The wired Xbox 360 controller is USB, so using it for PC gaming is easyâbut things get a bit more complex if you have a wireless controller. Letâs take a look at how you can enjoy wireless gameplay on your PC while minimizing the headaches.
Device downloads. For software and drivers, select your product from the list below. Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows. Windows 7 (64-bit only). The package provides the installation files for Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller USB Driver version 2.1.0.1011. Windows 7 64 bit.
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The Three Prong Path to Wireless Freedom
When it comes to wireless Xbox 360 on Windows you have three options: the expensive and easy way, the cheap and somewhat frustrating way, and the grey market middle ground. If youâre sitting at your computer desk and not across the living room, for exampleâthen you might just want to skip the whole hassle, just buy an official wired Xbox 360 controller for $27, and be done with it. A wired controller is pure plug and play with no hassleâbut if you absolutely must have wireless play at your PC, youâll need to buy a USB-to-wireless adapter.
Thatâs right, you canât just connect a wireless Xbox 360 controller to your PC using Bluetooth, or anything like that. Xbox 360 controllers use a propriety 2.4Ghz communication method that need a specific a USB adapter made for the Xbox 360 controllerâno substitutes allowed.
This is where the decision making process gets slightly complicated. Microsoft doesnât sell the adapter by itself. They sell it in a bundle with a wireless controllerâbut if you already have a wireless controller, you probably donât want to buy another one just to get the adapter.
If you want to buy the adapter separately, you can, but youâll either be buying a Chinese knockoff product, or an official adapter thatâs been separated from its kit by a third party. Picking from these potential options is the most important step in the project.
The Official Bundle: Expensive, But Headache-Free
If you donât mind paying a premium (and potentially buying an extra controller you donât need) then the most frustration-free and guaranteed-to-work method is to buy the official Xbox 360 wireless controller for Windows bundle. Despite the Xbox 360 getting a little long in the tooth, you can still find official Xbox 360 âFor Windowsâ controller packs both on the shelves at many electronics retailers, online, and directly from Microsoft. And hey, if you only need the USB receiver, you can always sell the controller on Craigslist and try to get your money back.
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The MSRP of the official bundle $59.95, and youâll usually find it at close to that price at places like Best Buy. If you can find it cheaper from a reputable retailer, then by all means jump on it. If you must shop on Amazon, be sure youâre buying a product marked âfulfilled by Amazonâ and be ready to return it if it ends up that the product is not an official model. (Remember, âfulfilled by Amazon does not guarantee a genuine product.)
The Dubious Aftermarket Clones: Cheap and Doable, but a Headache
On the opposite side of things, youâll find piles upon piles of knockoff USB receivers sold separately all over Amazon, eBay, and other big online marketplaces. Typically, youâll find them ranging in price from $7-15 and theyâre either flawless clones that are indistinguishable from the official adapter dongle or theyâre terrible knockoffs that will give you a headache setting them up.
The official Microsoft Xbox 360, seen above left, is always branded as âMicrosoftâ on the front and says âMicrosoft Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windowsâ on the back. The knockoffs are almost always branded âX360â, seen above right, and usually say âPC Wireless Gaming Receiverâ or a variation on the back. Note the purposeful omission of any copy or trademarked names like âMicrosoftâ, âXbox 360â, or âWindowsâ.
In general, we donât recommend buying these. But if you already have one, weâve got your backâscroll down for detailed instructions on getting it up and running, even when Windows doesnât want to place nice.
The rules of the game are quiet simple and along the same lines as the game from yesteryear.
![]() The Official Orphans: A (Nearly) Sure Bet, as Long as You Can Find One
In between the expense of buying an official Xbox 360 Windows controller bundle and cheap $7 eBay specials, youâll find a sort of grey market happy medium if youâre willing to make a small gamble. If you look on Amazon and eBay, youâll find hundreds of official Microsoft brand Xbox 360 PC dongles that have been separated from their controller mates.
Your best bet is to look for listings that include not just the dongle (with proper markings and tags, as we saw above) but also include an official driver CD and booklet. While you donât need either of those things to use the controller (Windows will download the drivers automatically), itâs generally a good indicator that the listing is legitimate. Itâs not really profitable (or legally wise) for companies to go to the extra hassle of creating fake Microsoft support materials.
Just remember that Microsoft does not officially sell these separately, so if youâre buying one separately, you are taking a bit of a gamble. While we recommend you carefully study each listing, read reviews, and make sure there is a good return policy for whatever online retailer youâre using, we can say that weâve had great luck purchasing these official adapters for $15 a piece off Amazon (specifically fulfilled by RushHourWholesalers). Every one weâve ordered has shipped with a driver disc, documentation, and is identical in terms of branding, construction, and labeling to those found in the official bundle.
