surface pr2 and xbox 360 controller

[Hisoka Te Magician]

hi guys, just got the 128gb model, and tryed for fun some games.
while diablo 3 and wow run really good i wanted to try some steam games like "castle of illusion" that could be played with a controller but i dont seem to understand how to connect the xbox360 controller on this wonderful piece of hardware.
i thought i had read someplace that this surface didnt require a dongle for the controller to work, i tryed bluetooth pairing and hardware pairing nothing seems to work!

any help?

P.S. sorry for my poor english im from italy =)

 

[xboxonthego3]

There is no way for the Xbox 360 controller to connect to a computer without the usb dongle which you might be able to find online to purchase. I believe the controller you are talking about that didn't require the dongle was possibly the Xbox One controller.

 

[chezm]

Does anyone know if a WIRED 360 controller would work, directly connected to the USB port?

 

[xboxonthego3]

I imagine a wired controller would work directly plugged into a USB port. But i'm not for certain since I only have the Xbox 360 Controller and the dongle to use it wirelessly.

 

[Kacey Green]

yes I've done this with several PCs and the Surface Pro

 

[chezm]

yes I've done this with several PCs and the Surface Pro

wired or wireless without USB dongle?

 

[Hisoka Te Magician]

ok thanks, so was the xbox one controller that could go without a dongle.
i have a dongle ofc i will use it now that i know that without it the thing doesn't work

 

[jubbing]

Would this work? Black USB Gaming Receiver FOR PC Windows 7 Xbox 360 Slim Wireless Controller PAD | eBay

 

[xboxonthego3]

Yeah that looks a lot like mine except I have a white one. Also I did not think they were sold separately from the controller. So that's interesting but it is being sold on ebay so that could explain it.

 

[Jake52]

wired or wireless without USB dongle?

I have the Surface Pro 2 and I can confirm that the wired Xbox 360 controller works great. I just plugged it in to the USB port, fired up Steam, and played some Magic 2014 without any problems. The great part is the game automatically recognizes the controller and all the on screen prompts change (e.g. Press A to Continue). I haven't tested other games but I'm sure they will work seamlessly as well.

 

[dwigfor]

That's a 3rd party device "counterfeit", not from Microsoft. You should be able to get it to work, but it's not easy, especially with Windows 8. I'm about to install mine on my SP2 tonight, so I'll let you know. I think I've only ever written one review on Amazon, and it was for the "x360 wireless receiver" (a knockoff like your link). This should save you headaches:

I was almost going to return this, but I did finally get it to run on Windows 8. I found instructions, but that's not everything you need for Win8 - WTFLOLOMGBBQ - View Article - The Xbox 360 Wireless controller saga

OK, this is the correct way to do it :

1) go to microsoft's website and get the installer package for wireless xbox thing for windows. (in my case, having win7 64bits, I got Xbox360_64Eng.exe)

2) Run the exe, install the stuff

3) connect the chinese rubbish, wait for windows to squeel about not finding the good driver

4) with winrar, extract to a directory the content of the installer file downloaded at step 1), go to sub-directory \xbox360\setup64\files\driver\win7 (adapt if 32bits and other than win7) and open up xusb21.inf with a file editor such as notepad, and replace (ctrl+H) all "PID_0719" strings by "PID_0219" ; save and close the file.

4a) For Windows 8, you need to disable security checks. Otherwise it will claim it's missing a hash and it's corrupted or tampered with....

It's possible to install the driver. Open a command prompt as an Administrator and run the following two commands:

bcdedit -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING ON
Restart your computer. When you reboot, you'll be able to install any unsigned or test-signature-signed drivers without a hitch. The downside of this is that it leaves you open to security holes, so after you're done installing the driver, re-enable the integrity checks:

bcdedit -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING OFF

After upgrading from Windows 7 a device driver no longer works - Super User

5) go to windows' device manager, you should find an "unknown device" floating around : that's the xbox dongle with no correct driver attached. Go to it's properties panel, use the "update driver" feature, and manually specify the subdirectory previously mentionned in step 4). Let windows find the patched driver. Done.

6) initial sync. press the button on the dongle. press the big X button on the xbox pad to make it come alive. press the sync button on the front of the xbox pad, let the stuff sync. there you go.

-----
So, I was finally able to get this to work and will keep it. It's a process though, and I feel ripped off by counterfeit goods.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver Black

 

[dwigfor]

Jus thought that I'd reply again saying that I got it working last night. Awesome! I think I have the same receiver adaptor that you linked to (says Xbox 360 on device, where I believe the official one is only white and says Microsoft).

I'm not sure if the admin command prompt is necessary anymore with 8.1. It threw an error with the second command (guess that can't be changed anymore). i wasn't able to browse to find the driver, but I searched on the computer, scrolled down and it was listed as Xbox 360 peripheral or something. Picked that and it works no problems.

I've tested it with Team Fortress 2, Devil May Cry (just bought that on Steam sale, seems like fun game, exactly the type of game I was looking to play on SurfacePro2 w/ Controller), Tomb Raider, and Alan Wake. Also planning on installing Left4Dead2, Max Payne 3, and Deus eX Human. Alan Wake said it didn't meet minimum specs, but it seems like it's playing okay... Curious if Max Payne 3 works....

 

[Olowofoyeku Tolu]

I used a wireless Xbox 360 Controller with the charging cable and my Surface Pro couldn't work with it because, according to the troubleshooter, the controller wasn't compatible with USB 3.0. I need to know which specific controllers and configuration worked for you guys

 

[Kacey Green]

The plug and play cable for the 360 doesn't change the wireless controller to a wired one like the Xbox One controller does. You'll still need a wireless kit or a wired 360 controller.

 

[serpico]

I have a third party Xbox 360 wired controller and played the free Left For Dead 2 from Steam the other day. I also played the Halo trial game from the Store to test out and it worked fine.