• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

XBOX One controller on PC. Led light, crappy software, firmware updates and other woes.

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I have went through just about every controller imaginable on PC, and honestly the Dualsense is the best overall option, or the 8bitdo ultimate.
Eh Dualsense is alright, but the battery sucks, it has limited support., and no hall effect sticks. Its main advantage is in Switch emulation (RIP). Otherwise 8bitdo is easily the best.
 

keefged4

Member
Eh Dualsense is alright, but the battery sucks, it has limited support., and no hall effect sticks. Its main advantage is in Switch emulation (RIP). Otherwise 8bitdo is easily the best.
I put hall effect sticks in mine. And I play wired most of the time, but fair point about the battery. 8bitdo is the best all-rounder, dualsense has all the bells and whistles you need, best gyro, touchpad, haptic feedback etc plus 1000hz polling rate.
 

Radical_3d

Member
images

XBox One?
 

YeulEmeralda

Linux User
Every single accessory I own for PC has software. Headset, mouse, keyboard and mic. But for SOME reason the Xbox controller is the problem… PC gamers are the biggest gamer complainers there is.
mad people GIF


The PS5 controller has this too. Just yesterday I found out that the application for the Dualsense on PC is now called PlayStation Accessories.

But I'm not complaining nobody ever said PC gaming is plug and play.
 

YCoCg

Gold Member
The accessories app on PC sucks, as per usual with Microsoft gaming stuff on PC, easiest way to do it is to just connect the controller to an Xbox console, set up the settings you want there and then plug it into the PC.
 

MrPaul

Neo Member
In the case of an model 1708 or model 1914 XBOX one controller, you gain some more compatibility options with more recent firmware. They added a Bluetooth low energy connection option, which I needed to apply to my controller in order to use it with an esp32-s3(Lilygo T-Display S3 Touch) for a port of my emulator project. If you wanted to use use it with any device that only supports a BLE connection, a minimum firmware version of 5.15 is required.
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
The xbox one controller worked fine.
The xbox one x controller had nothing but shit for 1 year… now it works fine

Also use the official xbox dongle.. the bluetooth is sheit
 
Last edited:
It's still bright even if you dim it. I also wish it could be turned off.
Same as my main complaint for the PS5 console. I wish I could turn off the lights from my PC too.

To make the PS5 controller light bar less bright, users should:

Go “Settings.”
Select “Accessories.”
Choose “Controllers.”
Select “Brightness of Controller Indicators.”
Then choose either “Medium” or “Dim.”


Unless you tried that and dim is still bright. Then ignore.
 

Larxia

Member
Hey! I'm exactly in the same boat and I'm glad to see someone else talking about that, because no one does and it always drove me crazy. This light is absolutely horrible and super distracting.
I used to put a tape on it too.
However there is a method that I found a few months ago to lower or even turn off the led, you can find it here :

It's a bit weird / annoying though because it requires steam input enabled, and it doesn't always work perfectly.
Everytime I turn on my controller the led is at full brightness, I have to unplug and plug it again for it to work.
But if you're looking for a software solution, it's the only one that exists I think.


I have went through just about every controller imaginable on PC, and honestly the Dualsense is the best overall option, or the 8bitdo ultimate.
I tried the dualsense and it was a terrible experience for me on PC.
The light is even more annoying than on the xbox controller, because even if you turn it off from steam, some games will turn it back on if they're using it.
In death stranding for example the light turned at full brightness red color everytime monsters were nearby, and then back to blue when safe.

The biggest problem with the dualsense on PC however is that every game that use regular vibrations instead of haptic feedbacks will only vibrate on the left side. That's super distracting and it feels horrible. 99% of the games you will play on PC will only vibrate on the left side, with the exception of some minor small vibration which will be on the right side. In RDR2 for example there is only vibration on the left side during gameplay, but the weapon wheel will make the right side slightly vibrate lol.
 

