How to play with a DualShock 3 controller

Super easy tutorial on how to be better without actually being better using ScpServer

Introduction

After losing 10 matches on 'Nauts, you decide you are fed up playing with the keyboard and mouse. You want a controller, but you are too lazy to order some $30 gamepad off Amazon.

Then you look at your PlayStation 3 controllers off in your living room. You were planning to sell them off since you got your new PS4 and started playing Shadow of Mordor for hours on end.

Could they work? Will they work? Yes!

Thanks to Scarlet.Crush[forums.pcsx2.net] from the PCSX2 community, you can use a PS3 controller on Windows by tricking Windows into thinking that it is an Xbox controller without having to install any unsigned drivers.

Installation

For this tutorial, we will assume that you have already tried MotionInJoy's DS3 Tool[sourceforge.net] and it doesn't work correctly and instead wrecks all your USB and Bluetooth drivers.

In case you have not heard of DS3 Tool, here is a picture of what it looks like (the program is literally just an IE frame filled to the brim with ads):


Instead, we will be using Scarlet.Crush's masterpiece called ScpServer. Use this link to go to the forum post:
http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-XInput-Wrapper-for-DS3-and-Play-com-USB-Dual-DS2-Controller

Click on "Download latest version here".

Now, you will notice that it's a .7z file instead of a .zip file. If it's showing up as an unrecognized format, run over to the 7-Zip website[www.7-zip.org] and get it so you can extract this archive. (Don't worry, 7-Zip is just as good or better as WinRAR; it's not bloatware or some "use-only-once" software.)

Extract the folder and put it somewhere that's not your Downloads folder; we'll be using it later. Do not run anything on it yet.

Now, we need to install the XInput drivers. These drivers were introduced by Microsoft to bring support for their Xbox 360 controllers on Windows. If you have Windows 8, ignore these instructions as they have already been installed.

Go to the Microsoft page for Xbox 360[www.microsoft.com] and get the "Xbox 360 Accessories Software" which contains the latest XInput drivers. (Windows 7 comes with XInput drivers out of the box, but supposedly they are a bit buggy.) Go through the steps... I have already installed it so I won't show any images.

Note: The Xbox 360 Accessories software adds XBoxStat.exe to startup, which makes some annoying Xbox menu pop up when you connect your controller. When installation is complete, just remove it from the startup list, either through msconfig or Start > All Programs > Startup.

So we're done with that. Plug in all of the controllers that will be used. Go to your ScpServer folder, go to bin, and look for ScpDriver.exe. Run it.

You will see a window like this.
I will explain the options:

• Force Install - use if it's not installing correctly or it's producing an error that looks like you might fix with this option.
  
• Bluetooth Driver - installs the SCP Bluetooth driver on top of your Bluetooth radio. This may turn your dongle/radio into a "dedicated device" meaning that it can only be used for connecting with controllers and won't work regularly anymore. I would uncheck this in case something goes wrong.
  
• Configure Service - sets the ScpService to run as a service so that your DS3 controllers work seamlessly with Windows without having to run ScpServer manually. Make sure that the ScpServer folder is place on a permanent location if you are checking this option.

Once you see that Windows has installed its default drivers for your PS3 controllers, click Install on ScpDriver. It will do everything automagically with no restart required on your part (though it is recommended). Using a 64-bit version of Windows? No problem! You will not be asked to install any unsigned drivers because all drivers are signed.
If an error showed up, click Uninstall and try again with "Force Install" checked. When you're done, exit from the program.

If you decided to not install as a service, all you have to do is run ScpServer.exe every time you want to use your PS3 controllers. Otherwise, everything should work nicely for you!

Configuration

Everything you need has already been installed and configured.

If you are interested in looking at controller information, open up ScpMonitor and open up the monitor from the taskbar/notification menu.

Now open up Awesomenauts. The launcher is completely controller-friendly so you will be able to press the launch button with your controller.

Now go to Settings > Controls... surprise! All controls have been set up for you. All you have to do now is set the controller as Player 1. If you want, you can also set Aim to the right analog stick.

One nice thing about using a DualShock 3 controller is that your controller will vibrate when you're being hit or when a turret is destroyed.

The analog stick works so well that people think I'm hacking when I aim Raelynn's laser at their faces so quickly.

Conclusion

You're done :) Now go play!

If you're having trouble or you want to try something new (like pairing up with Bluetooth, using DualShock 4 controllers instead, or installing it on your Windows XP laptop), check out the official forum thread[forums.pcsx2.net].

This concludes the end of the tutorial. You can use this setup for any game that supports Xbox controllers. It works great on Big Picture Mode as well.

If you have any questions that you can't find the answer to, leave a comment below. Again, enjoy!

[longbyte1]

Yes, although things are much easier nowadays - I recommend using https://github.com/nefarius/ScpToolkit/releases/latest which is a fork of ScpServer.

[iceice]

Is this still working? Would like to use my PS3 controller.

[Bassettehound]

Thanks! The only computer I have is an old 2010 laptop, and my siblings broke my mouse, so games like Skyrim are more difficult with the mouse pad. This is going to help a lot.

[longbyte1]

It should work but you shouldn't have to use ScpServer to get it to work.

[Steel_Hammer]

Question, does this work on the Xbox for windows controller? the knockoff one where the d-pad is where the analog should be, like a playstation controller.

[longbyte1]

Whether you want to use a controller is up to you. Some people play more comfortably with a controller, and some with a mouse.

[Seriathus]

Nice guide. It doesn't explain one thing, though. Why you would want to use a controller to play Awesomenauts.

[gooch]

mouse is better....

[Panda Attack]

Controller is better for melee characters.

[LyriX of WΩR]

controller all the way !!! this guide is accurate about set up and such props to you but as AnteSocial said the aiming is harder with the controller based on the analog stick so gets some getting used to :) but if you got any skill you will adjust