I turned my 3DS into an Xbox controller for my PC so you don't have to

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A hacked Nintendo 3DS is a fantastic addition to your gaming arsenal and the homebrew community behind it is simply phenomenal. There are programs that allow you to do virtually anything and everything, and that includes turning your 3DS into an Xbox controller. While it's pretty cool and easy to set up, we don't recommend actually using it as a replacement for a real Xbox controller.



How I turned my 3DS into an Xbox controller

You need a hacked 3DS

Configure vJoy on Windows

This guide assumes you have a hacked Nintendo 3DS and will need one to do this yourself. You'll also need to make sure your 3DS is on the same network as your computer, and finally you'll also need to install vJoy. vJoy is an application that hasn't been officially updated in a few years, and Windows updates have broken it and subsequent forks over time.


I used vJoy's BrunnerInnovation fork for this project as they released a signed version of vJoy on GitHub that meets the requirements of Windows 11. We cannot verify the authenticity of this software.

"3DS connected" in the 3DSController command prompt

In order for 3DSController to work on the Nintendo 3DS and on your PC, you must install the 3DSController application on your 3DS. You can do this through Universal Updater, by manually installing the CIA file, or by using a 3dsx file in the Homebrew channel. We installed 3DSController with Universal Updater. Next, you'll need to download the 3DSController configuration file and update it with your PC's local IP address before placing it in the root of your 3DS SD card.


Next, launch vJoy, change the number of buttons from 8 to 16, and then launch the 3DS controller application on your PC. You can then also launch it on your 3DS. If everything worked, you should see “3DS Connected!” in the command prompt window. Your 3DS will have a black screen until it restarts because this turns off the backlight to save power.

Finally, to make it work as an Xbox controller, you need to use a tool like x360ce to do it. It is a controller emulator that can take input from another application and represent it as an Xbox controller. In other words, you connect your 3DS to vJoy, which converts your 3DS into controller inputs, and then x360ce reads from vJoy to convert those controller inputs to Xbox controller inputs.


I use my 3DS as an Xbox controller and why wouldn't you

It's unnecessarily sensitive

Connecting the 3DS to a PC to use it as a controller

Although the setup process only took a few minutes, this isn't really a practical way to play games on your PC. The controller inputs work, but I couldn't use the circle pad as a joystick input even after I managed to get vJoy to work. Additionally, the original 3DS in particular can be uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time, not to mention the mediocre battery life the 3DS offers.


While it's fun to set up and can work in a pinch, I really can't recommend it. Brotato And The Binding of Isaac worked well, but that's because they are very simple games with limited input options. For a game like Cyberpunk: 2077 or Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartThere's no chance that using the 3DS as a controller will actually make sense. Not only does it not have a second joystick (and the C-Stick is a pain to set up on the new 3DS if you have one), but it's also simply not suited to this type of gaming.

So it's a project that you can put together to have some fun, but ultimately it's a very limited experience. It's also a very complicated setup for what you get, but sometimes that's exactly the fun of the technology. Try it at your own risk, but you might like it! You can turn many things into controllers, like a phone or a Steam Deck, so maybe try those out first.


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