Update! October 2011: We finally have a working OFFLINE version of MotionInJoy drivers! Unlike the archive they have offered, this one gives you a fully functional controller in local mode. Simply extract this file into your program files/motionjoy/ds3 folder, and local mode will work!
Update! November 2, 2010: The latest version of the PS3 USB driver is digitally signed! That means you no longer have to disable signature enforcement, or anything like that. I have rewritten the instructions below (because it’s still not as simple as you’d think).
One of our more popular blog posts this year has been the guide on how to use a PS3 controller in Windows Vista. Many thousands of people found that guide to be helpful, but unfortunately 64-bit users were left in the dark. Furthermore, the driver only offered basic functionality, and many of the PS3 controller’s features were missing. This includes Bluetooth connectivity, SixAxis motion detection, and even the rumble feature of DualShock 3.
Today, there is a solution for all these problems, thanks to the folks at MotionInJoy, based in ShenZhen China, just across the border from me. They have created a driver that works on all versions of Windows, including XP, Vista, and even Windows 7. There are versions for 32-bit x86 and 64-bit x64. Their English is a little choppy, so figuring out the exact method of installing the drivers may be confusing for some. Here’s an illustrated guide on how to install Windows drivers for your Playstation 3 controller:
Download the drivers
You can download the latest version, 6.0003 from our servers here: 64-bit version, 32-bit version.
Plug in your PS3 Controller via USB
If you haven’t done this before, you will see that some basic Windows drivers are installed. This might lead you to believe that the controller will work right away, but unfortunately it won’t. You still need to complete this step before proceeding however.
Install the MotioninJoy Driver
Just run the .exe contained within the zip file, and the driver will be installed to your Program Files directory by default. From there, it will ask if you would like to create shortcuts, then offer to run the DS3 Tool.
During the installation, you will receive this dialog box:
Obviously, you will want to “trust” it to use the driver.
Run the DS3 Tool
Unfortunately, the USB driver is no longer included in the package. This means that you will be unable to load the full driver without an internet connection. There is the ability to load the DS3 Tool locally, which we’ll get to later.
To load the USB driver, you will need to be connected to the internet, and then run the DS3 Tool. You will be presented with the “Driver Manager” page:
(you can ignore step 3 in the software, apparently they have yet to update that part of it).
From there, simply click “Load”. The installation will take place, resulting in some new hardware added to the device manager:
At this point, the center light on your controller should not be blinking. This is a good indication that it is working. Tour controller will now be working, albeit in a limited manner (only the digital buttons and crosspad will work, with no rumble or analog controls).
Enable DualShock and Analog Controls
To run your controller to its full potential, you need to load an advanced script from within the driver software. Here is the most important part:
You need to exit out of the program after the first time, and start it again. If you do not do this, it will not detect your controller properly. It took me a while to figure this bug out ;)
Once you restart the DS3 Tool program, you will be brought to a page that looks like this:
Your controller should be listed under “Connected game controller(s):” If it isn’t, go back to the Driver Manager, and try loading the driver again. From here, simply select the Analog Gamepad 2 mode, and click “Enable”. You will immediately have full analog functionality, which can be verified in the Game Controller control panel:
MotionInJoy Local Mode (Offline Mode)
As mentioned above, there is supposed to be a local mode, for those who can’t constantly be connected to the internet. This is done by extracting this archive file into your /MotioninJoy/DS3/ directory. After that, you can start up the DS3 Tool, and select “Local” in the top toolbar. Unfortunately, this will only allow for basic digital controls – no analog or dualshock at all. I guess this is to keep people coming back to the tool to display ads while they enable more functionality.
Update! October 2011: We finally have a working OFFLINE version of MotionInJoy drivers! Unlike the archive they have offered, this one gives you a fully functional controller in local mode. Simply extract this file into your program files/motionjoy/ds3 folder, and local mode will work!
Bluetooth
Bluetooth support is still in its infancy – they need to overwrite your Bluetooth drivers, and therefore you will only be able to connect the PS3 controller to it. Also, not very many Bluetooth dongles are supported – I wanted to test it out with the integrated controller on the Intel DP55KG motherboard, but it did not work.
