How To Use a Console Controller on Your PC

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By Luke Plunkett on July 25, 2013

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Though it's a platform that began with the joystick as the dominant control method, over the past twenty years the keyboard and mouse overtook it to become the only way to play most games on the PC. Which is a shame, because there are a lot of them that play better with a control pad.

This has become especially true over the past 3-4 years, as the PC has started to get a lot more ports of console titles, thanks to both the relative ease of bringing code over and the increasing popularity of Steam leading to a bigger market.

While the keyboard and mouse remain the best means of controlling many titles, especially PC staples like FPS and strategy, there are plenty of other options - from Dark Souls to Remember Me to DMC to Dirt 2 - that are really crying out for a pad.

You could go and buy a custom PC control pad, but that would be stupid. Chances are you already own a control pad you can use on the PC: the ones that came with your Xbox 360, PS3 or Nintendo console.

Xbox 360

Most of you will probably be aware of this, but just in case you're not: you can use Xbox 360 control pads on a PC. With a little help.

Standard wireless pads won't automatically connect to a PC, since your computer won't be able to read the controller's proprietary wireless tech. Microsoft do, however, offer a dongle you can buy, which plugs into a USB port on your PC. They run about $20 officially, though you can of course get third-party alternatives for less (though your performance results may vary). If you want to go down this path, Microsoft has a handy guide on configuring your controller here.

The better option, though, is to spend the cash on a custom "Xbox 360 Controller For Windows". It's a wired controller with the same 360 design that's custom-made for the PC (though it also works on your Xbox 360 if you feel like disconnecting it and moving it around). I bought one when they first came out and it instantly became my primary controller, even on console, because occasionally having to move it between platforms was worth never again having to deal with 360 pad's woeful battery life.

With one of these, all you need to do is plug it in and you're set. Many games are even coded these days to automatically switch your control method from keyboard+mouse to control pad the instant the PC detects you plugging the pad in.

PS3

Let's say you prefer the PS3's DualShock 3, though. Or don't already own an Xbox 360. The good news is you can get it running on a PC as well. The bad news is it's a little more complicated.

The DualShock 3 communicates via Bluetooth, which your PC will be able to understand, but only if it's got some means of Bluetooth connectivity. Laptops will probably have this already, but if you've got a desktop, you'll need to go get a Bluetooth dongle (you can get decent USB ones for around $10-20).

Once your PC has a means of talking to the DualShock 3, you'll need the software to get things actually running. That software is called Better DS3, and if you've never messed around with this kind of stuff, before, it can seem a tiny bit complicated.

Download Better DS3 from here.

After you've downloaded Better DS3, you've got some setting up to do. This video by wiltshire12345 is probably the best available showing you every step you need to follow.

When that's done, you should be good to go!

Wii U

This isn't exactly an ideal option, but if you've only got a Wii U, you can get the big Wii U controller working on a PC using a download that one of our readers, Chris, put together a few months back.

You can download the files necessary here.

A better option for Wii U owners, though, at least if you've got one, is to use the Wii U Pro Controller. TeHaxor69 made a good one earlier in the year that you can download here, while Screptilez's tutorial video below should guide you through the process.

I've left the Wii off because the Wii Remote's usefulness for the kinds of games you'd be playing on PC is limited, but if you absolutely must try it out, Instructables has a good tutorial here.

If you own more than one console, you've got a choice to make. It should be an easy one, as the Xbox 360 controller has emerged as almost the default option for the PC; most games that support pads, for example, will show button prompts for Microsoft's controller.

Intel isn’t in your phone, but it wants to be in your smartpants

Intel wants its chips to power your smartphone, but it’s not having much luck. Though it’s the dominant maker of desktop and laptop processors, it’s a bit player in mobile

 phones. Rivals like Qualcomm, Nvidia, MediaTek, and others control 95 percent of the smartphone chip market, and Intel is struggling to make any meaningful progress to turn that around. Intel missed the smartphone boat. But, there’s another boat coming along soon, and Intel already has its tickets booked.

