A new $10 app called OneCast, however, has apparently figured out how to get your Xbox One games streaming to your Mac. The app isn't an official release from Xbox, however, unlike Sony's solution.
Whether you’re trying to no-scope that enemy on COD or score a last-minute slam-dunk on NBA, the touchpad just doesn’t do it.
So, we thought we’d share the best tips on how to connect an Xbox 360 controller to your Mac, to make them tense gaming moments a little easier.
Before you do: Clean up your Mac
BUT, before we get into all the juicy techy stuff, let’s remind you of how beneficial cleaning up your Mac can be.
Before installing any new hardware, it’s important to have an un-cluttered file space so the new software can run efficiently, and you can keep an eye on what’s where.
With CleanMyMac X, it’s easy. It’s one-click cleaning approach and powerful scanning means you can swiftly dispose of useless documents and apps which may be slowing your Mac down.
So, to get optimal controller connectivity, you should download CleanMyMac and tidy up your digital space – prior to any installations. Now, onto how to use an Xbox 360 controller on a Mac.
How to use the Xbox 360 controller on MacXbox App In Mac Shortcut
Not many of us know it, but there could be a handy use for all those old Xbox 360 or Xbox One controllers lying around. But, before you get set up, you need to have the correct hardware installed on your Mac to enable connectivity.
First of all, you will need either a wired or wireless Xbox controller. Both work fine, but for all those passionate gamers with a tendency to erupt, a wireless device would be best to save any damages to wires (or opponents). These wireless receivers can be bought for around $20 on Amazon, and can handle up to 4 Xbox 360 controllers.
Free Drivers
Obviously, Macs don’t have an in-built driver for Xbox controllers as Apple are in no way affiliated with Microsoft. Similarly, Microsoft doesn’t supply drivers for Mac users for their hardware, which leaves us wanting users having to find our own way.
Remove unsupported apps mac. So back in 2006, it was music to gamer’s ears to hear that Tattie Bogle had developed their own driver free of charge to users across the gaming globe. However, this driver hasn’t been updated since 2012, and is therefore sticky when it comes to compatibility with MacOS X.
For a more streamlined approach to this conundrum, download GitHub’s free driver – it’s maintained and updated frequently and is free to all Mac users.
1. Install the driver
After opening the GitHub link, double click on the DMG file visible under ‘Assets’. This will start the installing process, where you will have to follow the appropriate instructions.
Remember though, as with any new program installation, it will reboot your Mac, so don’t panic. After the restart, you should be able to find ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ in the system preferences.
2. Connect the Xbox 360 Controller to your Mac
Now you’ve installed the driver, the next step is to connect the controller, which is simple and only needs to be done once.
Now the controller and Mac are linked - so in the future if you want to connect again, all you need do is press the big Xbox logo button to get going. Told you it was simple!
3. Test the Controller
As with all things techy, there’s always loopholes. So, it’s important to test the connections to ensure the controller works before we embark upon a mobile-gaming-gallivant.
Go to ‘System Preferences’, ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ and you’ll see a screen like below.
This is a control pad, which indicates whether all the buttons on the controller are working properly. That’s about all you can do on this, as well as shutting the controller down by clicking ‘power off’.
4. Configuring for multiple games on your Mac
We all have different tastes in games - some of us like sports and some of us like military, there’s no right or wrong (asides from Half-Life, that’s just awesome and it’s not up for debate).
With these different games come different control configurations, which can get tedious when you only have one type of controller.
For full flexibility of use, there are many tools and apps available which allow you to play any game with any Mac compatible joystick or controller – even the ones that are not compatible with joysticks.
5. Use Joystick Mapper
Out of the many apps to choose from, Joystick Mapper is our pick. And at only $4.99 from the App Store, it’s real value for money – especially when considering the amount of effort it takes to develop such a complex tool.
Here’s how it works –
Once you download the Joystick Mapper app, you need to create a pre-set for your game preferences. To do this, open the app and click ‘Add new pre-set’.
Enter a name for future reference such as ‘My Game’, and for each joystick, click ‘Add a new joystick’.
