Can I Use Xbox 360 Controller On Dolphin Emulator

Dolphin I've been experimenting with the marvellous Dolphin Emulator recently. It's an open source projection that allows us to play Nintendo Gamecube and Wii games on modern hardware. Dolphin is available for Windows, OS X and Linux.

I have a wireless Xbox 360 controller for Windows at my disposal, simply the only Windows hardware I take is the start generation Surface Pro. While the controller connects without issues, the Surface sadly merely isn't fast enough to run Dolphin.

My more powerful hardware is Mac based, and Dolphin runs great on my Mac Mini. Simply I had no idea how to connect my Xbox controller to it.

Turns out information technology's really a breeze to setup: let me show you how information technology worked for me on Os X El Capitan.

Which Xbox Controller am I referring to here

Before we start, let's articulate up a small misunderstanding that may ascend with Xbox controllers. The Xbox 360 came with wireless controllers that used to hook upwards directly to the console. Those are great, but traditionally there was no way to connect them to annihilation else (they don't use standard Bluetooth).

To convalesce this, Microsoft have released two versions of this controller for PC gamers: the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows (wired, USB cablevision fastened), and a more elegant version called the Wireless Xbox 360 Controller for Windows (aforementioned controller as the one that came with the Xbox 360, plus a wireless USB dongle).

Either controller will work fine, hither's a picture of the 1 I'm using:

Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 13.53.40

Installing the Xbox 360 controller's driver

No official Mac drivers are available for the Xbox controllers, but Colin Munro developed one back in 2005. The project was forked and further developed on GitHub, where you can discover the latest version. Head over to the Releases department and download an installable DMG archive.

After installing the driver, yous'll find a new item under System Preferences chosen Xbox 360 Controllers:

Screen_Shot_2016-01-15_at_16_12_41 copy

Plug in your wireless USB dongle now and press the large 10 button to connect the controller to the dongle (I'm bold it's already been paired). Wired controllers but plugin to the USB port and are connected immediately.

Open the preference pane to verify this: when connected, your controller should show up in the list.

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 16.15.18 copy

The driver will read the controller'due south input, but it won't map anything you do to what a game might look (for instance, press the space bar to jump in a platform game). To use the controller with anything other than Dolphin, you lot'll need a small utility that will interpret controller input and translate information technology to keyboard and mouse movements, such every bit Joystick Mapper or Gamepad Companion (both available from the App Store).

All the same, the Dolphin Emulator has such a mapping selection built in, so there'due south no need for such tools. Let's see how to map that Xbox controller so that it behaves just like an old Gamecube controller.

Configuring Dolphin for use with the Xbox 360 Controller

Open Dolphin and caput over to GCPad. If yous don't see this pick, it will read "Controllers". That'due south an indication that Dolphin can't come across a gamepad, probably because the driver isn't installed, or it's disabled. If Dolphin was open up while yous installed the driver, restart your system.

Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 09.29.17

Click on GCPad and select your Xbox controller under device. By default the button mapping looks like this:

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 16.17.57

I didn't quite understand how to change this, just it's remarkably easy and only takes 30 seconds:

Accept a look at the left box entitled Buttons. You'll see a column of controller buttons (A, B, X, Y, Z, etc) that correspond to the buttons on the original Gamecube controller. Past default they're mapped to keyboard shortcuts you can run across in the right column (for example, the Gamecube controller's A button is mapped to your Mac keyboard'due south X button).

To change this, merely click on the mapped shortcut. Turns out the right column in each section is made up of buttons (I didn't get that at first). Click ane and Dolphin will wait a few seconds for you to press what you'd like to map to this push button instead (it shows "waiting"). If you're not fast enough, it'll revert dorsum to the previous value.

So to setup our controller, simply printing the button adjacent to A, so press the corresponding push button on your Xbox controller. Do this with every detail on the card, and within less than a infinitesimal, you lot'll have a fully functional gamepad setup. My results look like this:

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 16.22.56

Yous can store this setup if you like: blazon a suitable name in the Profile field at the top right and hit Save. Dolphin volition likewise remember your setup even if you lot don't though.

Configuring DeadZones

Run into that my C-Stick in the screenshot above is pointing diagonally downwards? This can happen when an analogue stick is moved so snaps back into the middle. The "heart" isn't always exactly the aforementioned, so every time it snaps back, the controller volition deliver a slightly different value.

When nosotros come to launch a game, it may happen that this is interpreted as the stick being pushed into this management, leading to an abrasive in-game experience. If your stick is off-white and square in the heart (like my left one), you have nada to worry well-nigh. Simply if y'all meet something like I have on the right, here's how to fix information technology.

When connected to a console, game pads usually calibrate themselves every time y'all launch a game. But because we're dealing with different software here, we may have to configure Dead Zones to alleviate such issues. Dead Zones are areas around the eye of the stick that are regarded equally "the stick is at present in the heart, no affair what feedback nosotros get".

While Dolphin supports this feature, it's much more than visible and easy to understand by opening up the Xbox Controller preference pane again. Head over to the Advanced tab and apply the little slider to draw a small square around the middle of each stick'due south position. Anything inside that little foursquare is at present seen as "the stick is in the middle", even if it's off by just a fraction.

Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 09.55.50

Once adapted, head back to the Dolphin GCPad configuration and map your sticks once more (if you had this issue obviously, otherwise ignore my ramblings).

Enjoy Gamecube on your Mac!

That's really all there's to it: catch a ROM, select it and start playing. Your Xbox 360 controller volition henceforth behave just every bit if it was a Gamecube controller, and your Mac will deport every bit if it was a Gamecube (or Wii – although I haven't figured out how to connect a Wii Remote all the same. Watch this space).

Not all games will run particularly well, so this isn't a complete replacement for a games console – but it'due south plenty for several afternoons of retro gaming fun.

To requite y'all an thought of functioning: My dual cadre i7 MacBook Pro only has an Intel HD3000 graphics card, and it'due south struggling. Only my quad core i7 MacMini with its Intel HD4000 menu plays Pikmin just fine – yet information technology's nevertheless not enough to relish Super Mario Sunshine.

If you hook up your Mac to a big screen Idiot box, help your graphics carte past switching the output to 720p rather than the default 1080p. It'll mean less work for your card and a smoother gaming experience, source: gamingbuff.com (nether System Preferences – Displays – select Scaled and pick a resolution).

As e'er, enjoy!