How to use your switch’s pro controller in steam
Getting set up takes barely any time at all.
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Many people play games on PC with a mouse and keyboard, but some genres are just better suited to controllers. If you’ve got a Nintendo Switch Pro controller, you can put it to work with your Windows computer in barely any time at all.
Our step-by-step instructions cover using a Switch Pro controller with a PC via wired or wireless connection—as well as how to make it work properly with your games.
How to connect a Switch Pro controller to your PC
Wireless
The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller supports standard Bluetooth, allowing you to pair it wirelessly with your PC. (If your computer doesn’t support Bluetooth, you can still use the wired method below.)
Your controller must be at least partially charged before beginning the Bluetooth pairing process.
Windows 10
- In your computer’s System Settings, choose Bluetooth & other devices. You can also jump straight to these through a system search for “bluetooth”.
- Make sure Bluetooth is on. The toggle will be blue, with text underneath that says “Now discoverable as
.”
PCWorld
The start of Windows 10’s Bluetooth pairing process. In Windows 8, you won’t need to go through this intermediary step—instead, you’ll instantly see a list of devices you can pair with if Bluetooth is on.
Windows 8
- In your computer’s PC Settings, choose PC and devices >Bluetooth. You can also jump straight to these through a system search for “bluetooth”.
- Make sure Bluetooth is on. You’ll see text that says “Your PC is searching for and can be discovered by Bluetooth devices.”
- On the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, find the sync button, which sits next to the USB-C connector at the top of the controller. Press and hold it until you see the green lights at the bottom of the controller flash in a ripple effect.
- Back on your computer, your screen should show a list of devices available for pairing. Click on “Pro Controller,” then choose Pair.
- The pairing will begin, with a gray progress bar showing below the controller’s name.
- When the process is complete, you’ll see the word Connected. The bottom of the Switch Pro controller should also show just one square lit in green (typically, the far left one).
Note: To later use the controller with your Windows 10 or 8 PC, press any button on the controller. The green lights at the bottom should go through the ripple pattern until reconnection is complete, at which point you’ll see just one square lit up.
Wired
Your Nintendo Switch Pro controller should work with any USB-A to USB-C cable, with the easiest option being the one that comes included with the controller.
- Connect the USB-A end of the cable to a USB port on your computer.
- Plug USB-C part of the cable into the top of your Nintendo Switch controller.
- Wait for Windows to recognize it. Usually, you’ll hear an audio cue as this process happens.
- If Steam is running on your system, a ring of blue light will light around the Home button.
On occasion, the system may not recognize your controller on the first try—we’ve gotten it to work after disconnecting the cable from the controller and then reseating it again firmly.
How to configure Steam for use with a Switch Pro controller
Some game launchers will automatically recognize the Switch Pro controller once you’ve paired it or plugged it into your computer, but Steam requires you to enable support before it’ll work with your library of games.
Check Use Nintendo button layout if you want the in-game button prompts and the Switch Pro controller’s face button labels to match.
- In Steam’s menu bar, go to Steam > Settings > Controller > General Controller Settings
- Check the box next to Switch Pro Configuration Support
- If you prefer the default Nintendo layout, also check Use Nintendo button layout. Otherwise, leave it unselected to mimic the default Xbox controller layout.
Alaina Yee covers desktop PCs, computer components, mini-PCs, and more for PCWorld. Her favorite article to write is an annual piece combining her two loves: bargain hunting and PC building. You can find her on Twitter at @morphingball.
Learn how routers securely connect your small business to the rest of the world and connect your devices, including laptops and printers, to each other.
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When building a small office network, the two most essential pieces of equipment you will need are switches and routers. Though they look similar, the two devices perform different functions within a network.
What is a switch?
Switches facilitate the sharing of resources by connecting together all the devices, including computers, printers, and servers, in a small business network. Thanks to the switch, these connected devices can share information and talk to each other, regardless of where they are in a building or on a campus. Building a small business network is not possible without switches to tie devices together.
What is a router?