Intel missed the smartphone boat. But, there’s another boat coming along soon, and Intel already has its tickets booked.

Instead of smartphones, Intel looks to be targeting what could be the next big thing in tech – wearables, but rather than dedicate itself to the market, we could see it use wearable tech as a way to come at the mobile industry from another direction. Sort of like becoming best mates with the sibling of the person you’re trying to date. As it’s still early days for wearable tech, Intel has the opportunity to be in at the start, and not face such a gargantuan task of playing catchup like it has been forced to do in the mobile industry.

Wearables may look like Intel’s new favorite, but it’s still hard at work on mobile chips – concentrating not on America or the UK, but China, Asia, Africa and the Middle East – and Tizen, its somewhat stalled mobile OS project. Intel’s mobile strategy looks like a tech trifecta, and the bets are on for wearables to come in first, Atom processors to cross the line second, and at the moment, Tizen bringing up the rear in third. However, does Intel want wearables to lead the race until the last corner, before letting Atom through to win the race?

Google Glass might soon be serviced by Play Store

Like any other mobile device, the success of Google Glass is largely dependent on the app ecosystem. In a bid to attract developers and to make the lives of consumers easier, Google might soon manage the headset through their established Play Store. Although the California-based company has yet to formally announce this decision, they have offered up a major hint: Glass owners who have linked the device to their Google account are now seeing the wearable tech listed as a “compatible device” for many of the apps.

According to The Verge, owners must currently manage the device through an entirely separate interface. Glass also doesn't support any APK files, which is considered to be the standard format for all Android apps. Instead, early Glass programs have been extremely basic in nature and are non-transferable across other Android devices.

A secondary advantage of integrating Glass with the Play Store is that users will also be able to install apps directly from the headset, a privilege already given to smartphone and tablet owners. In fact, a recent screenshot from Android and Me appears to be early proof that this functionality is on the way. The message reads, “You have not opened the Google Play Store app recently on this device. Please open it and try again.”

Although there is plenty of optimism surrounding the Glass headset, it also seems unwise to have traditional Android apps running on the platform. The problem is that Android currently employs a one-app strategy, which means that a single application is compatible on all Google-based smartphones and tablets. The only difference is that the picture must be resized to properly fit the screen. Unfortunately, Glass had a tiny display and the screen itself isn’t actually touch-operated; therefore, traditional apps are essentially useless.

As a result, it is doubtful that we will see a single app running across all three devices. That being said, it would still be convenient to manage Glass through the familiar Google Play Store, a  portal that is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for games, books and music.

Facebook loses key talent as Gowalla co-founder, Instagram designer say goodbye

Facebook will be losing some key talent this week as Josh Williams and Tim Van Damme are both leaving the social network. Williams was the co-founder of Gowalla, a location-based check-in startup that Facebook acquired for their talent pool in 2011.

Upon joining the social network, he was put to work as a product manager for Pages, Locations and Events and most recently worked to help revamp the mobile Pages product.

Facebook confirmed Williams’ departure in a statement to PCMag, noting that he has been a valuable member of the Facebook team and wishing him the best of luck with future endeavors. No official word yet on where Williams is headed although sources close to the situation told All Things D that he is planning to stay in the San Francisco area and start working at a new company.

Tim Van Damme is a former Gowalla designer, although he departed the company and joined Instagram before both outfits were acquired by Facebook. In a blog post on the subject, he said the past 18 months were some of the best of his life, both personally and professionally.

Van Damme said he had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the business but moving forward, he highlighted the desire to solve a different set of problems. As such, he will be joining Dropbox early next month after taking a short break to spend time with his family. He will be in good company as he joins two other former Facebook employees that jumped ship during the past year.

Leaked specs, pics of Sony's upcoming Xperia i1 smartphone surface

A Taiwanese website has leaked what they claim are photos and specifications for Sony’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Xperia i1. According to rumors, the handset – codenamed Honami – will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor operating at a blazing 2.2GHz alongside 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage.

