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Controller:Xbox Controller

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Xbox Controller
Xbox Controller cover
XInput support
Connection method
Wired adapter
Predecessor
Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad Pro
Successor
Xbox Controller S
Xbox 360 Controller
Hyperkin Duke Controller
Xbox Controller on Wikipedia

The Xbox Controller, also known by its nickname The Duke, is a game controller released by Microsoft on November 15, 2001. It was released alongside the Xbox.

The Xbox Controller features the bulky controller design, with asymmetrical controller layout with the left joystick on the top and the right joystick on the bottom. The 6 right buttons are pressure-sensitive. It has two analogue triggers for analogue inputs, and has two rumble motors for rumble function. There are two accessory slots on the top of the controller.

On February 22, 2002, Microsoft released the Xbox Controller S as a game controller made specific for Japan market. The S model featuring the more compact design compare to the original model, designed for users with smaller hands. The S model was later supersedes the original model in other regions at the end of 2003.

The Xbox Controller and its S model use proprietary Xbox controller port, thus requiring a third-party adapter to connect to PC, but even then, it requires the special drivers to make it work. Depending on what driver installed, it can work either as a DirectInput controller or a XInput controller. Pressure-sensitive buttons doesn't work while having XInput-compatible driver installed.

Key points

The original model was often addressed as Original Xbox Controller, Xbox OG Controller, Xbox Classic Controller, or The Duke.
Drivers such as XBCD driver and TigerGame driver has support for pressure-sensitive buttons, but with limitations. The XBCD driver can be only remapped the controller to up to 3 axis, while the TigerGame driver requires remapping buttons to triggers axis (changing triggers activation mode to digital).[1]
𝐀, 𝐁, 𝐗, 𝗬, β—― ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ, ⬀ Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹, L, R are all pressure sensitive 0-255 (unsigned 8-bits), β–Ά sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄›, β—€ Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹, LS, RS buttons are on/off (digital 1 or 0) as is the D-pad. Left and right analog sticks range in both x and y directions from -32768 to 32767 (signed 16-bit integers).[2]
Requires simple adapter to connect to PC.

Inputs

  • 2 Γ— analog sticks (8-bit precision): LS, RS
  • 2 Γ— analog triggers: L, R
  • 6 Γ— pressure-sensitive buttons: 𝐀, 𝐁, 𝐗, 𝗬, β—― ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ, ⬀ Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹
  • 4 Γ— digital buttons: β–Ά sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄›, β—€ Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹, LS, RS
  • 4 Γ— digital directional buttons (d-pad): ↑, ↓, ←, β†’

Controller variations

The Xbox Controller S
The Xbox Controller S
The Xbox Controller S (codenamed "Akebono"[3]) was a Japan-specific controller model, which is smaller and lighter and was designed for users with smaller hands. It was later released in other territories and by the end of 2003 had replaced the first-generation controller worldwide.

Use with PC platforms

Windows

All Windows drivers requires Xbox USB adapter to connect gamepad to PC.
Windows 10 has no native drivers; drivers are needed. When the gamepad is plugged in for the first time, Windows 10 detects it as "Unknown device".
Supported features Xb2XInput XBCD Mayflash reWASD Steam Gamepad Phoenix
Virtual Xbox controller emulation βœ“ βœ— βœ— ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1]
Vibrations βœ“ βœ“ βœ“ ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1] βœ—
LT and RT as Analog Triggers βœ“ βœ“ βœ“ ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1]
Pressure-Sensitive Buttons βœ— ~ [N 2] ~ [N 3] βœ— βœ— βœ—
Dead-zone adjustment βœ“ βœ“ βœ“ ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1]
Multiple controllers βœ“ βœ“ βœ“ ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1] ~ [N 1]
Virtual DualShock emulation βœ— βœ— βœ— ~ [N 4] βœ— βœ—
Virtual Nintendo controller emulation βœ— βœ— βœ— ~ [N 5] βœ— βœ—
Retro DInput/WinMM compatibility βœ— βœ— βœ— βœ— βœ— ~ [N 1]
  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 No native support. Requires Xb2XInput driver installed to emulate Xbox 360.
  2. ↑ Six buttons of eight can be pressure sensitive (three axes).
  3. ↑ Only two buttons can be pressure-sensitive (one axis) - triggers by default.
  4. ↑ No native support. Requires Xb2XInput driver installed to emulate Xbox 360. Allows using controller as DualShock 3 and DualShock 4 virtual controllers.
  5. ↑ No native support. Requires Xb2XInput driver installed to emulate Xbox 360. Allows using controller as virtual Switch Pro Controller.

