game controller Or what Thai people are accustomed to calling a game joystick. is a very important device for playing games on consoles all along. Then it began to be developed to be used to play games on computers as well. And there is a joystick that is specifically designed for use with PCs. Until in the last two years, both OS developers and game console developers have made it much easier to use console joysticks with PCs. This makes it easy for anyone who already has a newer game console to use the joystick to play games on the computer. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to connect PS5, PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch joysticks to a computer for playing games, including Windows 11 and macOS.
For newer joysticks and computer operating systems, connecting via Bluetooth is very easy. In addition, every notebook comes with Bluetooth, whereas if it’s a desktop PC. You may have to buy something like a Bluetooth USB, priced in the hundreds, to plug into the machine. Or if you don’t want to buy You can connect the USB cable to it. It’s just that the ability to be convenient may be reduced a little.
How to connect a PS5 controller to a Windows 11 computer via Bluetooth (and a PS4 controller as well)
Here, we will write together how to connect both PS5 and PS4 joysticks via Bluetooth. Because they both use the same method. There will be only differences in the names that appear in the system.
1. Open the machine’s Settings page. Then click on Bluetooth & Devices on the left hand side of the window.
2. Click the blue Add device button in the same frame as the Devices heading to add a new device to the system.
3. A small window will appear to select the type of device you want to install. If you want to connect your PS5/PS4 controller via Bluetooth, just click and select the Bluetooth topic at the top.
4. After clicking, pick up the PS5/PS4 controller and press and hold the Create button in the top left corner of the controller along with the PS button for about 3 seconds until a blue light flashes around the touchpad. joystick to enter pairing mode. In the case of the PS4 joystick, it’s the same. Just on PS4, the name of the Create button is called the Share button instead.
5. Return to the Add a device window. There will be a list of Bluetooth devices available to add to the system. Then click and select the joystick that was pressed into pairing mode in the previous step. The PS5 joystick will be named DualSense Wireless Controller, while the PS4 joystick will be named Wireless Controller. Then wait a moment.
6. If the device pairing is complete In the list of Input devices, the name of the joystick in the previous step will appear. That’s it, connecting the PS5 controller, PS4 controller to the computer running Windows 11 is complete. For those who are using Windows 10, the steps will be the same.
And if you want to check the functionality of each button This can be done from the Windows function itself by typing the word controller in the search box and then clicking on Set up USB game controllers. This will bring up the Game Controllers window, allowing the user to check the controller connection. and check the operation of the buttons and analogues
This function can be used on all joysticks. Every connection It is quite useful.
As for using a game joystick to play games in Steam, there will be additional settings in case some games are not designed to support the joystick directly. It is recommended that you should activate it first. To do this, open the Steam program and then go to Settings (Windows version) or Preferences (macOS version). For the image in this section, we will use the version on macOS.
Click on the Controller tab on the left. Then look at the topic External Gamepad Settings (macOS) or General Controller Settings (Windows). There will be an option to enable the Steam Input function of the controller from each device. You can choose to turn it on. In the case that you want to use the PS5/PS4 joystick, you can choose to turn on only the PlayStation one. Or if there are multiple joysticks being used You can choose to open as much as necessary. You can see that there are PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch Joy Pro to choose from, all three main platforms.
How to connect PS5/PS4 controller to macOS via Bluetooth
For the Mac side The system has been developed to fully support the PS5’s DualSense joystick since macOS 11.3 Big Sur, making it easy to pair. And can be used to its fullest potential than before. Connecting the PS5 and PS4 joysticks to macOS itself will have the same steps as pairing a Bluetooth device with a Mac.
1. Press and hold the Create (PS5)/Share (PS4) button along with the PS button for about 3 seconds until a blue light blinks on the edge of the touchpad of the controller.
2. Open your Mac’s System Settings (gear icon) and click on Bluetooth in the left-hand bar. At this stage, if the device’s Bluetooth is still turned off, slide the top switch to turn it on first. Then look at the Nearby Devices frame at the bottom of the window. You will see a list of nearby Bluetooth devices available for pairing. The name of the PS5 joystick will be called DualSense Wireless Controller, while the PS4 joystick will be named DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller with an icon on the front that is a game joystick. If you find the joystick you want, just press the Connect button at the end of its name. Then wait a moment and it’s finished.
There are additional functions regarding game joysticks in macOS as well. After connecting the joystick to the device, go to System Settings as usual, but scroll down the leftmost bar and click on Game Controllers. The screen on the right side of the window will have a list of the joysticks connected to the device. all coming up Even though it’s still connected I used to connect it but now I don’t use it. which will show information including name You can see the connection status and battery level. If you’re not sure which joy each item is, You can also press the Identify button to make the joystick vibrate.
Another game controller settings feature available in macOS is the ability to program-specific button mapping profiles. For example, we want to switch the roles of the X and O buttons for just one game. You can come in and create a profile specifically for this game. Then set the Cross Button to function as a Circle Button instead and vice versa. Make these two buttons work alternately. Unfortunately, the buttons on the joystick can’t be mapped to the keyboard buttons. The vibration level can also be set. You can also set the color of lights that will be displayed on the joystick.
How to connect an Xbox joystick to a Windows 11 computer via Bluetooth.
As for the Xbox joystick, it supports connecting to Windows in up to 3 ways, whether it’s via cable. Wirelessly via Bluetooth and wirelessly via the Xbox Wireless Adapter, which is also available for purchase. But it comes with ease of connection. And the stability is somewhat more reliable than Bluetooth for those who are really serious, but for general gaming, Bluetooth is a method that works well to a certain extent. It can also be connected to notebooks and PCs that already have Bluetooth, so in this article we will only present connections in this way.
