OS X: Best Gamepad for Mac?

[rgordon82]

You can use a PS2 or PS3 controller but you need a usb it's called dragon something. Sorry I forgot.

[bilbo--baggins]

Just bought two PS3 wireless controllers (dualshock 3). Work perfectly in Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga (from the Mac app store) without any drivers. Nearly bought the 360 controller but was put off by the fact that the wireless receiver doesn't seem to be sold by any reputable shops any more, and then I found a video by Feral demonstrating how the PS3 controllers pair with Snow Leopard (and now Lion) even without any software or drivers.

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by bilbo--baggins

I found a video by Feral demonstrating how the PS3 controllers pair with Snow Leopard (and now Lion) even without any software or drivers.

Glad you found the video helpful! PS3 pads will work in all Feral games released in the last few years, if a game does not work with the PS3 pad we will add support when we next patch it although I think nearly every game already works.

Other games by other companies that support gamepads should also work with the PS3 pad (the OS treats it as a standard gamepad) but your experience my vary from game to game.

Edwin

[danielsmu]

Any tips on how to get ps3 controllers working via Bluetooth in lion?

I've been tinkering with my new 2011 Mac mini all weekend with no luck. I've installed the USB driver and followed the instructions to pair the controllers with my mini to the letter but I get varying results. The controllers usually show up in the Bluetooth list, but won't ever allow input in MAME. Sometimes I'm asked for a pairing code and sometimes I'm not. Also, the controllers do work via USB in MAME.

I also tested the Bluetooth pairing method on my 2010 MacBook pro and a sixaxis and dualshock controller paired without any issues and worked great in MAME (which is why I assumed this was yet another Lion support issue).

Any help you can provide on this would be much appreciated!

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by danielsmu

Any tips on how to get ps3 controllers working via Bluetooth in lion?

I've been tinkering with my new 2011 Mac mini all weekend with no luck. I've installed the USB driver and followed the instructions to pair the controllers with my mini to the letter but I get varying results. The controllers usually show up in the Bluetooth list, but won't ever allow input in MAME. Sometimes I'm asked for a pairing code and sometimes I'm not. Also, the controllers do work via USB in MAME.

I also tested the Bluetooth pairing method on my 2010 MacBook pro and a sixaxis and dualshock controller paired without any issues and worked great in MAME (which is why I assumed this was yet another Lion support issue).

Any help you can provide on this would be much appreciated!

These instructions I wrote should work fine, they are based on 10.6 but works fine here on 10.7.

********

First thing to do is make sure you have the following items and software ready before you begin.

10.6 or better (10.5 is NOT supported)
No PS3 Gamepad driver software installed (UNINSTALL ALL DRIVERS THEY BREAK THE SUPPORT)
PS3 Gamepad
USB charging cable for PS3 gamepad
Bluetooth enabled on your Mac
Once you are ready please download and watch the video below it will take you thorugh all the steps you need to take to connect your PS3 Gamepad to your Macintosh computer.

Walkthrough Video

[danielsmu]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

These instructions I wrote should work fine, they are based on 10.6 but works fine here on 10.7.

********

First thing to do is make sure you have the following items and software ready before you begin.

10.6 or better (10.5 is NOT supported)
No PS3 Gamepad driver software installed (UNINSTALL ALL DRIVERS THEY BREAK THE SUPPORT)

Thank you for your quick response! Can you please help me understand how to uninstall the PS3 controller driver? There's no uninstaller package with the driver and I don't know where to begin looking for those files on a mac.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by danielsmu

Thank you for your quick response! Can you please help me understand how to uninstall the PS3 controller driver? There's no uninstaller package with the driver and I don't know where to begin looking for those files on a mac.

Thanks in advance for your help!

What drivers did you install?

You can try and follow my instructions with the drivers installed if you are lucky they will not effect the PS3 pad from working so I would try that first.

If you have trouble then you will need to investigate more into what exactly you installed. Please note I have only tested the PS3 pad with Feral games in Lion but it should work in most games once you set it up.

Edwin

[danielsmu]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

What drivers did you install?

You can try and follow my instructions with the drivers installed if you are lucky they will not effect the PS3 pad from working so I would try that first.

