how do i use my PS3 controller on PC games?

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I've heard of PGP and DSTool, downloaded, don't know WTF to do with em, cuz Bioshock and DarkSouls don't register em, Devices and Printers does

Expect potential yelling and swearing if you go this route. Bloody stupid Sony COULD just make the accursed things be Plug-n-Play compatible, but nooooooooooooo.

Look for a program called MotionInJoy; this is the main driver that I use to make the controller work. It has it's problems though, oh yes. The person that makes it is something of an asshat, or so I assume by the fact that the horrible little nightmare of a program has an interface WITH ADS IN IT. MotionInJoy is useful, often NECESSARY, but it has the interface from hell. Fortunately, most of the time you need only start it up and click "enable", and then you can ignore it. If you can find another driver somewhere else, it might be worth trying that also. This is the one I use though, because it does work.

Combine that program with another one called JoyToKey (which is NOT made by a greedy jerk and is quite good), and you can make the PS3 controller work with anything at all, by turning it's inputs into keyboard/mouse input. JTK is nice and easy to use. Works with any type of controller. Only the PS3 controller needs some screwball driver or secondary program to work with this. It might take you some time to learn to configure this one, and you'll want to make seperate profiles for each game.


Unfortunately, there is no "simple" way to do this though, really. You're not going to find a program where you just start it up and games instantly recognize the controller. Or at least, not any that I've ever heard of. The PC itself may register the thing once you've got a driver (sort of), but games have to be programmed internally to know what to do with each type of controller. This is why JTK is necessary.

Sadly, if you want simple and easy, the 360 controller is the one to use. Bloody horrid thing though, I'll stick with the PS3 controller myself, screwball driver-from-hell or not.

there are ps2 to usb converters if you would settle, they are pretty cheap, ps controllers are the best. search for psx to usb, ps2 to usb shows mouse and keyboard converters. The ps3 controller is a pain in the ass to use on the pc, as Misery said. Both psx and ps2 controllers work in these, from my experience, and they're plug in play, as most devices have been since xp came out, sony is a buttcrumb for not making this as easy as possible, I see why though, as it is there competitor's os.

if its just for gaming purposes, you can buy PC ready control pads that resemble playstation pads.

^ This.

There's no reason whatsoever to expect Sony to mess about coding their controllers for a proprietary competitor's format like Windows Plug n' Play.... even assuming that Microsoft would grant them a license to do that officially (which is unlikely).

Swearing at (or insulting) Sony for not doing this is frankly, just totally over-entitled and a bit ridiculous.

That's surprising to hear that PS 1 and 2 controllers are Plug 'n' Play .... but then again, those would of course have been developed before Sony became such a direct and formidable competitor to Microsoft.

You could always try writing your own code to improve the Linux driver for PS3 controllers if you want them to work properly on the PC, since Linux is obviously an Open Source OS....

What's wrong with the Xbox 360 controller ?
I think they're good, and they are about comparable to the PS2/3 controllers for sensitivity, analog control, button functionallity, construction quality, battery life, etc.

^

This is why i wish Sony would develop its own OS for PC.

That does lead me wonder though, perhaps theres a driver for Linux or Ubuntu that allows the use of playstation peripherals.

Whyever would they bother to branch out into making a PC-based OS ?
I mean, I guess you never know what will happen.... but I can't imagine them being at all enthusiastic about that idea for the forseeable future.

There are various Linux drivers for the PS3 controller.

I used a program called GlovePie to get my Wiimotes to connect to my PC, and it worked just fine.

Very heavily depends on the type of game you're playing. Most things I play need a dpad. The 360 controller's dpad is so unholy awful that it's damn near unusable. Trying to use it on a game that needs actual precision, like a shmup? Hahaha..... yeah, good luck with that. And no, analog controls simply dont work for genres like that (and in many cases, are not supported by the game in question whatsoever). It might be doable for easier games, but most things in that genre are absurdly difficult, and even the slightest lack of precision *will* get you stomped. The same is true of fighting games. I'm into alot of genres, and I dont consider the thing appropriate for any of them. Those games that dont want a dpad are usually controlled with the mouse and keyboard.

Even for the rare games I have that need analog controls though, I never, ever use the 360 controller if I can avoid it. Just the PS3 one, nightmare driver and all. I only have a 360 controller at all for the actual 360, but that's a Japanese unit and doesnt get used very much.

I have found the Xbox 360 analogue stick to be perfectly adequate for playing Yar's Revenge.
I'm not very interested in shoot-em-ups though, so can't comment further on others.

Every Xbox 360 game can make use of the analogue stick (as far as I know, unless there are one or two obscure exceptions ... but I don't think so)
There are plenty of tournament-grade people who play fighting games etc perfectly well, using the standard Xbox 360 control pad.