XBCD Driver

A new version of XBCD driver allows Original Xbox Controllers to be used on Windows machines.
Officially supports 32 Product IDs, although manual installation sometimes works for unrecognized deivces[4]. See list of supported devices.
Works with every adapter as DirectInput device.
XBCD Setup Utility tool allows rebind every button, assign pressure sensitive buttons to analog axes (or transform them into digital buttons), set dead-zones for sticks, set level of rumble intensity or thresholds when buttons can be activated.
Only 3 pressure sensitive axis are free to use. At least 2 buttons will be not remapped, and support of buttons remapped to the same axis will needs specialized software to make them supported.
Complicated installation. Requires disabling driver signature enforcement in Windows, as driver is not digitally signed.
Currently no support for wireless controllers.

Mayflash Tigergame Driver

Mayflash Tigergame Xbox joystick driver is the Alternative to XBCD. It allows the controller to use its analog sticks by changing "Controller mode" from "digital" to "analog".
Despite name, works with every adapter. Shows as DirectInput device.
The driver is digitally signed. Works as designed after finishing driver installation.
Can switch the "Controler mode" between Digital (analog stick works as d-pad), Analog (recognizing two analog sticks giving the closest experience to Xbox 360 gamepads), Flight (for steering wheels), DDR (for dancing pads - D-Pad directions can respond like buttons and user can also hold down opposite directions without the joystick canceling out).
Supports only pressure-sensitive axis, which can be assigned to two from 8 pressure-sensitive buttons (2 triggers or two from 8 pressure sensitive face buttons). Assigning two buttons as "analog", locking other buttons in "digital" mode.
Limited INF for automatic driver detection. Easily side-stepped by manually installing the driver[5].
No dead-zone adjustment. If joysticks are even slightly worn out character will be flying one direction or the other in a game-sensing digital joystick. Some developers are including dead-zone adjustment within their game. However, that is on a case-by-case basis. May require 3rd party application to apply dead-zones.
Button remapping is very limited within the tab. It does not allow the end-user to map direction as a button or to add additional buttons past 16.

Xb2XInput Driver

Custom application Xb2XInput can translate the input from an Xbox OG controller over to a virtual XInput/DirectInput device for games to make use of, without needing any unsigned drivers to be installed. Officially recommended by xemu emulator[6].
To make use of Xb2XInput user requires installed the ViGEmBus driver.
Xb2XInput should support all the controllers that XBCD has support for, minus any steering wheels/DDR pads.
A list of supported controllers can be found at the top of XboxController.cpp file.
XInput devices do not recognize pressure sensitive buttons, so driver automatically dropping suppport for this gamepad's feature.
The dead-zone have to be set manually each time XB2X is ran. Authors plan add feature of storing user preference[7].
Works with every adapter as XInput device.
Xbox OG controller doesn't contain the guide button usually found on XInput devices. However as of Xb2XInput v1.3.2 this button can now be emulated, through the use of the LT+RT+LS+RS button combination. If desired user can easily disable it through the system tray menu.
Dead-zone adjustment on the fly. User can use the LT+RT+(LS/RS)+DPAD Up/Dn combinaiton for setting analog stick deadzone and (LT/RT)+LS+RS+DPAD Up/Dn for trigger deadzone adjustment. The dead-zone may be set individually on each controller.
Vibration toggle. In case user wish to disable controllers vibration function.

OS X

Use the 360Controller driver with Xbox USB adapter.

Linux

This controller is "Plug and Play" on most distributions of Linux, although requires Xbox USB adapter.
Xboxdrv is an alternative to the stock driver and allows many configuration options.

Steam

Can be recognized as Xbox 360 controller but after manual assignment. Controller cannot be found in Supported Controller Database, so Steam recognizes it as standard DirectInput device.
Do not support pressure-sensitive face buttons.

Steam Link compatibility

Works natively over USB Adapter.[8]
Needs remapping on Steam Link. Two shoulder buttons missing. Can be reassigned to ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ and Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ after manual reconfiguration.
Works without any drivers on any operating system that supports Steam.
Can be used just to send input from a controller to a PC. Go into Streaming options, hit 𝗬 and disable video and audio streaming.
Won't work great unless the streaming device is connected to LAN or a low latency Wi-Fi.

Hardware

Adapters

USB Converter Cable.
USB Converter Cable.

Original Xbox Controller to PC USB Converter Cable

Using a converter cable, users are able to plug in and use their controller on PC via USB port.

The original Xbox controllers are USB-compatible and can be connected to a PC with an adapter. Cutting original Xbox controller cables to make an adapter is not necessary. Quality adapters can be purchased on Amazon for about $12 USD or from eBay for about $8 USD, shipped globally[9].

Depending on the platform, user may also need to install additional drivers. See more.