Larxia

Member
I use the Xbox Series X controller, which is the same as the Xbox One controller AFAIK on PC.

No problems.
You can't say "no problems", you have the exact same thing on your controller, I've had multiple Xbox Series controller and they all have the same light.
It's just that it does not bother you personally, but it does bother some people, like OP and me.
Saying things like "no problem" or "I don't have this", when you in fact do but don't care about it, always lead to confusion for people looking for an answer. I noticed this with many many things in life.
I went through the same exact journey (but with the series controller) few weeks ago as you OP
My findings lead me to the realization that theres no way to disable the light on PC at all and that id have to buy their console just to do that, the app cannot do that regardless of updates.
You can by using what was posted above:
It's however a bit weird / not perfect, like I always have to unplug and plug my controller again for the change to work, it doesn't work right away when turning it on. If you play a game outside of steam too the light might come back or the controller might not work and you will need to unplug / plug it again, not really sure why but steam input makes weird things like this for me.
 

MacReady13

Member
I mean, is it THAT big of an issue just to have a controller light that you can’t dim? If that’s such an issue, get an 8bitdo ultimate controller.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Buy a 8bitdo ultimate wireless and thank me later. Hall effect sticks. Really good dock that turns it on or off automatically. Really good dpad. Way better wireless connection. Best $50 I ever spent.

Echoing this. I bought an 8bitdo SN30Pro controller ~3 years ago for PC gaming, and I will probably never go back. I'm sure the Ultimate is great, too, but the Pro 2 is an ideal controller shape for me. I didn't realize they had a new version with hall effect sticks and triggers, so I guess I should probably check that out, too.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Too bad the 8bitdo controller doesn't come with an audio jack, otherwise I would get one in a heartbeat.
 
You can change the led colour etc of the Elite 2 in Steam controller settings/advanced - does that work for the normal one?
 

Radical_3d

Member
Xbox One controller is honestly better than the current Series model. The d-pad is actually a cross instead of the clicky circle, and the buttons are spaced slightly farther apart so my thumb doesn't accidentally press multiple buttons.
Sega Saturn clicky circle >>>>>> cross.
 

Bojji

Member
I had One controller for few years but build quality of this thing was garbage (I had to repair right bumper myself, but this thing still works overall...).

Series S controller since 2022 and it's amazing, I think I like it better than Dual Sense even.

Edit: I use official MS dongle released for One controllers, it's perfect.
 
Last edited:

keefged4

Member
I tried the dualsense and it was a terrible experience for me on PC.
The light is even more annoying than on the xbox controller, because even if you turn it off from steam, some games will turn it back on if they're using it.
In death stranding for example the light turned at full brightness red color everytime monsters were nearby, and then back to blue when safe.

The biggest problem with the dualsense on PC however is that every game that use regular vibrations instead of haptic feedbacks will only vibrate on the left side. That's super distracting and it feels horrible. 99% of the games you will play on PC will only vibrate on the left side, with the exception of some minor small vibration which will be on the right side. In RDR2 for example there is only vibration on the left side during gameplay, but the weapon wheel will make the right side slightly vibrate lol.
Disable Steam input for the dualsense for native haptic on Sony games, and use DS4windows for everything else. You'll be able to turn off the controller light completely with DS4 windows as well as sort out he vibration issue only being on one side.
 
Last edited:

Rockman33

Member
mad people GIF


The PS5 controller has this too. Just yesterday I found out that the application for the Dualsense on PC is now called PlayStation Accessories.

But I'm not complaining nobody ever said PC gaming is plug and play.
100%. That’s the draw to a lot of people, the immense amount of customization.
 

nkarafo

Member
Hey! I'm exactly in the same boat and I'm glad to see someone else talking about that, because no one does and it always drove me crazy. This light is absolutely horrible and super distracting.
I used to put a tape on it too.
However there is a method that I found a few months ago to lower or even turn off the led, you can find it here :

It's a bit weird / annoying though because it requires steam input enabled, and it doesn't always work perfectly.
Everytime I turn on my controller the led is at full brightness, I have to unplug and plug it again for it to work.
But if you're looking for a software solution, it's the only one that exists I think.
I tried this many times, step by step, but it won't work for me.

