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Q: Do I need to install any drivers?
A: For Keyboard+Mouse output, no drivers needed. For every other virtual controller type (Xbox, PlayStation, Extended, MIDI), you need HIDMaestro — install it from the Settings page with one click. Optional add-ons: HidHide (hides physical controllers from games to prevent double input) and Windows MIDI Services (Windows 11 24H2+ only, for MIDI virtual devices). PadForge handles all driver installation from the Settings page.
Upgrading from PadForge v2? v3 detects ViGEmBus and vJoy on first launch and offers to uninstall them. They are no longer needed — HIDMaestro replaces both.
Q: My controller is not detected. What do I do?
A: Check that it appears in Windows Device Manager or joy.cpl. Click Refresh on the Devices page. If it is a Bluetooth controller, verify it is paired. PadForge uses SDL3 for detection, which covers virtually every gamepad, racing wheel, flight stick, and arcade controller out of the box.
Q: How do I map my controller?
A: Open the slot, click the Mappings tab, then either:
Click Record on a row and press the button or move the axis on your physical controller.
Use the Source dropdown to manually select an input.
Click Map All to auto-record every output sequentially.
Recognized gamepads (Xbox, DualSense, DualShock 4, Switch Pro, etc.) are auto-mapped to the standard layout on first assignment. See Button and Axis Mappings.
Virtual Controllers
Q: Which virtual controller type should I use?
A:
Xbox — widest game compatibility. Works with anything that supports XInput. Recommended default.
PlayStation — for PlayStation ports, native DualShock 4 / DualSense feel, gyro/touchpad/lightbar/adaptive triggers, and DSU motion server output.
Extended — flight sticks, racing wheels, third-party gamepads, custom HID layouts (up to 128 buttons, 4 sticks, 8 triggers, 4 POV hats). Replaces the old vJoy / DirectInput path.
MIDI — controller-driven MIDI for DAWs and music software.
Keyboard+Mouse — map controller inputs to keystrokes and mouse movement. No driver needed.
Q: How many virtual controllers can I create?
A: PadForge supports up to 16 virtual controllers total, with all categories sharing that pool (you can mix Xbox, PlayStation, Extended, MIDI, and Keyboard+Mouse freely up to 16).
For Xbox specifically: games using XInput see only the first 4 (a Windows limitation, not a PadForge cap). Games using SDL, DirectInput, raw HID, or Windows.Gaming.Input see all 16.
Q: Why does my game see double input?
A: The game sees both your physical controller and the virtual one. Two solutions:
Install HidHide from Settings, then enable hiding on the Devices page. The physical controller becomes invisible to games while PadForge still reads it.
For Keyboard+Mouse slots, use Consume mapped inputs to stop your physical key/click from firing twice.
Q: Can I use one physical controller in multiple virtual slots?
A: Yes. On the Devices page, click multiple slot badges on the same physical controller card. Useful for pairing a Sony pad's gyro with one slot's DSU output while routing its sticks/buttons to a different virtual Xbox slot. Rumble is combined with max() across all assigned slots, so no signal is lost.
Force Feedback
Q: My controller does not rumble.
A: Check the Force Feedback tab: Overall Gain above 0%, both motors above 0%, and confirm your physical controller actually supports rumble (some generic gamepads have no motors). Click Test Rumble to confirm. If Test Rumble works but the game's rumble doesn't, check that no other software (Steam Input, etc.) is competing for the device.
Q: My racing wheel / flight stick / FFB device doesn't rumble or feel forces.
A: PadForge has a haptic fallback path for FFB-capable devices: it tries Left/Right effects → Sine wave effects → Constant force, in priority order. Some non-standard FFB devices (Fanatec wheels/pedals, Logitech wheels, Thrustmaster wheels, certain custom HID drivers) speak vendor-specific protocols that need dedicated writers. Track #81 — that umbrella issue covers the per-vendor writer architecture roadmapped for v3.3.0.
Q: Does audio rumble work with game rumble at the same time?
A: Yes. Audio rumble combines with game rumble using max() per motor — whichever signal is stronger at any moment wins. Game rumble takes over during big in-game effects; audio bass fills the silence during quiet moments, cutscenes, and menus.
Q: I enabled Audio Rumble but feel nothing.
A: Check the Force Feedback tab: (1) audio is playing through your default Windows output, (2) Sensitivity at 4 or higher, (3) Bass Cutoff at 80 Hz or higher to start, (4) both motor scales above 0%, (5) your controller supports rumble. Watch the Level meter as audio plays; if it barely moves, raise Sensitivity.
Q: What is the bass cutoff?
A: A 48 dB/octave low-pass filter, like a subwoofer crossover. Lower values (20–60 Hz) isolate deep sub-bass (explosions, thunder, LFE). Higher values (80–150 Hz) include kick drums and bass guitar.
Macros
Q: Can I run a macro automatically without a button press?
A: Yes. Set the macro's Fire Mode to Always to run every frame regardless of input. Useful for stick-to-mouse, permanent volume knobs, and similar continuous behaviors. See the Macros wiki.
Q: Can macros press keyboard keys, move the mouse, or change system volume?
A: Yes — all of those, plus mouse buttons, mouse scroll, axis overrides, per-app volume, and delays. See Macros: Action Types.
Profiles
Q: Can PadForge auto-switch settings when I launch a game?
A: Yes. Save a configuration as a profile on the Profiles page, set the matching executable name (e.g. eldenring,steam), and PadForge auto-switches when that game comes to the foreground. See Profiles.
Web Controller
Q: Can I use my phone as a gamepad?