If you do have a compatible device, you still need to follow the directions above anyway. After that, you will go to the Bluetooth pairing page, and follow the directions there. It should be pretty straight forward, as long as you are aware of the caveats going in.
That’s about it! You can even enable XBOX 360 controller mode, for the games that natively support that controller (some games, such as Braid, will only support the XBOX 360 gamepad).
question.
Has anyone of you gotten R3 and L3 analog (not the pressbuttons) working?
I got it to work just fine in XP x64. You have to enable them in the driver window. Also, the original software has a built in update that seemed to fix a lot of compatibility problems.
If you could share with me how you got the dualshock 3 to work in XP Pro X64 i would be most grateful. I have tried every step here, and any/all drivers i can find, but no go. Windows recognizes it when i plug it in, but it is not responsive, and will not calibrate. [email protected] thx!
It installed fine on XP (32 bit) and it works fine under game controllers in control panel. When I start a game, it does not recognise the controller. How do I get it to actually work with games, not just Windows?
@Michael: The analog sticks works for me in both PCSX2 and in the Windows control panel thingie.
I got up to: Plug in your Playstation 3 controller. If you haven’t done this before, you will see that some basic Windows drivers are installed. This might lead you to believe that the controller will work right away, but unfortunately it won’t.
Then the next step baffled me completely: From the Start button, run the “Install driver” for the appropriate connection method you’ll be using. Make sure to right click and “Run as administrator” or the driver will not install properly. Restart Windows again.
What am I supposed to do? I go onto the start menu and then I have no idea. I went onto the motionjoything to have a look. I’m totally lost.
Thanks, Joe
so has any one tried this on vista x64?
hey joe heres how i got it working: I think what he means is find the motionjoy folder in your start menu under programs and click install usb drivers, thats what i did but yea you gotta do it in admin mode and if it doesnt work the first time, try again, cause i did installed it twice, the first one failed, the second one worked. Then just restart, F8 go into unsigned mode again, fire up d3tool choose settings and enable and bingo bango you’re all set, hope that helps.
ok i id every thing it said and it didnt work i tried it 4 more times and still never work.
i run vista ultimate x64
Did you press the PS button while in the game controller screen? cause i thought it wasnt working when that happened.
Anyone got it working on vista 64 SP2? from other site and forum, it seem like the driver doesnt work on Vista 64 SP2 (code 39). For those who got it workin on vista 64, can u state what SP U have? cheers.
If I get this driver, does it mess withmy current Nvidia drivers? or its completely seperate? Yes… Im computer alliterate, so if you could help me, thatd be great
I don’t know about you but I’ve to restart windows every time to disable driver signature enforcement, that turns me off and I haven’t even started the game.
The developers need to work around windows signature system, to make it more desirable to use, otherwise is very stable and has almost all features of the PS3 are mapped into the vista_64 driver.
I would however recommend to the guys who made it to get rid of the .net gamepad setup application: “DS3 Tool”, and create something a little more pleasant to use like a systray easy access icon or even better a control panel icon.
Otherwise this is a work in progress, a very usable driver for vista_x64 which has his pros and cons when it comes to alpha development (ver 0.200) software, keep an eye on their blog.
Hi Carl,
Thanks for your post. Are there drivers for the bluetooth PS3 remote control in order to make it work with windows media center?
Thanks,
Jean
Followed directions to the tee. I would say my computer exp is high to very high. I actually have Code Signing for Drivers on “Ignore” in LGP editor. Still doesn’t see the controller in Vista x64 SP2…..lame
hey i have to say this i my 5th attempt to get my PS3 controller to work on my PC. im using windows vista 32 ultimate. ive tryed all the other downloads the lib whatever and then the newer versions of that as well. ive followed every step of ever forum and of ever body else little in puts at the bottom. i have the first reless of teh PS3 and controls if that has anything to do with. i am at a loss on what else to do. before i got this new download the one listed on this site the controller would should under the game control in the control planel as a PS3 controller. now it shows up as motioninjoy usb but i can not test it or do anything with it. the program motioninjoy dose not see that i even have a controller connected. what am i missing or am i that lucky guy that has a bum version of vista and or PS3 controllers. all my windows is up to date. i cant stress enough how closely i followed these instructions. i also made sure that i uninstalled all other things that involed the PS3 controller each time i tryed a new program
Works fine on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit but gives code 39 error on Vista 64-bit SP2
Help?