If you have trouble then you will need to investigate more into what exactly you installed. Please note I have only tested the PS3 pad with Feral games in Lion but it should work in most games once you set it up.

Edwin

Totally understand and I realize I'm asking for help from people that didn't develop the driver I installed. I did try the instructions in the video, but I get a bluetooth popup saying I need to enter a code to pair the controller. I tried entering 0000 and I get a message saying that the pairing failed, most likely due to an incorrect passcode.

I installed the PS3 Controller driver from this website: http://tattiebogle.net/index.php/Pro.../Ps3Controller

There's no uninstall package available however so I don't know how to go about removing that driver. Again, I totally understand nobody on this forum officially supports removing that driver, I'm just hoping someone knows enough about this process to help me out of the woods. I guess reinstalling Lion is always an option, but I'd rather not go through that process just to get the PS3 controller working if I can avoid it.

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by danielsmu

Totally understand and I realize I'm asking for help from people that didn't develop the driver I installed. I did try the instructions in the video, but I get a bluetooth popup saying I need to enter a code to pair the controller. I tried entering 0000 and I get a message saying that the pairing failed, most likely due to an incorrect passcode.

I installed the PS3 Controller driver from this website: http://tattiebogle.net/index.php/Pro.../Ps3Controller

There's no uninstall package available however so I don't know how to go about removing that driver. Again, I totally understand nobody on this forum officially supports removing that driver, I'm just hoping someone knows enough about this process to help me out of the woods. I guess reinstalling Lion is always an option, but I'd rather not go through that process just to get the PS3 controller working if I can avoid it.

Double check the steps in the video, you should not try and add anything by clicking the + button just have the bluetooth window open but don't click on anything inside the window. The PS3 pad should just pop in after you unplug it from the USB.

I am off home now but I will see if I can offer some more advice tomorrow.

Cheers,

Edwin

[danielsmu]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

Double check the steps in the video, you should not try and add anything by clicking the + button just have the bluetooth window open but don't click on anything inside the window. The PS3 pad should just pop in after you unplug it from the USB.

I am off home now but I will see if I can offer some more advice tomorrow.

Cheers,

Edwin

Thanks again for the help. To clarify, here are the steps/results I'm using now:

1. PS3 controller is off, PS3 is unplugged.
2. Open Bluetooth Preferences via Settings Menu, verify bluetooth is on and discoverable
3. Plug PS3 into Mac Mini via USB
4. (4 lights blink slowly)
5. Press and hold PS3 button for 3 seconds
6. Release PS3 button
7. Unplug PS3 Controller
8. (4 lights blink quickly)
9. (Popup for Bluetooth Pairing request shows up asking for Pairing Code)
10. I've tried 0000 0001 and 0002 with no luck. Each time a second popup immediately appears saying the pairing failed most likely due to a bad passcode.
11. These popups for pairing requests continue appearing until I hold the PS button on the controller long enough to shut it off.

I tried searching around on my machine and the only file I can find named *ps3* is in the System/Library/Extensions folder called "PS3Enabler.kext". I've tried deleting that file, testing, reinstalling the plugin, and retesting, all yielding the same results.

If there's anything else I can try, I'll be glad to help test. Thanks in advance for your help!

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by danielsmu

Thanks again for the help. To clarify, here are the steps/results I'm using now:

1. PS3 controller is off, PS3 is unplugged.
2. Open Bluetooth Preferences via Settings Menu, verify bluetooth is on and discoverable
3. Plug PS3 into Mac Mini via USB
4. (4 lights blink slowly)
5. Press and hold PS3 button for 3 seconds
6. Release PS3 button
7. Unplug PS3 Controller
8. (4 lights blink quickly)
9. (Popup for Bluetooth Pairing request shows up asking for Pairing Code)
10. I've tried 0000 0001 and 0002 with no luck. Each time a second popup immediately appears saying the pairing failed most likely due to a bad passcode.
11. These popups for pairing requests continue appearing until I hold the PS button on the controller long enough to shut it off.

I tried searching around on my machine and the only file I can find named *ps3* is in the System/Library/Extensions folder called "PS3Enabler.kext". I've tried deleting that file, testing, reinstalling the plugin, and retesting, all yielding the same results.

If there's anything else I can try, I'll be glad to help test. Thanks in advance for your help!

