So, you bought one of those fancy Xbox 360 Controllers for Windows hoping you could play your PC games with a gamepad only to find out that you couldn't? You've come to the right place! If you're in the need for mapping software, skip to step 5.
Step 1
Open the box. This requires scissors. Avoid poking your hands on the jagged edges of the plastic box.
Step 2
Get the controller out of the box and place it on your computer desk. DO NOT PLUG IT IN! Instead, install the software that came with the controller first. This makes the future steps a lot easier.
Step 3
Plug 'er in! The controller goes into a standard USB port. You have already installed the software, so Windows will automatically recognize the device.
Step 4
You have probably noticed by now that there isn't any controller mapping software that came with this. Don't have a cow. Go into the game you wish to use the controller for and see if there are any control set up options. If it does, set up the controller within the game. If there aren't any options (or if the game simply doesn't recognize the device at all), continue on to step 5.
Step 5
Navigate to this link: http://www.pinnaclegameprofiler.com/ That is Pinnacle Game Profiler's website, a program that supports any joystick. It tricks your computer into thinking that the controller buttons are really keyboard keys/mouse buttons. It sounds complicated, but it isn't.
Step 6
Download the free 30 day trial. Don't be frightened by the $19.95 price tag. At the end of 30 days, you'll be so in love with the program that you'll want to give them more money.
Step 7
Install the program and boot it up. It should recognize your Xbox controller and install any updates needed. It will also go through a self-explanatory set-up for the device.
Step 8
While updating controller device information, Pinnacle might recognize some games you have installed and automatically download pre-mapped configurations. This is a pretty slick feature. If it does happen to download one of these, skip on over to step 13. If it doesn't, go to step 9.
Step 9
So it didn't recognize any of your games, eh? That's what you get from buying them from the bargain bin! You now have to create your own controller map. To do this, you will need to know what keyboard/mouse buttons you use for the game and what each of those buttons do. Go into the game and write them all down, or if you know them by heart, go to step 10.
Step 10
Okay, now you know all the keyboard/mouse buttons for the game. Time to let Pinnacle know what game your using. Click 'Game Profiles' in the top right corner of the Pinnacle program. This will bring up a new window. Hit the 'New...' button and proceed to find the game .EXE as instructed. Once found, press 'OK.' You will be put back into the previous window, but this time a game will have appeared in the list.
Step 11
We will now map the buttons! Highlight your game name from the list, and in the lower part of the window hit 'Edit Configurations...' A new window pops up displaying a picture of the Xbox controller. If it doesn't, run 'PinnacleUpdate' as seen in the main Pinnacle window.
Step 12
This time we will really map the buttons. In this new window you can assign keyboard/mouse buttons to controller buttons. Press the button you want to map on your controller to have a menu of what you can do appear in Pinnacle. I won't describe exactly how to do things because it is more fun figuring out yourself. Just remember your goal: Assigning a controller button to all the keyboard/mouse buttons you wrote down earlier. Take advantage of some of the awesome Pinnacle features like mapping the right joystick to the mouse, a great thing for shooters. Once you are done, click 'Save.
Tips
- Don't be afraid to map out weird things. For instance, try and come up with a controller map for 'Paint.' It is great practice and will help you discover new things in Pinnacle.
- Pinnacle can have multiple games and profiles loaded at once. Make profiles for all your games.
- This will also work with the standard wired controller for the Xbox 360. No need to buy extras ;)
Warnings
- Don't expect your Xbox 360 controller to rumble. Most older games don't support this. Newer games, such as Tomb Raider: Legend have full Xbox 360 rumble support through updates. If you don't have a game that supports it, you can always get your controller to rumble on cue through the 'Force Feedback' option in Pinnacle.
- The Wireless 360 Controller can be used with your PC. You have to purchase the Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows. The Charge and Play kit does not work, however, as it does not send any data through the cable, only power.