Im pressing F8 and can get to Safe Mode screen but there is no Disable Driver Signature… option. What do i need to do?
Ty for answers.
It’s not working for me. I’m using the 32 bit version in Vista. When I try to run the Install USB driver program, it keeps giving me an error that it can’t find a text file: Mijlog.txt
hey i did the install for this correctly 3 or 4 times with both drivers……it seems to work properly but the d3 program says no controller connected i’v tried holding the button n every thing im running vista x 86 i belive so thats equal to 32 right plz somebody help contact me at myspace.com/spaidspace
hey i have to say this i my 5th attempt to get my PS3 controller to work on my PC. im using windows vista 32 ultimate. ive tryed all the other downloads the lib whatever and then the newer versions of that as well. ive followed every step of ever forum and of ever body else little in puts at the bottom. i have the first reless of teh PS3 and controls if that has anything to do with. i am at a loss on what else to do. before i got this new download the one listed on this site the controller would should under the game control in the control planel as a PS3 controller. now it shows up as motioninjoy usb but i can not test it or do anything with it. the program motioninjoy dose not see that i even have a controller connected. what am i missing or am i that lucky guy that has a bum version of vista and or PS3 controllers. all my windows is up to date. i cant stress enough how closely i followed these instructions. i also made sure that i uninstalled all other things that involed the PS3 controller each time i tryed a new program
this is my same problem but i run vista x86
I got it to work, but when i go to control panel and try to calibrate it i can not do anything with the analog buttons, as in if i want to push the l3 up to walk it wont.
@koray, same thing here i press F8 and i don’t get that screen. I got options instead how to boot up.
Man, I love U for this!!!
BTW, for U how, can get this, driver sing, whatever, try tapping TAB and the, when windows diagnostic opens, push F8, it should open new menu, with this driver option. It worked for me!!!
thanks for the guide. i did use f8, ran as admin, but i still got that “ms needs a signed driver”
i defyed it and tried anyway..and the device came up in a keyboard icon but still saying ps3 controller. and guess what, it worked. BUT, it didnt work with the ps3 usb cable. then it came up as a ps3 controller icon, but i didnt get any control. maybe this will help for some, i dunno. strange happenings, im happy :)
How do i do the f8 part on a dell laptop.. the F8 doesnt work on boot up
Here is how you fix this problem, what you need to do is pry open your wallets you cheap skates and buy a 20 buck ps2 controller to pc converter from ebay, problem solved, no bs f8 no bs driver that dont work, no need for any of that rubbish.
Havik, you’re an idiot. The whole point of this is to have a wireless setup dumbass. Die in a fire.
works like a charm :) i just followed the instructions and that is it :D thank you
Works great in Win7Ultimate 64bit. Cheers.
There has to be a better way than booting into Safe Mode every time I want to use it though! Damn microsoft and their greed!
I did everything it said. rebooted 3 times and it still isn’t registering. i removed the program from my computer but now whenever i plug in the “1″ LED stays on the controller the whole time and all my controllers come up as “motioninjoy virtual game controller” any ideas on how to reverse this? also I was wondering how to get the old sixaxis driver. that worked just fine.
Thank you soo much …… it works like a charm on my Windows7 x64bit =) ……..
I don’t know why rest of the people are not able to do it…. its soo easy .. or maybe they don’t understand how to do it… :-/
I run Windows 7 and this did not work for me, up to the point of reinstalling it 3 times. I couldn’t even say how many times I restarted. I did everything right.
Can someone PLEASE help me find a PS3 driver that will work on Windows 7?
I miss XP, didn’t have a single problem installing my PS3 controller to it.