I will have a look when I get a spare second on a few machines here. No promises but I think it's solvable (and that it is likely those drivers).

Edwin

[danielsmu]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

I will have a look when I get a spare second on a few machines here. No promises but I think it's solvable (and that it is likely those drivers).

Edwin

Thanks so much! I tried on my 2010 Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard last night as well and the controllers paired instantly without any issues so I know it's limited to the 2011 Mac Mini/Lion machine.

[danielsmu]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

I will have a look when I get a spare second on a few machines here. No promises but I think it's solvable (and that it is likely those drivers).

Edwin

Hi again, sorry if I’m just being impatient but I thought I’d check back in and see if you were able to uncover anything in testing. If not, I’m thinking my next step is to upgrade my macbook pro to Lion and see if I can still pair my PS3 controller on that machine. If so, I know the issue is specific to installing the driver and a clean re-install of Lion on the Mac Mini *should* fix the problem. The other possibility is that there’s some sort of hardware conflict on the new Mini, but that seems highly unlikely.

At any rate, I know I’m asking for someone else to spend their free time to solve my problem so no worries if you haven’t had a chance yet. It will take a few hours to reinstall Lion and properly reconfigure everything so I thought I’d try checking in just in case. Either way, thanks again for trying to help.

[bushidounohana]

As a big fan of retro gaming and emulators, I do a lot of playing on my old green N64 controller (NES, Genesis, N64, MAME) via USB adapter. Tangentially, I LOVE me some Bad News Baseball, Castlevania64, Double Dragon (arcade), NBA Maximum Hangtime (arcade) and Double Dragon II for NES.

I also plug in my PS3 controller for NBA2K11, but after seeing this thread I'll have to give the Bluetooth a try! Thanks guys!

[danielsmu]

Whelp...I decided emulators were worth the trouble of reinstalling Lion from scratch so here goes. I'll report back with my results in case this happens to anyone else.

FYI, when going through the reinstallation of Lion on a new Mac Mini, the internet recovery method will only completely reinstall Lion if you delete your disk partition first, then reinstall.

If you only select reinstall lion from the recovery menu, all of your apps and settings will remain intact and you'll have wasted 1.5 hours. Don't ask me how I know.

[danielsmu]

Clean Lion install and still can't pair. If anyone with a 2011 Mac mini can pair their PS3 via bluetooth, please let me know; otherwise, I'm chalking this up to some strange sort of hardware/software incompatibility on the new mini.

[khurrram]

Fantastic thread. I'm torn between which controller to buy, and I was going to go ahead with the XBOX360 controller. But now that I have read that PS3 controllers works great without drivers and with bluetooth. I'm practically sold.

One question though, do the controllers have to be Original Sony PS3 Wireless or the ones on generic ones would work too. They are going on eBay for £15.

That'd be an amazing if they do. Thanks a bunch.

[Mr.C]

Originally Posted by khurrram

Fantastic thread. I'm torn between which controller to buy, and I was going to go ahead with the XBOX360 controller. But now that I have read that PS3 controllers works great without drivers and with bluetooth. I'm practically sold.

One question though, do the controllers have to be Original Sony PS3 Wireless or the ones on generic ones would work too. They are going on eBay for £15.

That'd be an amazing if they do. Thanks a bunch.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the generic third party ones as they are more trouble then they are worth. It's best to stick with the official ones especially when using with a something other then the PS3. They may cost more but they will ne less headache and likely to last longer plus work better.

[drxcm]

I'm having similar problems pairing my PS3 controller to my Mac.

No drivers installed, above instructions followed to the letter.

Macbook Pro 17" (2009) running Lion - works perfectly as discussed, pairs with no passcode required
Macbook Air 11" (2011) running Lion - asks for passcode constantly, won't maintain connection, cannot use over bluetooth.

Again, I've tried all kinds of passcodes, including 0000, 000000, 1111. I've tried deleting my bluetooth prefs and retried. Google has not helped. I've seen similar posts on other forums with no answers on where to go from here.

I'm not quite sure what the difference is here, except that my MBP was upgraded to Lion from Snow Leopard, and the MBA came with Lion factory installed. Also I think the Bluetooth chipset is different between the machines.

I'd really LOVE a solution to pair the controller via Bluetooth on my Air...

