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There’s never been a better time to use a gamepad with your Mac. Whether it’s one of the recently launched for OS X, classic games from sites like, or old, there’s no shortage of awesome gaming experiences that simply beg to be played with a gamepad rather than a mouse and keyboard. There are a number of relatively inexpensive available, but some Mac owners already have a perfectly good PlayStation 4 DualShock controller sitting in their living rooms. Wouldn’t it be great to just use the PS4 controller with your Mac? Well, good news! There are two ways to use a wireless DualShock 4 controller with OS X, and we’ll show you each method below.
OpenEmu is about to change the world of video game emulation, one console at a time For the first time, the ‘It just works’ philosophy now extends to open source video game emulation on the Mac. With OpenEmu, it is extremely easy to add, browse, organize and with a compatible gamepad, play those favorite games (ROMs) you already own. OpenEmu is about to change the world of video game emulation, one console at a time. For the first time, the 'It just works' philosophy now extends to open source video game emulation on the Mac. For the first time, the 'It just works' philosophy now extends to open source video game emulation on the Mac.
Use a PS4 Controller Wired to Your Mac with USB The PS4 DualShock controller uses a standard micro-USB connection, and you can use a micro-USB to Type A standard USB cable to connect the controller directly to your Mac. This is the easiest and simplest option, as OS X natively recognizes the PS4 controller when connected via USB, and it requires no configuration. You can verify that the PS4 controller has been properly recognized by OS X by looking for it in System Profiler (a.k.a. System Information). In OS X Yosemite, just go to Apple About This Mac System Report Hardware USB and look for Wireless Controller in the list of your USB devices (it will refer to the PS4 controller as “wireless” even when it’s connected to your Mac via USB). In all versions of OS X, including older versions, you can also get to System Profiler by holding the Option key while you click on the Apple icon in the menu bar, and then selecting System Profiler or System Information, depending on your specific version of the operating system.
Use a PS4 Controller Wirelessly Connected to Your Mac via Bluetooth The PS4 DualShock controller uses the standard specification, making it compatible with Macs. This allows you to connect it to your Mac wirelessly, so that you have freedom of movement while gaming that’s not limited by the length of your USB cord. Unlike a wired USB connection, however, a Bluetooth PS4 controller connection requires a quick bit of setup, in the form of a Bluetooth pairing procedure. To pair your PS4 controller to your Mac, first head to System Preferences Bluetooth and make sure that your Mac’s Bluetooth radio is enabled. Then put the PS4 controller into discovery mode by holding both the PlayStation and Share buttons together until the controller’s light bar begins to blink.
You can let go of the PlayStation and Share buttons at this time. Shortly after the PS4 controller’s light bar starts blinking, you’ll see a device called Wireless Controller appear in your Mac’s Bluetooth device list.
Click Pair to complete the process and pair your PS4 controller to your Mac. How to Play Games in OS X with Your PS4 Controller You can now start using your PS4 controller in supported games and applications.
As a quick example, let’s look at the great console emulator, which we when it launched last year. We’ve recently been reading Blake Harris’ — a great historical look at the war between Sega and Nintendo for control of our living rooms — and it put us in the mood to play some. So we fired up OpenEmu, found our Sega Genesis games, and got ready to play some Sonic.
But before we start the game, we need to tell the app to use our newly connected PS4 controller. The steps involved in this process vary by the game or app, but in the case of OpenEmu, you’ll want to head to OpenEmu Preferences Controls. Select your emulated console from the list at the top, and then find the Input menu at the bottom. By default, your OpenEmu input will be set to the keyboard, but once your PS4 controller is connected to your Mac via USB or Bluetooth, you can use the Input menu to find and select it. The app will automatically take a shot a mapping the appropriate buttons for you, but you can always adjust those mappings to match your playing preferences. Once you’re all set with the correct button mappings, just close the Preferences window, pick your game, and play!
As we’ve written before, OpenEmu is a fantastic game emulator and manager, and while playing these classic console games with a keyboard is doable, you’ll have an infinitely better experience with your PS4 controller. Want news and tips from TekRevue delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for the TekRevue Weekly Digest using the box below. Get tips, reviews, news, and giveaways reserved exclusively for subscribers.
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By. 6:00 am, October 29, 2012. After we reported on coming to the Mac, we got a reader question that I figured it’d be good to write a tip on.
Playing games on your Mac is great fun of course, and all of them use the keyboard and/or mouse to control the games being played. However, with AirPlay mirroring, HDMI cable support, and a bunch of new games showing up for the Mac platform along their Windows brethren, there are times when a console style controller is a better alternative.
Being able to sit on the couch and play our favorite Mac games has a lot to recommend it, and using an Xbox controller is fairly easy to set up. First of all, you’ll need an Xbox controller, wired or wireless with the Microsoft wireless adapter. I used a wired controller, but you should be able to get a wireless controller (with the wireless receiver you can get on ) to work just as well. Secondly, head over to TattieBogle, and there.
This driver will let your Mac talk to the Xbox 360 controller, and vice versa. Once downloaded, mount the disk image with a double click on the.dmg file and then double click on the.pkg file that’s on it. Follow the prompts, just like any other OS X installer, to install the driver software.
You won’t need to restart. Now, plug in the Xbox 360 wired controller. The green lights around the middle Xbox button will light up, but then will go dark. Unlike when connected to an actual Xbox 360, the controller will not light up when connected to your Mac. Now, pull up System Preferences, either from the Apple Menu or from within your Applications folder. There should be an Xbox 360 Controllers preference icon in the lower right, now. Click on that, and you’ll see a control panel like the screenshot above.
Pressing the buttons will darken them on the control panel, so you can see that the controller is working. Now, launch Steam, or other controller-enabled game, on your Mac, and get to gaming! You can send your Mac screen to your Apple TV or use an HDMI cable to get it up on your HDTV. I recommend the cable, as Airplay can have a little bit of lag between a button press and the effect, depending on your router’s wi-fi signal.