7 ms·

PC Drivers for the Xbox One Controller

32 points by stumpyfr 12y ago

PhasmaFelis 12y ago
Am I missing something, or did they just break backwards compatibility again? Bad enough the first time around, when they conned a bunch of lazy-ass devs into only supporting 360 pads and our standard USB gamepads stopped working. I try to avoid knee-jerk Microsoft bashing, but they're really making it hard.
- fournm 12y ago
  "The new PC drivers will enable the Xbox One controller to be used with any game that featured gamepad support for the Xbox 360 controller" Sounds like compatibility is fine? Honestly, I'm okay with the 360 pad support taking over--Almost every controller had a standard button layout, but with the buttons oddly numbered from controller to controller. Newer controllers all mapping to 360 buttons has simplified everything. It's sad that my original Logitech DualAction isn't quite as useful, but the newer models have had so many fewer issues when it comes to just using them in a game.
  - PhasmaFelis 12y ago
    > Sounds like compatibility is fine? Honestly, I'm okay with the 360 pad support taking over--Almost every controller had a standard button layout, but with the buttons oddly numbered from controller to controller. Newer controllers all mapping to 360 buttons has simplified everything. It was indeed annoying that the pad manufacturers couldn't get their shit together and agree on a button ordering, but that doesn't excuse Microsoft inventing an entirely new and unnecessary standard instead of just declaring their own canonical ordering.
- PhasmaFelis 12y ago
  I genuinely have no idea why this is getting downvotes. Was I not clear? I thought we were all on the same page here re: "standards are good, pointlessly breaking compatibility is bad." There's an established standard for USB gamepads, and Microsoft (a) ignored it in favor of their own proprietary standard Xinput and (b) convinced quite a lot of devs to only support Xinput. This means that a perfectly functional Logitech or Saitek gamepad from the late 2000s is useless with modern games, and a 360 pad is useless with older games, unless you jump through hoops with drivers. It also means that it's difficult to get a 360 pad working correctly on non-Windows platforms. It makes no sense that the Xbone controller, which has the same controls in the same places as the 360 controller, wasn't backwards-compatible out of the box; and I'm suspicious that they'll push devs to support the Xbone pad exclusively to force 360-pad owners to upgrade, because they've already done that once.
  - watty 12y ago
    What were they doing to "convince a lot of devs to only support XInput"? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee417014(v=vs.85).aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee41...
    - PhasmaFelis 12y ago
      For starters, as your link says, the analog trigger buttons don't work properly in DirectInput. Instead of registering as two independent axes, they show up as Left and Right on the same axis, so pressing both triggers at once looks the same as no-input. The triggers are generally the preferred control for primary buttons, so for all practical purposes XInput is required if you want to support the 360 pad. (Their explanation is "the Xbox 360 controller was designed to register minimum value, not center, when the triggers are not being held." Seems like the obvious solution would be "don't do that.")
  - cwyers 12y ago
    Because you said: "Am I missing something, or did they just break backwards compatibility again?" And... no, they didn't, the Xbox One controller (per the linked article) is backwards compatible with PC games who use the 360 controller. So you ARE missing something, something you could have discovered easily by reading the article you're commenting on. So... you were clear, you were just wrong.
izzydata 12y ago
What about wireless support?
- gambiting 12y ago
  Apparently the controller is not bluetooth[1], so wireless would only be supported with a custom dongle, just like the X360 wireless controller. [1]http://kotaku.com/how-the-xbox-one-controller-has-changed-1109126240 http://kotaku.com/how-the-xbox-one-controller-has-changed-11...
  - izzydata 12y ago
    That is a little bothersome I guess. I have the x360 wireless receiver for PC and it works great, but I suppose I'd need a different one. I probably shouldn't expect an xbone version anytime soon.
    - wlesieutre 12y ago
      On the other hand, 360 controllers have gotten cheaper if you just stick with those. Does the XB One controller add much?
      - fletchowns 12y ago
        Microsoft did spend $100 million developing the new controller, so I hope they've got some improvements to show for it. I haven't used it much myself.
      - squeaky-clean 12y ago
        Not much. The triggers can now vibrate to give feedback, but I don't know if any PC games do (or even can) implement that. It also feels different. I don't like the feel of the new design, but the majority of people seem to agree it's more comfortable than the 360 controller.
- lost_name 12y ago
  For the Xbox 360, the wireless controllers communicate wirelessly even while plugged in. There's a dongle you can purchase to make it work, though I believe it's discontinued. I wouldn't expect one for the Xbox One controller.
roryokane 12y ago