Running Windows 7 x32 – Works like a charm! Thank you kindly for this.
hi all , i have this working and all:
BUT PLEASE TELL ME WHY I CANT SEE IT IN GAME LIKE FIFA10 PLZ HELP!
when i press buttons or anything it doesent do anything ,and in controls theres no controller.
Thanks very much!! Great post, worked nicely! Thanks!
ok i did everything rite and everything is going good so far but when i ran the ds3 tool i dont know what to select… i have a regular ps3 controller can anyone help me
Hiya folks,
I would really appreciate some advice! I have windows 7 ultimate. I installed as per the instructions… when I click on set up usb controller I can see the controller “motion in joy” but I hav eno control over it.
Another problem is that when I click the DS3 tool… it just shuts off. I’ve never actually SEEN it, y’know? it’s always auto-turned off. wtf?
Hi,
i have the same problem as serzantas
It worked for me as described in the procedure.
I can see it in the DS3tool and also in the device manager.
I can calibrate it and it recognises it..
However, when trying it in Fifa2010 it doesn’t recognise it…
Any solution ?
Cheers,
levian71
This actually works. I’m quite surprised. The only problem is that after the controller is unplugged from the computer it automatically connects with the PS3 as the 1st player even though there may be already someone assigned that player. Simple fix just to plug it into PS3 and it should correct itself.
Just one thing I noticed. If you disable the signature driver as described in the UPDATE, using bcdedit.exe, you’ll get a bluescreen error when unplugging the controller, at least I get this error everytime. I don’t know why, but if I disable it at boot time, using F8, then I don’t get this error.
something is wrong, I’m working on Windows7 64x
when my pc boots up, the F8 key won’t open the menu suggested. it will open some weird red menu….
I tried using the other method running the bcdedit but no luck.. it keeps telling me
“C:\User\User\bcdedite.exe is not a valid Win32 application”
I’m having truble working my PS3DS and my Xbox360 controller via charge kit.
this sux :(
If these drivers aren’t working for you yet, you may not have run the “USB Driver Installation” properly yet. I’ll add a screenshot tomorrow, so it’s more clear.
Works like a charm on Win 7 ultimate x64. I recieved the “Windows Requires A Digitally Signed Driver” message, but it all still worked.
:)
Help? I try to install drivers and get this.
ERROR: failed with error code 0×57
hi all , i have this working and all:
BUT PLEASE TELL ME WHY I CANT SEE IT IN GAME LIKE FIFA10 PLZ HELP!
when i press buttons or anything it doesent do anything ,and in controls theres no controll
WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHY!Instead of write o its working…
if u thing that u will be able to play games with it think again U WONT!unless you only need for something like pcsx2
try remapping the controls…the game probably allows you to change the controls, so select the ones you want to replace and press the buttons/move the analog stick to map it to that button.
Did everything up der and jus lyk serzantas, i cant play fifa 10 NFS shift aswell…wtf!!!…how do i actually play games with it?
Has there been a driver update for XP? I have had one for awhile but it will not work for long before failing mid-game.
why does everyone continually agnore peoples questions about the controller not working when playing games like fifa10? it makes no sense, its a question relating directly to the sole purpose of setting up the controller.
I have the same problem with crysis, my controller works perfectly thanks to the great walkthrough, yet crysis seems to not recognise it as a gamepad, whereas need for speed most wanted does it automatically.
any ideas? would be much appreciated.
Try doing a Google. Read this.
I have found something , it doesent detect as gamepad but it makes work like keyboard its like that the buttons… are on gamepad its somehow connected to keyboard, anyway program is called Xpadder it doesent work on all games!!!it doesent work on fifa 10 or crysis, it works on Dirt 2 so probably would work with shift… , it also works with Css :D but not fully :( you cant make the pointer move :(.
I did everything right but i couldn’t get my controller connected to ds3 tool. I tested to change usb port and now it works perfectly :) I’m on Windows 7 x64 btw.
Last post i said that using xpadder you can only play some games , which is not!!!
I didnt know that you can change the button to any letter that is on keyboard or mouse , which means you can play any game with ps3 controller EVEN SHOOTERS!!!
so after you do all this with motionjoy get xpadder and you will be able to play any game :)