How To Use Ps4 Controller

The Comprehensive Way: Ds4windows

DS4Windows is a freeware program that tricks your PC into thinking an Xbox 360 controller is connected, instead of a DualShock 4. Follow these steps to get it to work.

Option : Connecting With Steam

Steam, the most popular PC gaming portal, offers native controller support for the DualShock 4. Its incredibly easy to use your DualShock 4 to play games on Steam all you have to do is:

Step 1: Make sure your Steam client is updated.

Step 2: Plug your controller into your PC.

Problem solved! Well, almost. Even if Steam is up-to-date, you may encounter a few hiccups while setting up your controller. Steam supports the DS4 as a platform, but that doesnt mean every PC game works with the controller automatically. If you fire up Dark Souls III, youll see what we mean. Steam detects the controller, but Dark Souls III doesnt. If you find yourself in that boat, or just want to use your controller wirelessly without using Steam, youre not out of luck. DS4Windows might be the solution for you.

How To Connect To The Dualshock 4

There are two ways you can connect your DualShock 4 to your Android phone. Just like with a real PlayStation console, the controller supports both Bluetooth and direct USB connections. Bluetooth is the easiest option, but USB may be preferable for long gaming sessions, since your phone can provide a steady charge to the DS4.

You May Like: Link Microsoft Account To Ps4

Connect The Ps4 Controller To Your Pc Via Bluetooth

One of the best things about using the PS4 DualShock 4 controller on your PC is that you can use it wirelessly, giving you far more flexibility when gaming.

The PS4 DualShock 4 controller uses Bluetooth, so you’ll need to make sure your PC or laptop has a Bluetooth receiver built in. If it doesn’t, you can buy a Bluetooth USB dongle such as the Tiny USB 2.0 Bluetooth Mini Wireless Adapter not only is this small enough to be plugged unobtrusively into your PC, it’s also pretty cheap at just £2.99 .

To connect the PS4 controller via Bluetooth, press and hold the central PS Button and the Share button for three seconds until the lightbar at the top of the controller begins to flash.

Next open up the Bluetooth settings on your PC. In Windows 10, click on the speech bubble icon in the Taskbar at the bottom-right corner of your screen. This opens up the Action Center from there click ‘Bluetooth’ and then select ‘Wireless Controller’.

You may be asked to enter a pair code if so type in 0000. The PS4 DualShock controller will now be connected wirelessly to your PC.

Image credits: TechRadar

Perform A Hard Reset On Your Controller:

If re-pairing the controller does not work, the problem might be with the controller itself and not the PS4. In that case, you will require to reset the controller. You will need an opened paper clip with which to push a secret button on your PS4 to reset it.

Turn off your PS4 and unplug both it and your internet router or modem so that your controller will not get any network signals when you reset it. When the process is achieved, turn the controller over and look for a bit of hole on the right side. Push the paperclip in the hole and press the button inside for three to five seconds. It is best to press it down for a count of 10, to be specific.

When you have completed that, plugin both your router and your PS4 again, turn on the PS4, then plug your controller into the USB cable. That should re-pair the controller from scratch. If it does not work, you may have a cracked controller on your hands.

Recommended Reading: How To Get A Backup Code Ps4

How To Use Ps4 Controller On Pc 3 Simple Steps

Have you ever thought about using your PS4 controller on your Windows PC? Perhaps youre thinking that your controller is designed specifically for Sonys PlayStation 4 console, so it may not be working on a Windows computer.

But the truth is youcan! And the process of setting it up is very easy. You dont need any advanced computer skill to accomplish this. Just follow the three simple steps below, and youll be able to use your PS4 controller to play your Windows games.

Is There A Way To Use A Dualshock 4 Controller With A Pc Of Course There Is It’s Just Not As Straightforward As You Might Think

ByLewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer| 23 Mar 2020

More and more people are shifting from console to PC when it comes to gaming, simply because a powerful gaming PC can provide better graphics and frame rates than can be achieved by either the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One – and high-end gaming PCs can easily outperform the PS4 Pro.

Even the confirmed specs of the PS5, due out later this year, can’t compete with some high-end gaming PCs.