The Android-based smartphone will ship with a 5-inch, 1080p display but perhaps the most interesting feature of the i1 is the rear camera. It allegedly consists of a high-end 20.7-megapixel ExmorRS sensor that uses Sony’s Bionz image processing technology.

There’s also the mention of something called Sony Lens G which is said to incorporate unique optical design technology and quality control for exceptional optical performance on par with the best lenses in the industry.

A handset of this caliber would be a monster, or at least it is on paper. Truth is, Sony hasn’t even confirmed they are working on such a device but it’s worth pointing out that these specs match those that surfaced back in April and May. I for one would be interested in comparing the camera on the i1 with the one in Nokia’s new Lumia 1020which boasts a 41-megapixel shooter.

Most expect the Xperia i1 to officially surface at this year’s IFA Expo in Berlin which starts on September 6 and runs through September 11. As always, however, it’s advisable to take this rumor with a healthy dose of salt.

How to password-protect a PDF before e-mailing in OS X

The print-to-PDF feature in OS X is convenient for quickly preserving a document's layout in the PDF format, so it can be viewed on most computers and tablets. If you would like to send someone a formatted document that contains sensitive information, you may want to add the step of protecting it with a password.

To do this, you can use a container format such as a ZIP file or an encrypted disk image (using the Disk Utility program in OS X); however, these may be a bit cumbersome to manage, both for the sender and recipient.

An alternative is to send the PDF as an encrypted PDF file with a password that must be entered by the recipient before the PDF can be read.

There isn't a specific option to print a document to an encrypted PDF format in OS X, but the procedure is simple enough:

1. Use the PDF menu in the print dialog box and choose "Open PDF in Preview."
2. Press Command-S to save the PDF.
3. In the save dialog box, click the "Encrypt" check box and provide a password for the PDF, and then save it to your desktop (or similar location).
4. Now click the Sharing toolbar button in preview and choose the Email option.

This action will create the encrypted PDF and offers a relatively easy way to attach it to a new e-mail message. However, if you use this feature regularly then you may want a slightly more streamlined approach.

Luckily, OS X supports an option for custom print plug-in workflows that you can use to encrypt a PDF directly from the PDF menu in the print dialog window. To do this, open the Automator program (in the Applications folder) and follow these steps:

When creating the workflow, for the encryption action be sure to check the option to show the action's input when the workflow runs (click for larger view).

1. Create a new workflow.
2. Select "Print Plugin" as the type of workflow to create.
3. Locate the "Encrypt PDF Documents" action and drag it to the workflow area.
4. Click the Options button for this action and check the option to "Show this action when the workflow runs."
5. Locate the "New Mail Message" action and drag it to the workflow, below the encryption action (you can optionally use the "Add Attachments to Front Message" action, or have this in a separate workflow altogether).

Save the workflow with a name like "Mail Encrypted PDF" and you should be good to go. Now whenever you print a document you can choose this workflow from the PDF menu and after you supply the password to use, the system will generate the secured PDF document in a new e-mail message.

BMW’s i3 needs to shock the EV market if it wants to be Bavaria’s battery-powered champ

When it comes to introducing new technologies, it’s often companies that are first to market who enjoy the most success. Just look at Ford and its mighty Mustang, Chrysler and its popular lineup of minivans, and more recently, Toyota, who announced that it has sold its 3 millionth Prius hybrid .

The minivan, pony car, and hybrid were the cause or were near the birth of their respective segments. BMW, of course, wants to be a part of this pantheon of trend-setting companies as well. And with its upcoming all-electric i3 EV (a plug-in hybrid is also in the works) it can be. However, in order for it to make waves, it needs to get the i3 out the door and onto the streets ASAP.

BMW obviously isn’t the first automaker to bring a full electric vehicle to the market, but with the release of its eagerly anticipated i3, which is rumored to arrive on North American shores in January 2014, it will be the first established luxury automaker to offer a high-end electric EV to the masses. But more exciting than that is the fact that it’s looking like it won’t cost a boatload of cash to buy (that’s what the i8 is for).