[Mr.C]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

These instructions I wrote should work fine, they are based on 10.6 but works fine here on 10.7.

********

First thing to do is make sure you have the following items and software ready before you begin.

10.6 or better (10.5 is NOT supported)
No PS3 Gamepad driver software installed (UNINSTALL ALL DRIVERS THEY BREAK THE SUPPORT)
PS3 Gamepad
USB charging cable for PS3 gamepad
Bluetooth enabled on your Mac
Once you are ready please download and watch the video below it will take you thorugh all the steps you need to take to connect your PS3 Gamepad to your Macintosh computer.

Walkthrough Video

I tried the method in the video but it didn't work for me. I kept getting asked for a pass code which obviously I didn't have. After trying several times I gave up.

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by drxcm

I'm having similar problems pairing my PS3 controller to my Mac.

No drivers installed, above instructions followed to the letter.

Macbook Pro 17" (2009) running Lion - works perfectly as discussed, pairs with no passcode required
Macbook Air 11" (2011) running Lion - asks for passcode constantly, won't maintain connection, cannot use over bluetooth.

Again, I've tried all kinds of passcodes, including 0000, 000000, 1111. I've tried deleting my bluetooth prefs and retried. Google has not helped. I've seen similar posts on other forums with no answers on where to go from here.

I'm not quite sure what the difference is here, except that my MBP was upgraded to Lion from Snow Leopard, and the MBA came with Lion factory installed. Also I think the Bluetooth chipset is different between the machines.

I'd really LOVE a solution to pair the controller via Bluetooth on my Air...

Originally Posted by Mr.C

I tried the method in the video but it didn't work for me. I kept getting asked for a pass code which obviously I didn't have. After trying several times I gave up.

We will have of course keep investigating the issue but early reports and testing it looks like this is a bug in OS X Lion & certain Bluetooth chips.

Edwin

[Mr.C]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

We will have of course keep investigating the issue but early reports and testing it looks like this is a bug in OS X Lion & certain Bluetooth chips.

Edwin

Thanks for the reply. I suspect you're probably right. There is no reason that I can see for the PS3 controller to require a pass code. I'm thinking maybe I should just pick up a used wired Xbox 360 controller or see if there is a way to use one of my wireless Xbox 360 controllers. It seems certainly that the Xbox 360 controllers are supported a lot more in PC/Mac games anyway. I was hoping to go wireless as every other input device I use is wireless but untill this issue with the PS3 controllers gets sorted out I may not have a choice.

[maril1111]

Yes you can use the ps3 controller but i only got it to work with snow leopard, lion simply doesn't want to work

[edddeduck]

Originally Posted by Mr.C

Thanks for the reply. I suspect you're probably right. There is no reason that I can see for the PS3 controller to require a pass code. I'm thinking maybe I should just pick up a used wired Xbox 360 controller or see if there is a way to use one of my wireless Xbox 360 controllers. It seems certainly that the Xbox 360 controllers are supported a lot more in PC/Mac games anyway. I was hoping to go wireless as every other input device I use is wireless but untill this issue with the PS3 controllers gets sorted out I may not have a choice.

I would hang on a bit if you can (and maybe give Apple some feedback about the PS3 pad) as I would expect something like this to be fixed in a system update. I have no more clue than you if this will happen but based on previous releases most of the launch day bugs get fixed quite quickly in the .1 and .2 releases.

Edwin

[Mr.C]

Originally Posted by edddeduck

I would hang on a bit if you can (and maybe give Apple some feedback about the PS3 pad) as I would expect something like this to be fixed in a system update. I have no more clue than you if this will happen but based on previous releases most of the launch day bugs get fixed quite quickly in the .1 and .2 releases.

Edwin

Thanks. I'll send some feedback to Apple although I'm not sure if they will take the issues regarding a third party input device like the PS3 controller seriously. Hopefull they will fix it in an upcoming point update along with all the other issues and bugs I and others are facing.

I must admit when I got my PowerBook back in 2005 it was just before the release of Tiger and when I upgraded to Tiger I had no issues. When I got my original revision MacBook Air with Leopard and my 2009 Mac Mini with Snow Leopard both OS's had been out for a while and had already received point updates and gave me no problems. Lion is the first Mac OS where I have faced bugs and issues from the beginning.