PCSX2 PS4 Controller and Keyboard Settings (Tips & Tricks)


PCSX2 is a PlayStation 2 emulator that you can play PlayStation 2 games on using your gaming PC. You can download PCSX2 for free, and it is compatible with close to 98% of 2,689 tested games as of 2021. If you have downloaded PCSX2 onto your computer, you might be wondering how you can use your PS4 controller to play games on it.

So, how do you use the PS4 controller for PCSX2? First, you need to connect your PS4 controller to your PC using either the wired or wireless option. Launch the PCSX2 app and click on the “Configuration” tab on the PCSX2 window. Select “Controller” and click “Plugin Settings” to see all the devices detected by the PCSX2 app. Another window showing all the detected devices will appear, select your PS4 controller and click on “Test Device”.

You can set up one or two controllers; select “Pad 1” and click on the “Clear All” tab if you want one controller. Start mapping your PS4 controller by selecting the buttons you want to use in a game. After you finish the mapping, close the settings windows and start any game you want to play and enjoy.

Sony has released three more consoles after PS2, and many gamers who want to play PS2 games turn to the PCSX2; therefore, if you want to know how to use PCSX2, this is the guide for you. I will explain how to use the PS4 controller for PCSX2, if you can play PCSX2 with a keyboard, how to set up PCSX2 keyboard controls and if PCSX2 can play PlayStation 1 games. Read on for a detailed explanation.

For PC gamers who prefer to play classic games, PCSX2 is one of the emulators they can use because of its compatibility with numerous major video game titles. After downloading the PCSX2 on your gaming PC, the next decision you need to make is the type of controller you will use to play the games. If you already have a PS4 controller, you might be asking yourself how you will use it on PCSX2.

To use your PS4 controller to play games using PCSX2, first, you need to connect your PS4 controller to your gaming PC. You can connect the PS4 controller to the PC using a micro-USB cable or via Bluetooth. Launch the PCSX3 app on your PC and click on the “Configuration” on the PCSX2 window.

Select “Controller” and click on “Plug in Settings”, and a window will appear showing all the devices connected to the PC. Select your PS4 controller and click on the “Test Device” tab, and a window will pop up, giving you the option to map one or two controllers.

If you are going to use one PS4 controller, click on the “Pad 1” tab, which will show all the default control settings. Click on the “Clear All” tab to remove the default settings and start mapping your PS4 controllers. After mapping your PS4 controller, you can close the settings windows, open any PS2 game on your PC, and start playing.

Mapping the PS4 controller is important as it lets you choose all the input commands. You get to choose what the buttons will do when you are playing a game. For example, if you do not want to use the joysticks to move left or right, you can map the buttons to be your direction button.

You can even change the right button to be your left button, and you are free to do anything with your buttons as long as it does not confuse you while gaming. If you are mapping two controllers, give the other one to your gaming partner to choose how their controllers work in a game. After mapping your PS4 controller, click on the “OK” tab to save your controller settings.

If you have trouble using your PS4 controller to play games on your Windows PC, try using the DS4 Windows program. The DS4 Windows program allows you to get the best gaming experience while using the DualShock 4 on your Windows gaming PC.

The DS4 Windows makes your PS4 controller emulate the Xbox 360 controller, and you can also use it to map your PS4 controller buttons to match the Xbox 360 controls.

Can You Play PCSX2 With a Keyboard?

One advantage of playing video games on your PC is using console controllers or the keyboard and mouse. Some gamers prefer using a keyboard and mouse, while others like to use console controllers. If you have installed the PCSX2 on your gaming PC, you might ask yourself if you can play games using PCSX2 with a keyboard.

You can use a keyboard to play video games on PCSX2 because it is a PS2 emulator for PC gaming. The keyboard and mouse are the primary game controllers for PC, and if you now want to use console controllers, you can stick with the keyboard. You can also choose which keys you will use for gaming by mapping your keyboard.

In some games, you will be required to use a mouse; therefore, when mapping your keyboard, ensure you incorporate the mouse keys into your input controls. You can also use two keyboards to play video games on PCSX2 if you want to play a game with a friend.

If your keyboard is not working, try changing the keyboard’s API mode. PCSX2 is old technology, and you might face some issues when using it with new hardware. To change your keyboard’s API, launch the PCSX2 app and go to “Configurations”. Select “Controllers”, go to “Plugin Settings,” and select “General”.

Go to “Game Device APIs” and uncheck “Xinput” and configure your keyboard with “DirectInput.” Close the window and start any game; your keyboard should be working properly by now.

Gaming on PCSX2 using a keyboard has numerous advantages, and the first one is comfort. A keyboard has well-spaced mechanical keys that are easy to use for a long time. When gaming, you do not have to hold the key with your hands; therefore, your hands cannot get tired easily.

If you are used to gaming with a keyboard, the keys are easy to find, and the option of mapping the key ensures you can choose which keys to play. You can pick the keys you can easily find without constantly looking at the keyboard.

