How To Connect With A Sony Wireless Adapter
Although we arent huge fans of this particular method, we recognize that Sony has stopped manufacturing the Sony Wireless Adapter. GameStop has even gone as far as to list the telltale price at the terminated item price of 97 cents. Weve stumbled across these listings, which are still floating around online . If you want to take this route when trying to connect your PS4 controller, we say go for it. Below are a few simple steps that can help you when youre ready to connect using a wireless adapter.
Step 1: Plug the Sony Wireless Adapter into your PC.
Step 2: Plug the other end of the cord into your DualShock 4 controller. The two will pair automatically.
Because of the canceled adapter, this process isnt the best overall. However, its still the simplest means of establishing a link between your PS4 controller and PC. Make sure to free up some space for this 2-inch adapter, which is an extra expense for effortless connectivity. All that being said, you still have many other options when it comes to connecting your controller if you cant seem to find this discontinued adapter.
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How To Use The Ps4 Dualshock Controller In Steam
Steam, the popular storefront and game launcher, released an update that allows you to use the PS4 DualShock 4 controller on a PC when running the application.
It’s easy for you to plug in the Dualshock 4 controller and control your PC games. You can control the TV-friendly Big Picture Mode of Steam using the DualShock 4, and your games will now display PS4 button prompts in-game.
To use the PS4 DualShock controller on your PC in Steam, load up Steam and check for updates, then once the latest update has installed, plug in your DualShock 4 and you’ll be good to go!
Unfortunately, this solution doesnt work very well for everyone, so to find out how to use a PS4 DualShock controller on your PC without using Steam, read on below.
How To Connect A Ps4 Controller To Steam
This article was written by Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 53,259 times.
This wikiHow will teach you how to connect a PlayStation 4 controller to your computer so you can use it to play Steam games. You can connect your controller wirelessly with Bluetooth or by using a USB cable.
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# : Update The Controllers Driver
Like other wireless controllers, PS4 controller is powered by three major drivers on a Windows computer. They are Bluetooth HID Device, HID-compliant game controller, and Bluetooth Wireless Controller.
When Steam doesnt recognize PS4 controller, you can try to update the three drivers.
Step 2: On the Device Manager window, locate Bluetooth and double-click it.
Step 3: Find Bluetooth Wireless Controller under the Bluetooth section, right-click it, and choose Update driver.
Step 4: On the new window, choose the Search automatically for updated driver software option.
Step 5: Follow further on-screen instructions to update the controllers driver.
Step 6: After updating the controllers driver, locate Bluetooth HID Device and HID-compliant game controller in the Human Interface Devices section and update them one by one.
Fix #: Reconnect Your Ps4 Controller To Your Pc
Sometimes, glitches can occur with your PC and can lead to connectivity issues. Reconnecting it to your PC will reset all drivers and potentially solve this problem. To reconnect your PS4 controller on a Windows PC, follow these steps:
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How To Connect A Ps4 Controller To Steam With A Usb Cable
Before connecting your PS4 controller to Steam, ensure that all nearby PlayStation consoles are unplugged. By first unplugging them, youll eliminate the possibility of the controller attempting to sync with the consoles instead of your computer.
To connect your PS4 to Steam using a USB cable, follow the instructions below:
Youve now connected your PS4 controller to Steam using a USB cable.
Why Ps4 Controller Keeps Disconnecting In Steam
Depending on the controllers connection type, several factors can cause it to disconnect from your PC. From damaged USB cables to Bluetooth interference, your controller may have trouble maintaining a stable connection. Here are the common reasons why your PS4 controller disconnects from your PC.
- Damaged USB Cables If youre using your DualShock controller via USB for a while now, your controllers USB cord may have been damaged due to wear and tear. If youre using a generic USB adapter, its best to convert to a Sony wireless adapter to make sure there are no compatibility issues.
- Outdated Bluetooth Drivers Your Bluetooth deviceslike PS4 controllerscan encounter various glitches when connected to a PC with outdated Bluetooth drivers. Updating them to their latest version can solve most connection problems with Bluetooth devices.
