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I've connected a Playstation 3 Controller via USB cable to my Windows 10 PC. Upon plug-in there was a notification telling me Windows is searching for a driver, and after a few seconds another notification telling me the device is now usable.

The controller shows up in Game Controllers as PLAYSTATION(R)3 Controller and the STATUS is OK. However, when I click on properties and click some buttons on the Controller nothings lights up, nor do the Axis react to anything on the Controller.

The Controller itself works fine, connecting it to MacOS 10.14 worked like a charm. Trying to connect the Controller via Bluetooth to Windows 10 did not work.

Searching the Internet there are lots of tutorials on how to connect a Playstation 3 Controller to Windows 10 requiring the installation of lots of software. I guess, if I could just plug it in and it would be working, these tutorials wouldn't be there.

On the other hand, why would Microsoft implement a non-functioning driver for the Playstation 3 Controller? If they don't want to support it, why not simply say Unsupported device or something?

What am I missing here?

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  • Microsoft is not the developer who created the driver for the device you describe.
    – Ramhound
    Oct 29, 2019 at 23:04
  • Ok, so did Sony create a non-functioning driver for its controller? Oct 30, 2019 at 1:21

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Why would [company] implement a non-functioning driver for the Playstation 3 Controller?

Three possible reasons:

  • The driver is generic (it was never intended for Playstation controllers) but it was the "best match" the system could find.

  • The driver is not specific to the device (it was intended for Playstation controllers, just not that particular make/revision) but it was the "best match" the system could find.

  • The driver was intended specifically for Playstation 3 controllers but requires additional underlying software the driver manufacturer chose not to include (e.g. because of licensing).

The Controller itself works fine, connecting it to MacOS 10.14 worked like a charm.

For what it's worth, the Sony Playstation 3's CellOS and MacOS both make use of parts of a similar code base (they both include elements of BSD derivatives), so it isn't too suprising that the controller works easily with MacOS. On the other hand, Windows has a completely different subsystem for connecting devices.

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