Questions about game controllers (which, unlike the more generic peripherals, are used to control games).

Controllers come in all shapes and sizes. There are the official controllers for a console and there are also 3rd party controllers for some consoles. Some consoles (like the Wii) have controllers that can be extended and enhanced (nunchuck, motion plus, classic controller).

Typical controllers

  • Game Pad
  • Joystick
  • Keyboard and mouse
  • Trackball
  • Light gun
  • Steering wheel and pedals
  • Musical instrument inputs, such as music keyboards
  • Virtual reality gloves
  • Kinect

Tag usage

Use this tag for questions that specifically relate to controller usage, installation, configuration, support, or modification. For example,

  • How to set up controllers in typical scenarios
  • How to set up controllers in nonstandard or cross-platform scenarios, such as how or whether one can use a PlayStation 4 controller on XBox 360 or how to configure Nintendo JoyCon controllers for a PC
  • Controllers in a retrocomputing context, such as using original XBox controllers on XBox One or XBox One controllers on the original XBox
  • Troubleshooting or maintenance issues with controllers, such as drifting joysticks, broken buttons, rumble packs that don't, or error messages
  • How to remap keys or sticks on controllers, such as southpaw mode
  • How and whether one can play specific games with controllers atypical for a game of their genre, such as playing a platformer with a light gun or an RPG with a steering wheel

Standard computer input devices such as keyboards, mice, and trackballs are only on-topic when they relate to gaming. For example, asking how to connect a Macintosh keyboard to a PlayStation 4 and use it to play Sonic Forces is on-topic. Asking how to fix a broken key on a Macintosh keyboard is off-topic here but may be on-topic on Super User.

Game Controllers on Wikipedia