- Interference When using a PS4 controller wirelessly, it needs to be in a supportive environment and free of any interferences. Other Bluetooth devices, fluorescent lights, microwaves, and other similar devices can weaken the Bluetooth signal from your controller to the PC. Also, use your wireless controller not more than one hundred feet away from the computer to avoid sudden disconnections.
- Steam Controller Settings Steam has its configuration settings for every controller for instance, youll need to configure the right settings for your PlayStation controller in the PlayStation Configuration Support menu.
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How Do I Connect My Ps4 Controller To My Pc Windows 10
There are many ways you can connect the PS4 controller to Windows 10 PC, among them being using the micro USB cable, or through wireless Bluetooth connection, or using the DualShock USB Wireless Adaptor, which connects to the PCs USB port.
Usually, the connection method is almost the same and is straightforward for all. Here are the steps you can use for each technique.
How To Navigate Steam With A Ps4 Controller
In addition to playing games, you can use your PS4 controller to navigate the Steam platform. For example, you can use the joysticks as a mouse and even enable the controller’s trackpad.
Open Steam in Big Picture Mode. You can select the Big Picture icon in the top right corner of the Steam client, or you can simply press the PS button.
Select the settings icon in the top right corner.
Select Base Configurations> Big Picture Mode Configuration.
From here, you can configure the control for navigating Steam in both Desktop and Big Picture mode.
Enjoy navigating Steam using your wireless PS4 controller.
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How To Use A Ps4 Controller With Steam
If youre a console player as well as a PC gamer, you may have used the PS4s controller on your PC from time to time. The DualShock 4 is a lovely bit of kit, with neat little triggers and lightweight design. You dont have to have a PS4 to use one, though you can use them with Steam, too.
For more guides, tips and tricks, head over to our Steam FAQ.
To use a PS4 controller with Steam, simply use a USB cable to connect the DualShock 4 to your PC. It really is that easy. Thanks to an update to Steam in October 2016, the client now supports the PS4 controller, and games will display the correct face button icons . Big Picture Mode can be controlled with the PS4 controller too.
You can also use the PS4 controller wirelessly if your PC has Bluetooth connectivity. To pair your devices together, press and hold the PS Button and Share button together for three seconds. The lightbar on the controller will start flashing. Then open the Bluetooth settings menu in Windows. If you use Windows 10, this can be found by clicking the notifications button on the bottom right corner of your screen, then clicking Bluetooth, and finally selecting Wireless Controller. Users of older Windows versions can find Bluetooth settings in Control Panel.
And thats how you get a PS4 controller working with Steam. Nothing to it! Now enjoy using the controller with the best D-pad of this console generation to play your PC games.
Try Another Ps4 Controller
If you cant still seem to make Steam recognize your PS4 controller, it may be because the PS4 controller itself is having an issue. At this point, youll want to check by using another PS4 controller. If you dont have an extra wired or wireless controller, try to borrow one from a friend.
Once you have a new controller ready, set it up normally by going to big picture mode first. Then, make sure that PS4 configuration support is selected.
If you cant try another PS4 DualShock 4 controller and you have no one to borrow another one from, consider a PS4 controller reset instead.
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Get A Config On Steam Big Picture
An Xbox controller automatically connects to MultiVersus most of the time, but PlayStation controllers are way less likely to do so. To fix this, go to Steam Big Picture by pressing a box symbol on the top right. Weve marked it in the above image.
Next, enable the controller on the main menu of Steam Big Picture and find the gear symbol, which is once again on the top right. Head to Controller Settings and then enable PlayStation Configuration Support. Now Steam will be able to scan the controller and turn it on while playing the excellent MultiVersus.
However, you may want to find a config for your controller. Go to Library on the main menu of the Steam Big Picture mode and then click or press a button on the MultiVersus panel. Select Manage on the left side and then go on Controller Configuration under Steam Input. From here, you can alter each input or find a config thats been uploaded to Steam by pressing the square button. At the time of writing, there arent any available so go select the default Gamepad option.
Now, boot up MultiVersus and you should be able to play the acclaimed platform fighter on PC with your PlayStation controller. Oh, and its free-to-play by the way.