I have tried a range of genres of computer game, and have found the Xbox 360 controller to be fine for all of them.
Plenty of them require good precision, and I have found no problem with this using an Xbox 360 controller.

As has already been suggested, it's also incredibly easy to just buy a PC controller which is actually designed for use with Windows.

Or, you could try paying Microsoft for a license to write your own PS3 controller driver which is compatible with Plug 'n' Play.
Or, write your own non-PnP compatible driver for Windows.
I reckon that if you're going to insult Sony for not doing something for you for free, which doesn't even really benefit them.... and are going to keep complaining about strangers' efforts at doing it (also for free) , then you should also be prepared to do it yourself.

There are, I've seen them available during kernel configuration.

Hmm.... I play ALOT of fighting games, and have fought many opponents.... but I've never seen even a single one that actually uses that controller while fighting at a high enough level for me to be fighting them in the first place. Pro players, as a rule, use arcade sticks (for any console, not just the 360). Hell, they're notorious for it, often outright insulting anyone that prefers something like the PS3 controller (dpad OR analog), just.... because. Analog sticks simply have too much chance of producing an incorrect input, and when played at high levels, just ONE incorrect input can cost you the match. Those such as myself that dont use the arcade sticks (for a variety of reasons) tend to stick to other consoles entirely.

As for the other games I'm speaking of, there's no real way to elaborate on them without actually showing them to you. There's actually quite alot of this sort (dpad ONLY) on the 360 itself, both on XBLA, and available on discs (the disc ones mostly being imported shmups, since most disc-based games are more "mainstream" stuff, and these come from Japan where shmups are popular).

And as for PC games that need it..... they're far, far too numerous to list. And that's just the ones I actually have on this machine, and that's NOT counting Mame or other emulators (which is where the numbers get seriously absurd). Generally, the games I'm speaking of (for the non-ROM ones) are not easy games, they're usually the bloody difficult type. Look up a game called Mushihime-sama, specifically it's Ultra Mode, for an example. The precision has to be *perfect* for the controller to work with that, and it's a superb example of the sort of shmups I'm into. Granted, that one is an extreme example, but even games much lower on the difficulty scale still need that level of precision. The 360's dpad's rate of errors is bloody incredible, as these things go. Again though, it depends on the type of game and level of difficulty. On easier games, errors arent as easily noticed (if at all), and the analog can be used instead, IF the game supports it. Most of the games I have do not (and would be terrible with it if they did). Something like Yar's Revenge is very definitely on the quite easy side of the difficulty scale, even when the game has hit it's max difficulty. Bloody good game though, that. The original 2600 one, that is. The weird remake on the 360 was fun too, but isnt the sort of game I'm speaking of (that sort is often called a "horizon shooter", and is very different from the normal "shmup" genre in just about every way. Most horizon-types do in fact work best with analog, not dpads, unlike shmups).

And PC controllers....... ugh. I've tried these. A bunch of times. I've yet to find one that either A: has the precision I need, and when I *do* find one like that, I run into B: it breaks very fast and easily. I dont buy cheap ones, either, as I tend to have money to throw at things like this. But I've gone through WAY too many of these to consider ever buying another one.

And finally, insulting Sony..... feh, par for the course for me. I aint too fond of any of the Big Three these days (particularly Nintendo). So me throwing verbal barbs at any of them is just the usual, nothing more. If I REALLY wanted to be insulting, I'd have posted a 5-page rant about it instead. Sony is the one that I'm actually fairly neutral on much of the time. I dont consider them to be much good, but they're not super terrible either.

Still, at the very least those PS3 controllers are usable in the end. I just wish the driver program wasnt so horrid. I get the impression that such a program is very hard to make, because I've only ever seen TWO of them, one of which barely functions and is computer-crashingly glitchy. JTK, however, works wonderfully. That one can be used to enhance ANY controller, not just the PS3 ones. Definitely one of the best programs I have installed on this thing so far.

meh (shrug) Why not just get a heavy duty arcade stick for the PC, and use that ?

I actually have 2 of them, one of them being the absolutely enormous X-Arcade "designed to go in an actual arcade cabinet" one. I cant use them very much though because of a physical issue; the arm motions from the stick itself makes my arm flare up, and..... well, let's just say it's not worth that pain that can arise from that. I do PT for this, but that's a slow process of course.

Arcade sticks are definitely a good alternative to most any controller, though. Some people dont seem to like the things though.

Well yeah, they're kind of a pain in the arse.
They're excessively expensive, unless you get one of the cheap flimsy sort.
They're unnecessarily cumbersome and unwieldy.
They involve an excessive amount of movement in order to do pretty much anything with them.
They're no more sensitive, functional or durable than a standard Xbox 360 or PS3 controller.
And they have stupid clattery buttons.

What's wrong with a Logitech gamepad?