However, console converts can struggle with using a keyboard and mouse, especially those of us that have been using a controller for years. Could we use the DualShock 4 controller to play games on PC? Technically yes, but its not as straightforward as you might hope.

If you don’t own a DualShock 4 yet, or want to grab a second pad specifically for your PC, you can grab one from at the time of writing, in a range of colours including black, blue, red, and white.

If you want to play your PS4 games on your PC, there’s a way to do that too – check out how to use PS4 Remote Play on PC for more.

Don’t Miss: How To Lag Switch On Xbox One

How To Set Up A Remote Play On Windows

Before pairing the PS4 and setting it up for remote play, you need to activate your PS4 console as the Primary Console on your profile. Therefore:

At the end of this process, you will finally be able to pair up your PlayStation 4 with the PC and turn on the console right away from the PC.

A fast and stable internet connection can ensure smooth play of games and successful pair up of PS4 console with PC.

How To Connect Your Ps4 Controller Via Bluetooth

To connect your PS4 controller via Bluetooth, simply hold the small Share button and the central circular button simultaneously until the controller’s backlight starts flashing, then push on the end of the adapter until it starts flashing. Once both are flashing, they will automatically pair after a few seconds.

For a PC with Bluetooth built-in, just navigate to the Bluetooth menu and select your controller from the Add Bluetooth devices list once it’s started flashing.

Luckily, you don’t have to pair your controller every time you want to use it. As long as you don’t unplug the adapter, it will save its last connection, so you can just tap your controller’s central PlayStation button to reconnect it.

The official Sony DualShock 4 USB wireless adapter is the simplest Bluetooth option. You may have to hunt for it or spend a little more than you would on a standard Bluetooth dongle, but it’s worth it for its out-of-the-box functionality.

Recommended Reading: How Do You Dunk In 2k20

Connect Xbox Controller To Ps4 Via Remote Play

Once you have efficiently completed the PS4 Remote Play setup on your PC, you should be able to pair up the Xbox controller in no time. But first, download the ViGEm and VDX. The ViGEm driver helps the windows to match a gamepad device, and VDX plays the role of translator for the Xbox Controller. Just follow these steps:

With this process, you can connect Xbox Controller to your PS4 and find it working perfectly well.

Common Reasons Your Ps4 Controller Is Not Working

Not sure why your DualShock® 4 controller isn’t working? Here are some possible causes, according to Asurion Experts:

• The controller’s battery is dead.
• The controller was recently paired with another device, like a different PS4 or PC.
• The controller is too far from your PlayStation and is no longer connected via Bluetooth®.
• The Micro-USB cable that connects your controller to the console is faulty or disconnected.
• The controller turned off due to the PlayStation’s Power Save settings.
• One or more buttons on the controller are malfunctioning or broken.

If you’re dealing with one of these issues, here are the steps you should follow to solve it.

Don’t Miss: How Long Has Playstation 4 Been Out

Can You Use A Ps4 Controller On A Ps5

Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast. Read more…

If you have a Sony PlayStation 5 and several PlayStation 4 controllers sitting around, you might be wondering: Can I use a DualShock 4 with a PS5? The answer is yeswith a big caveat. Well explore the options.

How To Use A Ps4 Controller With Steam Games

2016 also saw Steam add support for the DualShock 4, so that you could use it to navigate the Steam menu in Big Picture Mode – including on a Steam Link.

While it was initially limited, Steam now offers the ability to play Steam games with a DS4 controller. Simply load up Steam, make sure you’re running the latest update of the game you want to play and plug your controller in. As with other officially supported games, you’ll even see PlayStation icons like X and O, instead of A and B like with Xbox controllers.

What about games that aren’t available on Steam? Luckily there is a way to use your DualShock 4 with any unsupported PC game.

Don’t Miss: Gta 5 Mod Menu Ps4 Usb Download

How A Ps4 Controller Works With Ps5

You can use a PS4 controller with PS5 easily, but the downside is you can only use your PS4 pad to play PS4 games on PS5. You cannot use your DualShock 4 to play any PS5 specific games and that’s because of all the PS5 specific features according to Sony: We believe that PS5 games should take advantage of the new capabilities and features were bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller, says Sony in a statement on the PlayStation blog. This also extends to “PlayStation officially licensed third-party gamepad controllers” too.

