XBox controller not working on new MacBook

[Epic_Caesura]

So, I just bought an M3 MacBook Pro, my first Mac coming from a Windows PC. Everything is weird and different and I hate it, but I'm sure I'll be used to it in a week.

Now, StS is supposed to work fine on a Mac. It frustratingly keeps ignoring my changes and resetting to half resolution, but otherwise the game itself seems to function fine when I play with a mouse. HOWEVER, my XBox controller, which is my preferred way to play, doesn't work. The left trigger activates the save-file menu, and the B button takes me back out again, but nothing else registers an input at all.

Steam acknowledges the XBox controller fine, and all the inputs work on the Steam test. The StS launch page also acknowledges the controller, and tells me it should work great. But, when the game loads, nope.

Yes, I've Googled this extensively. Almost all "my controller doesn't work" pages point to a Steam Deck update breaking the controller, and the fix being to turn off Steam input compatibility, but that doesn't do anything (I've changed it both universally and just for StS). So, I don't THINK that's it, unless I'm missing something. Experimenting with that aside, I've checked and my relevant settings are the same as on my Windows PC (where the controller still works fine).

I feel like I must be missing something obvious. Suggestions?

(StS is on sale for $8.50 right now. What a ridiculous deal for such a great game.)

[Lavie]

Hi!

Maybe also ask here:
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/2/

Good luck!

[Epic_Caesura]

I was thinking that SOMEONE here must be successfully playing with an XBox controller on a Mac. Anyone?

I'll try the Mac forum (thanks for the suggestion), but this seems to be specifically a StS issue, probably related to the other StS-specific controller issues.

(Is it that weird that I prefer a controller to a mouse for StS?)

[Dr_Fishbowl]

I couldn't figure it out and just ended up refunding the game. Best of luck.

[chaosphere616]

I've had exactly the same problem with StS. I have just had to give up and get a refund. I would have rather have had the game though. Balatro works fine but not StS.

[chaosphere616]

Originally posted by Epic_Caesura:

I was thinking that SOMEONE here must be successfully playing with an XBox controller on a Mac. Anyone?

I'll try the Mac forum (thanks for the suggestion), but this seems to be specifically a StS issue, probably related to the other StS-specific controller issues.

(Is it that weird that I prefer a controller to a mouse for StS?)

I have been playing Balatro without any issues at all but the Xbox controller just will not work on Slay The Spire. The L and B buttons work but nothing else. Cannot find a fix anywhere.

[Epic_Caesura]

When my XBox controller finally died, I got a PS5 controller instead. And... same problem, both wired and wireless, with every combination of settings I can find.

Does this game just not support controller on Mac? Steam sure says that it does. Is ANYONE successfully playing this game with a controller on a Mac?

(Every other game I've tried -- Steam or otherwise -- has worked fine with both my XBox and PS5 controller, so there's clearly no technical problem with the controllers.)

[starryowls]

Originally posted by Epic_Caesura:

When my XBox controller finally died, I got a PS5 controller instead. And... same problem, both wired and wireless, with every combination of settings I can find.

Does this game just not support controller on Mac? Steam sure says that it does. Is ANYONE successfully playing this game with a controller on a Mac?

(Every other game I've tried -- Steam or otherwise -- has worked fine with both my XBox and PS5 controller, so there's clearly no technical problem with the controllers.)

Nah, we've been asking for years for the developers to try to help fix the controller input issues for MacOS. Search the threads on here for MacOS and controllers. I wish I could refund this game, but I spent too many hours trying to fix it without avail.

[Ken]

STS is better than all 4 of the cheeses in Kraft 4 cheese Italian Blend.

[WrongBoat]

To get my xbox controller working, I enabled the steam controller inputs and downloaded the mega crit official slay the spire controller configuration. Using m1 macbook btw.