Use 3rd Party Gamepads with SteamVR

Alongside StretchSense Gloves, third party accessories can be used to expand the utility of the gloves by adding physical buttons. There are a variety of gamepads and software to allow these to work in SteamVR to extend the number of buttons that can be used when playing SteamVR games.

Mocute Gamepad in XInput Mode

Open

Mocute 032

This gamepad and variations of the Mocute 032 / 051 / 052 are small and can be held in one hand. All of them support a full range directional joystick. The Mocute series supports connection to PCs and can appear as a gamepad.

When using these, make sure the gamepad has good line of sight to your PC and you are no more than 2 meters away from it, or it may disconnect during use. The revision F versions of these controllers have much better bluetooth connectivity.

Variations of this controller come with built in rechargeable lithium batteries or take AAA batteries, depending on the size and form factor.

If your Mocute gamepad works in regular Steam to navigate menus or to play non-VR games, but doesn’t show in the SteamVR status window, follow our Setting up XOutput guide. You can then bind actions to the buttons using SteamVR controller remapping.

Otherwise, it is accessible in Unity as a regular gamepad via the Unity Input System and does not require additional software.

See other Mocute models here

Image	Model Name	Bluetooth Name	Size	XInput Mode Button Combo	Steam Input Gamepad	SteamVR Native Gamepad	Use XOutput	Purchase Link	Note

Image	Model Name	Bluetooth Name	Size	XInput Mode Button Combo	Steam Input Gamepad	SteamVR Native Gamepad	Use XOutput	Purchase Link	Note
Open	Mocute 032 S	Mocute-032_S23	Tiny	A + Power				Discontinued	By default, Bluetooth name is Mocute-032_S23-Auto. Can disconnect from PC if it loses line of sight. This is the older S version of the gamepad that was discontinued but may be still sold on some online stores. Startup gamepad by holding A then pressing power and releasing these buttons to activate XInput mode. Manufacturer usage Instructions
	Mocute 032 F	MOCUTE-032-HID-Y	Tiny	Y + Power				Mini Wireless Bluetooth Gamepad	This is the newer F version of this gamepad with better Bluetooth performance.  Startup gamepad by holding Y then pressing power and releasing these buttons to activate XInput mode. Setup XOutput to make this gamepad emulate an Xbox360 controller for use in SteamVR. Manufacturer usage Instructions
	Mocute 052Fe	Mocute 052Fe-HID-Y	Joycon Sized	Y + Power				Mocute 052 Game Pad	By default, Bluetooth name is Mocute 052Fe-Auto. This is the newer F version of this gamepad with better Bluetooth performance. 1. Set switch to “Game” on side of gamepad. 2. Startup gamepad by holding Y then pressing power and releasing these buttons to activate XInput mode. 3. Pair PC to Mocute 052Fe-HID-Y bluetooth device. 4. Setup XOutput to make this gamepad emulate an Xbox360 controller for use in SteamVR. Manufacturer usage Instructions
	Mocute 051Fe	Mocute-051Fe-HID-Y	Joycon Sized	Y + Power				Mocute Bluetooth Remote Controller 051	This is the newer F version of this gamepad with better Bluetooth performance. 1. Set switch to “Game” on side of gamepad. 2. Startup gamepad by holding Y then pressing power and releasing these buttons to activate XInput mode. 3. Pair PC to Mocute 052Fe-HID-Y bluetooth device. 4. Setup XOutput to make this gamepad emulate an Xbox360 controller for use in SteamVR. Manufacturer Usage Instructions

Setting up XOutput

XOutput is a Windows app that is used to emulate an Xbox360 controller for gamepads that don’t have a native XInput mode but are still detected by Windows. It can bind to the button and axis inputs of any XInput or DirectInput gamepad and create a fully compatible virtual Xbox360 controller that shows up in SteamVR. You can then create controller bindings specifically for the Xbox360 gamepad from within SteamVR for each game you want to play.

1. Pair your Bluetooth controller with your PC and made sure it shows up in the USB and Game Controllers window and is responsive to button presses.

2. Download an unzip XOutput to your documents folder. This is the frontend that will manage the creation of the virtual Xbox360 controller.

3. Download and install ViGEmBus driver to allow the creation of virtual controllers.

4. Open XOutput and check your bluetooth controller highlights in the list of DirectInput devices when you press a button on it.

5. Under the Game Controllers list, click Add controller.

6. Click Edit next to the newly created controller.
   
   

    

7. Beside each button you wish to bind to, click configure and press that button or move the axis left/right or up/down to set the range of motion.
   
   

    

8. Click Save to apply the change for the binding and repeat for all the buttons your controller supports.

9. Under Other settings change the default name Controller to a memorable name that matches your controller and ensure Start emulation when controller is connected is checked.

10. Close the window and click the Start button next to your controller in the Game Controllers list.

11. Open SteamVR and see that the controller is now available in the SteamVR status window.
    
    

12. Go to SteamVR Settings → Controllers → Test Controller

13. Select Gamepad from the list and check the buttons highlight when you press each button and the axis works.
    
    

     

14. Go to SteamVR Settings → Controllers → Manage Controller Bindings.

15. Select your SteamVR app from the list and choose Custom.

16. Click Edit this binding.
    
    

17. Go back and select Gamepad as the controller type.
    
    

     

18. Under Current Binding click edit and adjust the bindings for each button to suit your game.
    
    

     

19. Click Save Personal Binding when done.
    
    

LinYuvo Meteor Controller

The LinYuvo Meteor controller has a similar form factor to 8-bitdo mini controllers, but at a cheaper price and a premium look and feel. It supports an 8-directional d-pad and 8 buttons.