Just as a switch connects multiple devices to create a network, a router connects multiple switches, and their respective networks, to form an even larger network. These networks may be in a single location or across multiple locations. When building a small business network, you will need one or more routers. In addition to connecting multiple networks together, the router also allows networked devices and multiple users to access the Internet.
Ultimately, a router works as a dispatcher, directing traffic and choosing the most efficient route for information, in the form of data packets, to travel across a network. A router connects your business to the world, protects information from security threats, and even decides which devices have priority over others.
Here’s how to use your Nintendo Switch Pro controller in Steam.
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We don’t talk about the Nintendo Switch ($300 on Amazon) much because, well, this is PCWorld, but its pick-up-and-go portability and deep library of exclusive games make it a delightful companion console for PC gamers (if you can stomach 30 frames per second). And it just became an ever better complement thanks to newfound Nintendo Switch Pro controller support in Steam.
Switch Pro controllers ($70 on Amazon) could be used on Windows PCs via Bluetooth for a while now, but coaxing them to work with third-party software was complex burden. Native Steam support streamlines the experience.
How to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller in Steam
The feature’s only available in the beta version of the client for now as it prepares for full release. You can join the beta by opening Steam’s settings, then clicking the Change button in the “beta participation” portion of the Account tab. Steam will prompt you to restart. After downloading some data, the client opens back up and you’re ready to go.
The Steam controller settings now include support for Nintendo Switch Pro controllers.
To set up your Nintendo Switch Pro controller in Steam, open the settings again, select the Controller tab and click General controller settings. A Steam Big Picture Mode window opens, and you’ll see a “Switch Pro configuration support” option. Checking it allows you to create, browse, and share controller configurations on a per-game basis.
Mentioned in this article
Underneath that, you’ll see an option to use Nintendo’s button layout. Nintendo reverses the X/Y and A/B buttons compared to other major controllers. The Steam Input Configurator software is powerful and versatile, letting you create and use all sorts of button configurations; the Nintendo button layout option automatically reverses the inputs to match your hardware if you select a configuration other than the Nintendo Switch Pro template.
Plug in your controller and register it to your Steam account if you’d like. You typically don’t need to run the calibration function for controllers you’re using with Steam, but Valve recommends it in this case to ensure the Switch Pro’s gyrometer is running correctly. Do so by clicking on the controller in the “Detected controllers” section, then clicking Calibrate and following the on-screen directions.
From there, you’re ready to rock. If you don’t want to use the stock control scheme in a given game, you can create custom configurations (or use templates created by others) by booting into Steam Big Picture mode by clicking on the controller icon in the upper-right corner of Steam’s title bar, browsing to the game in your library, and selecting Manage game > Controller configuration. Alternatively, you can press the Home button on your controller while in-game to summon the Steam overlay, where you can change your controller configuration on the fly.
Mentioned in this article
In some quick tests this morning, Nintendo Switch Pro controller support just works in Steam after the initial setup. Connecting a third-party Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wired Controller Plus ($30 on Amazon) wasn’t quite as seamless; it only registers as a generic gamepad in Steam. Generic gamepads require you to map every button during initial setup, and being designated as one means the Zelda controller doesn’t respond to the “Use Nintendo Button Layout” option. It works, and this controller costs less than half as much as the official Switch Pro controller, but stick to Nintendo’s own hardware for the best experience in Steam.
Senior editor Brad Chacos covers gaming and graphics for PCWorld, and runs the morning news desk for PCWorld, Macworld, Greenbot, and TechHive. He tweets too.
By Andrew Melcon 06 May 2018
Steam now officially supports Nintendo’s Switch Pro Controller. Here’s how to use it.
If you’re a PC gamer with a Nintendo Switch and a Pro Controller laying around, then you’ll be happy to know that Valve recently made your Pro Controller fully supported by Steam Big Picture Mode.
The Switch Pro Controller’s button layout is very similar to Sony’s PlayStation 4 controller and Microsoft’s Xbox One controller, but each gamepad feels a bit different and a lot of what’s best comes down to preference. If you like Nintendo’s larger face buttons and comfy rubber grip and want to use it for PC gaming, then keep reading.