Also, there is no "Enable Xbox Configuration Support" in STEAM controller options"
 

nkarafo

Member
Yooooo

Look at this:

kXtNZsv.png


It's this program:


It actually works!

BUT... It's paid software so this is a trial. It also requires you to log in to an account. It's also pretty bloated (100+ MB memory footprint for a controller settings software). I'm not sure exactly how it works or if it needs the app to the background, i need to play a bit more with it.

Yeah, i'm probably not going to actually use this because of all the above. Maybe i can find something smaller and lighter that does something similar.

I'm just happy i found something.
 
It's this program:


It actually works!

BUT... It's paid software so this is a trial. It also requires you to log in to an account. It's also pretty bloated (100+ MB memory footprint for a controller settings software). I'm not sure exactly how it works or if it needs the app to the background, i need to play a bit more with it.
It's good software. I have a paid license. Not sure I'd call it bloated, It has a lot of features, including apparently m+k->controller mappings. For that reason I think it might be why I caught a COD Black Ops Cold War permaban (still not sure on that point as they won't actually tell you).

I used it to map Xbox Elite buttons and paddles mostly for Rocket League (default software required paddles to mirror a regular gamepad button). Worked great, and the response curve features were far more advanced than what the Xbox software gave you. But haven't had much reason to run it since giving up on Microsoft gamepads.
 

Pantz

Member
To make the PS5 controller light bar less bright, users should:

Go “Settings.”
Select “Accessories.”
Choose “Controllers.”
Select “Brightness of Controller Indicators.”
Then choose either “Medium” or “Dim.”


Unless you tried that and dim is still bright. Then ignore.
sorry, I meant the console itself. thanks
 

Hoddi

Member
Too bad the 8bitdo controller doesn't come with an audio jack, otherwise I would get one in a heartbeat.

Not all of them do but most of their Xbox compatible controllers have audio jacks. It's worth checking out if you need a gamepad for your PC.

I'm a big fan of these controllers, myself. I've bought four of their controllers (for different systems and emulators) and I've been really happy with them.
 

Puscifer

Member
Buy a 8bitdo ultimate wireless and thank me later. Hall effect sticks. Really good dock that turns it on or off automatically. Really good dpad. Way better wireless connection. Best $50 I ever spent.
Btw if the dock doesn't interest anyone, you can get the same controller sans dock for 30 dollars now without hall effects and retains wireless capabilities. It literally doesn't make sense to get anything else at this point
 
Last edited:

Larxia

Member
I tried this many times, step by step, but it won't work for me.

Also, there is no "Enable Xbox Configuration Support" in STEAM controller options"
Yeah if you didn't manage to get steam input to work that's why the trick didn't work for you yet.
On your main steam page, did you go to Steam (to left corner) > Settings > Controller > External controllers >Enable steam input for xbox controllers ? (My steam is in french so I'm not sure my translation is exact but this is the path for the setting)
 

Soodanim

Member
Yooooo

Look at this:

kXtNZsv.png


It's this program:


It actually works!

BUT... It's paid software so this is a trial. It also requires you to log in to an account. It's also pretty bloated (100+ MB memory footprint for a controller settings software). I'm not sure exactly how it works or if it needs the app to the background, i need to play a bit more with it.

Yeah, i'm probably not going to actually use this because of all the above. Maybe i can find something smaller and lighter that does something similar.

I'm just happy i found something.
ReWASD is the only software I know of that has deeper customisation than Steam Input. If you're someone that makes use of it, I'm sure the incense is worth it. It's not a sub mode either, which is nice in this day and age.