If recent rumblings are to be believed, the electric city car’s sticker price is pegged at $35,000, which will get you an eco-minded Bimmer that has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, can go from 0-62 mph in 7.2 seconds, and gets an estimated electric driving range of 81-99 miles in everyday driving from its 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Now, 35 grand might sound like a lot and in many ways it is. Sure, BMW is slapping a healthy heap of carbon fiber and the pancaked-style battery pack is likely going to cost an arm and a leg to produce, but what greenies should consider is that this is a an EV from BMW, a brand that has cemented its reputation on building cars with performance and driving dynamics that often seem out of this world. If that sounds like hyperbole then you obviously haven’t driven a 3-Series in like … ever.

That’s of course assuming the i3 delivers and we have no way of knowing until we drive one. BMW is already up against a sea of competitors – good ones to boot.

The Fiat 500e is an amazing EV, arguably one of if not the best on the (affordable) market, which is a shame considering it’s only available in California right now. Honda’s Fit EV is right there with it. The Fit’s dynamic sport mode and confident manners make it one of the most exciting to drive and Honda’s recent price drop is almost too good to be true. Like the Fiat though, it’s only available in a small number of states, limiting its usefulness to interested parties outside of Oregon, California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Of course EV competition like the Nissan Leaf, Honda Fit EV, and the Fiat 500e, while good, do not carry the same weight brand-wise as a “BMW.” Remember, luxury cars are as much about the badge on their nose as they are the actual performance. BMW has a leg up in this regard as its reputation precedes it.

Currently the Nissan Leaf is sitting pretty as the top selling electric car of all time. The Japanese automaker has sold more than 50,000 of the cars worldwide. To add some perspective, Honda sells roughly 30,000 Civics a month, but for a segment very much in its infancy, Leaf sales are nevertheless impressive.

But the Leaf, for all its trappings, is not a luxury car, it’s not even the best EV on the market (I’d argue the Fit EV and 500e any day of the week, not counting Tesla’s Model S of course). It’s a very good car, but its modest success is largely attributed to the fact that it was the first mass produced EV to market when it debuted in 2010.

Nissan knows this, which is why its luxury wing Infinity is hard at work developing an EV of its own. Last year Infinity showed off its LE concept sedan at the 2012 New York Auto Show. The all-electric luxury sedan was said to drop in 2015, a full year after the reported 2014 debut of the BMW i3, with some impressive specs: a 4-kWh lithium-ion battery, a 100-kw electric motor producing 134 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, and a 100-mile range. Some chatter about utilizing the black art of wireless charging was also mentioned.

Now, reports say the EV will be delayed beyond that because it wants to add better tech, with Infinity refusing to give a concrete release date. Better tech is great, but by delaying its luxury EV, Infinity could be handing the keys to the segment over to competitors like BMW.

What automakers delving into the EV game need to understand is that you can’t just wow consumers at car show and then delay product launches, you need to grab their attention first and then deliver a real product that they can run out and buy.

We can talk about concepts and designs studies until we’re blue (green?) in the face but unless that amazing new EV is available in your area, are you even paying attention? BMW isn’t guilt-free either, the i3 has been on the radar for some time now.

But for BMW, the date draws near and the i3 needs the same momentum the Leaf had to get it going. It needs to be the first luxury automaker to bring a better EV to market and the fact that the i3 is shaping up to be (mostly) affordable bodes well not only for BMW but for EV adopters looking for something more upscale and prestigious. And here’s the thing: BMW’s are inherently cooler than Nissans, Hondas, and Fiats. And I don’t care what anyone says, new technology in the EV segment is almost always cool and there are always early adopters out there that just can’t wait to get their hands on the “next best thing,” so let’s drive the i3 already.

We’ve been excited for the BMW i3 for what seems like forever now and it finally looks like there’s a light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. BMW just needs to get its Bavarian butt in gear and get the i3 out the door – and fast!