We're big fans of the Xbox 360 controller, but we're also fond of the odd PC game or two. The good news is that you can play Windows games using your wireless Xbox 360 controllers. All you need is Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows.
Play PC games with an Xbox 360 wireless controller
The receiver costs less than £20, but don't be tempted by cheaper third-party versions which have hit and miss success and require their own special drivers. You can buy the receiver on its own, or if you don't already have an Xbox 360 controller, Microsoft also sells a version with the Wireless Receiver and controller together for around £35 (you can use the controller with an Xbox 360 as well as a PC). You can buy both versions from Amazon.
How to set up the Xbox 360 Wireless receiver for Windows
Step 1. Plug in the USB receiver and press and hold the power button on the Xbox 360 wireless controller (the one with the Xbox logo, Microsoft calls it the Guide button).
Step 2. The controller and receiver should pair automatically, but if not, press the button on the receiver. When paired, a green light will show on the controller and the receiver. The controller auto powers off if you don't use it for a while.
Step 3. If you're running Windows 7, the drivers should install automatically but if not, install them from the included CD or download them from Microsoft's website for all versions of Windows back to XP. Note that the drivers on the CD (or Microsoft's website) add a feature so you can check the battery level by pressing the Guide button. Plus, you'll need the drivers to manage extra hardware such as the optional Xbox 360 headset which plugs into the controller.
Step 4. Load a game, and locate the controller options, and select the Xbox 360 Wireless controller instead of the keyboard. You may find that you have to manually assign buttons to game functions if there's no native support for the controller. Games which do support it should tell you what each button does in the manual.
If you find that your game doesn't support the controller, you can use a third-party utility such as Xpadder to remap keys to the controller's buttons.
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Comments
Josh said: I have installed all the necessary crap and my receiver will not pair with the controller I have uninstalled the and reinstalled the software and restarted the computer still nothing WTF Please help me out Im running an ASUS N56V Series with a core i7 Surely this thing can handle the controller
Jack said: yo can i use my charger on my laptop cos my mum never lets me order something if its not free please say yes
hmm...Yes? said: not bydefaultit can be done though
DarkestBahamut said: Yes a wired 360 controller can be used once you connect it to your laptop it should download the drivers automatically If for some reason it doesnt you can always google it and download them yourself
Guest said: I have a wired controller for my xbox 360 Can I just plug that into my Laptop so I dont have to faff with wireless cack
Taffy222 said: Will this work on Roblox and Minecraft on my sons laptop
Donkeykongr said: dont ever buy this waste of money they extremely faulty and there are knock offs everywhere that dont even work out of the box just go buy the xbox controller hat razor make its compatible with both 360 and pc with usb its everything u want and it wont blow up in a power serge it may be twice the price but u wont need multiple ones
DarkestBahamut said: No The play amp charge wire acts only as a charge wire it doesnt recognise it as a wired controller Its actually cheaper to just buy a wired controller than to buy this adapter you can get one new on ebay for less than 15
Guest said: Hi is there an adapter cable that connects this controller to the PC via USB So that you could choose whether you want to use your controller as wireless or wired Thanks
Luisvonn34 said: no joe
Joe said: will this work on face books war commander game that is flash based