Just bought a Nimbus + controller. Guess I'll be holding off from 12.3 for a while longer.
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Some Users Experiencing Issues With Game Controllers in macOS Monterey 12.3
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I'm pretty sure this issue about game controllers not working are more complex than only having to do with Monterey 12.3 – there most likely are several issues going on at the same time.
One problem seems related to the game engine Unity and depending on what controller one is using. I have the original Nimbus (not Nimbus+) and there has been some Unity based games where that wasn't working, but others where it worked fine. In all cases these games has worked fine with PS4 controllers.
There was also this problem in the game Oddmar+ on Apple Arcade were neither the Nimbus controller nor PS4 controller worked, but that was fixed in an update to the game, thus not related to Monterey:
Can also mention that I bought the game Huntdown via the Good Old Game service (also a Unity based game) and that currently also has problems with detecting any game controller in macOS.
It all seems a bit messy. ?♂️
One problem seems related to the game engine Unity and depending on what controller one is using. I have the original Nimbus (not Nimbus+) and there has been some Unity based games where that wasn't working, but others where it worked fine. In all cases these games has worked fine with PS4 controllers.
There was also this problem in the game Oddmar+ on Apple Arcade were neither the Nimbus controller nor PS4 controller worked, but that was fixed in an update to the game, thus not related to Monterey:
Can also mention that I bought the game Huntdown via the Good Old Game service (also a Unity based game) and that currently also has problems with detecting any game controller in macOS.
It all seems a bit messy. ?♂️
It’s amazing how much better Windows 10 runs on my 2020 iMac compared to macOS. I finally broke down and set my iMac to boot Windows by default as I’m spending more time there than in macOS. :-(
I have literally never been able to pair a gaming controller with my Mac or Apple TV
So this is not surprising to me
So this is not surprising to me
The 5700XT in my 2020 iMac has zero issues playing games at 1440p max settings. I’m talking Cyberpunk 2077, Sekiro, Dark Souls III, and Elden Ring.
My 2017 MacBook Pro with mobile Radeon 560 can also play Sekiro (45 minutes on battery baby!) and Dark Souls III, though I’m running on 1080p on that machine.
Really? Shouldn't be that big of a difference I think. Outside of gaming performance that is.
But that's when booted into Windows.
The same thing is happening to me with Logitech keyboards and mice, apple devices work fine. Re-pairing the devices doesn’t fix it. Definitely something’s up with Bluetooth.
I'm having the exact same issue with my Beats Solo 3! I will try deleting the plist and see if that helps. Thanks for the tip.
Aw man! I submitted this as a tip yesterday but didn't get thanked at the end of the article. :/
OpenGL is dead and Apple's deprecated version is more stable than most Android versions anyway. Vulkan is the latest through MoltenVK. The bigger issue is porting Microsoft DirectX and Sony GNM/X which require more complex porting since they are so much different. There isn't always 1:1 mapping of features. Vulkan and Metal are pretty similar with most features having a 1:1 mapping which is why MoltenVK exists.I didn’t know these controllers’ support was baked into the OS. I recently found out that VRR didn’t work on macOS prior to Monterey, and while I was upset that it took so long to gain support, I’m glad they included it eventually. It’s the same with these controllers. I wish we had the latest OpenGL and Vulkan to improve game availability, though.
It is possible Apple is working on making it easier to port Windows and console games. Parallels needs dx12 to officially support Windows 11, so they are probably advocating new Metal features to help complete that work. CodeWeavers might also be advocating this for Wine. They mentioned insurmountable obstacles in their blog and that they are in communication with Apple. They also mentioned they expect to support dx12 in 2023 (probably after the next version of macOS). Any features that help implement dx12 on Metal should also make it easier to port most game engines used by AAA studios.
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Glad to know it's not just me. Literally on the day I bought a new Xbox Series controller to play some Mac games I updated macOS and had issues with button presses being recognised. So frustrating.
I hope they haven't buggered up my XBox One controller on my M1 Max 16. I already had enough trouble making that work with Steam in the first place.
FYI: it worked fine on all non-Steam games, but Steam would occasionally work, but usually find multiple 'phantom' XBox 360 controllers and then it would be ropey as hell and unusable. Finally fixed it by going into steam config files and blacklisting the 360 controller by model/manufacturer ID to leave me with only my 'real' XBox One controller, then it worked fine under Big Picture mode (although come to think of it controller in Hollow Knight is often ropey, even though the rest are solid). Haven't had any time to try gaming since 12.3 came out though.
FYI: it worked fine on all non-Steam games, but Steam would occasionally work, but usually find multiple 'phantom' XBox 360 controllers and then it would be ropey as hell and unusable. Finally fixed it by going into steam config files and blacklisting the 360 controller by model/manufacturer ID to leave me with only my 'real' XBox One controller, then it worked fine under Big Picture mode (although come to think of it controller in Hollow Knight is often ropey, even though the rest are solid). Haven't had any time to try gaming since 12.3 came out though.
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Funny, I used to play UT99 on my Powermac G4 and before that Sim City 2000 on an LCII.
Macs used to get a fair amount of PC games, oh well.
That is 80% of my gaming. Can't even find a Xbox or PlayStation in stores anymore and if you buy online they are marked up too high. I tried every Apple Arcade game and over half I really enjoy. Some games puts it at the Switch level games at least.
That's not quite true. Apple cares a great deal about gaming...
On mobile... with microtransactions... and that sweet 30% IAP fee.
Thanks, that's awesome!
More than probably all the other platforms combined? Although they aren't great, nor are they Call of Duty Clones, or Unreal Engine Games...
Yeah but iPad does exist...
That's what's so great about TV, freakin' gave one to my 8 year old nephew for an old HDTV and he can play games with an actual controller... FREAKIN' Free! (Got it from a DirecTV offer, like 5 years ago).
His Dad got him the PS4 when that came out, they wanted a PS5 we both did, but $700 and hard to find?
What are you gonna do? Um, buy an TV 4K Gen2? That can play some games... I know I know, we can't play Call of Duty or Halo... but
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This whole "reboot into safe mode" thing isn't working for me. Nimbus+ controller, trying to play NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition. The controller is paired, but the game doesn't recognize it.
This is the first update I can think of that I've actually had to roll back from. The graphic artifacts, stuttering screen refreshes, and - worst of all - the entire system locking-up are unacceptable for this cludge pretending to be the latest version of Monterey.
Boot into safe mode, disconnect/remove from Bluetooth in Sys Pref in Safe Boot, remain in Safe Boot, and re-pair, REBOOT
I tried that exact sequence. Upon rebooting to the standard mode, the controller was still not recognized by NBA 2K21.