First, you need to opt in to Steam’s Beta Client that will let you run the newest features as soon as they’re available. Don’t let the word “beta” scare you, there’s nothing unfinished about the Pro Controller’s functionality with Steam. To opt in, navigate to the Settings menu, and in the Account section you’ll find an option to change your Beta Participation status. Once you opt in, your Steam browser will restart and download the beta update.
At this point, you can go ahead and plug your Pro Controller into your PC using the USB cable that came with the controller. Now go back to the Settings menu in Steam and click the Controller tab, then click General Controller Settings and make sure Switch Pro Controller Configuration Support is checked. The controller should already be calibrated, but you can recalibrate it at this time if you like.
If all you wanted to do was use it like any other gamepad, then your work is already done. Since most game controller support corresponds to Xbox controllers, Steam will automatically swap the A, B, X, and Y inputs since those buttons are in different places on the Pro Controller. This means when a game tells you to press the A button, you’ll actually be pressing A on the Pro Controller and not B which is where A is located on an Xbox One controller. You can deactivate automatic button swapping by unchecking the box next to Use Nintendo Button Layout.
Similar to using a PS4 controller with Steam, there’s a lot you can do if you have the time to dig around the configuration menu. Select a game from your Steam library then click Controller Configuration. In Big Picture Mode, you can bring up the overlay by pressing the glowing Home button on the Pro Controller.
The configuration menu is, in a word, bananas. You can fully remap the entire controller and save it as a profile to be used with other games. If the game is popular enough, you can find community profiles that can be downloaded or upload your own.
But that’s not all, you can double bind buttons; you can reconfigure the d-pad as 4-way or 8-way; you can set “Action Layers” to change layouts on the fly, you can set turbo buttons and quite a bit more. It might take you some time to grapple with the system and realize everything that’s on offer, but you’ll be able to do things with your Pro Controller you didn’t think was possible. That includes using the internal gyroscope as an input method, too.
Thankfully the default layout is suitable for most games that normally support a gamepad, so you won’t need to worry about all of these configuration options if you don’t want to.
Ollie Mattison
Jul 02, 2021• Proven solutions
Nintendo did not design the Switch Pro controller with PC gamers in mind, but that won’t stop us from using it. The controller has an excellent battery life, very accurate analog sticks, and large buttons more substantial than those on the Switch joy cons. Especially if you’ve been using an Xbox 360 controller for a while and are ready to upgrade, it’s an excellent choice for your next PC controller.
Utilizing the Nintendo Switch Pro controller for most of your PC games is a breeze thanks to Steam’s controller configurator, which officially supports this controller. Plug-and-play is the most accurate description. To play games, not on Steam, you need to use this guide.
This article will tell you how to enable your Nintendo Switch Pro controller to work with Steam or Windows, either through a Bluetooth connection or a wired connection. The first thing you’ll need is a Nintendo Switch Pro controller (obviously) and a USB-C cable.
You might be interested in:
Wired Connection for Switch Pro Controllers
Windows describe it as a DirectInput controller instead of an XInput controller, so getting it to work with PC games can prove tedious. However, thanks to Value-adding full Switch controller support to Steam, you will probably be able to play most of your favorite games.
Step1: Connect the Pro Controller cable (or any USB-A-to-USB-C cable) to your PC. If your computer has a USB-C port, connect the USB-C-to-USB-C data cable instead.
Step2: Connect the other end of the cable to your PC.
There you have it! Windows 10 will recognize your controller as a “Pro Controller.” You can now proceed with installing Steam.
Wirelessly connect your Switch Pro controller to your PC
It’s also easy, but you need to buy an adapter or have Bluetooth on your computer.
- Once you have charged the Pro Controller, you can press and hold the Sync button on the top of the controller for a few seconds until the indicator lights begin to flash.
- Right-click the Bluetooth icon in the system tray.
- To add a Bluetooth device, click “Add Bluetooth Device.”
- Click on “Bluetooth” (since Windows 10 needs to be convinced that you want to use Bluetooth).