The text > We're planning to release the drivers as part of a Windows update in the near future; however, today, I am happy to offer early access to our dedicated PC gamers on MajorNelson.com. screamed “trojan” to me when I read it. It sounded like a random site was claiming to be affiliated with Microsoft, and was trying to get me to download and install a malicious driver. (The comments say the driver has a signature that Windows does not recognize.) However, the site does seem legitimate. http://majornelson.com/general-blog-faq/ http://majornelson.com/general-blog-faq/ explains who the site owner is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hryb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hryb, the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. And the site has many real commenters who seem to treat the site owner as an authority.
- chc 12y ago
  Yes, MajorNelson is fairly well-known in the Xbox-using community (actually better known by the pseudonym than as Larry Hryb). He really is Microsoft's Xbox Live director.
  - wtallis 12y ago
    But this is about a software release for the PC gaming community, not the Xbox community. Handling things this way shows that somebody's got an embarrassing (though mostly harmless) PR blind spot. It's fine for Microsoft to have it as a goal that everyone who plays PC games is also part of their Xbox ecosystem, but pretending in any way that it's already that way is off-putting and not helping.
    - chc 12y ago
      At the moment, this release is targeting the Xbox community, because that's who owns Xbox One controllers. I'm sure Microsoft will do a proper page on a more Microsofty domain in due time when they actually release the drivers with Windows.
      - wtallis 12y ago
        > "I am happy to offer early access to our dedicated PC gamers on MajorNelson.com" There's a definite conflict between the statement that they're targeting "dedicated PC gamers" and the action that they're doing it through the Xbox community. Come to think of it, does Microsoft even have an established gaming-oriented channel through which to release something like this apart from their console-oriented Xbox branded stuff?
mistagiggles 12y ago
I'm more interesting in the fact that he is showing Halo 2 running on (what I'm guessing) is the microsoft surface. It seems like a strange choice to choose a game that is almost 10 years old unless he is hinting that Halo 2 Anniversary is also coming to PC?
- gambiting 12y ago
  Halo 2 was also the very first game to officially support the XInput API of the X360 controller on Windows, so he might be paying homage to it by showing that the first game running with the Xbox One controller is nothing else but Halo 2.
orware 12y ago
No offense against the Xbox One controller (which I do enjoy using), but I think for my casual on-the-road or in my room gaming on my laptop I'll just keep on using my PS4 Controller (I didn't get a PS4, but the $60 on the controller was well spent :-). Instructions for PC setup can be found here: http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper It's really nice not to have to worry about extra wires :-). It makes me wonder why there aren't more Bluetooth PC controllers out there (I really haven't seen too many, maybe like one from Logitech, but none of them are as good as the console ones anyway so it's a moot point for me).
- LaikaF 12y ago
  Most gaming PCs don't have inbuilt bluetooth. Everyone has USB.
  - orware 12y ago
    For gaming PCs that's true...I was referring to laptops though (on the road, less stuff to carry).
  - lloeki 12y ago
    The PS3 controller works via both Bluetooth and USB. IIRC it's the same for DS4, and DS4 via USB is practically mandatory on OSX currently for some reason (DS3 works fine on both).
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    A bluetooth module costs a dollar and is the size of a USB plug. The aversion to bluetooth is weird.
    - drzaiusapelord 12y ago
      PC gaming culture is defined by one guy in front of his box/laptop. Wireless controllers for console make sense because its usually multiple people many feet away from a TV. I don't want a wireless controller for my PC. Its just more needless complexity. I don't want to worry about batteries for something that I use 2 feet from my PC.
xpose2000 12y ago
Once the wireless dongle gets released then I will jump in. Not a big fan of having to plug it in. For now I'll stick with the 360 controller I have.
raphaelj 12y ago
What are the new features of the Xbox One controller as compared to those of the Xbox 360 one ?
- drblast 12y ago
  They're about the same as far as features. Immediately noticeable is that the Xbox one controller is much more comfortable to hold and has an improved D-pad. They got rid of the battery compartment on the back so if you have large hands that doesn't get in the way.
- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  I'm not much of a console gamer but I own both systems and occasionally play the newest hyped game on them, finish it, and don't touch it for months, but in imho they new one feels a lot better in my hands. I think it has a lower profile, is somewhat smaller, and is definitely lighter. The 360 controller just feels like a brick in my hands now.
bkurtz13 12y ago
I've been waiting for this for a long time. The Xbox One controller has many small improvements that build up to a noticeable difference over the Xbox 360 controller I've been using to play games like Watch Dogs on the PC. It's vastly more comfortable for extended sessions.

