PS3 controller support for Catalina

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Level 1

5 points

PS3 controller support for Catalina

Why can't I use my Dualshock Sixaxis controller anymore? It has been working fine until I updated to Catalina. This is a long running issue that has been ignored by Apple despite the public feedback. After insisting that there is no compatibility issue, that it is user error/not their problem, the Apple community specialist gave the following inadequate response with bad links and then ghosted us.

Oct 29, 2019 2:07 PM in response to mellowmymel

Greetings mellowmymel,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. It seems like you are trying to use a PS3 controller with your macBook Air, but it is not working. There are a couple things you can try that may be able to help. I would recommend you use this article to help troubleshoot the issue.

"Get started

- Starting with iOS 13, iPadOS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina, Apple devices and computers support pairing with and using Xbox and PlayStation wireless game controllers.
- If you need to update the firmware on your controller, check with your game controller manufacturer.
- Check that you’re in range of your device and there isn’t interference in the area."

Connect a wireless game controller to your Apple device

Please don't hesitate to let us know if the steps resolved your issue or if you need additional assistance.

Take care.

I've been trying to take care. There's no way to let you know it didn't work except to start a new thread, sooo, what's up chuck_3rd User level: Community Specialist???

Posted on Sep 4, 2020 11:31 AM

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Answer 1

Smachiavidi Author

Level 1

5 points

Sep 5, 2020 3:12 PM in response to Joseph_S.

Hi Joseph,

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

This is a problem I've encountered on two different systems, a 2015 mac mini when I upgraded it to 10.15, and promptly restored it via time machine (which took 10 hours), and also on my 2020 27" with 10.15.6, which I do not have the luxury of restoring to a previous OS.

My understanding was that 32 bit software wasn't going to be compatible, but now my 64bit game library is hit. Multiple games, all of them, seem to not recognize the PS3 controller configuration. I have downloaded firmware/driver updates, but the issue is in the OS. I know this, because the bluetooth pairing recognizes the correct controller models, and the games on Mojave are fine. The user and user setting didn't change and it is happening on the fresh user acct too. I've tried everything on each game independently installed and on the Steam platform as well, to no avail.

Any ideas? Once again, your thoughts are much appreciated.

Best.

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Answer 2

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Sep 5, 2020 1:17 PM in response to Smachiavidi

Hello Smachiavidi,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. We understand that you're having issue using your Dualshock Sixaxis controller after updating to Catalina, and we'd be happy to look into this with you.

So that we can get a better understanding of what it is doing on your end, we'd like to gather some information about the behavior you're experiencing:

What is the exact macOS version currently installed on your Mac? Apple > About This Mac.
Are you experiencing this behavior when using your controller with a specific game, or multiple?
Does this also occur in a new user account? We'll want to check if there's an issue with any files or settings in the current user account that could be contributing. Here's how to test in a new user account:

Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Kind regards.

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PS3 controller support for Catalina

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