- Ensure that the Pro Controller appears on the list of available devices (if it does not, ensure that the indicator lights are flashing back and forth). Pair the controller by clicking it.
- Once Steam is set up, you can begin using it.
How To Setup Steam To Use Your Switch Pro Controller On Pc
The Best Way to make sure your Pro Controller works properly with your PC game is to use Steam’s Big Picture mode, which uses a comfortable lean-back system to allow you to navigate.
- You will be required to open Steam and enter the settings menu if Big Picture doesn’t open automatically when you connect the Pro Controller.
- Open the Big Picture window by clicking General Controller Settings.
- The “Support Configuration” button will appear.
You should use the gamepad to navigate Big Picture if you have the Pro Controller connected. It is possible to switch between using the Nintendo Button Layout (clockwise X, A, B, Y from the top) or the Xbox controller button layout (clockwise Y, B, A, X).
When configured through Steam, you should use the Pro Controller with any Steam game similar to an Xbox gamepad. Vibration can be enabled or disabled by selecting a controller from the “Detected Controllers” list in the same setup screen as before. It is possible to calibrate the analog sticks by clicking the Calibrate button manually. Also, the controller can be set to disconnect after a specified amount of time before going to sleep.
Enter the Switch Pro Controller overlay from Steam’s controller options while running in Big Picture mode. There are several ways to map the inputs on the Pro Controller, but default configurations are usually sufficient for most games. By changing the controller mapping based on the situation, you can fix any problems on the fly.
What To Do With Non-Steam Games?
Using the methods discussed above, you can easily use a switch pro controller with your pc, but it only works with steam games. But what if you want to play a non-steam game using a switch pro controller? What will you do now? The switch pro controller hardware support will run out of luck in this scenario.
The main problem here now is how windows will detect your switch pro controller now if you want to play non-steam games. Luckily there are two simple solutions for this problem.
Solution1: The first solution is to use an external Bluetooth adapter that is specifically designed for different types of gamepads. You will find plenty of them out there for switch pro controllers.
Solution2: The second method is to use a software-based XInput Wrapper. There is plenty of software out there that provides this functionality. Just configure your switch pro controller with them, and you can easily use it on non-steam games.
Final Verdict
This is how you can use your switch pro controller with your PC. Now you can easily enjoy your favorite games on one of the finest controllers available in the market today. All you need to do is, follow some simple steps mentioned in this article, and you are good to go. You can connect it both with wire and wirelessly. It is comparatively easy to connect it through the wire, and the performance of the controller is also slightly better when it is connected through a wire.
If you have trouble with random button presses or other incompatibilities, this two-step process should get your Switch Pro Controller working on your PC with minimal fuss.
If you have trouble with random button presses or other incompatibilities, this two-step process should get your Switch Pro Controller working on your PC with minimal fuss.
By Christopher Gates Posted in Tech, Video Games on June 27, 2019 3 min read
I love the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It weighs just the right amount. Its buttons are clicky, but never too hard to press. The HD rumble feature is keen, and the motion-control capabilities work surprisingly well. Basically, I want to use it to play everything.
Until last week, I couldn’t. See, something is wrong with my Pro Controller. While some people can simply connect their Pro Controller to their PC using Bluetooth or a USB cable, my computer seems to think that every single one of the Pro Controller’s buttons is being pressed all the time. That renders my games unplayable.
From what I can tell, this is a common problem, and so far there doesn’t seem to be a solution. Going through Steam, which has its own Switch Pro Controller support, works okay, but I have games I got through the Epic Games Store, Uplay, EA Origin, Xbox Game Pass, Humble Bundle, GOG, and Itch. I’d like to use the Pro Controller with those, too.
Now I can. The following method is more of a workaround for the button-pressing issue than an outright fix, but it only takes a couple of minutes to set up. Here’s how:
1. Download, unzip, and run BetterJoyForCemu
As the name implies, BetterJoyForCemu is a utility designed to make Switch controllers work with Cemu, a Wii U emulator. That’s how I found it. However, you don’t need to run Cemu to take advantage of BetterJoyForCemu. Just run the application, connect your Pro Controller (both Bluetooth and USB cable work fine), and there you go.
