock 2

DualShock 3/Sixaxis

Main article: DualShock 3

DualShock 4

Main article: DualShock 4

Xbox

PCGamingWiki: Xbox Controller

Xbox 360

PCGamingWiki: Xbox 360 Controller

The 360 controller does offer good ergonomics and many prefer its analog stick layout -though there are a lot who feel otherwise- over other controllers. However, the poor D-pad means it is lackluster when it comes to emulating older consoles.

For the wired 360 controllers, you simply plug it in, install the drivers, and play. For wireless, you will need a wireless adapter to use a wireless controller on a PC.

Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S

PCGamingWiki: Xbox One/Xbox Wireless Controller

PCGamingWiki: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller

PCGamingWiki: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2

PCGamingWiki: Xbox Adaptive Controller

The Xbox One controller is mostly similar to the 360 controllers except for a noticeably higher quality overall. Especially in regards to the d-pad which has gone from abysmal to pretty great, even using four mechanical switches for it.

Can simply be plugged in with any Micro B cable and it works as a standard XInput controller with no need for batteries.

GameCube (GCN) Controller

Arguably the best controller for Smash Bros and some people just like it generally. Various third-party adapters exist for using this on PC, for example Mayflash adapters. If you want that official feel, though, try the Official Wii U GameCube adapter. While it's made mainly for Wii U compatibility, the community has made unofficial USB drivers for it, and testing in Dolphin has shown that it's more accurate to the console than the Mayflash adapter.

• Windows
• Linux

For those who don't already have a GameCube controller at home, beware of the Chinese clones that have sprung up like weeds on eBay and Amazon: they are normally of very low quality and feel nothing like the real controllers. Your best option is either getting a used DOL-003 on eBay or checking local retailers for the official Smash 4/Smash Ultimate reproduction controllers. Expect to spend around $25 plus shipping when buying online, and always check the pictures for loose analog sticks or missing rubber tops. Failing that, the wired "Fight Pad" controllers have inferior build quality to original controllers and aren't plug-and-play in Dolphin, but will work with anything that's compatible with Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers.

Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) Controllers

Although not the original versions of the controllers, Nintendo offers wireless and USB-C versions of the original controllers for most of the consoles supported by the NSO emulators. Almost all of these controllers work perfectly fine on a computer and replicate the original feel of the controllers perfectly.

The NES controller doesn't have USB-C output but does work perfectly as a wireless controller, with the downside that the controller is impossible to charge unless you own a Nintendo Switch or a Joy-Con controller charging dock.

• [2] NES Controller
• [3] SNES Controller
• [4] Nintendo 64 Controller
• [5] Sega Genesis Control Pad
• [6] GameCube Controller (Note: The GameCube controller is not natively supported by most programs currently, and additional steps are required to get it to work on computer.)

Other USB Gamepads

From Q1 2024, those Chinese-Manufactured Gamepads have been developed and improved so much that they outscored these obsolete Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and Logitech Gamepads. Flydigi, Mojhon (BigBig Won), 8bitdo, Gamesir,... are some brands that I recommend.

Arcade Sticks

Arcade sticks mimic arcade controls. They are typically used by fighting game fans but can be used for emulation as well.

X-Arcade

http://www.xgaming.com X-Arcade sticks are designed primarily for MAME users but the controls can be easily mapped to any button. Generally considered tacky to use a prebuilt control panel with a homemade MAME cabinet but is acceptable to use as a standalone controller. Prices range from $99 to $250

Mobile Gamepads

Pretty much any Bluetooth controller will work with an Android or iPhone for emulation. Some recommended controllers:

• DualShock 3 ($40) Good quality controller
• Nyko Playpad Pro ($20) Cheap controller. Has layout similar to DualShock 3.
• POWER A MOGA Hero Power Controller ($26.99)
• POWER A MOGA Pro Power Controller ($34.99)
• Gametel ($30) Smaller controller, comes with a clip to attach phone. Has layout similar to NES controller
• Ipega ($20-$30) A series of cheap but sturdy Bluetooth controllers, in various styles ranging from small iControlPad style controllers to basically Xbox 360 controllers with clips. No or unnoticeable latency. Can be paired in four modes--keyboard, controller, iCade, and mouse. Optional, difficult to find, poorly translated Chinese app allows them to emulate Moga input at the cost of adding latency.
• GameSir G3s ($30.99)
• GameSir T1s ($39.99)
• GameSir G4 ($39.99)
• GameSir G4s ($49.99)
• 8Bitdo N30 2.4G ($24.99)
• 8Bitdo SN30 GP ($29.99)
• 8Bitdo N30 Pro ($39.99)
• 8Bitdo SN30 Pro ($44.99)

Motion Controller

Wiimote

For emulating Wii games, this is an option if you want to use the real controller. You can connect your Wiimote to your PC using this guide. If your computer does not have Bluetooth you will need to get a compatible USB Bluetooth adapter, this one has been known to work. In order for the Wiimote pointer to be detected, you'll need a wireless sensor bar or 2 candles. Another option is using the Mayflash DolphinBar, it's a Wii sensor bar with integrated bluetooth. Even Dolphin developers recommend it.