This cable is only compatible with for Xbox controller only, not for newer xbox generations controllers.
This is a converter cable only, before buying it's recommended to confirm if game controller can be supported by PC.
Cable Length: from 0.5m to 2.0m
Cheap price. Usually can be found with price under $10.
Plug & play, compatible with Windows XP / 2000 / ME / 98 and newer.
Simply connect to the USB port of the PC. No additional power source required.
Supports both analog and digital modes. All buttons on the XBox Controller are supported.
Support DirectX force feedback, DirectX 8.1 or higher.
Requires 3rd party drivers which are not delivered with adapter.

Expansions

Communicator Headset

Support in games

Games with generic DirectInput support are supported by the controller, however button placements may be out of place and need to be rebound. Refer to game-specific articles for rebinding support.
Controller has XInput layout which is supported by majority PC games. Usually ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ is emulating LB and Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ is emulating RB.
Unique layout with six face buttons makes controller comfortable for fighting games.

Games with pressure sensitive face buttons

For a list of games, see List of games that support Pressure-Sensitive Face Buttons.

Pressure-sensitive face buttons are supported in Xbox emulator Cxbx-Reloaded[10] (thanks to Libusb) and Xemu.
PlayStation emulators like PCSX2 and RPCS3 do not recognize pressure-sensitive face buttons from Xbox Controllers yet. Controller will require DualShock 3 emulation to be recognized.
Pressure-sensitive face buttons are not recognized by PC games yet.
See GiantBomb's List - Games where pressure sensitive buttons play an important part.

Games with XInput button prompts

List of games with Xbox button prompts (Note that games rarely, if ever, account for the Black and White buttons.)

Other information

Related accessories

Technical information

XBCD Driver

XBCD 360 Emu profile:
Controller button Button label and axis
A Button 1
B Button 2
X Button 3
Y Button 4
ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ Button 6
Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 5
L Z-axis
R Z-rotation
Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 8
sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄› Button 7
Left stick Button 9, X-axis, Y-axis
Right stick Button 10, X-rotation, Y-rotation
D-pad up POV up
D-pad down POV down
D-pad left POV left
D-pad right POV right

Mayflash Tigergame

Flight profile:
Controller button Button label and axis
𝐀 Button 1
𝐁 Button 2
𝐗 Button 3
𝗬 Button 4
ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ Button 6
Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 5
L Z-axis
R Z-rotation
Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 10
sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄› Button 9
Left stick Button 11, X-axis, Y-axis
Right stick Button 12, X-rotation, Y-rotation
D-pad up POV up
D-pad down POV down
D-pad left POV left
D-pad right POV right
Analog profile:
Controller button Button label and axis
𝐀 Button 1
𝐁 Button 2
𝐗 Button 3
𝗬 Button 4
ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ Button 6
Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 5
LT Z-axis
RT Z-rotation
Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 8
sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄› Button 7
Left stick Button 11, X-axis, Y-axis
Right stick Button 12, X-rotation, Y-rotation
D-pad up POV up
D-pad down POV down
D-pad left POV left
D-pad right POV right
Digital profile:
Controller button Button label and axis
𝐀 Button 1
𝐁 Button 2
𝐗 Button 3
𝗬 Button 4
ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ Button 6
Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 5
L Button 7
R Button 8
Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 10
sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄› Button 9
Left stick Button 11
Right stick Button 12, Button 15 (right), Button 16 (down), Button 13 (left), Button 14 (up)
D-pad X-axis, Y-axis
DDR profile:
Controller button Button label and axis
𝐀 Button 8
𝐁 Button 7
𝐗 Button 6
𝗬 Button 5
ᴑʜΙͺᴛᴇ Button 6
Κ™ΚŸα΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 5
L Button 7
R Button 8
Κ™α΄€α΄„α΄‹ Button 10
sα΄›α΄€Κ€α΄› Button 9
Right stick Button 15 (right), Button 16 (down), Button 13 (left), Button 14 (up)
D-pad X-axis, Y-axis
D-pad up Button 3
D-pad down Button 2
D-pad left Button 1
D-pad right Button 4


References

  1. ↑ Testing your classic Xbox GamePad on Windows 10 with the newly installed drivers. - last accessed on June 2023
  2. ↑ Is the original Xbox controller pressure sensitive? - last accessed on June 2023
  3. ↑ Ninja Beach Party. Official Xbox Magazine (October 2002, issue 11, pg. 44).
  4. ↑ Devices compatible with XBCD. - last accessed on June 2023
  5. ↑ Overall assessment of the Mayflash / TigerGame driver. - last accessed on June 2023
  6. ↑ xemu - input devices - last accessed on June 2023
  7. ↑ Xb2XInput - Deadzone settings - last accessed on June 2023
  8. ↑ List of Steam Link compatible controllers, adapters etc. - SteamCommunity - last accessed on June 2023
  9. ↑ Xemu - Original Xbox Controllers - last accessed on June 2023
  10. ↑ Add support for original xbox gamepads and SBC hardware via USB passthrough with libusb #2290 - last accessed on 9 June 2023