Microsoft won’t ask you to keep using the Xbox 360 joypad for your PC gaming any longer.
The company released the Xbox One controller drivers for Windows today, which means that you can start using Microsoft’s latest gamepad to play BioShock Infinite, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and any other PC game that works with the Xbox 360 sticks. You’ll need to connect the device directly to your rig with a USB cord and get the drivers from Microsoft’s site, but after that you’re good to go.
“We know our fans have wanted PC compatibility, and we know they wanted to be able to use the Xbox One controller with the same games and applications they have been playing with using the Xbox 360 controller,” Xbox evangelist Larry Hryb wrote in a blog post. “We can’t wait for them to play their favorite PC games with what we consider the best controller ever made, and we’re excited for fans to experience the improved D-pad, redesigned battery compartment, new comfortable design, and offset analog sticks.”
We’ve reached out to Microsoft to ask if it has plans for a USB dongle to enable a wireless connection on PC like it has for the Xbox 360 controller, and we’ll update this post with any new information. Many games may likely continue using a different controller so they don’t have to deal with wires.
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The PC-gaming industry has widely adopted the Xbox 360 controller as its official handheld input device. Many titles for Windows come with full support for the gamepad, and Microsoft is likely hoping it can continue that with the Xbox One’s joystick. Here’s a list of the hundreds of games that support the Xbox 360 pad on PC.
Many gamers have already started using their PlayStation 4 controllers on PC in conjunction with third-party software that tricks Windows into thinking it is an Xbox 360 pad. Sony doesn’t officially support PC.
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