A: Yes. Open the Web Controller from the sidebar. PadForge serves a touch-friendly virtual gamepad on your local network; visit the URL on your phone's browser to use it. See Web Controller.
DSU / Cemuhook Motion
Q: Can I use a Sony pad's gyro in Cemu / Yuzu / Citra / RPCS3?
A: Yes. PadForge runs a DSU/Cemuhook motion server on UDP port 26760. Assign your Sony pad to a slot, enable DSU output, and point the emulator at 127.0.0.1:26760. See DSU Motion Server.
Have a question not listed here? Start a new Q&A discussion!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
Q: Do I need to install any drivers?
A: For Keyboard+Mouse output, no drivers needed. For every other virtual controller type (Xbox, PlayStation, Extended, MIDI), you need HIDMaestro — install it from the Settings page with one click. Optional add-ons: HidHide (hides physical controllers from games to prevent double input) and Windows MIDI Services (Windows 11 24H2+ only, for MIDI virtual devices). PadForge handles all driver installation from the Settings page.
Q: My controller is not detected. What do I do?
A: Check that it appears in Windows Device Manager or
joy.cpl. Click Refresh on the Devices page. If it is a Bluetooth controller, verify it is paired. PadForge uses SDL3 for detection, which covers virtually every gamepad, racing wheel, flight stick, and arcade controller out of the box.Q: How do I map my controller?
A: Open the slot, click the Mappings tab, then either:
Recognized gamepads (Xbox, DualSense, DualShock 4, Switch Pro, etc.) are auto-mapped to the standard layout on first assignment. See Button and Axis Mappings.
Virtual Controllers
Q: Which virtual controller type should I use?
A:
Q: How many virtual controllers can I create?
A: PadForge supports up to 16 virtual controllers total, with all categories sharing that pool (you can mix Xbox, PlayStation, Extended, MIDI, and Keyboard+Mouse freely up to 16).
For Xbox specifically: games using XInput see only the first 4 (a Windows limitation, not a PadForge cap). Games using SDL, DirectInput, raw HID, or Windows.Gaming.Input see all 16.
Q: Why does my game see double input?
A: The game sees both your physical controller and the virtual one. Two solutions:
Q: Can I use one physical controller in multiple virtual slots?
A: Yes. On the Devices page, click multiple slot badges on the same physical controller card. Useful for pairing a Sony pad's gyro with one slot's DSU output while routing its sticks/buttons to a different virtual Xbox slot. Rumble is combined with
max()across all assigned slots, so no signal is lost.Force Feedback
Q: My controller does not rumble.
A: Check the Force Feedback tab: Overall Gain above 0%, both motors above 0%, and confirm your physical controller actually supports rumble (some generic gamepads have no motors). Click Test Rumble to confirm. If Test Rumble works but the game's rumble doesn't, check that no other software (Steam Input, etc.) is competing for the device.
Q: My racing wheel / flight stick / FFB device doesn't rumble or feel forces.
A: PadForge has a haptic fallback path for FFB-capable devices: it tries Left/Right effects → Sine wave effects → Constant force, in priority order. Some non-standard FFB devices (Fanatec wheels/pedals, Logitech wheels, Thrustmaster wheels, certain custom HID drivers) speak vendor-specific protocols that need dedicated writers. Track #81 — that umbrella issue covers the per-vendor writer architecture roadmapped for v3.3.0.
Q: Does audio rumble work with game rumble at the same time?
A: Yes. Audio rumble combines with game rumble using
max()per motor — whichever signal is stronger at any moment wins. Game rumble takes over during big in-game effects; audio bass fills the silence during quiet moments, cutscenes, and menus.Q: I enabled Audio Rumble but feel nothing.
A: Check the Force Feedback tab: (1) audio is playing through your default Windows output, (2) Sensitivity at 4 or higher, (3) Bass Cutoff at 80 Hz or higher to start, (4) both motor scales above 0%, (5) your controller supports rumble. Watch the Level meter as audio plays; if it barely moves, raise Sensitivity.
Q: What is the bass cutoff?
A: A 48 dB/octave low-pass filter, like a subwoofer crossover. Lower values (20–60 Hz) isolate deep sub-bass (explosions, thunder, LFE). Higher values (80–150 Hz) include kick drums and bass guitar.
Macros
Q: Can I run a macro automatically without a button press?
A: Yes. Set the macro's Fire Mode to Always to run every frame regardless of input. Useful for stick-to-mouse, permanent volume knobs, and similar continuous behaviors. See the Macros wiki.
Q: Can macros press keyboard keys, move the mouse, or change system volume?
A: Yes — all of those, plus mouse buttons, mouse scroll, axis overrides, per-app volume, and delays. See Macros: Action Types.
Profiles
Q: Can PadForge auto-switch settings when I launch a game?
A: Yes. Save a configuration as a profile on the Profiles page, set the matching executable name (e.g.
eldenring,steam), and PadForge auto-switches when that game comes to the foreground. See Profiles.Web Controller
Q: Can I use my phone as a gamepad?
A: Yes. Open the Web Controller from the sidebar. PadForge serves a touch-friendly virtual gamepad on your local network; visit the URL on your phone's browser to use it. See Web Controller.
DSU / Cemuhook Motion
Q: Can I use a Sony pad's gyro in Cemu / Yuzu / Citra / RPCS3?
A: Yes. PadForge runs a DSU/Cemuhook motion server on UDP port 26760. Assign your Sony pad to a slot, enable DSU output, and point the emulator at
127.0.0.1:26760. See DSU Motion Server.Have a question not listed here? Start a new Q&A discussion!
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