On PC it can emulate an Xbox Gamepad or Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, which show up in SteamVR as a native XInput devices without needing additional software. This allows the gamepad buttons to be rebound using SteamVR controller bindings. In Xbox Controller mode it supports vibration in compatible games.

LinYuvo Meteor Gamepad Pairing with Windows PC

1. Make sure the controller is turned off by holding the Home button until the LEDs turn off.

2. In Windows, go to the Bluetooth Settings.

3. Click Add Device.

LinYuvo Meteor Xbox Controller Mode

1. Ensure Xbox Wireless Controller is unpaired from the Bluetooth menu in Windows.

2. Hold B+Home button to start PC XInput mode and wait for the center LED to flash yellow rapidly.

3. Select Xbox Wireless Controller.

LinYuvo Meteor Switch Pro Controller Mode

1. Ensure Pro Controller is unpaired from the Bluetooth menu in Windows.

2. Hold Y+Home button to start Switch Pro Controller mode and wait for the center LED to flash blue rapidly.

3. Select Pro Controller.

Testing LinYuvo Meteor Gamepad

1. Open the USB and Game Controllers dialog in Windows.

2. Select Bluetooth XINPUT compatible input device.

3. Click Properties and test the buttons work.

4. Back in SteamVR, go to SteamVR Settings → Controllers → Test Controller → Gamepad and check the buttons work.

Nintendo Switch Joycons

Configure JoyShockMapper

1. Install ViGEmBus.

2. Install HidHide.

3. Download and unpack JoyShockMapper into your Documents folder.

4. In HidHide in the applications tab, add apps to the list in order to hide gamepads (e.g Steam, Unity)

5. In HidHide in the devices tab, check box beside devices you wish to hide then check “Enable device hiding”

6. Launch JoyShockMapper and create a config file in the AutoLoad folder of JoyShockMapper as instructed via the console output (E.g Unity.txt). The name will match the title of the game reported in the JoyShockMapper console output.

7. Copy the contents of GyroConfigs/xbox.txt into Unity.txt. This will setup a unified split controller for the left and right controller. If you are only using one of the Joycons you can set the other down and hold a single one.

8. Launch Unity and while Unity is in focus, relaunch JoyShockMapper

9. In both SteamVR and the Windows Game Controller config should see a virtual “XBOX 360 For Windows” controller which is an XInput Compatible controller that can be bound in Steam

10. Use either the properties dialog for the controller or the SteamVR controller tester to validate the gamepad output works correctly

In Unity the controller shows up as an XInputControllerWindows XInput device. Pushing the buttons and sticks should show changes in the output when viewed in the Unity Input Debugger.

In Steam, ensure Steam Input is turned off for the Xbox360 Controller in the Steam settings. This will stop Steam from capturing the gamepad output to navigate the UI or emulate a mouse. Input will then be correctly forwarded to SteamVR games and will be remappable by creating a SteamVR Controller Binding profile for the gamepad, or by adding native support into the Unity game for Gamepads. If everything is correct a gamepad icon will appear in the SteamVR status window, alongside the StretchSense glove devices.

If you run into issues where the virtual gamepad stops responding, restart SteamVR and JoyShockMapper.

Configure BetterJoy

1. Install ViGEmBus.

2. Download and unpack BetterJoy into your Documents folder.

3. Follow the BetterJoy instructions to connect your joycons.

4. In both SteamVR and the Windows Game Controller config should an XInput Compatible controller that can be bound and remapped in SteamVR.

5. Use either the properties dialog for the controller or the SteamVR controller tester (select the “Gamepad” controller to test) to validate the gamepad output works correctly.

JYS Switch Adapter

This is a Bluetooth USB adapter that can be used to pair a Nintendo Switch Joycon. It supports the Joycon held in one hand vertically. We recommend using this with the left hand Joycon as the physical layout is better. This may be more stable than pairing the Joycon directly with your PC via Bluetooth, however the Joycon will automatically unpair after a certain amount of inactivity.

Amazon.com: Jys USB Multi System Controller Adapter: PC, PS3 Switch : Video Games

1. Slide switch to PC mode on the adapter.

2. Plug adapter into your PC.

3. Hold the pair button and wait for the LED to flash rapidly.

4. Hold the sync button on the left Joycon until it enters pairing mode and the LED flashes green.

5. Hold the Joycon near the adapter until a single LED turns a solid green and the USB adapter changes to a solid blue.

6. Once paired, open the Setup USB Game Controllers menu in Windows and select the JYS Switch Adapter
   
   

    

7. Click Properties and check the buttons activate.
   
   

    

8. Follow our Setting Up XOutput guide to make the Joycon appear as an emulated Xbox360 controller in SteamVR.
   
   

Joycon Straps

Use third-party wrist straps to attach the joycons to your wrists for hands free operation.

Third-Party Joycons

• DOYOKY Classic RGB joycon Gamepad for Nintendo Switch/OLED with Dual Vibration &Turbo Motion Control & Ergonomics long time play - AliExpress 44

Android HID Gamepads