Okay, okay, there’s one more step you need to take. Once BetterJoyForCemu is running, click the little arrow on the right side of the window to open up the advanced settings, make sure that “ShowAsXinput” is on, and click Apply.
That will get your Pro Controller working with most games. If you go to your Game Controllers control panel, you’ll see how it works. When you open up the control panel, you’ll notice that there are actually two controllers listed: the Pro Controller and an Xbox 360 pad. They’re actually the same thing. BetterJoyForCemu simply acts like a wrapper, tricking your PC into thinking the Pro Controller is also an Xbox 360 controller.
For me, the buttons under the “Pro Controller” profile still go wild, but the virtual Xbox 360 controller works exactly like I expect it to. As long as that’s the controller that my games use, the problem is solved. In fact, BetterJoyForCemu is so handy that I’ve moved a shortcut to the app to my startup folder (by default, you can find that at C:\Users\ \AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) so that it launches alongside my PC.
2. Make the virtual Xbox 360 controller your default gamepad
Simply running BetterJoyForCemu will get the Pro Controller working in many games, but it doesn’t cover all of them. Older titles, as well as certain ones that automatically detect game controllers, sometimes use the Pro Controller profile, not the Xbox 360 profile. In those cases, the fake button presses prevent you from getting to the games’ setting menus to switch the controller profile. It’s a mess.
The solution? In the Game Controllers control panel, click on “Advanced,” then make the fake Xbox 360 controller your preferred device.
That’s all there is to it. You should be able to use your Switch Pro Controller with any game on your PC — and all of the buttons should work just fine.
The Epic Games Store is a great way to dive into PC gaming, but it’s still missing a few basic features. One of these missing features is support for gamepads such as the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. This is one of many controllers that just doesn’t want to work with the Epic launcher. Fortunately, there is a way to play Epic Games Store games with the Switch Pro Controller. Here’s what you need to know.
How to use Switch Pro Controller with Epic Games Store games
By default, the Epic Games Store does not support the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, at least not yet. Thankfully, you can use the Switch Pro controller to play games purchased from the Epic Games Store by launching them through Steam.
This may seem a bit counter-intuitive. After all, the Epic Games Store is a competitor to Valve’s long-running PC storefront. However, since Steam has been around for such a long time, it’s developed a robust set of features. Among these features is the ability to play non-Steam games with all of the usual Steam perks. And included among that list is — you guessed it — support for the Nintendo Switch Pro controller.
For this to work, you need to do two separate things. The first is that you need to add your EGS game to Steam as a non-Steam game. Then, you need to set up the Switch Pro controller to work within Steam itself. Here’s how the process works.
Add your Epic Games Store game to Steam
- Load Steam, then open your Library
- Click the Add A Game button in the lower-left
- Select Add a Non-Steam Game
- Click browse, then navigate to the folder where the game is installed
- The default Epic Games Store directory is C:\Program Files\Epic Games\
- Find and select the executable (*.exe) for the game to add
- Make sure the game is selected, then click Add Selected Programs
After that’s done, your game from the Epic storefront will be loaded into Steam. At this point you can play it with a number of different gamepads, including the DualShock 4, PS5 DualSense, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and the Steam controller. However, there’s just a bit more work needed to enable the Switch Pro controller.
Configure your Switch Pro controller in Steam
- Open Steam, click Steam in the upper-left, then click Settings
- Select the Controller option in the left sidebar
- Click General Controller Settings
- Turn on the toggle for Switch Pro Configuration support
- If desired, toggle the Use Nintendo Button Layout option. This will reverse the B and A buttons to more closely match the usual Switch button configuration
- Close the Controller Settings window, then click OK to close the Settings window
With all of these steps done, you’ll be able to play games from the Epic Games Store using a Nintendo Switch Pro controller. Epic Games cloud saves will still function, and as an added bonus, you’ll be able to use the Steam overlay in-game.