32 points by stumpyfr 12y ago

Am I missing something, or did they just break backwards compatibility again? Bad enough the first time around, when they conned a bunch of lazy-ass devs into only supporting 360 pads and our standard USB gamepads stopped working. I try to avoid knee-jerk Microsoft bashing, but they're really making it hard.

fournm 12y ago
"The new PC drivers will enable the Xbox One controller to be used with any game that featured gamepad support for the Xbox 360 controller" Sounds like compatibility is fine? Honestly, I'm okay with the 360 pad support taking over--Almost every controller had a standard button layout, but with the buttons oddly numbered from controller to controller. Newer controllers all mapping to 360 buttons has simplified everything. It's sad that my original Logitech DualAction isn't quite as useful, but the newer models have had so many fewer issues when it comes to just using them in a game.
- PhasmaFelis 12y ago
  > Sounds like compatibility is fine? Honestly, I'm okay with the 360 pad support taking over--Almost every controller had a standard button layout, but with the buttons oddly numbered from controller to controller. Newer controllers all mapping to 360 buttons has simplified everything. It was indeed annoying that the pad manufacturers couldn't get their shit together and agree on a button ordering, but that doesn't excuse Microsoft inventing an entirely new and unnecessary standard instead of just declaring their own canonical ordering.
PhasmaFelis 12y ago
I genuinely have no idea why this is getting downvotes. Was I not clear? I thought we were all on the same page here re: "standards are good, pointlessly breaking compatibility is bad." There's an established standard for USB gamepads, and Microsoft (a) ignored it in favor of their own proprietary standard Xinput and (b) convinced quite a lot of devs to only support Xinput. This means that a perfectly functional Logitech or Saitek gamepad from the late 2000s is useless with modern games, and a 360 pad is useless with older games, unless you jump through hoops with drivers. It also means that it's difficult to get a 360 pad working correctly on non-Windows platforms. It makes no sense that the Xbone controller, which has the same controls in the same places as the 360 controller, wasn't backwards-compatible out of the box; and I'm suspicious that they'll push devs to support the Xbone pad exclusively to force 360-pad owners to upgrade, because they've already done that once.
- watty 12y ago
  What were they doing to "convince a lot of devs to only support XInput"? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee417014(v=vs.85).aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee41...
  - PhasmaFelis 12y ago
    For starters, as your link says, the analog trigger buttons don't work properly in DirectInput. Instead of registering as two independent axes, they show up as Left and Right on the same axis, so pressing both triggers at once looks the same as no-input. The triggers are generally the preferred control for primary buttons, so for all practical purposes XInput is required if you want to support the 360 pad. (Their explanation is "the Xbox 360 controller was designed to register minimum value, not center, when the triggers are not being held." Seems like the obvious solution would be "don't do that.")
- cwyers 12y ago
  Because you said: "Am I missing something, or did they just break backwards compatibility again?" And... no, they didn't, the Xbox One controller (per the linked article) is backwards compatible with PC games who use the 360 controller. So you ARE missing something, something you could have discovered easily by reading the article you're commenting on. So... you were clear, you were just wrong.

izzydata 12y ago

What about wireless support?

gambiting 12y ago
Apparently the controller is not bluetooth[1], so wireless would only be supported with a custom dongle, just like the X360 wireless controller. [1]http://kotaku.com/how-the-xbox-one-controller-has-changed-1109126240 http://kotaku.com/how-the-xbox-one-controller-has-changed-11...
- izzydata 12y ago
  That is a little bothersome I guess. I have the x360 wireless receiver for PC and it works great, but I suppose I'd need a different one. I probably shouldn't expect an xbone version anytime soon.
  - wlesieutre 12y ago
    On the other hand, 360 controllers have gotten cheaper if you just stick with those. Does the XB One controller add much?
    - fletchowns 12y ago
      Microsoft did spend $100 million developing the new controller, so I hope they've got some improvements to show for it. I haven't used it much myself.
    - squeaky-clean 12y ago
      Not much. The triggers can now vibrate to give feedback, but I don't know if any PC games do (or even can) implement that. It also feels different. I don't like the feel of the new design, but the majority of people seem to agree it's more comfortable than the 360 controller.
lost_name 12y ago
For the Xbox 360, the wireless controllers communicate wirelessly even while plugged in. There's a dongle you can purchase to make it work, though I believe it's discontinued. I wouldn't expect one for the Xbox One controller.

