The controllers from Sony for their PlayStation consoles are one of the best in the market. PlayStation 4 or PS4 came with DualShock 4 Controller. It offered a great in-hand feel, excellent haptics, and triggers. For the latest PlayStation 5 or PS5 console, Sony upgraded the controller with a new DualSense Controller. Many professionals and gamers lauded it as the best controller from Sony. As a result, several PC and Laptop gamers try to use this controller with their PCs instead of using a keyboard and mouse. If you are also looking for such a setup and are wondering how to connect PS5 Controller to PC, then we are here to help you.
In this guide, we will briefly talk about the PS5 DualSense Controller. After that, we will how to connect the PS5 Controller to the PC and also different ways to connect it.
A Brief Note On PS5 DualSense Controller
With the latest and greatest PlayStation console, the PlayStation 5 or PS5, Sony included arguably the best PlayStation Controller. Sony calls it the DualSense Controller (the previous models are known as the DualShock controllers).
Aesthetically, the PS5 Dual Sense has a completely new design when we compare it with the PS4 DualShock Controller. The in-hand feel of the new DualSense controller is great and we think they redesigned this by keeping “long gaming sessions” in mind.
All the buttons and analog sticks are a vast improvement over the previous model. Coming to haptics, they deserve a chef’s kiss. The PlayStation controllers are popular for their haptic feedback.
The PS5 DualSense Controller takes this to the next level. You can feel the game in your hands.
Some features that the PS5 DualSense controller carries on from the PS4 DualShock controller are Microphone, Touchpad, replaced micro-USB with USB-C.
Due to its superior controls, great design, excellent haptics, and a better overall gaming experience, many PC Gamers use the PlayStation Controllers with their desktops or laptops for gaming.
The PS5 DualSense Controller is no exception to this. If you already own a PS5 Console, you will get one DualSense with that. If this is the case, then you can use the PS5 DualSense controller with the PS5 as well as a supporting system (PC, Mac, Android, etc.).
Even if you don’t have a PS5 Console, you can purchase the PS5 DualSense Controller for $69.99 and use it with other compatible devices.
How To Connect PS5 Controller To PC?
Now that we have seen a little bit about the PS5 DualSense Controller, let us continue and learn how to connect the PS5 Controller to a PC. Before that, there are a couple of important things you need to know.
The PS5 DualSense Controller is basically a Wireless Controller that connects to the PS5 Console over Bluetooth. This is the primary method of connection between the Console and the Controller.
But you can also use the PS5 Controller with a Wired connection to the PS5 Console. If you remember, the PS5 Controller has a USB-C Port. You can take a USB cable and connect it between the controller and the console.
Similar to the two modes of connection between the PS5 Console and the controller, you can also make either a Wired Connection or a Wireless Connection between the PS5 DualSense Controller and a PC.
We will see how to connect PS5 Controller to PC for both these modes.
Wired Connection
- This type of connection is very simple. We know that the PS5 DualSense Controller has a USB-C Port.
- So, take a USB Cable, either a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A depending on the USB Port of your PC.
- Plug the USB-C Connector of the cable into the USB-C Port of the PS5 DualSense Controller.
- Take the other end of the USB Cable and plug it into an unused USB-A or USB-C Port of your PC, depending on the connector at the other end you have chosen.
- Windows does the remaining work as it simply detects the devices, installs/assign any drivers, and even recognizes the controller as a “Gamepad” or a “Gaming” device.
- You can start using the PS5 Controller with your Windows PC, either a desktop or laptop.
- Depending on the game you are playing, you get support for all the features of the PS5 DualSense Controller such as the Haptic feedback.
Wireless Connection
- For Wireless connection of your PS5 DualSense Controller and your PC, an important requirement is that your PC must have Bluetooth Connectivity.
- If you want to use the PS5 Controller wireless with a Windows Laptop, things are simple and almost all laptops have Bluetooth connectivity.
- But if you want to pair the PS5 Controller with a desktop PC, then things get interesting. If your desktop PC already has a wireless NIC with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, then you have no problem.
- Some older Wireless NICs only have Wi-Fi. So, check before proceeding.
- If your desktop PC doesn’t have Bluetooth Connectivity or if your Wireless NIC is a Wi-Fi only option, then you have to buy a Bluetooth USB Adapter or Dongle.
- These are very cheap devices as you can get them in the price range of $15 to $20.
- Buy one adapter and plug it into the USB Port of your Desktop PC.
- From here onwards, the steps are common for both laptops and desktops. Turn on the Bluetooth on your PC.
- Press the Windows key and search for “Settings”. Open Settings.
- From the list on the left side, click on the “Bluetooth & devices” option.
- On the top, you can see a large “Add device” option. Click on it. Now, you need to select the type of connection. Select “Bluetooth”.
- Your PC will now start looking for nearby Bluetooth devices.
- Make sure your PS5 DualSense Controller is off. If it is on, press and hold the PlayStation button (PS button between the analog stick) for a few seconds to turn it on. Also, remove the USB Cable, if you connected it.
- Now, press and hold the “Create” button that is next to the D-Pad. While doing this, press and hold the “PS” button until the light bar above the PS button blinks. We have now put the PS5 DualSense Controller in pairing mode.
- Go back to your PC and see if the PS5 DualSense Controller appears in the list of nearby Bluetooth devices. If not, cancel and repeat the process of “Adding a device” that we mentioned earlier.
- If the PS5 Controller appears, then click on it to complete the pairing.
- You can now start using the PS5 DualSense Controller with your PC wirelessly.
Important Points To Remember
- Although the PS5 DualSense Controller supports a variety of devices apart from the PS5 Console, you can pair only one device at any time.
- For instance, if you paired your PS5 DualSense Controller with your PC, then you have to once again pair it with your PS5 Console before using it.
- Apart from Windows PC, you can also use the PS5 DualSense Controller with several other devices over Bluetooth or USB.
- The following list shows all the operating systems that support PS5 DualSense Controller: macOS (11.3), iOS (14.5), iPadOS (14.5), tvOS (14.5), and Android (12).
- When using the PS5 DualSense Controller over Bluetooth (with any supported device other than PS5 Console), certain features might not work (or work partially).
- These features include haptic feedback, microphone, speakers, light bar, triggers, etc.
Conclusion
The PlayStation 5 is an excellent gaming console from Sony with superior hardware. Speaking of hardware, one of the many things that make the PS5 a very good console is its controller.
Technically known as the PS5 DualSense Controller, the PS5’s controller is a successor to the previous PS4 DualShock Controller with several improvements.
Some PC Gamers often try to connect the PS4 or even PC5 controllers to their PCs for playing games.
In this guide, we saw some basics of the PS5 DualSense Controller. After that, we saw how to connect PS5 Controller to PC using USB (Wired) and Bluetooth (Wireless) connections.
