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Can I use a game controller with Diablo 3? Since there are not that many keys that are actually used, can you map a controller to play? Or would this require some type of mod?

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4 Answers

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Not within the game, no you cannot use a game controller to play. Diablo 3 is intended to be played with Mouse & Keyboard.

Using an external program / mod to add this capability not a good idea, as it is most certainly against the Terms of Service. Using external things to change the game experience is a potentially bannable offense.

This could change some day if they ever release the game for a game console. In that case, it is theoretically possible they would move the controller capabilities over to the PC version as well (though personally I doubt they would port over the controller aspect of the game).

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I also think the gameplay would probably suck, since the game is heavily based on pointing the mouse cursor where you want your abilities to go. – lilserf May 22 '12 at 21:47
Not necessarily. Torchlight worked well on the X360 (for me and people that I know). Blizzard has also expressed their intention to release a console version of the game. – deutschZuid May 22 '12 at 22:14
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Guys, game director Jay Wilson says Blizzard devs felt that concerning Diablo III, "the control and style of the game lends itself to a console," adding they had tried a "360-like" controller and "this feels even better with direct control." So please do research before posting opinionated stuff like this. destructoid.com/… – zespri Jun 6 '12 at 4:56
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There is no reason Diablo III cannot be played with an XBOX360 all you need is a program like XPadder or similar software. Furthermore its not against the Terms of Service to do so. – Ramhound Sep 17 '12 at 15:39
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No, it is not possible and here are the reasons:

  • Currently it is not possible to use keys (WSAD or controller) for movement. You have to use a mouse.
  • Some skills use the cursor as the center of their effect (e.g. Wizard: Blizzard), so you need to position is correctly very fast.
  • A controller is not fast enough with this kind of precision, especially in Inferno you will be doomed without a mouse.
  • Blizzard follows a strict no third party tool policy, so remapping keys with some kind of application (e.g. xpadder) might get you banned.
  • There is no "controller" interface implementation for the inventory and other parts of the game.

Currently the best thing you could hope for is some kind of mouse emulation for your controller.

I am very skeptical that Diablo 3 will ever allow controllers, as the whole UI would need to change and the difficulty has to be reduced.

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Most of these points are 100% false. Using Xpadder is allowed. – Ramhound Sep 17 '12 at 15:39
Well please prove me wrong. I dislike people just claiming something is wrong. I am quite sure that all my points are valid. The answer "No..." might be open to discussion, depending on the limitations you are willing to accept. – ayckoster Sep 17 '12 at 17:24
I have used Xpadder since the release of Diablo 3. Xpadder doesn't do anything that is disallowed in the Terms of Service. – Ramhound Feb 7 at 16:51
up vote -1 down vote

I'd grab a USB controller and map 1-4 to ABXY and mouse buttons to trigger buttons. As long as the controller doesn't install any macro software, I can't imagine anyone getting banned for using it. Analog stick sensitivity would be another issue. You'll either be a sloth on the battle field or a Parkinson's victim -- I'd stick with the mouse and keyboard.

Bonus third option: Nostromo game pad?

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The problem is that there is no way to move or case your Left/Right mouse button abilities without clicking. Sure, you could map your buttons such that the controller ABXY buttons do something, but that's not very useful if you can't move or use Left/Right mouse abilities. – Mag Roader May 23 '12 at 15:06
@MagRoader - Have you tried it? Didn't think so. Diablo III plays really well on a controller. – Ramhound May 24 '12 at 11:38
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@Ramhound Instead of being snide, please write an answer so we all may learn how to do it properly. – Mag Roader May 24 '12 at 20:14
up vote -1 down vote

Yes, but you'll need to remap some of the keys. Good controllers have keymapping or dynamic key binding so you can do it in the game. Otherwise you will have to manually remap the keys in D3 through the options page.

I use a Logitech G13 game pad to play and it makes it so much easier. I especially like 1-click login thanks to dynamic key binding. Highly recommend it!

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