How to Set Up USB Game Controllers on Windows 8

To set up USB game controllers on Windows 8, determine which controller you want to use and follow the steps needed for your computer to recognize it. Windows 8 supports a wide variety of generic controllers out of the box. You can also...

Method 1 of 4:

Xbox 360 Controller

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    Download the Xbox 360 Controller software for Windows 7. Visit the Xbox 360 controller download page and click the "Select an operating system" menu. Download the Windows 7 software for your version of Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit). if you aren't sure which version you have, press ⊞ Win+Pause and check the "System type" entry. Don't worry that the software is designed for Windows 7.[1]
    1. Click "Download" then "Save" once you have selected the version and the language.
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    Right-click the downloaded program and click "Properties." This will open a new window.
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    Click the "Compatibility" tab and set the compatibility for Windows 7. This will allow you to install the software:
    1. Check the "Run this program in compatibility mode for" box.
    2. Select "Windows 7" from the drop-down menu.
    3. Click "Apply" then "OK".
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    Run the installer. After adjusting the compatibility settings, run the installer and follow the prompts to install the Xbox 360 controller software. You will be prompted to reboot your computer once it's finished.
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    Plug in your Xbox 360 controller. Connect the controller to any USB port on your computer. Try to avoid USB hubs, as these may not provide enough power to the controller. Windows will automatically detect the controller and load the drivers you just installed.
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    Test the controller. Once you've connected the controller, it should be working fine. you can test it before loading any games:
    1. Open the Start screen and type "joy.cpl." Select "joy.cpl" from the list of results.
    2. Select your Xbox 360 controller and click "Properties."
    3. Press the buttons and move the joysticks to see the corresponding indicators light up on the screen.
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    Set up your game to use your controller. The process for setting up your game to use the controller varies from game to game. Some games will automatically recognize the controller and you won't have to do anything special to use it. Others will require to select the controller from the Options or Settings menu. Other games may not support a controller at all.
    1. If you use Steam, you can see which games support a controller on the game's Store page.
Method 2 of 4:

PlayStation 3 Controller

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    Download the Xbox 360 controller Windows 7 drivers from Microsoft. You'll be using the Windows 7 drivers even though you're running Windows 8. You can download the drivers from Microsoft's site.
    1. If you're not sure if you're using a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, press ⊞ Win+Pause and look at the "System type" entry.
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    Run the installer to install the drivers. This will install the required Xbox 360 drivers onto your computer. You can just follow the prompts and leave the settings at their default.
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    Plug your PS3 controller into your computer via USB. Windows may install some drivers when you first connect. You may want to unplug your PS3 if it's close, as the controller will turn it on automatically when it's plugged in.
    1. If you intend to use a Bluetooth dongle to use the controller wirelessly, plug it in as well and let the drivers install.
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    Download the latest Xinput Wrapper drivers. You can get these from this PCSX2 forum thread. Click the "Download latest version here" link to download the 7z archive.
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    Download and install 7-Zip. This is a free archive program that you can use to extract the file that you just downloaded. You can download 7-Zip from 7-zip.org. Run the installer and follow the prompts to install 7-Zip.
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    Right-click the 7z file that you downloaded and select "7-Zip" → "Extract Here." This will create a new folder with the Xinput Wrapper files.
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    Open the "ScpServer" folder then open the "bin" folder. You'll see several files and folders.
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    Run "ScpDriver.exe" and then click the Install button. This will install the drivers necessary for your PS3 controller to be recognized as an Xbox 360 controller.
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    Reboot your computer and run "ScpDriver.exe." Your PS3 controller will now be recognized by games as an Xbox 360 controller.
    1. As long as ScpDriver.exe is running, you can disconnect the USB cable and your PS3 controller will pair with your USB Bluetooth dongle.
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    Play games with your controller. As long as the game supports the Xbox 360 controller, you'll be able to use your PS3 controller. Make sure that the controller is selected in the game's Options or Settings menu.[2]
Method 3 of 4:

PlayStation 4 Controller

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    Download DS4Windows. This free utility allows you to quickly connect your PS4 controller to Windows 8. You can even use the touchpad as a mouse. You can get DS4Windows from ds4windows.com.
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    Extract the programs in the ZIP file. You should see a "DS4Windows" program and a "DS4Updater" program in the ZIP file. Extract these files somewhere convenient.
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    Run "DS4Windows." This will start the installation process. Select where you want to save your profiles, which will be in your Program Files folder by default.
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    Click "Install the DS4 Driver" button. This will install the necessary DS4 driver, which should only take a moment. You can ignore Step 2 in the DS4Windows window since you're running Windows 8, but if you're having problems later come back to this and give it a try.
    1. If you don't see this window, click "Controller/Driver Setup."
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    Connect the PS4 controller to your computer. Make sure you connect it to one of the USB ports on your computer itself. An external USB hub may not be able to power the controller.
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    Setup your profile. By default, the controller will be mapped to match an Xbox 360 controller. You can use the Profiles tab to edit your PS4 controller to your liking.
    1. The "Other" section of the Profiles tab will allow you to adjust the settings for the trackpad in Windows.
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    Test your controller in a game. Load up a game that supports Xbox 360 controllers. Your PS4 controller should work just like an Xbox 360 controller would.
    1. Some games support a PS4 controller without DS4Windows installed. If this is the case, you may get double-inputs when using DS4Windows. Right-click DS4Windows in the System Tray and select "Hide DS4Windows" if this happens.
Method 4 of 4:

Generic USB Controller

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    Install any included drivers (if applicable). If your controller came with a driver disc, insert it before plugging the controller in. Installing the drivers first may help with any errors that Windows may encounter while setting up the controller. Not all controllers come with a disc, and Windows should be able to install the drivers for these controllers automatically.
    1. Refer to your controller's manual for specific installation instructions. Some controllers may have special instructions that you'll need to follow.
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    Connect the controller to your computer. Windows 8 will install the generic USB controller drivers if you didn't install any in the previous step. This should all happen automatically.
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    Open the Game Controllers menu. Open the Start screen and type "joy.cpl." Select "joy.cpl" from the list of search results.
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    Select your controller and click the "Properties" button. This will allow you to test the controller and assign its buttons to various commands. Click the "Calibrate" button to test all of its functions. You can now use your generic USB controller in games that support it.
Update 04 March 2020
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