I think it might be why I caught a COD Black Ops Cold War permaban (still not sure on that point as they won't actually tell you).
I'm pretty sure it will be. EA banned it from FIFA recently, the idea must be doing the rounds in MP games.
 

nkarafo

Member
Yeah if you didn't manage to get steam input to work that's why the trick didn't work for you yet.
On your main steam page, did you go to Steam (to left corner) > Settings > Controller > External controllers >Enable steam input for xbox controllers ? (My steam is in french so I'm not sure my translation is exact but this is the path for the setting)
Yes, i have this option enabled.

bLpCGyR.png


The trick, however still doesn't work for me. I must have tried it 10 times. Both with the Admin CMD and the Environment Variables method. I even tried it with a virtual PC (using vmware) with a fresh Windows and STEAM install to see if it changes anything but no, doesn't work in there either.

I see the comments there and how many people say it works for them but i guess it's my luck.
 

nkarafo

Member
ReWASD is the only software I know of that has deeper customisation than Steam Input. If you're someone that makes use of it, I'm sure the incense is worth it. It's not a sub mode either, which is nice in this day and age.
What do you mean by "not a sub mode"?
 

Soodanim

Member
What do you mean by "not a sub mode"?
Sub mode means me and the iPhone keyboard have a rocky relationship.

What I meant to say was it's not a subscription model (last time I checked), so you pay your $25 dollars or whatever and get the lifetime license.
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
Don't know about the Xbox One, but it's easy peasy for the Elite 2 in Xbox Accessories app for PC, can turn it all the way off.

bsb5nWA.png
 
Last edited:

Buggy Loop

Member
I agree it’s crap

Somehow some peoples can edit the light, but I couldn’t.

I found a cmd script that when booting steam it dims the light, but only if plugged 🤦‍♂️

So I have the Xbox buttons on the way for the 8bitdo ultimate as when I bought it, only switch layout had HE analogs, and the support on PC for that is also puzzling sometimes. Soon as Xbox buttons arrive, I think Xbox controllers are done for.
 

nkarafo

Member
Sub mode means me and the iPhone keyboard have a rocky relationship.

What I meant to say was it's not a subscription model (last time I checked), so you pay your $25 dollars or whatever and get the lifetime license.
But does it still require you to be always online and do a profile check?


Don't know about the Xbox One, but it's easy peasy for the Elite 2 in Xbox Accessories app for PC, can turn it all the way off.

bsb5nWA.png
No such thing for the XBOX One controller unfortunately. Even after i updated the firmware.


Somehow some peoples can edit the light, but I couldn’t.

I found a cmd script that when booting steam it dims the light, but only if plugged 🤦‍♂️
Well, i'm one of the very few people, it seems, who can't get this to work even when plugged with a USB cable (when using STEAM or the CMD trick). The only thing that works is ReWASD.
 
Last edited:

Larxia

Member
I see the comments there and how many people say it works for them but i guess it's my luck.
Try installing the "Xbox extended feature support driver" at the bottom of the list in your screenshot, I have it installed, it might be that.
 

nkarafo

Member
Try installing the "Xbox extended feature support driver" at the bottom of the list in your screenshot, I have it installed, it might be that.
This won't install for me either, it gives me this message when i try to do it:

spuOzhO.png


I tried this multiple times of course, i also made a fresh STEAM install, i made another install in the virtual PC, etc, always the same message.

So then i googled for this issue and, of course, all the solutions that seem to work for others don't work for me. So i'm stuck.
 

Larxia

Member
This won't install for me either, it gives me this message when i try to do it:

spuOzhO.png


I tried this multiple times of course, i also made a fresh STEAM install, i made another install in the virtual PC, etc, always the same message.

So then i googled for this issue and, of course, all the solutions that seem to work for others don't work for me. So i'm stuck.
Oh wow... weird =/ I'm really sorry it doesn't work for you :messenger_anguished: I hate this light too so I understand the issue...
 
Top Bottom