Jump to content

Tab Stop

Straight answers for everyday tech

Windows and gaming

How to connect a PS3 controller to a Windows 10 PC

· 3 min read

Short answer

Windows 10 sees a DualShock 3 when you plug it in, but games do not. The fix is a driver layer, and which one to use depends on where you play.

An Xbox controller works in Windows games the moment it is plugged in, because Windows ships its driver and most PC games are written for the Xbox (XInput) layout. Sony never released a PC driver for the PlayStation 3’s DualShock 3. Windows 10 lists the controller as a device, yet games get no input from it. Each method below adds the missing piece.

You need the controller’s mini-USB cable in every case, and it must be a data cable, not a charge-only one. Wireless play needs a Bluetooth adapter as well.

Method 1: Steam

If your games are on Steam, this is the least fiddly route. Valve added the PS3 controller as a supported type in a July 2018 client update, without the motion sensors or pressure-sensitive buttons. Valve’s notes for that update said Windows users still need Sony’s driver, which is installed with Sony’s PlayStation Now app for PC.

  1. Install the PlayStation Now app from Sony’s site, which puts Sony’s controller driver on the PC.
  2. Connect the controller by USB and press the PS button.
  3. Open Steam, switch to Big Picture mode, and go to Settings > Controller Settings. The controller should appear under detected controllers.
  4. Select it, check the button layout, and launch a game through Steam.

The controller works only in games started through Steam, including non-Steam games you add to your library.

Method 2: ScpToolkit over USB

ScpToolkit is a free, open-source driver package that makes Windows treat a DualShock 3 as an Xbox 360 controller, so it works in almost any PC game. Before installing, add the runtimes it lists on its GitHub page: .NET Framework 4.5, the Visual C++ 2010 and 2013 redistributables and the DirectX runtime, all from Microsoft’s download center. The Xbox 360 controller driver it relies on is already part of Windows 10.

  1. Download the latest ScpToolkit setup from the project’s Releases page (version 1.6.238 at the time of writing) and run it as administrator. Keep the default components.
  2. When setup finishes, open ScpToolkit Driver Installer.
  3. Tick “Install DualShock 3 driver” and pick your controller from the list. Untick the DualShock 4 option unless you also use a PS4 pad.
  4. Click Install and wait for the log to report that the DualShock 3 USB driver installed.
  5. Open “Set up USB game controllers” from the Start menu. The pad should now show as an Xbox 360 controller; use Properties to test the sticks and buttons.

Method 3: ScpToolkit over Bluetooth

ScpToolkit can also pair the controller wirelessly, with one catch: its driver takes over the Bluetooth adapter completely, so that adapter stops working with headphones, mice and other devices. A cheap separate USB dongle supporting Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR or newer keeps your built-in Bluetooth free.

  1. Plug in the dongle you want to dedicate.
  2. Run ScpToolkit Driver Installer again, tick “Install Bluetooth driver” and choose that dongle from the list, along with the DualShock 3 driver.
  3. Click Install.
  4. Connect the controller by USB once. ScpToolkit writes the dongle’s address to the controller, which is how the pairing happens.
  5. Unplug the cable and press the PS button. The controller’s lights should settle on player one.

If the controller is not detected

  • Swap the cable first. Many mini-USB cables only charge, and the controller then lights up without ever reaching Windows.
  • Plug into a USB port on the back of the PC rather than a hub or front-panel port.
  • Keep the controller connected while ScpToolkit Driver Installer runs; it can only install a driver for a device it can see.
  • A large Windows 10 update can replace the driver. Running Driver Installer again usually restores it.
  • To remove ScpToolkit completely, use the Clean Wipe Utility that comes with it rather than uninstalling it from Settings alone.

Tools to skip

Older guides send readers to MotioninJoy. It has not been updated in years and its later installers bundled a browser toolbar; uninstall it before setting up ScpToolkit. Driver-updater programs do not help either, because the driver you need is not in any Windows catalog.

Since then, ScpToolkit’s developer has declared it unmaintained and released DsHidMini in 2021 as its replacement for Windows 10 and later.