roryokane 12y ago

The text > We're planning to release the drivers as part of a Windows update in the near future; however, today, I am happy to offer early access to our dedicated PC gamers on MajorNelson.com. screamed “trojan” to me when I read it. It sounded like a random site was claiming to be affiliated with Microsoft, and was trying to get me to download and install a malicious driver. (The comments say the driver has a signature that Windows does not recognize.) However, the site does seem legitimate. http://majornelson.com/general-blog-faq/ http://majornelson.com/general-blog-faq/ explains who the site owner is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hryb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hryb, the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. And the site has many real commenters who seem to treat the site owner as an authority.

chc 12y ago
Yes, MajorNelson is fairly well-known in the Xbox-using community (actually better known by the pseudonym than as Larry Hryb). He really is Microsoft's Xbox Live director.
- wtallis 12y ago
  But this is about a software release for the PC gaming community, not the Xbox community. Handling things this way shows that somebody's got an embarrassing (though mostly harmless) PR blind spot. It's fine for Microsoft to have it as a goal that everyone who plays PC games is also part of their Xbox ecosystem, but pretending in any way that it's already that way is off-putting and not helping.
  - chc 12y ago
    At the moment, this release is targeting the Xbox community, because that's who owns Xbox One controllers. I'm sure Microsoft will do a proper page on a more Microsofty domain in due time when they actually release the drivers with Windows.
    - wtallis 12y ago
      > "I am happy to offer early access to our dedicated PC gamers on MajorNelson.com" There's a definite conflict between the statement that they're targeting "dedicated PC gamers" and the action that they're doing it through the Xbox community. Come to think of it, does Microsoft even have an established gaming-oriented channel through which to release something like this apart from their console-oriented Xbox branded stuff?

mistagiggles 12y ago

I'm more interesting in the fact that he is showing Halo 2 running on (what I'm guessing) is the microsoft surface. It seems like a strange choice to choose a game that is almost 10 years old unless he is hinting that Halo 2 Anniversary is also coming to PC?

gambiting 12y ago
Halo 2 was also the very first game to officially support the XInput API of the X360 controller on Windows, so he might be paying homage to it by showing that the first game running with the Xbox One controller is nothing else but Halo 2.

orware 12y ago

No offense against the Xbox One controller (which I do enjoy using), but I think for my casual on-the-road or in my room gaming on my laptop I'll just keep on using my PS4 Controller (I didn't get a PS4, but the $60 on the controller was well spent :-). Instructions for PC setup can be found here: http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper It's really nice not to have to worry about extra wires :-). It makes me wonder why there aren't more Bluetooth PC controllers out there (I really haven't seen too many, maybe like one from Logitech, but none of them are as good as the console ones anyway so it's a moot point for me).

LaikaF 12y ago
Most gaming PCs don't have inbuilt bluetooth. Everyone has USB.
- orware 12y ago
  For gaming PCs that's true...I was referring to laptops though (on the road, less stuff to carry).
- lloeki 12y ago
  The PS3 controller works via both Bluetooth and USB. IIRC it's the same for DS4, and DS4 via USB is practically mandatory on OSX currently for some reason (DS3 works fine on both).
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  A bluetooth module costs a dollar and is the size of a USB plug. The aversion to bluetooth is weird.
  - drzaiusapelord 12y ago
    PC gaming culture is defined by one guy in front of his box/laptop. Wireless controllers for console make sense because its usually multiple people many feet away from a TV. I don't want a wireless controller for my PC. Its just more needless complexity. I don't want to worry about batteries for something that I use 2 feet from my PC.

xpose2000 12y ago

Once the wireless dongle gets released then I will jump in. Not a big fan of having to plug it in. For now I'll stick with the 360 controller I have.

raphaelj 12y ago

What are the new features of the Xbox One controller as compared to those of the Xbox 360 one ?

drblast 12y ago
They're about the same as far as features. Immediately noticeable is that the Xbox one controller is much more comfortable to hold and has an improved D-pad. They got rid of the battery compartment on the back so if you have large hands that doesn't get in the way.
drzaiusapelord 12y ago
I'm not much of a console gamer but I own both systems and occasionally play the newest hyped game on them, finish it, and don't touch it for months, but in imho they new one feels a lot better in my hands. I think it has a lower profile, is somewhat smaller, and is definitely lighter. The 360 controller just feels like a brick in my hands now.

bkurtz13 12y ago

I've been waiting for this for a long time. The Xbox One controller has many small improvements that build up to a noticeable difference over the Xbox 360 controller I've been using to play games like Watch Dogs on the PC. It's vastly more comfortable for extended sessions.