Emulation · Pro
Speaks every port.
Hand any game a virtual Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 it treats as real hardware, so a title that only likes one kind of pad happily accepts yours.
Output devices
- Xbox (XInput)
- DualShock 4
- Wii Remote
- Wii Remote + Nunchuk
- GameCube Controller
- Keyboard
How it works
- Automatic driver management
- Hide my controller, so the game does not receive two inputs at once
- Performance Mode
- Virtual controller switching
- Per-game emulation
- Input source selection
- Output target selection
The limits are listed under Limitations.
In depth
Why use it
Many Windows games are built for one controller family. A title may only respond to Xbox input and ignore your DualSense, or expect PlayStation prompts and reject an Xbox pad. A virtual controller solves this at the driver level: the game sees the pad it wants, and you play with the controller you own. It is also the bridge that carries your other tuning into the game. Controller-to-controller remaps and stick or trigger tuning only reach a running game once Emulation is active, so this is the layer that makes your whole setup take effect in play.
Use cases
- Play a PlayStation-only game with an Xbox pad, or the reverse. Present the exact controller family the title expects and keep native button prompts.
- Carry your remaps into the game. Configure controller-to-controller remapping for free, then run Emulation so those maps reach the game.
- Use custom stick and trigger feel in play. Stick and trigger curves apply through the virtual pad the game reads.
- Drive a controller-only game with keyboard and mouse. Keyboard and Mouse output rides on Emulation, presenting a genuine virtual pad from your keyboard and mouse.
- Play Dolphin titles. Use the Dolphin bridge to appear as a Wii Remote, Wii Remote with Nunchuk, or GameCube controller.
Supported devices and compatibility
Emulation accepts any supported controller as an input source: Sony DualSense, DualSense Edge, DualShock 4 and DualShock 3; Microsoft Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Xbox Elite Series 2; the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller; and generic HID gamepads. Connect over USB or Bluetooth.
The output targets a game can be shown are a virtual Xbox 360 pad (XInput, the default and the most widely supported), a virtual DualShock 4 (which carries DS4 extras like the touchpad and lightbar), and the Dolphin bridge devices. A keyboard output backend also exists.
DualSense extras behave differently by connection. Adaptive triggers, gyro, the touchpad and the lightbar come over USB only. Over Bluetooth those extras are not available, though standard remapping and Emulation still work. Emulation requires the ViGEmBus driver, a separate one-click install from the Drivers card in Settings, on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
Limitations
Some titles, usually those with anti-cheat, detect or reject virtual controllers on purpose. If a game blocks the ViGEmBus pad, Emulation will not work there, and OmniControl does not bypass that. DS4-specific extras like the touchpad and lightbar only carry when you choose the virtual DualShock 4 output. Emulation is a Pro capability; free users can build and preview their controller remaps and tuning, but those take effect in-game only once Emulation is running.
Tips and best practices
Choose the output pad the game actually prefers before you start. Most Windows titles are happiest with the virtual Xbox 360 (XInput) output, while games that show PlayStation prompts or want the touchpad do better on the virtual DualShock 4.
Pair Emulation with Game automation so it starts the moment a game launches and stops when you exit. The correct profile, output pad, and tuning load themselves, so you never arm the virtual controller by hand.
Works with the rest of OmniControl
Emulation is the delivery layer for the rest of the platform. Profiles store the emulation output per game, Keyboard and Mouse rides on it to drive a virtual pad, and Macros can auto-enable it for controller playback. Emulation and its unlocks are part of Pro, a subscription you can take monthly or yearly.
OmniControl contains no anti-cheat evasion. Emulation presents a genuine virtual device through ViGEmBus, but that does not exempt any title's rules. The pack catalog includes keyboard-and-mouse packs for online first-person shooters, and a publisher can penalise your account for playing that way. That risk sits with you as the player, so check a game's rules before you play. If a game blocks virtual controllers, that is expected and OmniControl does not circumvent it. Never use OmniControl to evade anti-cheat.