However, if you want to use your Wiimote as a general purpose controller and a pointing device, and not only for Dolphin but lots of other games, get those custom Windows drivers and you'll be able to map its various controls in other emulators and games.

PS Move

Psmoveinput is a userspace Linux input driver that gives users ability to control mouse pointer movements by moving PSMove controller and map PSMove keys to common keyboard keys. It's based on the unofficial PSMove API.

Light Gun

Traditional light guns rely on the behavior of CRT monitors and TVs to function. There are light guns that do not rely on the monitor for positioning but behave more like Wiimotes using IR light. The accuracy is not as good but most people can adjust fairly quickly. Within most emulators, the sensor in the light gun behaves like a mouse and usually require no special drivers for setup.

AimTrak

http://www.ultimarc.com/aimtrak.html

Works with all monitors including CRT, LCD, and plasma. The package comes with both the USB gun (an infrared receiver) & a USB-to-infrared transmitter bar that sits on top of the screen. The calibration software for Windows XP/Vista/7 is available on the Ultimarc website, but it's also been confirmed to work on Windows 8 (no drivers are required; the unit works as a mouse). The gun kit is also designed to work on PlayStation 2 & 3 consoles as well as in Linux (again, as a mouse,) though there are no official calibration programs for Linux.

Racing wheels

Logitech Driving Force GT Racing Wheel

Logitech G27

Fanatec Racing Sim Kit

Using Controllers in Emulators / Games Not Supporting Them

Sometimes, the application you use simply doesn't recognize the newly plugged-in controller, be it a standard PC Gamepad or a Console Controller. Often, it's just the bare minimum keyboard and mouse controls are supported. For these situations there are third-party tools which convert each gamepad button press to a preset keyboard/mouse input, thus allowing you to use your controllers at all times.

Remember to open those with administrator privileges when used with programs opened as administrator, or else the button presses won't register.

AntiMicro

Free and open-source alternative to Xpadder. Current versions are forked from an earlier version by different people and under active development after the original developer quit due to online harassment. Arguably the best tool available out there for this task. Supports macros and a wide range of controllers (including the Xbox One controller).

AutoHotKey

One of the more powerful key scripting language tools available out there. You can for example map complex hotkeys (like Ctrl+Alt+Del) or sequences of hotkeys and/or keypresses (like the Konami Code) to a single key in your keyboard... or gamepad. It's like a scripting language on its own, which though simple may be too much effort for the average user.

InputMapper

Project to support various console controllers in games, which started with the DualShock 4 and expanded to other controllers.

JoyToKey

Shareware, but has a free version. Includes macros, a shift function (to map more keys than the number of buttons on the gamepad) and a turbo function for mashing keys quickly.

PadForge

A modern, open-source input wrapper for Windows. It allows mapping controllers, keyboards, mice, and even MIDI devices to virtual Xbox 360, DualShock 4, or DirectInput controllers. It is a powerful alternative for users needing high customizability or support for non-standard peripherals, utilizing the ViGEmBus and vJoy drivers.

Xpadder

Has been freeware until version 5.3 when it went shareware. The original gamepad mapping utility, but a bit underwhelming compared to other alternatives.

Mouse injectors for emulators

External applications that injects cursor input data directy into game memory with the help of protocols (e.g. IPC) for precise mouse tracking and movement.[7] Demonstration

• MouseInjectorDolphinDuck (DuckStation, PCSX2, Dolphin, PPSSPP, RetroArch)
• KAMI (RPCS3, PCSX2)
• xenia-canary-mousehook (Xenia Canary and Xenia Canary Netplay)
• Mouse aim control injector for Ryujinx (Ryujinx)
• melonPrimeDS (MelonDS)

See #Enhancements sections in each page for "Mouse Injector Compatible" support for emulators.

True/dual analog control

Using emulators with these patches and hacks adds dual analogs capability to previously/originally incompatible games; provides actual analog processing for turning and looking up/down with using right analog stick.

True analog control hacks for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PSP titles

See #Enhancements sections in each page for "True/dual analog control" support for emulators.

See TheOfficialFloW's RemasteredControls collection or Freakler's psp-camera_patch_lite plugin.

See also

• Computer specifications
• Input lag
• Displays
• Toys-to-life emulation
• SCP Driver Package
• DS4Windows