#Switch joy con controllers how to
#Switch joy con controllers software
#Switch joy con controllers Pc

Step 5: Start playing! Not every game is a natural fit for gamepads, let alone anything as dinky as the Joy-Cons, but Steam Input should let them work in Steam games like a more conventional controller. If a Joy-Con doesn't show up HERE, try connecting it back to your Switch and resetting it. You’ll need to connect both Joy-Cons individually like this, though you can use them as a pair once they’re all Bluetoothed-up.

Click one, wait a few seconds for it to finish connecting to your PC, then click 'Done' to confirm. Step 4: Select “Bluetooth” from the “Add a device” menu that pops up, then (assuming that the Joy-Cons are still in pairing mode) look for each controller in the list of available devices.

#Switch joy con controllers Pc

After pairing, the Joy-Cons should reconnect to your PC automatically when you press the Sync button within Bluetooth range. You only need to perform this setup process once. Step 3: Open Windows’ “Bluetooth & other devices” settings menu, then click “Add Bluetooth or other device” at the top. Joy-Cons have no wired connectivity, so Bluetooth is the only way to go. This will confirm they’re entered pairing mode. Step 2: Hold down the Sync buttons on each Joy-Con – those are the tiny round buttons between the SL and SR buttons – until the four LEDs next to them start flashing. You can switch back from Beta to the stable client at any time, though obviously you'll lose access to any Beta-only features. Click “OK” to confirm, then restart Steam. If you’re not opted in, click “Change”, then select “Steam Beta Update” from the drop-down list. This is easily done: open up Steam’s settings, and check the Beta participation section of the Account tab. Step 1: Opt into Steam beta updates if you haven’t already.

#Switch joy con controllers how to

With those caveats out of the way, here’s how to get Joy-Cons set up for PC play. They may or may not work in games launched through, say, EA Play or the Xbox app, but they'll be prone to sluggish performance or will fail to remap custom inputs properly. They’re typically less than £10 / $15 on Amazon.Īlso, because this whole methold relies on Steam’s Steam Input feature to turn Joy-Con button presses into inputs that Windows games understand, they’ll only reliably work in Steam games. Gaming laptops and a lot of motherboards have Bluetooth built-in, but if your rig is ‘toothless, any USB Bluetooth receiver should do the job.

#Switch joy con controllers software

Hopefully a combination of software and firmware updates will smooth out these kinks, as while they’ll never replace the best gaming mice and best gaming keyboards, Joy-Cons can still be fun little alternatives to Xbox and PlayStation controllers – especially for smaller hands.īesides the controllers – which you can connect separately, or as a pair – you’ll also need Bluetooth connectivity on your PC. It also took me a few attempts to pair the right Joy-Con to Bluetooth, though this may be an issue with my particular controllers rather than a widespread Windows issue. Their wireless range, for instance, seems shorter than every other Bluetooth device I’ve paired to my PC, and even holding them above my wooden desk (with the PC on the floor below) seemingly caused too much signal interference for the connection to handle.

Although the Steam Beta client itself is nicely stable, I have experienced a non-zero level of jank while trying out Joy-Cons on PC for myself.