A driver for the original Xbox controller is pending

Sep 28, 2009 08:44 GMT  ·  By
Xbox 360 Controller Driver interface - the main window where all the tweaks can be made
   Xbox 360 Controller Driver interface - the main window where all the tweaks can be made

Developer Colin Munro of Tattiebogle.net has released a new version of his Xbox 360 Controller driver for Mac OS X, “which will hopefully install and work fine on 32-bit Snow Leopard,” according to a note on his website. The release also contains 64-bit binaries, but is untested, as of yet.

Version 0.08 of the Xbox 360 Controller driver for Mac includes 64-bit support (untested), a fix for Snow Leopard and other minor bug fixes, the changelog reveals. Previous updates incorporated fixes for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), extra controller IDs, improvements to the wireless support, enhanced support for playing Halo, and more.

“This driver supports the Microsoft Xbox 360 controller, including access to rumble motors and LEDs, on the Mac OS X platform,” developer Colin Munro describes his tool. “It includes a plugin for the Apple Force Feedback Framework so some games will be able to activate them, along with a Preference Pane with which [sic] allows you to test everything is installed correctly. Both wired 360 controllers connected via USB, and wireless 360 controllers connected via the Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows, are supported,” Colin asserts.

Licensed under the GNU Public License, the software is to be installed by simply following the instructions in the installer package. “The driver will recommend you restart – if you do not, the driver will only be usable if the controller is already connected or connected within a minute after the installer completes,” Colin explains. Those interested in installing for development purposes have a few additional notes to review. Those are available during the installation process (“Important Information” screen).

A few known issues are still available with the software, Colin notes. Described as to-dos, for future updates, some of the highest priority bugs include: - The rumble motor test on the triggers of the Preference Pane bypasses the Force Feedback Framework functionality, so isn't actually testing it. It really should, for completeness (and it'd help adding support for more complex effects); - Force Feedback plugin may make effects run slower (e.g. longer time) than they should; - Better Force Feedback “emulation;” - Someone has requested old Xbox Controller support too.

Download Xbox 360 Controller Driver for Mac OS X (Free)