[Tutorial] Using Steam Controller as x360 gamepad outside of Big Picture Mode

[qu3ntenten]

This Tutorial will help you setup your Steam Controller act as a x360 gamepad with xinput mapping without having to use Big Picture Mode in Steam and play non-steam games with your Steam Controller ie: From GoG/Uplay/Origin/etc

1. Download VJoy Virtual Joystick Driver 1.2 here: http://www.headsoft.com.au/index.php?category=vjoy

2. Download x360ce both x32 and x64 (x32 is for x32 game.exe and x64 is for x64 game.exe) here: http://www.x360ce.com/

3. Go into Big Picture Mode > Settings > Controller > Configurations > Desktop Configuration and mapped your Steam Controller to Keyboard input (random keys is fine but mapped all buttons and thumb sticks and pads to keyboard input, etc)

4. Once you mapped your Steam Controller exit Big Picture Mode (but Steam must be running)

5. Run VJoy and mapped your newly Steam Controller keyboard input to VJoy (remember to click Enable VJop on top-left corner once your done and save profile). Mapped Thumb-stick and then mapped face buttons, bumber/triggers, select, start, etc but it does not have to be in that order.

6. Run x360ce and click on Game Controllers (on bottom left corner) and a popup message will ask you to scan New Devices and it will take about 1 minute, just don't force close and wait till it is done detecting VJoy Device Drivers.

7. Now after x360ce detects VJoy Drivers just configure your Steam Controller input onto x360ce and save your configuration and close x360ce.

8. Copy every x360ce files into your desired Game folder and remember if your game.exe is 32x run x360ce x32 bit and if your game.exe is x64 run x360ce x64 bit to configure the .DLL file and close x360ce.

9. Launch your non-steam game ie: From GoG/Uplay/Origin/etc games.

Note: You must copy all x360ce files to each and every game folder which contain game.exe for it to work and VJoy must be also running.

To check your game.exe is 32bit or 64bit, there's a simple way to find out, right-click on game.exe and enable compatibility mode and if you see windows xp that means its 32bit and if you see windows vista it is 64bit.

VJoy maps your keyboard input and x360ce converts your keyboard input to x360 gamepad xinput. Sound simple right?

[cammelspit]

Vjoy is known to conflict with the SC and has been since launch. The Xoutput method should be used for guaranteed compatibility but accomplishes the same goal and doesn't need to use x360ce which is iffy at best depending on the game. https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/4b8zdp/xoutput_for_uwp_games/

[qu3ntenten]

I don't have Win10 but Xoutput I've read about it.

I didn't run into any problems with x360ce.

I also read there's a SC wrapper but its only for Linux. Someone needs to convert it to windows.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/353370/discussions/0/496879865891566924/?ctp=3

[cammelspit]

Well, the usefulness of a 3rd party driver is very low. There are almost zero cases where it is needed. Essentially it's UWP, which is M$s fault, and the only other ones I can think of are the old X-Wing games. That's it, though. Everything else works just fine with the default software built into steam. This is why I have Xoutput as an option but it's just never used. Not that there won't ever be any more but I haven't found any.

Good for you that Vjoy isn't messing you up. That was a BIG problem before and remains an issue we sometimes hear. Not sure precisely what it is about it that likes to cause problems with the SC, all I know is that it does.

[Nyrue]

does the steam controler only work with steam games?

[RambleCan]

Originally posted by Nyrue:

does the steam controler only work with steam games?

It needs the steam overlay to function properly (otherwise it'll be read as a mouse and keyboard). You just end up adding games into steam as non steam shortcuts and you can configure the controller. That only gets tricky with certain older emulators and windows store apps.

[Ex]

The leading cause of incompatibility is because Steam doesn't provide Windows with USB mouse, keyboard and xbox devices; the kb/m as seen in the Windows device manager only function in lizard mode.

If you want to get rid of compatibility issues, they have either reprogram the SC to function as true kb/m/x devices, or route the output to a virtual bus device and let Windows pick those devices itself.

Logitech have (had?) a similar software to the SC configuration that converts their old pre-xbox controllers into optional virtual mouse and keyboard, but the key difference is theirs works by installing a driver that provides virtual HID mouse and keyboard for Windows to connect with.
As a result the Logitech method is more likely to work with fussy programs because they are provided with what they want, an actual mouse and keyboard device.

Something like MAME, the multiple arcade machine emulator, only use rawinput for mouse and keyboard which is something the SC can't provide. In MAMEs' case it allows it to use multiple mice/keyboards so it can drive double trackball games, but outside of MAME, rawinput has the advantage for FPS games because it isn't contaminated by the Windows mouse acceleration settings like the SC software method currently is.

Even if the SC was never to get its' own virtual bus driver, the potential exists for the client to emulate kb/m/x usb devices and pass that on to a third party USB-to-IP client.
The Steam Link apparently has a partnership with the VirtualHere USB-over-IP virtual device driver, if the Steam client itself were to route the Steam Controllers' virtual KB/M/X outputs into virtual USB devices and pass that onto the 'sockets' provided by VirtualHere, compatibility would dramatically increase. They could even create a couple of additional virtual devices, say a generic directinput multi-button/axis controller and generic trackpad, for an extraordinary level of coverage. However I don't think people would be happy to find out they need to buy an extra piece of software just to unlock this, as VirtualHere for the Link is not free.