How to Install an Official Microsoft Adapter
If youâve purchased the official bundle, got your hands on an official adapter, or just happened to have purchased a knockoff adapter of exceptionally good quality, then the installation process is incredibly simple.
On Windows 8 and above, you can simply plug the adapter right into your PC. A few seconds later, it will be automatically detected and Windows will install the drivers. You can confirm this by opening up the Windows Device Managerâpress the Start button and type âdevice managerâ to access it. Look down at the bottom of the hardware list for the Xbox adapter entry:
On Windows 7 and earlier, youâll be prompted by the âAdd Hardwareâ wizard to add the USB adapter. You can select âInstall the software automaticallyâ, and if your version of Windows has the drivers the process will continue automatically. If you donât have the drivers already on your PC, you can either use the included driver disc or download the appropriate drivers from the official website here.
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Once the adapter is installed (and youâve confirmed its presence on the Device Manger list) you can jump down the section âPairing Your Controllers to Your PCâ.
How to Install a Knockoff Adapter
If youâre stuck with one of the lower-quality knockoffs, weâre sorryâby comparison, itâs a huge pain. Fortunately for you, itâs not hard to get them up and running as long as you know the completely non-intuitive way to do it.
First, plug your device into your computer. We recommend plugging it directly into a port on the back. If you must plug it into a USB hub, make sure itâs a powered hub. Weâd also recommend picking a port that youâll be able to leave the device more or less permanently attached to. Whenever you unplug it, youâll need to repeat the annoying steps weâre about to outlineâso youâll want to leave it plugged in at all times, if you can.
Letâs emphasize that last point again: with the majority of aftermarket adapters weâve come across if you unplug the adapter you have to repeat the annoying multi-step installation process. In my experience, it was worth the extra money to buy another genuine adapter just to avoid this hassle.
With the adapter plugged in, navigate to the Windows Device Manager. Press the Start button and type âdevice managerâ to access it. Look under âOther Devicesâ in the list of devices under the entry for your computer.
We know itâs quite nondescript, but unless you have multiple Unknown Devices on your PC, that little âUnknown deviceâ entry is your knockoff Xbox 360 controller adapter. Right click it and select Properties.
Select the Driver tab in the Unknown device Properties box and then click Update Driver.
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When prompted to select whether you want Windows to search automatically or for you to browse your computer for the drivers, select âBrowse my computer for driver softwareâ. Donât worry, you donât actually need any drivers, as theyâre already included with Windows. (On the off chance that yours have gone missing, however, you can download the drivers here.)
Youâll be given the option to search for the drivers in a location you specify or you can pick from a list of device drivers already installed. We want the latter, so select âLet me pick from a list of device drivers on my computerâ.
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Scroll down the list until you see âXbox 360 Peripheralsâ. Double click on it.
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Note: These screenshots are from the setup process on Windows 8 and 10; under Windows 7 itâs possible that you may need to look under âMicrosoft Common Controllerâ instead of âXbox 360 Peripheralsâ.
On the next screen, select âXbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows Version 6.3.xxxxâ. Click Next. When prompted by the driver update warning, click Yes. The hardware signature of the knockoff doesnât, in fact, match the driver signature, but it will work fine just the same.
Youâll receive a confirmation that the device was installed properly.
If you get the error âXbox 360 Controller for Windows / This Device Cannot Start. (Code 10)â, then youâve accidentally selected the drivers for the controller, not the receiver. Youâll need to go back into the device manager, delete the erroneous entry and repeat the tutorial from the start.
Back in the Device Manager, scroll down to the bottom and double check that there is now an entry for the Xbox receiver:
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If you see that entry, youâre in businessâitâs time to add your controllers to your PC.
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How to Pair Your Controller(s) to Your PC
The only thing left to do at this point is to sync your controller to the new wireless receiver. If youâre an Xbox 360 user porting some or all of their old controllers to their PC, then this process will seem very familiar, as its only a hair different than the process of pairing controllers with the actual Xbox 360.
Press the button on the receiver (the light will blink) then, immediately after, press the connect button on your wireless controller (located at the top of the controller just above the battery pack).
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The green ring of lights on the Xbox controller will rotate around and then the controller will signify which controller it is by lighting up the appropriate quadrant (the wireless receiver will support up to 4 controllers for those rare multiplayer PC games).
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One final step you may wish to take, even though itâs not required to get the controllers to work, is to download the 360 for Windows controller software, it adds in a really convenient function: you can tap and hold the Xbox logo on the controller to get a battery status check.
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Thatâs all there is to it! Before you dash off to play, however, we strongly recommend bookmarking, Evernote clipping, printing, or otherwise saving this tutorial if you have an aftermarket dongle. As we mentioned at the start, if you unplug the receiver you have to go back into the Device Manager and install the drivers again.
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