Using a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller on PC

Even though a vast majority of PC players use some sort of Xbox controller when playing games on their home computer, there are those who prefer other brands and configurations, even if Xbox is the easiest controller to just 'plug and play' on a Windows 10 PC.

If you are fan of Nintendo's hardware or just want a very sturdy controller with excellent ergonomics and a great directional pad, you may be looking into hooking up and using a Nintendo Switch Pro controller to your computer. This article will give you the rundown of how to get a Switch Pro controller to work with your PC games with the least amount of hassle.

The good news is that in addition to its cable connection, the Switch Pro controller also has built-in Bluetooth connectivity, so the process of getting it to show up on a modern PC is almost painless.

The bad news is that your Windows OS will discover the device as an DirectInput controller and not an XInput controller like how all Xbox controllers show up on a Windows PC. DirectInput is a slightly outdated and now considered 'legacy' API developed by Microsoft for sending input data to a PC. There is a silver lining to the DirectInput story though.

If you play games on PC, chances are you are running Steam. Valve Software have implemented a great controller configurator in the Steam client and with its help you will be able to get your Switch Pro controller working just fine with any Steam game, despite it using DirectInput.

Simply launch the Steam client, click the Steam menu in the top left, then slick on "Settings". Once the settings window shows up, click "Controller" in the menu items on the left. Next, click the "General Controller Settings" button on the right. This will bring up the detailed controller configuration screen where you can set up your Switch Pro controller to function just the way you want it. Steam will take care of making sure that every game you play recognizes the controller fine and works with it without any major issues.

If you don't have Steam, you could either try a cable connection or using a Bluetooth receiver dongle.

Cable connection is easier to set up but not as comfortable in terms of freedom of movement. Simply connect your controller to your PC with a USB type C to type A cable and Windows 10 should pick it up as a new device.

If you are using Bluetooth connection, connect your dongle to your PC, turn on your controller and hold the sync button. An indicator light should start flashing, which means the controller is actively seeking pairing.

Open your Windows 10 settings menu, click on Devices, then "Add Bluetooth or other device". You should see the controller in the menu of discoverable items. Click on it to pair the controller and the PC using Bluetooth.