PC gaming is better served connecting an external controller to your PC setup to give you a better range of hands-on functionality. You can either buy controllers that are specifically designed to be hooked up to your PC and used for PC gaming or you can recycle some of your available console controllers to serve the same purpose. If you have got a Nintendo Switch Pro and are looking to configure its controller with your PC for gaming, this guide will walk you through all the essential steps to going about this.
There are two gaming scenarios that you may need to configure your Nintendo Switch Pro controller to your PC for. The first is to play games through the Steam Engine. The second is to play non-Steam PC games with their own independent clients. For each of the two scenarios, the steps for configuration are slightly different. You can connect the controller through the wire or wirelessly via Bluetooth. All you will need to get started are your PC that you want to configure with, your Nintendo Switch Pro controller, and a USB C cable to process the pairing.
Configuring For Steam
Now that you’ve set your controller up with your Steam Engine, all you will have to do before playing any game is plug it in to your PC. The system will automatically detect your controller and your control mapping and latency profiles will be saved for each game as you’ve made them, ready for use.
Configuring For Individual PC Games
Wired Connection
To configure your Nintendo Switch Pro controller for games that do not run on the Steam Engine or run on independent clients, you will have to configure the controller generally with Windows. Steam makes it much easier to configure your controller. The procedure for configuring it with Windows is slightly more challenging but doable, nonetheless. If you want to take a wireless over Bluetooth configuration route, you can opt for the easier way which will cost you USD $20. For this you will need two additional pieces of equipment, namely: a Bluetooth dongle and an 8Bitdo wireless Bluetooth adapter (the costing element).
If you would like to go through the regular Windows installation without these two pieces of equipment and free of cost, follow the instructions below:
- Use the USB C cable to connect your Nintendo Switch Pro controller to your PC device.
- Windows will automatically recognize that a new device has been plugged in.
- This seems easy enough that you have plugged in your controller, Windows has recognized it, and the system has installed the relevant drivers to allow for your controller to function with your PC. The hindrance here is that because there isn’t a streamlined engine handling all of your gaming activities for non-Steam PC games, your controller may not function properly for all of your desired games without some additional configuration.
- Download and install x360ce (a controller emulator) in both its 32 bit and 64 bit versions. While your PC may either be 32 bit or 64 bit, some games can be either and you may need to install one or the other of the versions. The app x360ce itself lets you know which one to install for each game. The purpose of this software is to unite all of your gaming controller connectivities through one streamlined platform.
- Find where your game’s “.exe” file is installed. Head into this folder and paste your x360ce “.zip”. Extract this here. The x360ce application, at this point, will let you know if you need to paste in a 32 bit version or a 64 bit one. Once you’ve pasted the correct one and extracted it, run the file and a window will pop up asking you to create a “.dll” file. Create this.
- Next, you will be asked to configure the settings for your Nintendo Switch Pro controller. Check “Search the Internet” and wait as the system finds the layout for your controller. Once this appears, you can simply save the settings and hit “Finish”.
Note that the above procedure needs to be carried out in the folder of each individual executable game you have installed to configure the Nintendo Switch Pro controller for each of the games. You may encounter key mapping problems in any of the games where the buttons, despite being configured according to the template your system downloaded, may not operate that way in-game. To resolve this, you can head into the in-game settings and map out your keys again specific to that game. This will ensure that they operate the way that you would like.
Wireless Connection (via Bluetooth)
A standard Windows Bluetooth configuration to allow for wireless gameplay requires that you carry out the steps above as well. Before doing so, however, ensure that the controller is disconnected from the USB C wire connecting it to your PC system. Turn on your computer’s Bluetooth settings and look for new devices. Simultaneously, press the button on top of your control to get it into pairing mode and pair the two devices. Once this is done, carry out steps 1 to 6 listed above for generic Windows configuration with x360ce for each game you would like. In this process, you can opt to use the 8bitdo wireless Bluetooth adapter module (such as these) as your connector instead of the inbuilt Windows Bluetooth processing.
