Posted Thu Jun 5, 2014 at 08:38 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
Drivers provide support for wired functionality.
One the greatest impacts of the Xbox 360 occurred in PC gaming, and that is a standardized controller for developers and players in PC games. With the advent of the wired Xbox 360 controller, PC gamers across the board found that games natively worked with one of the best controllers in the world, and was even fully supported in the UI and with vibration feedback. Microsoft also released a wireless USB module to bridge PCs and 360 wireless controllers, but that module had a much smaller impact, often failing to work in a dependable manner.
Third person action titles such as 'Assassin's Creed' and 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' have been ported to the PC with full expectation of a 360-like controller for use, and thus eight years of PC games are filled with controller dependant examples.
When the Xbox One was readying for deployment, its new controller, which follows the 360 template and is not a major departure, was not immediately made available for PC use. With possible concerns that Xbox One controllers would be snatched up for PC use at system launch, Microsoft promised that PC support would come in 2014.
As a reminder, unlike the 360 controller, which is split between wired and wireless versions, there is no specific wired version of the Xbox One controller. Instead, each Xbox One wireless controller, including the ones that ship with the console, can now be used with the PC through a micro USB cable and through drivers just released by Microsoft.
From Major Nelson, "We know our fans have wanted PC compatibility, and we know they wanted to be able to use the Xbox One controller with the same games and applications they have been playing with using the Xbox 360 controller. We can't wait for them to play their favorite PC games with what we consider the best controller ever made and we're excited for fans to experience the improved D-pad, redesigned battery compartment, new comfortable design and offset analog sticks. The new PC drivers will enable the Xbox One controller to be used with any game that featured gamepad support for the Xbox 360 controller. Simply download the drivers, connect your Xbox One controller to your computer through a micro USB cable and you'll be gaming in no time."
Major Nelson also stated that PC drivers for the controller will eventually be part of a Windows update, but in the meantime, here are the drivers.
PC Drivers for Xbox One Controller (x86)
PC Drivers for Xbox One Controller (x64)
With this "early access" release, no mention was made of wireless functionality.
Source: Major Nelson
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