(Guide) Xbox 360 & XBox One Controller Support (PC & Steam Link)

[Dr. Rockso M.D.]

Finally got around to playing this awesome game and ran into some issues that may otherwise put people off or lead them to beleive this game does not support controllers - more than one controller, for local/couch coop (because this game does support two controllers).

Setup my Steam Link and figured everything would work smoothly, just as it had before - the odd thing is that other games would recognize and allow the second controller to work, while this game did not. Steam Link sees both controllers and are even recognized under the controller settings for the game, in big-picture mode.

I searched for a solution to the issue and ran across posts with people having issues getting a second (or even first) controller to work in-game - apparently no answers and people are completely clueless, so I'm leaving this here to give at least those who own Xbox controllers some help.

Contrary to common sense and all rationality, (Microsoft) Xbox controllers do NOT work right out of the box - NO plug n play whatsoever - you have to manually run through a process and install the drivers in an odd, counter-intuitive way.

The problem stems from not having properly installed and recognized controllers/hardware on your main rig, with proper drivers that enable correct functionality. When using a Steam Link, the problem just extends from your main PC, so if the drivers are not properly installed there, they may not work through the Steam Link, despite being recognized and able to calibrate through the Link via big-picture - very misleading.

So, lets get started!

This Guide is intended for Windows 7 users who are experiencing these driver / controller recognition issues, as perhaps this has been resolved in Windows 8.1 and/or WIndows 10.

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1a) download the official "Microsoft Xbox One Controller" software - if you recieve an error installing/running, you will need to extract the executable/archive contents with an MSI extractor:

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-on-windows/accessories/connect-xbox-one-controller-to-pc
(this link use to work for Windows 7, providing the download links directly below, but now only provides info for Windows 8.1 and 10)

http://traffic.libsyn.com/majornelson/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x86.msi
http://traffic.libsyn.com/majornelson/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x64.msi

(official MS links now dead, use mirror links below)

Microsoft Xbox One Controller Driver for Windows 32-bit
xb1usb.11059.0.140526x86.msi
https://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/information/17647/
Microsoft Xbox One Controller Driver for Windows 64-bit
xb1usb.11059.0.140526x64.msi
https://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/information/17648/

OR

1b) Download the official "Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller' software - if you recieve an error installing/running, you will need to extract the executable/archive contents with a program like WinRAR (once installed, it will allow you to Right-click and "Extract to" a folder like "Xbox360_xxEng"):

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/xbox-360-controller-for-windows#support
(this link use to contain useful info, including the driver download links directly below, but now contains useless product listings for Xbox One Controllers)

Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller Driver for Windows 32-bit
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/9/4/69446ACF-E625-4CCF-8F56-58B589934CD3/Xbox360_32Eng.exe
Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller Driver for Windows 64-bit
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/9/4/69446ACF-E625-4CCF-8F56-58B589934CD3/Xbox360_64Eng.exe

You should probably know what architecture your system is running, if not, right-click on "My Computer" > "Properties" this will bring you System info (also located under: Control Panel > System and Security > System). Here you will be able to find your "System type", which should say something like "64-bit Operating System".
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2) Install the software and connect your controller (this will not install the driver)
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3) Right-click on "My Computer" > "Properties" and go to "Device Manager"
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4) Find your device (should be listed under "Other Devices" as "Controller" or whatever brand your controller is) > Right-click and choose 'Update Driver Software...'
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5) Select "Browse my computer for driver software" then "Let me pick from a list of devices on my computer"
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6) With "Show All Devices" highlighted, choose "Next" and wait for the list to be populated in the next window
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7) You will be prompted to "Select the device driver you want to install for this hardware"

*For Xbox 360 controllers, choose "Have Disk..." and browse to the location where you extracted the drivers from step one and select the appropriate installation file:
C:\Xbox360_64Eng\xbox360\setup64\files\driver\win7\xusb21.inf
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8) Under "Manufacturer" select "Microsoft" and under "Model" select "Microsoft Xbox One Controller" OR "Xbox 360 Controller for Windows" then choose "Next"
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9) You may receive an "Update Driver Warning"* message, read it and select "Yes"

Installing this device driver is not recommended because Windows cannot verify that it is compatible with your hardware. If the driver is not compatible, your hardware will not work correctly and your computer might become unstable or stop working completely. Do you want to continue installing this driver?

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10) You will receive a "Windows has successfully updated your driver software" dialog box indicating successfull installation, click "Close"
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11) Your device should now be properly detected as "Microsoft Xbox One Controller" OR "Xbox 360 Controller for Windows"
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*) Under Device Manager, you may have to look under "Human Interface Devices" and Right-click > "Disable" listings here such as "HID-compliant game controller", as many for each as you have controllers connected

**) If using Big Picture Mode / Steam Link, you may have to detect, configure and enable controllers under the main menu - then enable controllers under the game settings ('Xbox controller configuration/support' checkbox should be checked)

TESTED & WORKING for multiple Xbox 360 Controllers and Xbox One Controllers under Windows 7. This process must be REPEATED for EACH SEPARATE CONTROLLER.

Formatting is not pretty, but all the info and hand-holding steps are spelled out, in detail and in order.

[9Three]

wish i could say i got this to work... could you test with an Elite Series 2 and win7 sp1 ? also, will this work with bluetooth, or would it have to be with cable. thanks!

[Dr. Rockso M.D.]

Originally posted by 9Three:

wish i could say i got this to work... could you test with an Elite Series 2 and win7 sp1 ? also, will this work with bluetooth, or would it have to be with cable. thanks!

Sorry, all I own are Xbox One controllers.

The best I can advise is to make sure you've got the proper drivers for your controller. I would start by googling "xbox elite series 2 windows 7 drivers".

Bluetooth should pair with your controllers via whatever software the driver package may provide. I would google this as well "xbox elite series 2 bluetooth windows 7".

Hope you figure it out. Feel free to leave a reply here if you do, or even start a separate thread, so that others who run into the same issue can get some support.

[Rust Metal]

Hi there, I know I'm late to comment here, but the 360 driver links do not work anymore.
If you can, can you fix this please?
Thank you

[Dr. Rockso M.D.]

Protip: The Wayback Machine has pretty much any old, popular link you can imagine in their archive.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230000000000*/https://download.microsoft.com/download/6/9/4/69446ACF-E625-4CCF-8F56-58B589934CD3/Xbox360_64Eng.exe

2020, April 25

Tested and working.