Xbox One Controller PC Drivers Are Now Out For Download, Courtesy of Major Nelson, so fire up those controllers and play some games! Halo 2 is a game that may not be the rockstar of the series.
The latest version of the Xbox controller—the one included with the Xbox One S and the upcoming One X—includes Bluetooth! Microsoft finally included Bluetooth along with the older proprietary Xbox wireless connection, so Windows users can hook it up without an extra dongle. Here’s how to connect it to your Bluetooth-equipped laptop or desktop.What You’ll NeedPowera Xbox One Controller Pc Driver
First of all, you need to see if your Xbox One controller is the updated kind or the older one that needs a dongle. There’s an easy way to tell: the newer design has its central “Xbox button” molded into the same plastic piece as the face buttons (like A, B, X, and Y). The older design molds that button into the plastic on the top of the controller, the same part that has the shoulder buttons and triggers. To put it simply, the new version has Bluetooth, the old version doesn’t.
You’ll also need a PC running Windows 10, with at least the Anniversary Update (August, 2016). And of course, you’ll also need Bluetooth. If you’ve bought a laptop in the last five years or so it’s almost certainly capable, but many desktops (if they don’t include a Wi-Fi card) don’t have it installed by default. In that case, you’ll need a USB Bluetooth dongle. And sure, it’s still a dongle, but at least it’s useful for more than just an Xbox controller.Connect the Controller
Connecting the controller to Bluetooth is fairly simple. We’re using a Windows desktop because it’s one of the only things that the controller is explicitly designed to work with. You can connect it to other things, like an Android phone, but the proprietary layout means it probably won’t work for any actual gaming.
To begin, make sure there’s nothing else turned on in the room that might interfere with the connection—like an Xbox One console or an Xbox Windows adapter dongle. Turn the controller on by pressing the center Xbox button, then press and hold the wireless connection button on the top of the controller, to the left of the charging port. The light in the Xbox button should begin flashing rapidly.
On your computer, open the “Bluetooth and other devices” page from the main Settings menu, or just click the Start button and type “Bluetooth” to find the link quickly. Click “Add Bluetooth or other device,” then click “Bluetooth” again.
Select your controller from the list, and then click it. It should connect automatically. Now you’re ready to start playing any game compatible with the standard Xbox controller input.Xbox One Pro Ex Controller Driver Windows 10
We recently showed you how to use your PS4 controller with your Mac to play both new and classic games in OS X, but what about Microsoft fans? The good news is that you can also use an Xbox One controller with a Mac. The (somewhat) bad news is that, unlike the plug-and-play and wireless nature of the PS4 controller, the Xbox Controller requires some third party drivers and configuration to work in OS X, and will only work while connected via a USB cable.Xbox One Pro Ex Mini Controller Driver
There are several unofficial projects that aim to provide Xbox One controller support for the Mac, but the one we recommend is the Xone-OSX project by Drew Mills (a.k.a. FranticRain). To use it, first disconnect your Xbox One controller from your Mac if necessary (if you had tried to just plug it in without any drivers, you’d notice that it doesn’t do anything, even though the controller is recognized in System Profiler).
Next, head over to the Xone-OSX project page at GitHub. If you’d like to check out the source code and compile the installer yourself, you’ll find all you need at the project’s main page. For users who would rather not bother with source code, you can find a pre-compiled version ready to go at the Xone-OSX release page.
Download and run the installer package and follow the on-screen prompts. You’ll need to reboot your Mac after the installation is complete, so make sure to save your work and close any open apps. Once your Mac reboots, connect your Xbox One controller using a Micro-USB to Type A USB cable and you’ll see the controller’s Xbox light turn on if the driver installation was successful.
To configure your Xbox One controller for use with your Mac, head to System Preferences, where you’ll find a new “Xone Controller” preference pane. With your Xbox One controller plugged in, you’ll be able to test buttons and inputs, adjust deadzones for calibration, and optionally invert the control scheme for the left or right analog sticks. Unfortunately, you can’t use the Xbox One controller wirelessly, as Microsoft uses a proprietary wireless technology for the Xbox One, compared to Sony, which uses standard Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
We’ve been testing the Xone-OSX driver for a few days and are happy to report that everything works great in apps like OpenEmu and modern OS X games. Controller support isn’t as broad in OS X as it is in Windows, but Xone-OSX makes the the Xbox One controller look like an Xbox 360 controller to most applications, ensuring maximum compatibility for the relatively limited number of games that support third party controllers. As with the PS4 controller, just make sure you go into each app’s settings or preferences and select the Xbox One controller prior to starting the game (it appears as “Microsoft Official Wired” in OpenEmu, for example).
If you have trouble with Xone-OSX, another Xbox One controller for Mac project is Xbox One Controller Enabler, also hosted at GitHub. This project doesn’t offer the same graphical System Preferences interface, and it isn’t updated as frequently as Xone-OSX, but some users report success with this project in games that Xone-OSX missed in the past.
A final note: those who want to enjoy marathon gaming sessions with their Xbox One controller and their Mac should plan to keep a few extra AA batteries on hand. Even though the controller plugs into the Mac via USB, that connection is only for data. The controller is still powered by batteries, and won’t charge via the standard USB cable unless you also pick up the Play & Charge Kit accessory.
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