If you do sync up a PS4 pad with your PS5, if you try and play anything designated as a PS5 game it’ll flash up a little warning saying “PS5 games can’t be played using the DUALSHOCK 4”.

Thankfully, the benefits of using the PS5 controller are seriously worth it. You’ll just need to buy a second if you want to play co-op or simply have a spare to switch out.

Dualshock 4 Wireless Controller Audio Settings

If you have headphones plugged into the 3.5mm headphone jack on the DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller and you hear no audio, or the audio from the headphones is very faint, make sure the headphone plug is pushed all the way in. Unplug and then firmly reinsert the headphones.

To route all audio output to headphones:

If Output to Headphones is greyed out, that means the headphones are not detected by the controller.

Don’t Miss: Why Can’t I Sign Into Playstation Network On My Ps4

Ps4 Controller Won’t Pair Or Connect

If your DualShock 4 is on but not responding, you can try to re-pair your controller with your console . To do this, you’ll need a second, working DualShock 4 controller to work through these steps.

How To Use A Ps4 Controller On Android

If you own a modern gaming console, chances are you already have a usable Bluetooth controller. That’s because most newer console controllers either use Bluetooth as a standard or include it for use on other platforms. That means, yes, it’s possible to use a PS4 controller on your Android phone, tablet, or TV device. We’re here to show you how, so you can start enjoying the best Android games with your DualShock 4. Here’s our guide on how to use a PS4 controller on Android.

Also Check: Shunt Boost Gta

How To Get A Ps4 Controller To Work On Pc

Getting your PS4 controller to work directly on your PC is slightly more difficult than getting it to work on Steam.

You will need to install a software called DS4Windows and make minor adjustments to trick your Windows PC into thinking that youre connecting an Xbox 360 controller.

What youll need:

• DS4Windows application download the zip file here.
• Bluetooth USB dongle

Note: Make sure you download and install a file archiver utility for Windows software like WinRAR if you dont have one yet. Youll need this to extract the DS4Windows zip file.

The Dualshock 4 Only Works With Ps4 Games On Ps5

Sony lets you pair a PS4 controller to your PS5, but you can only use it to play PlayStation 4 games locally on the console itself.

To play PS5 games, youll need to use a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. If you try to do otherwise, youll see a message that says Cant use the DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller to play PS5 games.

In its Ultimate PS5 FAQ, Sony says, PS5 games will require use of the DualSense wireless controller, as they have been designed to take advantage of its immersive new features.

There is a workaround though. If you use Remote Play to play your PS5 games streaming through another device , you can play PS5 games with a DualShock 4 that is linked to the streaming device.

RELATED:How to Connect a PS4 Controller to Apple TV

Don’t Miss: Gameshare Ps Plus

The Easier Way: Steam

If your favorite games are on Steam, they’ll work with the DualShock 4 with a quick tweak.

Steam’s DualShock 4 compatibility is pretty hit-or-miss, and this technique obviously won’t work with non-Steam games. As a result, you may have better luck simply using DS4Windows.

How To Use The Ps4 Controller Touchpad On Pc With Ds4windows

I play games on Windows to relax and after a long day of sitting in front of a computer, gaming with a keyboard and a mouse just doesnt work for me. I want to use a DualShock4 with the games in my Steam library instead, but the DS4 doesnt work natively. A quick workaround that lets us use the DualShock4 touchpad on Windows makes a lot of sense. Lets see how to use the DS4 controller touchpad on Windows.

The touchpad gestures in PS4 games never caught up and I hardly use it, if ever. However, it makes perfect sense to use it with Windows as I would be able to seamlessly switch between playing games and navigating Windows. Jays2Kings developed the utility DS4Windows to remap the controller keys for Windows but I just want to use the Touchpad to control the cursor.

You May Like: How To Pull Up Mod Menu Gta 5 Pc