How to connect and configure a joystick on a computer (USB and wireless model), and what to do if the game does not see it

Good day!

Controlling with the keyboard in some games is extremely inconvenient. And, of course, the joystick allows you not only to increase control over the character, but also to make the gameplay more enjoyable ...

In this article I will consider such a seemingly simple question as connecting a joystick to a PC (laptop). In general, usually, after connecting the joystick to the USB port (for example) - Windows automatically installs the driver and configures everything (you just have to start the game and pre-configure the control).

However, in some cases this may not happen and Windows (or the game) simply won't see your gamepad. In more detail about what and in what sequence to do - I will give below ...

By the way!

Games for weak laptops and PCs - //ocomp.info/igryi-na-slabyi-noutbuk.html

Joystick connection and configuration

STEP 1: connection, driver installation

And so, if you have a USB joystick, then after turning on the computer (laptop), you just need to connect it to the port and wait 5-10 seconds. until Windows installs a driver on it (of course, we are talking about modern Windows 8/10, which do this immediately and automatically).

Joystick connected

If you have purchased a wireless joystick, then first you need to install batteries in it. Please note that manufacturers often "hide" a small adapter for a USB port in the compartment for them (so as not to get lost during transportation).

Note: if your joystick works on the Bluetooth protocol, then there may not be any adapter included with it.

Joystick (rear view)

After installing the batteries and turning on the joystick (on some models there is a noticeable ON / OFF switch for food), the LEDs on it should start blinking (most wireless models are equipped with them).

Batteries installed

Discreet ON / OFF switch

Remember to plug the adapter into the USB port.

Remember to plug in the adapter

If you have a Bluetooth joystick (without a separate USB adapter), then just click on the Bluetooth icon in the Windows tray and add a new device (pairing a joystick with a computer is literally a 2-click). See example below.

By the way! If you do not have a Bluetooth icon in the tray, then - //ocomp.info/propal-znachok-bluetooth.html

Adding a Bluetooth device

Further (regardless of the model of your joystick) I recommend that you go to the Windows control panel in the section:

Control Panel \ Hardware and Sound \ Devices and Printers

If Windows was able to find the driver and there were no problems with the joystick, you should see it here (see the screenshot below).

USB joystick

In general, after that, you can start the game and test the operation of the device ... ✌

Fifa

If the driver was not installed automatically, pay attention to the joystick package. Most non-standard models come with a CD (flash drive) with the necessary drivers.

Driver CD

If there is no such disk, try to open the device manager, and go to the tab "Other devices" (note: it displays all devices for which there are no drivers). After selecting a device with an exclamation mark (as in the screenshot below), right-click on it and select "Update driver" ... Then follow the instructions of the wizard ...

Other devices - update driver

If you did not succeed in updating the driver using these methods, I recommend trying the special. Driver Booster utility. It will automatically detect the model of your gamepad, and then offer to download and install a driver for it. In addition, this utility will check for the presence of all libraries in the system that games need (Visual C ++, DirectX, and others).

Driver Booster updates all necessary libraries for games in addition to drivers

To help!

How to find a driver for "any" device by its ID code (ID, VEN / VID, DEV / PID) - //ocomp.info/kak-nayti-drayver-po-kodu-oborudovaniya-vid-pid.html

STEP 2: check and calibrate

If the joystick behaves somehow suspiciously (for example, some button does not work or the game does not see it) - first, I would recommend checking if Windows can see it, whether it recognizes any clicks.

To do this, you need to go to the control panel, enter "joystick" in the search box and follow the link "Configuring USB Game Controllers" (you can also use the section Control Panel \ Hardware and Sound \ Devices and Printers).

Alternative way: click Win + R, and use the commandjoy.cpl

Configuring USB Game Controllers

Next, pay attention to whether your joystick is visible, whether the "OK" mark is lit opposite it (example below). If so, go to properties joystick.

Joystick properties

In the "Check" tab, you can test the operation of each button (when you press a button on the gamepad, you will see the corresponding button light up in the Windows window). If this does not happen, the probable reasons may be as follows:

physical damage to the button;
dead batteries (for wireless gamepads);
lack of a native driver (the selected standard driver does not correctly recognize the operation of the device);
the device is not calibrated (Windows does not work correctly with it by default).

Check

As for the calibration: this function is present in the parameters tab (joystick property). After its launch, specials will start working. a wizard who asks you to press the buttons several times ... Often, after calibration, the joystick starts working as expected.

Calibrate

Calibration example (first step after starting the wizard)

STEP 3: what to do if the game does not see the joystick

Of course, we are talking about those cases when the computer sees the joystick, Windows allows it to be calibrated and when checking all the buttons work (see a little above), but the game itself just does not know about its existence (for some reason ...) ... By the way, this often happens with old games that only see the keyboard.

If you are faced with something similar, then you can solve the problem with the help of specials. utilities (a kind of keyboard press emulators). Personally, I would recommend using JoyToKey (it has analogues AutoHotkey and Xpadder, but they are not stable on Windows 10).

JoyToKey

Website: //joytokey.ru.uptodown.com/windows

A small free application that allows you to emulate the pressing of keyboard buttons with a joystick. The whole JoyToKey setting comes down to defining which joystick buttons will be responsible for certain keyboard keys.

I also can't help but note that the application allows you to create your own profile for each specific game. Those. with the JoyToKey you can play any game on the joystick that can be played on the keyboard.

Many novice users cannot immediately grasp the work of JoyToKey (besides, it is in English). I'll show you with my example.

And so, after downloading the archive with the application, simply extract all files into a separate folder and run the executable file JoyToKey.exe (as administrator). Next, go to the section "Options" and press "Configure" .

Configure

Then go to the tab "Advanced Setting ..." and select your joystick (select device). In my example, the "TGZ Controller" joystick (example in the screenshot below).

Joystick default set

Then click on the button "Refresh" and try to press any button on the joystick.

Refresh

Next, you will see that the utility highlights the button that you press in yellow.

You just have to decide on which joystick button you want to tell a certain keyboard key - and then just double-click this line and specify the required one. See screenshots below.

Press the joystick button - and you see the desired line

In the screenshot below, I put the Q key on the button "Button 2" of the joystick.

The key is set!

Actually, in this way you need to decide on all the joystick buttons. This is done quickly enough ...

By the way, pay attention that your assigned joystick buttons work - the JoyToKey program must be launched before entering the game! (and the desired profile is selected (in my example, it is one, therefore it is not relevant)).