Playstation 4 controller help?

Gaming
1

So I’m thinking about buying a ps4 controller for my PC. The question is do I need a Bluetooth controller or can I run it just off USB? My work station doesn’t have a Bluetooth controller that’s why I ask. Any info would be useful.

2

USB works fine with PS4 controllers.

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3

USB works well.

If you happen to use Steam it’s more or less plug and play too if I remember correctly from when I last used one a few months ago.

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4

USB will work fine, Bluetooth also works so thats nice.

to make it work like a 360 pad you will either need

  1. the SCP driver or some version of it as there are a few now tailored to the PS3/4 controller though they all do the same thing, Link: https://github.com/nefarius/ScpToolkit/releases Original Creators Post: https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-XInput-Wrapper-for-DS3-and-Play-com-USB-Dual-DS2-Controller

OR

  1. Steam, using the SCAPI (Steam Controller API) you can remap the buttons on the PS4 controller to anything, literally anything that you can find on a keyboard, mouse or 360 pad and a few more besides with steam own inputs. Steam Controller Subreddit with lots of useful info: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/

The Steam one is the one I recommend. it is a little more set up initially but the options are mind boggling, setting up macros, chord buttons, action sets, layers, modifiers and so on. You can also set a different configuration for every game if you need specific inputs or just like the idea.

Some people do not like the Steam controller API because of the setting up and needing steam running in the background to use it but for most it all ready is and the set up can be as simple as make this a 360 pad and call it done.

Edit: there is a third option. PSNow or whatever they call it these days. The PlayStation game streaming service for PC. Installing that will pick up the ps4 controller and map it all correctly but I have never used this one so cannot offer any help on it. Link: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/playstationnow/

5

while it technically adds more latency than a generic BT or USB, I actually use the sony dongle, since I move it among devices. it is kind of the halfway-console solution. it works fine and adds audio through the controller, if you want it.

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6

If you just want to use it as a regular controller it is literally plug and play, you don’t even need to tell Steam that it’s a PS4 controller.
You only need to choose an option there if you want to set up custom stuff.

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7

Ah good call, I use Steam Controllers and do not own PS4 controller personally so did not know.

8

Thanks for the reply’s I don’t have steam installed on this computer. I’m just gonna install my controller and hope it detects like a generic game pad.

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9

Sadly you’re going to be disappointed.
The controller is detected as a PS4 controller, but it does not offer any controls on the driver side whatsoever (unless they changed it in the last year).

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10

Unfortunately like @mihawk90 says you will need something to make the controller work as expected.

In your case I would just get the SCP driver. Pretty straight forward to install and then just runs in the background.

For some reasoning behind it: windows will pick it up fine as a controller and the properties will show most if not all buttons working fine, and they are, but it will be a direct input controller and not and Xinput. A lot of games now do not recognise direct input and all implement Xinput. So that’s why you need something to make the controller work right.

11

Thanks for the help. I went ahead and ordered a generic controller off amazon that was a bit cheaper and fully wired. I just needed something to play final fantasy X/X2 and maybe some mortal combat x.

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13

A PS4 controller works with USB too. So does xbox one. If you can spend a little extra, you can try out Xbox’s elite controllers, their build quality is way better than xbox, ds4 and scuf combined.