Games With Motion Control Support
For a list of games, see List of games that support tracked motion controllers in non-VR gameplay.
- Thanks to JoyShockMapper, Steam Input, reWASD application, gyro control can be remapped to mouse or right stick in any game.
- Number of games which natively support motion controls is limited and gyro support is still not a PC standard.
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Fix #: Update Your Computers Bluetooth Drivers
Outdated Bluetooth drivers can cause a lot of bugs and glitches that lead to sudden disconnects. Updating them to their latest version can solve most connectivity problems between your Bluetooth device and PC.
To update your computers Bluetooth drivers, follow these steps:
Fix 6 Update Steam Client
If you are playing games on an outdated steam client version then you may face steam not recognizing the PS4 controller on a PC.
If you have blocked updates and running steam in offline mode then go into online mode and update the application. Heres how:
- Open Steam and sign in.
- Select Steam at the upper left.
- Select Go online.
- Select Restart and go online.
- Once in online mode check for any updates and install it.
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How To Set Up A Ps4 Controller In Steam
On November 1, 2016, in a Steam Client Beta patch, Valve announced the addition of Steam Configurator support for the PS4s DualShock 4 Controller on PC. This went live a little over a month later on December 14 of the same year, as confirmed by a new Steam Client Update announcement.
To use your PS4 DualShock 4 controller in Steam, you need to have the following:
- A PS4 Dual Shock 4 controller
- Micro USB charging cable
- The latest Steam version
Its important to emphasize that this only lets you use your controller on Steam and inside of titles in your Steam library . If you want to use your controller outside of Steam titles, then you will need to skip down to our How To Get A PS4 Controller To Work On PC section.
IMPORTANT: Dont plug your PS4 controller to your computer just yet.
How To Remap Xbox Playstation And Other Controller Buttons In Steam
Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times and Reader’s Digest, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more…
When you hook a game controller up to your PCwhether its an Xbox controller, PlayStation controller, Steam controller, or something elseyou can remap the buttons for individual Steam games however you want. Heres how.
This feature began with the Steam controller and the PlayStation 4 controller, but a recent update allows you to remap buttons on any controller you wantincluding Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers. This support was added in the January 18, 2017 build of Steam. Click Steam > Check for Steam Client Updates in Steam to get the latest version if you dont already have it.
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The Steam controller also offers a bunch of extra button configuration features that other controllers dont havewell go through the basics here, but be sure to check out our full guide to setting up the Steam controller to see everything that it can do.
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Steam Not Detecting Ps4 Controller
It is easy to connect a PS4 controller to a computer. However, when users tried to play Steam games with the connected PS4 controller, they found that Steam didnt recognize it. Why?
The issue can be attributed to many causes. For example, if you are utilizing Bluetooth, the possible reasons include low controllers battery, outdated controllers driver, etc. If you are using a USB cable to connect the PS4 controller to your computer, here is another possibility that there is some dirt and debris in USB ports or the USB cable goes faulty.
Follow the guides below to fix Steam not detecting PS4 controller.
Fix : Run Steam With Administrator Privileges
As this Reddit user suggested, running Steam as Administrator can quickly solve the issue with the client not detecting your DualShock controller.
It is almost always recommended to run steam as an administrator due to the many possible problems that can be easily avoided, including this one.
Heres what you need to do:
Steam will now launch and you can continue using it as you normally do. The PS4 controller issue should now be gone, but if it isnt, take a look at the other fixes down below.
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How To Configure In
You should now be able to play most Steam games with your PS4 controller, but you can further customize how your controller works for specific games. Indeed, this step may be necessary for games that primarily rely on keyboard inputs.
To edit in-game controller settings, press the PS button on the center of the controller. From the resulting screen, you can map specific keyboard actions to your controller buttons. Most modern games should display the appropriate PlayStation button configuration, but some older games may display an Xbox controller instead. Nonetheless, you should be able to figure out the button mapping and use your PS4 controller with no issues.
When you’re finished playing, you should manually power down the controller. Simply hold down the PS button for 7-10 seconds.
You can also connect a keyboard and mouse to your PS4. You can even use a PS4 controller on an Xbox One.