[Nyrue]

Originally posted by ExistentialEgg:

Originally posted by Nyrue:

does the steam controler only work with steam games?

It needs the steam overlay to function properly (otherwise it'll be read as a mouse and keyboard). You just end up adding games into steam as non steam shortcuts and you can configure the controller. That only gets tricky with certain older emulators and windows store apps.

so how does one go about doing this? step by step if possible i can be a bit dense

[RambleCan]

Originally posted by Nyrue:

so how does one go about doing this? step by step if possible i can be a bit dense

In steam click on Games. From dropdown, bottom choice is Add Non Steam Game To My Library.

That's really it. If it's not in the list that gets populated you may need to Browse to its directory and select the .exe file for that game.

[Nyrue]

ok thats really simple, and this will make the steam controller compatible with said game?

[Lycaon]

Although for the past decade plus all my games have resided on Steam, I would say mixing matching drivers for SC may not always pay-off as one may think although I do see the conundrum.

[Da Doom Man]

Originally posted by Ex:

Even if the SC was never to get its' own virtual bus driver, the potential exists for the client to emulate kb/m/x usb devices and pass that on to a third party USB-to-IP client.
The Steam Link apparently has a partnership with the VirtualHere USB-over-IP virtual device driver, if the Steam client itself were to route the Steam Controllers' virtual KB/M/X outputs into virtual USB devices and pass that onto the 'sockets' provided by VirtualHere, compatibility would dramatically increase. They could even create a couple of additional virtual devices, say a generic directinput multi-button/axis controller and generic trackpad, for an extraordinary level of coverage. However I don't think people would be happy to find out they need to buy an extra piece of software just to unlock this, as VirtualHere for the Link is not free.

This is most likely what will end up happening since Valve is still working in its best intrests to get more people onto Steam.

[HeadwarP]

As much as I know steam would like to garner interest for steam link and their steambox, I think Valve needs to remember that the majority of its customer base are PC gamers. I have no need and will never have a need for a steam box.. and this controller's functionality and capability are awesome... but the software to use it should exist outside of steam like any other peripheral. I'm not saying it shouldn't be able to run as is in big picture mode, but in my mind common sense dictates that in order for them to really sell this thing and keep selling them, they need to make the controller function across windows, and not just through steam. Examples - logitech devices are fully reprogrammable. Biggest difference - no touchpads with haptics..no gyro/accelerometers.

It's a fact, this device is capable of emulating xinput, or pretty much whatever it wants.


Trying to run Dragon Age:Inquisition through steam is not working out for me with this thing thus far and hopefully I"ll find a work around, however - the haptic sensors just buzz nonstop as soon as the game loads. I've tried disabling experimental rumble, no dice. It was enough work just getting the game to run in big picture mode and get the controller working at all,
where if there was a separate software package for the device all together, which I cannot fathom why Steam hasn't already done so aside from thinking I need an os within my OS to game.

Facts - not every game we own is bought on steam, steam has been primarily a PC game retailer. Put a team on a proper software package that includes a virtual HID device and allows for all the remapping of controls we have available. I WANT this controller to replace every other gamepad I've ever used. The problem is, too many developers want their own online retail business. Can we really not just go down that road of selling peripherals that are steam/origin/uplay exclusive too? This device woulld be 10000x awesome without the limitation. Steam has been a long time supplier to PC gamers. Microsoft, nintendo, and sony have the console market. Let them have it. Make your steam box.. try to convert more of them to the pc master race...let them experience a FPS with m+KB or an emulated trackball...cool.

But I personally don't care about big picture. I've been gaming on a PC since the 90's. Steam is fine without it. If I wanted xbox live i'd have bought a console. For the games i've played with it where there are no malfunctions - I'm starting to like this thing better than analog sticks but...come on Valve,

Steam, Origin, Direct2drive, Uplay, GOG. Sure..they're you're competitors.. but the people who buy from them? We're also your customers. We can take GOG out of the list since their games are DRM free and will work in steam without issue more than likely, however.

I apologize.. I didn't mean to get so wordy, but this thing is new to me.. it's awesome, except I just spent 2-3 hours trying to figure out how to get it to work in a non-steam game and when I did my haptic feedback wouldn't stop at all.. and it wouldn't do that if there were a software package that included drivers for all of the emulation it's capable of and virtual HID devices that existed for platforms outside of steam.

This thing is not console compatible... and advertised to pc gamers. Make it a PC/linux/mac/steambox peripheral...not just a steam peripheral.

[MartyWF]

Send steam a CONSTRUCTIVE email with this HeadwarP... Just edit for format and politely tell them...Any one else can also send steam a message similiar to HeadwarP's too... If they want too...

SteamHardwareFeedback[at]valvesoftware[.]com

[Pawlok]

button 1-16 WTF???

[cammelspit]

NECRO!