Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulators)

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FinalBaton
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Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulators)

Post by FinalBaton »

So... I know this should be simple but, I tried doing this for a friend last night and I couldn't get it to work... sigh, setting up emulators and my Gravis pad was so easy in 1999, why am I having a hard time with this????

I'd like a detailed walkthrough for this, (as well as all programs/drivers I need to download)as I don't want to spend too much time on it!




What we tried last night : plug cable in dual shock 3, then in PC usb port, then open Better DS3. Tried to map button but we couldn't do it. Looked like the Dual Shock 3, despite being recognized by PC, didn't have its inputs registered (tried a "calibrate" thingie and there was no response.

Is there drivers I need to download? also, all tutorials I tried mentionned using "Xbox controller config/profiles". What's up with tha? Is that aimed at people using Steam? because we won't be playing in Steam with thi, just good ol' console emulators.

Also I downloaded ePSXe and fired up an ISO and it didn't work. Ehhhh what? Is there a compatibility problem with this emulator and Windows 10 or something? Or do I need to pay attention to 32/64 bit install? or maybe my ISO was just corrupted...

Lastly : I seen tutorials mention Bluetooth dongles. Do I need this? my buddies laptop has bluetooth, so I don't get why I'd need that
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nmalinoski
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by nmalinoski »

First, Windows will generally recognize the DS3 as a device, but not as a game controller, so the behavior you're seeing is normal.

Secondly, Better DS3 is just a better front-end for the Motion-in-Joy drivers; it is not packaged with any drivers, so you will need to install those drivers separately (ideally using a package that doesn't include that horrible UI).

If you plan on using the DS3 wirelessly, you also need to be mindful that these drivers take over the Bluetooth stack, so if your friend is using any other Bluetooth devices, they may not be able to sync or may malfunction. (Personally, I was not able to have both a DS3 and DS4 paired to my W7 PC when the MIJ drivers were installed.)
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FinalBaton
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by FinalBaton »

Thanks for the answer nmalinoski.

So what I need is BOTH Motion-in-joy, and Better DS3? Gotcha. I'll downolad those. Aside from installing those 2, is there any linking that needs to be done between them? like activate some option in Better DS3 so it recognizes Motion-in-joy or something? Or is it done automatically?

Didn't know that no other BT device can be used while DS3 and those programs are running. Not a hindrance at all though, since buddy doesn't have any other BT device working with his laptop.

I'll try this and report. Hopefully the Motion-in-Joy drivers and Better DS3 downloads will both contain what's necessary, and no excess stuff.
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ZellSF
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by ZellSF »

Um, I remember like it being over 5 years ago since MotionInJoy wasn't recommended because of better options. I haven't tried myself recently, but I'd definitely go with PC Gaming Wiki's instructions:
https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Controller:DualShock_3
FinalBaton wrote:Is there drivers I need to download? also, all tutorials I tried mentionned using "Xbox controller config/profiles". What's up with tha? Is that aimed at people using Steam? because we won't be playing in Steam with thi, just good ol' console emulators.
All games and emulators generally support the Xbox 360 controller, or there's tools available that supports the 360 controller. The PS3 controller however is supported by almost nothing. Pretending to be a 360 controller makes more sense. Reading through this might be a good idea:
https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Glossary:Controller
FinalBaton wrote:Also I downloaded ePSXe and fired up an ISO and it didn't work. Ehhhh what? Is there a compatibility problem with this emulator and Windows 10 or something? Or do I need to pay attention to 32/64 bit install? or maybe my ISO was just corrupted...
ePSXe works fine on Windows 10.

It is however not the most compatible PSX emulator, so your game could simply not work with it (since you didn't mention which game there's no way to tell) and it uses a plugin system so you could be using a plugin that doesn't work (again, since you didn't specify which plugins you are using, there's no way to tell).

There's only 32-bit versions for Windows and you would want the 32-bit version anyway, since the 64-bit version would probably be incompatible with the many 32-bit only plugins.
nmalinoski
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by nmalinoski »

FinalBaton wrote:Aside from installing those 2, is there any linking that needs to be done between them? like activate some option in Better DS3 so it recognizes Motion-in-joy or something? Or is it done automatically?

Didn't know that no other BT device can be used while DS3 and those programs are running. Not a hindrance at all though, since buddy doesn't have any other BT device working with his laptop.
Once you have your DS3 installed using the MIJ drivers (You may need to manually apply the driver to the controller using Device Manager), it will show up in BetterDS3.

And I'm not sure if no other Bluetooth devices will work, just that I haven't had luck with trying to use a DS4 via Bluetooth with the MIJ drivers installed.

ZellSF wrote:Um, I remember like it being over 5 years ago since MotionInJoy wasn't recommended because of better options. I haven't tried myself recently, but I'd definitely go with PC Gaming Wiki's instructions:
https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Controller:DualShock_3
"Better" is subjective. What pcgamingwiki suggests is a program that only exposes the DS3 as an Xbox 360 controller. Frankly, I prefer the MIJ drivers with BetterDS3, because I can use DInput if I want/need to, and the interface is dead simple to use.
ZellSF
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by ZellSF »

nmalinoski wrote:"Better" is subjective. What pcgamingwiki suggests is a program that only exposes the DS3 as an Xbox 360 controller. Frankly, I prefer the MIJ drivers with BetterDS3, because I can use DInput if I want/need to, and the interface is dead simple to use.
Sure, better is subjective, but personally I'd always take a program that behaves nicely and doesn't have malware-like behavior over one that has a slightly easier to use UI.

And DInput controller schemes were never really standard, for applications that support it being able to remap your controller is pretty essential and XInput Plus handles that for Xbox 360 controllers.
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WelshMegalodon
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by WelshMegalodon »

FinalBaton wrote:ePSXe
Don't be a chump - use Mednafen! :wink: Unless you reeeally like rendering at higher resolutions.
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SGGG2
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Re: Setting up PS3 controller for use on Win10 (for emulator

Post by SGGG2 »

You can try using XOutput. It's a Dinput to Xinput wrapper that fools games into thinking you're using a Xbox 360 controller. https://github.com/Stents-/XOutput

Some games will see "two" controllers, Dinput and Xinput. You can try the following to fix it.
Erick8x commented on May 8, 2016

Try use a dinput blocker dll, search for "dinput8-x360cev21" in google and put the dinput8.dll in exe of the game folder.
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