Many PC gamers don't like to use the keyboard. They therefore prefer a joystick. And one of the coolest in this case is the DualShock 3. If you have a PlayStation 3 or if you have leftover your console controller after buying a PS4, know that it is very simple to use it to play games on your computer!
Even though it's not a common thing to see around, using the PS3 controller on PC is easy. We emphasize, however, that you must follow all the steps below according to our tutorial. Otherwise, you may permanently damage your joystick.
For everything to work perfectly, have the following with you:
- Original DualShock 3 controller
- Windows computer
- USB cable or miniUSB cable
- Drivers da Motion Joy
Step 1: Installing drivers
The first step is one of the most complicated, but don't be alarmed. You will install necessary drivers on your PC. Among several out there, we chose the best: Motion Joy. Download the files from the software's website and extract the single file that is in the zipped folder. It is a DualShock icon.
You will right-click on this icon. Open it as administrator, which will cause Motion Joy to be installed on your PC. At the end of the installation, open the DS3 Tool software.
Step 2: Connect DualShock 3 to PC
When we open the DS3 Tool, we see that there is no control configured. Now what you have to do is connect the USB cable to your joystick and connect it to the PC. Go to the top menu and press Driver Manager.
Then, if everything went well, you will see that the control is connected. If not, the MotioninJoy column will have a red X in it. This is because the program did not recognize your DualShock 3. Disconnect and reconnect the USB cable or try to reconnect the controller.
Once everything is ok, click on Load Driver. You can also click on Install All. Your operating system will ask if you really want to connect the DS3 to your PC, but this is only for the first time. After that, the joystick will already be properly recognized by all your computer's systems.
Step 3: Configuring the buttons
A super important point is to configure the buttons. To do so, click on Profiles, thus returning to the home screen. If you want to confirm that the DualShock 3 is really configured, press Vibration Testing. If the controller vibrates, great! We can go to the definition of the buttons.
On this screen, see that there are 6 modes for the control. Select the one that emulates the Xbox 360 joystick and finally click on Game Controller Panel. MotioninJoy Virtual Game Controller will be ok. By clicking on the properties of this screen that will open, you can configure and test each of the buttons.
Now that you're all set, just open a Steam game or any Xbox 360 game to test. Be careful not to close the DS3 Tool as this will shut down the control.
Is it possible to install via Bluetooth?
From the! If your computer has some kind of Bluetooth support, you can perfectly use DualShock 3 wirelessly. First of all, you need to follow the steps above. After that, unplug the USB cable from the controller and press the PS button for a maximum of 20 seconds.
When the lights stop flashing, press bluetooth-pair in the DS3 Tool. Just reconnect the joystick with the USB cable. click in Pair Now. Once the pairing is done, again do the controller vibration test. If it vibrates, everything is ok and you can now unplug the cable.
Pay attention to some details:
- Once Bluetooth is set up, you no longer need to connect the USB cable to the controller.
- If you are going to use the DualShock 3 on the PS3 again, you will have to connect it with the USB cable to the console in order to pair it.
- Even using the DS3, Xbox 360 games will still show button hints using Microsoft's console buttons as an example. You are likely to have some confusion at first.