The keyboard also gives you an added advantage when playing first-person shooter games. You get maximum speed and precision when using a keyboard and mouse to play games on your PC. For example, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a first-person shooter game where the main protagonist uses weapons such as guns to kill his enemies.

Using a keyboard and mouse to play GTA: San Andreas on PCSX2 gives you a quick aim and kill shot within a short time. Keyboard also has less input lag; hence if you are playing against another player, your keyboard will not affect your gaming style.

How To Setup PCSX2 Keyboard Controls?

PlayStation 2 has some of the greatest games released on a console, such as Final Fantasy 10, God of War, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Therefore, if you want to use a keyboard to play classic PlayStation 2 games, you can install PCSX2 on your gaming PC. Here is how you configure a keyboard for your PCSX2.

To set up PCSX2 keyboard controls, first launch the PCSX2 and click on the “Configuration” tab. On the “Configuration” window, select “Controller” and click on “Plugin Settings.” A new window will pop up where you can set up your keyboard’s controls.

Select your keyboard from the list of devices recognized by PCSX2 and change its API. You can choose between Windows messaging, raw input, and DirectInput depending on your PC’S operating system. After changing your keyboard’s API, you can now map by selecting “Pad 1.”

You can select “Pad 1” and “Pad 2” if you want to use two keyboards. When you select “Pad 1”, you will see many default controls on the left side and the available buttons on the right side. Click on the “Clear All” tab to remove all the default settings.

Once the left side is clear, you can now insert all the controls you want by pressing the keys you prefer on your keyboard. Once you insert all the preferred controls, click “OK” to start gaming using your keyboard.

You should note that all the controls you set during the setup are not permanent. You can edit or change the controls at any time if you find a particular set of controls not working for you. The process of editing or changing the controls is the same as the process you use to set up the keyboard, as described in the above paragraph.

You have to close any games running on your PC to make the changes effective. When creating a new set of custom controls on your keyboard, ensure that you keep it simple. Choose the most common keys and, if possible, assign two or three functions to one key.

You can also create different sets of controls for specific games eliminating the need to change the controls every time you start to play a different game. You can play over two thousand games using the PCSX2, and it will be difficult to use the same set of custom controls to play many games.

Select your favorite games and take some time to create the best set of customs controls for each game. You can load your custom controls before starting the game to improve your gaming experience.

Can PCSX2 Play PS1 Games?

PCSX2 was developed with the sole purpose of playing PlayStation 2 games on PCs. When Sony releases a new PlayStation console, they usually include backward compatibility with the games from the previous console. If you are interested in playing PlayStation 1 games, you might be wondering if the developers of PCSX2 included backwards compatibility for PS1 games.

PCSX2 can play some PlayStation games after the developer of PCSX2 added the latest GIT builds. PCSX2 failed to play PlayStation 1 games for a long time due to the unimplemented devices necessary for backward compatibility. The developers of PCSX2 asked for anyone who could find a way to fix the problem.

The solution to making PS1 games compatible with PCSX2 from the assemblergames.com forums. However, the solution is not without its faults because not all PS1 games are compatible with PCSX2, and some have issues like loss of audio.

One of the issues that plague PCSX2 when you start playing a PS1 game is the loss of audio or bad audio. When you launch a PS1 game using the PCSX2 app, the sound from the game could be distorted, making it hard to listen to in-game voice instructions and enjoy the game.

The developer claimed that the SPU2 plugin caused the problem because the plugin did not properly handle the backwards compatibility mode of the SPU2 plugin. The developer has tried to fix the issue, some games have improved, but some still have bad audio.

The main reason the backward compatibility issues of PS1 games on PCSX2 have many problems is that some gamers using PCSX2 are making the changes. The developer of PCSX2 asks gamers to come up with solutions, and because most gamers do not have enough resources, the backwards compatibility has many bugs.

Gamers using the PCSX2 to play PS1 games also do not have an avenue to report bugs and other issues; hence, the process to make PCSX2 fully compatible with PS1 games seems so long.

If you are having trouble playing PS1 games using the PCSX2 app, you can try one of the numerous PS1 emulators available for download on the internet. If you are using a Windows or Linux operating gaming PC, you can use ePSXe, also known as enhanced PSX emulator, to play PS1 games on your computer.

You can play most of the PS1 games on ePSXe without any issues, and if you find any issues with a particular PS1 game, you can use the patches written for the game.

Wrap Up

There are many video game emulators dedicated to playing games from a particular gaming console. If you feel nostalgic about PlayStation 2 games, you can just download the PCSX2 program for free from the internet and play any classic PlayStation games on your PC.

The PCSX2 works well with the DualShock 2, but you can also use the DualShock 4 controller or the keyboard. The PCSX2 team included the backwards compatibility of PS1 games in 2016 but not for all PS1 games. If you want to play PS1 games on your PC, you can try using one of the PS1 game emulators available on the internet, such as ePSXe, PCSX2 reloaded, XEBRA and Vita3K.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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