Before connecting your Xbox controller to your computer, you may need to inspect the controller as specified. Microsoft statedLet’s take a look at it a bit, because there will be early Xbox One joysticks that don’t have Bluetooth built in. An easy way to check is to look at the color of the plastic that surrounds the round Xbox logo. If it’s the same piece of plastic as most of the joysticks. Shows that this joystick has Bluetooth. On the contrary If it’s like in the picture above That is, most of the joysticks are white. But the band surrounding the Xbox logo is another piece of black plastic. It means that this joystick cannot be connected via Bluetooth. If you want to play games wirelessly, you will have to buy an Xbox Wireless Adapter to use as well.
But if anyone buys a separate Xbox joystick that says it can be used with a PC. And bought in the last three or four years, they should all be able to connect to Bluetooth. Starting with the Xbox One, the steps for connecting the Xbox joystick to the computer are as follows.
1. Start by going to the Settings page and pressing the Add Device button on the Bluetooth & Devices page, just like when connecting the PS5 controller.
2. Press the Xbox logo button to turn on the controller first. Then press and hold the small button on the top of the joystick, where the index finger is in the picture. Until the Xbox logo light blinks briefly 1 time in a row.
3. The name of the Xbox controller will appear on the add device page. It says Xbox Wireless Controller or similar. Click on it and wait for the devices to pair.
4. Once pairing is complete, the Xbox controller is ready to use. Can be used to play games immediately On the page showing the list of devices, there will also be a battery capacity indicator.
How to connect Xbox joystick to computer via Bluetooth
1. Actually, the method is the same as pairing a PS5 controller, which is to go to System Settings and click on the Bluetooth topic.
2. Press the Xbox controller’s pairing mode button, doing the same thing as above. That is, open the joystick first. Then press and hold the small button on top of the controller until the Xbox button light blinks. The controller’s name will say Xbox Wireless Controller appear in the menu on your Mac. We can press Connect to connect together. That’s it, it’s finished.
How to connect a Nintendo Switch joystick to a Windows 11 computer via Bluetooth.
Finishing off connecting the game console to use on the computer is the Nintendo Switch joysticks, which include both the Joy-Con that comes with the device and the Pro Controller that is sold separately. Both of which are different in pressing the button to enter pairing mode. But after that you can use the same steps.
How to enter Joy-Con pairing mode That is, when removed from the machine. Press and hold the small button circled in red in the picture. Until there is a green light running next to the button. Now the Joy-Cons are in pairing mode.
The interesting thing is Each Joy-Con can be connected separately to other devices on its own. There is no need to use them together. This is similar to playing multiplayer games on the Nintendo Switch itself, where each joystick can be removed for each player. This means that we have two joysticks available to use immediately. But this comes with a layout of buttons that are a bit more difficult to press when holding the joystick horizontally.
As for the Joy Pro side, press and hold the small button on the top next to the USB-C port for charging the joystick for a while. Until a light came on at a small spot next to the port.
To start, go to Settings in Windows, then go to Bluetooth & Devices and click on the add device button. The names of each joystick model will be different. If it’s a Joy-Con, it will tell you the name and side of that joy as well. For example, in the picture it’s Joy-Con (R) because it’s the right joystick of the Switch. As for Joy Pro, it’ll be directly listed as Pro Controller. Click to select the name of the joystick that you want to connect to the computer.
When the pairing is complete Joy’s name will immediately appear. Ready to use.
How to connect Nintendo Switch joystick to Mac via Bluetooth
After pressing the button on the Joy-Con or Joy-Pro to enter pairing mode. When you go to the Bluetooth page in System Settings, you will find the name of each joystick model at the bottom as well. If you find the right joystick, just press the Connect button behind the joystick’s name. Wait a moment when you’re done.
After the connection is completed If you try clicking to see the details at the round symbol at the end of Joy’s name. You will find that with the Joy-Con you cannot go into any additional settings at all. There is an option to just stop the device from remembering this joystick. or press to disconnect only While if it’s a Joy Pro, there will still be a menu for viewing additional details. And you can create a profile just like the PS5, PS4, and Xbox controllers.
And what’s interesting is when the Nintendo Switch joystick is connected to the computer. Around the home button, there will be a blue light showing the connection status. This light will not come on at all if used with the Nintendo Switch itself.
Summary of connecting PS5 joysticks and other game consoles to the computer.
For connecting a game console to play games on your computer wirelessly. If it’s a newer device’s joystick, in most cases it can use almost all Bluetooth connections. The method for connecting the joystick for the first time is the same as connecting a Bluetooth device normally, which is to go to the settings page of each OS and select the menu related to adding a Bluetooth device, then press the button on the joystick to command. Put the joystick into pairing mode. and then pair the joystick with the computer immediately The method for entering the pairing mode of the new game joysticks is as follows.
PS5 Joystick: Press and hold the Create button and PS button for 3 seconds.
PS4 Joystick: Press and hold the Share button and PS button for 3 seconds.
Xbox Joystick: Press and hold the small button on top of the controller until the Xbox button light flashes.
Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller: Press and hold the small button on the side of the controller until there are lights running back and forth on the strip next to the button.
Joy Pro for Nintendo Switch: Press and hold the small button on the top of the joystick until the light blinks.
Another method that is pretty sure that can be used with almost every joystick today is a wired connection. This method usually works well. But there is a limit to the length of the cable. and type of cable required If it’s a newer joystick, it will be USB-C that’s easy to find. If it’s a bit older, it’ll be Micro or Mini USB. As for joysticks that use Serial ports, this one probably isn’t used as much. How much now?
