If youâre like Tom Marks or me, the PC isnât your only expensive videogame box. too. The Nintendo Switch just came out today, and with it, an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for people with normal hands that want to play the new Zelda without murdering their joints.
But whether you are getting a Switch or not, the Pro controller could be your next favorite PC gamepad. Because it uses bluetooth, itâll be recognized as an input device once paired with a PC running Windows. YouTuber DreWoof shows off the relatively simple process in the following video:
I'm having problems pairing my Switch Pro controller to my Windows 8.1 PC. When I first paired it, it was shown in the device view on the very bottom as 'Wireless game controller', and worked perfectly while it was there (I had to manually add HID services on it though) - and then when it disconnected because I didn't use it for a while it. The Nintendo Switch Pro controller is one of the best controllers on the market and works great with PC. Hereâs how to connect the Nintendo Switch Pro controller to PC. Much like how the Pro.
Weâve yet to try it for ourselves and we canât comment on the quality of the controller, but reports are generally positive, with VentureBeat calling it âNintendoâs best traditional gamepad yetâ. In the coming weeks, weâll try it for ourselves and give it the PC Gamer seal of approval if we like it well enough. Personally, I'm holding off until someone gets it working via a USB connection.
In the meantime, check out our best PC controllers buying guide if youâre in the market, unless youâre set on a Switch, that is. If you try the Pro Controller on PC, let us know how it feels. The only known downside is that itâs an expensive pad, currently retailing for $70. A new Zelda and the promise of Mario, though? Priceless.
The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is one of the priciest 'baseline' controllers in the current console generation, but it's also sturdy, feels good to play with, has an excellent direction pad, and features impressive motion sensors and vibration systems. On top of all of that, it uses Bluetooth, so you don't need an adapter to use it with your PC.
The Pro Controller appears to Windows as a DirectInput controller rather than an XInput controller like the Xbox 360 and Xbox One gamepads, so it can be a bit of a chore to get it working with your PC games. Fortunately, Steam added full Switch Pro Controller support, so it probably isn't as hard as you might think (at least for using it with Steam).
Connecting the Controller
You can't use your Pro Controller with your PC until you connect it to your PC first. You have two options: wired and wireless. Wired is simplest, but wireless is, well, wireless.
Wired Connection
Plug your Switch Pro Controller cable (or any USB-A-to-USB-C data cable, or USB-C-to-USB-C data cable if your PC has a USB-C port) into the controller and your PC. That's it. The controller will be detected by Windows 10 as 'Pro Controller.' You can move on to Steam setup.
Wireless Connection
You need a Bluetooth adapter or onboard Bluetooth for this, but it's also easy. With the Pro Controller charged, press and hold the Sync button on the top of the gamepad for a few seconds until the indicator lights start flashing.
Open up the system tray and right-click the Bluetooth icon. Click 'Add Bluetooth Device,' then click 'Add Bluetooth or other device.' You will then need to click 'Bluetooth' because Windows 10 needs to be reassured that you want to use Bluetooth. The Pro Controller should show up on the list of available devices (if it doesn't, make sure the indicator lights are still flashing back and forth). Click on it and pair the controller. Now you can move on to Steam setup.
Steam Setup
If Steam doesn't open automatically into Big Picture mode when you connect the Pro Controller, open up Steam and go into the Settings menu. Click General Controller Settings, which will open a full-screen Big Picture mode window. Click 'Switch Pro Configuration Support.'
If the Pro Controller is connected, the mouse cursor should disappear and you should be able to navigate Big Picture with the gamepad. You can toggle 'Use Nintendo Button Layout' depending on whether you prefer the A/B/X/Y buttons to be mapped as they are on the Pro Controller (clockwise X, A, B, Y from the top), or to be mapped like it's an Xbox One controller (clockwise Y, B, A, X from the top).
When set up through Steam, the Pro Controller should work like an Xbox One gamepad with any Steam game. You can toggle vibration on and off by clicking the controller under 'Detected Controllers' in the same setup screen as before. If the analog sticks seem off, you can manually calibrate them by clicking Calibrate, and you can set how long the controller stays connected before disconnecting so it goes to sleep.
To make sure everything works as it should between the Pro Controller and your PC game, you should use Steam's Big Picture mode, the couch-friendly lean-back menu system that works well with a gamepad. If Steam doesn't ask you if you want to switch to Big Picture mode when you turn on the controller, you can activate it manually by clicking the rectangle next to your username at the upper right corner of your Steam window.
![Switch Switch](/uploads/1/2/4/7/124734853/207788159.jpg)
Using Big Picture mode ensures that Steam's controller support and over-the-game remapping and configuration options appear as they should, which won't likely be the case if you open a game from the desktop. This happened when we played No Man's Sky; the controller worked with the game through Big Picture, but the mapping was strange when launched through the desktop.
With the game running through Big Picture mode, entering its controller options should bring up Steam's Switch Pro Controller overlay, letting you check the controller mappings for different situations and fix them when needed. You can map each input on the Pro Controller to any keystroke or gamepad input manually, but the default configuration should work for most games. This is helpful if any controls seem slightly off with the default settings; running in No Man's Sky by clicking the right stick was finicky without manual corrections.
Hardware Alternative: 8BitDo Wireless USB Adapter
Steam's Pro Controller support is welcome and should suit most gaming needs, but you're out of luck if you want to play non-Steam games with the controller because of how Windows detects it. You can fix this one of two ways: using a hardware Bluetooth adapter specifically designed for multiple gamepad types, or using a software XInput wrapper.
The 8BitDo Wireless USB Adapter is a $20 Bluetooth adapter that lets you easily connect the Switch Pro Controller, Switch Joy-Cons, or even the Wii U Pro Controller to your PC. It handles all of the XInput details itself, so connecting the Switch Pro Controller to it with the physical sync button instead of through your PC's Bluetooth menu will make it work like an Xbox 360 gamepad, which most PC games can easily work with.
Software Alternative: DirectInput-to-XInput Wrapper
This is the most powerful and most complicated option. Instead of relying on Steam or a USB adapter to do the job, you use a software wrapper to translate the Pro Controller's inputs into a format Windows 10 can better work with.
Projects like x360ce and WiinUPro/WiinUSoft are open-source programs that let you control how Windows sees your non-XInput controller. X360ce is a very robust wrapper that emulates an Xbox 360 gamepad by mapping nearly any other input to the gamepad's inputs. WiinUPro and WiinUSoft are similar wrappers designed specifically for use with the last three generations of Nintendo controllers, including Wiimotes, the Wii U gamepad, the Wii U Pro Controller, Joy-Cons, and the Switch Pro Controller. WiinUPro is a more complicated and powerful version of the software, while WiinUSoft is a lighter and easier-to-use version.
These projects are currently defunct; WiinUPro was last updated in June of 2017, and x360ce was last updated in 2015. However, they should get the job done if you're willing to install and tinker with them a bit until the Switch Pro Controller works the way you want it to. Possibly more than a bit; third-party driver wrappers are extremely finicky and require a lot of care to get to work with any controller it's tricking Windows into thinking is an Xbox gamepad.
If you're a multi-platform gamer, we also have a guide to using your Xbox One controller with a PC. Finally, if you want to play with the Nintendo Switch itself and not your PC, check out our list of the best Switch accessories.