Final Thoughts
Connecting a Nintendo Switch Pro controller to your PC device for PC gaming is a manageable process. The only hurdle comes out when you’re looking to use it for multiple games. PC games can generally be broken down into Steam and Non-Steam games. For either, a client that is able to project your controller configurations to all your games is needed. In the case of Steam games, the Steam client acts as a one-stop configuration outlet for you to set up your Nintendo Switch Pro controller (with inbuilt compatibility in Steam) and it projects these settings across all of your Steam games. You can individually customize your controller buttons for each game on the Steam engine as well. For non-Steam games, the x360ce controller emulator configures your controller for each game individually. With these two solutions, you’ve got all your gaming configurations covered.
This guide will show you how to use a Switch Pro Controller on a Windows 10 PC. Windows 10 comes with built-in support for Switch Pro Controllers so it will work with the majority of games that support controllers without additional drivers. Games can be launched through Steam to enable controller support in any game or application on PC. The Switch Pro Controller can be used alongside Steam for further features and configuration options; Steam can easily be used to map the analog sticks to mouse inputs making mouse-focused games such as first-person shooters much easier to play.
BetterJoy can be installed to use a Switch Pro Controller for Windows 7, the controller will emulate an Xbox 360 Controller making it compatible with all games that support controllers.
- Steam
- BetterJoyforCemu (Optional / for Windows 7)
Steam (Recommended)
- Steam features built-in native support for Switch Pro Controllers
- You can enable controller support for any game or emulator by adding Non-Steam games to your Steam library
- Easily map keyboard keys and mouse inputs to your controller
USB-C to USB-A Cable
- The Switch Pro Controller requires a USB-C cable for a wired connection to your PC
- A USB-C cable is required to charge the Switch Pro Controller
- USB-C to USB-C cable can also be used if your computer features a USB-C port
8BitDo Switch Controller Bluetooth Adapter
- A Bluetooth adapter or dongle is required to connect the Switch Pro Controller to your PC wirelessly
- The 8BitDo adapter will automatically configure your controller and emulate the Xbox 360 Controller
- It is the best hassle-free solution, no additional drivers or apps such as BetterJoyforCemu required
- Works with all games and Steam out-of-the-box
- Works with PC, mac OS, Switch and Android (via OTG cable)
- Can also be used to connect Dualshock and Xbox controllers on all compatible platforms (despite the name)
Connecting Switch Pro Controller in Windows 10
In Windows 10, your Switch Pro Controller should connect and work via USB.
The Switch Pro Controller can be paired with your PC via Bluetooth and work wirelessly.
- On your PC, go to [Settings] ->[Bluetooth & other devices]
- Select [Add Bluetooth or other device]
- Select [Bluetooth]
- Select your Pro Controller from the list of available Bluetooth devices
- Your Switch Pro Controller will be paired with your PC and work wirelessly
BetterJoyforCemu
Windows 7 is not natively compatible with the Switch Pro Controller, however BetterJoyforCemu by Davidobot can be installed to emulate an Xbox 360 Controller for Windows making it compatible with virtually any game that supports controllers. These drivers can also be installed on Windows 10 if you prefer to emulate the Xbox 360 Controller or if you’re simply having connectivity issues with the alleged “native” support. The BetterJoy driver enables support for Switch Pro, Joy-Cons and the SNES Controller for Switch on Windows. They will appear as Xbox 360 Controllers and be fully compatible with all games that support controllers. BetterJoyforCemu does have some compatibility issues with Steam (Big Picture Mode) that need to be ironed out using HID Guardian before they will play nice together.
Enable Controller Support with Steam
Not all PC games support controllers and some can only be played with a keyboard & mouse. Controller support can be added to nearly any game with great results using Steam’s built-in controller configurations. This makes first-person shooters and other mouse-focused games very playable with controllers.
Here, you can map the controller buttons to near endless possibility of keyboard or mouse functions. Additional options such as Toggle and Rapid Fire can be found under [Show Activators].
You can map your analog stick to the relative mouse movement, with additional settings such as sensitivity available. This makes it very easy to setup your controller for mouse-based games like first-person shooters.
You can also map your analog stick to 8-way directions using WASD or Arrow keys.
Launch your game and your custom controller configuration will be active while the game is running.
