For whatever reason, the Buddy Controller setting has disappeared since then (although typing 'buddy' into the search bar still brings up the gamepad settings), and it's not clear whether that's a permanent removal or if it will return in some later release. The idea was that an adult or more experienced player could assist a less experienced player without needing to take their controller from them. Ventura beta builds included a feature called 'Buddy Controller,' which let a single character be controlled by multiple controllers. But the behavior can be customized by setting up a different controller profile. By default, a double-press starts a screen recording, and a long press does nothing. The name makes it sound complicated, but there are really only two gestures available-double-pressing or long-pressing the button. Once you're in a game, it's possible to record your screen or take a screenshot using 'share gestures.' The button used for share gestures is the 'share' button on both Xbox and DualShock controllers or the minus button on a Nintendo gamepad. Pressing a controller's home button will bring up the Launchpad interface, which can then be navigated using the joysticks or directional pad-I almost never use Launchpad for anything, but it's surprisingly functional as a game launcher, especially if you move apps around so that your games show up first (by default, they're all mixed in with the rest of your apps, which can be launched with a gamepad but not controlled by one). AdvertisementĪs a rule, gamepads can only be used as general input devices in specific ways.

Once you've created a custom profile, you can assign different profiles for individual controllers or use separate profiles for different games. You can't split them up to function as two controllers, and if only a single Joy-Con is paired or connected, the controller will show up as 'not connected' in the settings.Ĭontroller customization is handled via 'profiles,' where you can change the default button mapping as well as some custom settings for certain controllers (the lightbar color and touchpad functionality for a DualShock gamepad, for instance). Joy-Cons are a little different in that a set of left and right Joy-Con controllers can only function as a pair. Switch Pro controllers work the same as Xbox or DualShock gamepads-pair them to your Mac via Bluetooth and they just show up in the Game Controllers settings. It also adds a new Game Controllers settings page that can be used to customize settings. Both macOS and iOS already had surprisingly robust built-in support for Xbox controllers and various DualShock gamepads, and Ventura adds support for Nintendo's Switch Pro controllers and Joy-Cons.

Controller mapper for mac