Now that you’ve identified the joystick, you need to ‘bind’ joystick inputs to keyboard or mouse movements - which is easier than it sounds.
Click on ‘Add new bind’, and then ‘Scan’, and press the button of your game controller that you’d like to use. Next select a mouse or keyboard action, and that will ‘bind’ the chosen inputs.
Simply repeat this process until you’ve bound all the buttons you’d like to use.
If by chance you’re using a controller other than an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, you can replicate these actions and apply them to different controllers. To do this, simply click the ‘Clone’ icon in the top right corner. To put the pre-set into action, set a checkmark before the preferred pre-set/profile you’ve created for the game you’re about to play. Now, you’re good to go!
BUT – don’t close the Joystick Mapper app before starting the game, it needs to keep running to work. Simply select ‘cmd + H’ to hide the window.
Declutter your Mac to make more room for games
Remember, all of these processes won’t work as effectively if you have a messy Mac.
On average, there is a whopping 62GB of junk found on Macs, with jam-packed caches and folders full of useless documents cluttering the hard drive.
This considerably slows down the performance of your Mac, preventing quick and easy installations, and can even hinder the controller connectivity.
CleanMyMac X is an app dedicated to cleaning your Mac head-to-toe. It scans everything on the computer - even old folders that have been evading your wrath for years - identifying what needs to be removed.
The Mac is inspected rigorously, and with its smart one-click clean-up, CleanMyMac sweeps away the unwanted rubbish to organize folders and speed up performance.
Furthermore, CleanMyMac X is free to download. So, what are you waiting for? Download it for free here.
These might also interest you:Xbox One Guide
Nowadays, Xbox One is not only a game console for us, it’s also a great media player for movie lovers. For Windows users, they can easily stream video from PC to Xbox by using the “Play To” function. However, it’s not an easy task to stream video from Mac to Xbox One, as they were exactly designed to work well with each other. But that doesn't mean you cannot stream video from Mac. Here I'll introduce several methods to get the job done. You can also check out this page to find more solutions.
Method 1: Use SofaPlay
Method 2: Use Plex Media Server Method 1: Use SofaPlay
SofaPlay is an easy-to-use app which enables you to stream video from Mac to Xbox One. Follow the steps below to see how it works. Before action, please make sure your Mac and Xbox One are in the same network.
Xbox App Mac OsStep 1: Install this app
First you should download and install SofaPlay from the Mac App Store.
Xbox App Download Mac OsStep 2: Connect the app to Xbox One
Make sure you have Xbox Video app on your Xbox One console. Also make sure that streaming is enabled in the settings on your Xbox. Go to Settings > Preferences > “Allow Play To Streaming” and check it.
Then Open SofaPlay on your Mac and select the Xbox-SystemOS option from the list.
Step 3: Starting streaming
Drag a video file into SofaPlay and after a while it should start a playing on your Xbox One.
Method 2: Use Plex Media Server
Plex has long been the go-to solution for users who want to stream video to other devices. Now it already supported Xbox One. So you can use it to stream videos from Mac to Xbox One.
Step 1: Set up Plex
Download Plex from its official website. Then copy it to your Applications folder.
Launch Plex on your Mac. Then you’ll be asked to login with a Plex account. You can skip this step by choosing “Don’t want an account?”.
Then you will need to read and accept the End User Agreement. After that, Plex will begin setting up. Then it will ask you to sign up again, just ignore this message.
Xbox App Macbook Air
Follow the setup wizard, hit “Next” to just leave the default options. Then you’ll go to the “Add Section” page. Choose “Movies” and select the folder where your movies are stored, then click “Save”.
Plex will then ask whether you want to add channel or not. If you don’t like this, skip this and click “Done” to finish the setup.
Step 2: Start streamingXbox App In Mac Desktop
With the lasted update to Xbox One (Oct 2014), you can now use a new app called Media Player to work with your Plex Media Server perfectly and stream all the video you have set up with it. To do it:
Xbox App In Mac Computer
Open Apps and Games from your Start screen. Then from the Apps menu, open Media Player.
After a few seconds, your Plex Media Server will show up. Then select on your server and find the video you want to play. You should now be streaming your video from Mac to your Xbox One.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |