Short answer: yes, and it works well. Windows natively prioritizes Xbox-style input (XInput), while your DualSense speaks a different standard (DirectInput), so getting full compatibility across every game and launcher takes a bit of setup, but it’s straightforward once you know the steps.
Connecting Your Controller
Wired (recommended for the best experience): Connect via USB-C to a port directly on your motherboard for the most stable connection and lowest latency. This is also required if you want the fullest, most precise haptic feedback and adaptive trigger response, though Bluetooth has improved on this front too, covered below.
Wireless (Bluetooth):
- Make sure the controller is fully off, the lightbar should be completely dark
- Hold the PS button and Create button together for about 3 seconds
- Release once the lightbar starts a rapid double-blink, that means it’s in pairing mode
- On your PC, go to Settings, Bluetooth & Devices, Add Device, Bluetooth
- Select “Wireless Controller” from the list
Setting Up Software Translation
Option 1: DSX (DualSenseX)
For compatibility across non-Steam platforms, Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games Store, standalone titles, a dedicated mapping tool is the standard approach. DSX, made by Paliverse, is built specifically for DualSense hardware.
- Install Microsoft’s .NET 8.0 Desktop Runtime, required for the app to run
- Install DSX from its official Steam page or our download page
- When prompted, install ViGEmBus, the driver that creates the virtual controller
- Set up a profile: Xbox 360 emulation gives the broadest compatibility, while DualShock 4 mode keeps PlayStation-style button prompts in games that support them
Option 2: Steam Input
If most of your library lives in Steam, you may not need any extra software at all.
- Open Steam, go to Settings, then Controller
- Enable PlayStation Controller Support
- Steam handles input translation automatically on a per-game basis from there
Advanced Features Worth Knowing About
Adaptive triggers: DSX lets you force custom trigger resistance into games that don’t natively support it, presets that simulate rapid recoil, firm resistance for racing pedals, or other tension profiles depending on what a game calls for. Exact preset names and options vary a bit between versions.
Touchpad as a mouse: The touchpad can act as a basic trackpad for navigating your desktop or in-game menus without reaching for a mouse.
Lightbar customization: Set a static color, enable a rainbow cycle, or use the separate row of Player LEDs to show battery level.
A Note on Bluetooth and Advanced Features
It used to be that full audio-based haptic feedback and adaptive triggers were essentially USB-only, Bluetooth simply couldn’t handle the data. That’s improved: Paliverse has added Bluetooth audio and haptics support for DualSense and DualSense Edge in recent DSX updates. USB still gives you the most precise, detailed result, but Bluetooth is no longer completely limited on this front the way it once was.
The controller’s 3.5mm headphone jack, however, does still require a wired USB connection to use with a PC.
Fixing the Double Input Issue
The most common problem people run into: a game reading both your physical controller and your mapping tool’s virtual one at the same time, causing menus to skip items or buttons to register twice.
The reliable fix is HidHide:
- Install HidHide
- Under Devices, find your DualSense and check the box to hide it
- Enable device hiding
- Under Applications, whitelist DSX (or whichever mapping tool you’re using)
This works at a driver level, which tends to be more consistent than any built-in “hide controller” toggle a mapping app might offer on its own.
The Bottom Line
If you’re playing official Sony PC ports or sticking to Steam, using a DualSense on PC is close to plug-and-play. For everything else, a bit of setup with DSX or Steam Input covers the gap. Between excellent ergonomics, precise gyro aiming, and steadily improving Bluetooth support, the DualSense holds up as a genuinely strong choice for PC gaming, not just a console leftover you’re making do with. Our Get Started guide and Drivers page cover the full setup process in more depth if you’re doing this for the first time.
Choosing Between DSX and Steam Input
If you’re not sure which approach fits you, it helps to think about where your games actually come from. Almost everything through Steam? Start with Steam Input, it requires no extra installation and covers most cases well. Regularly playing through Xbox Game Pass, Epic, or other launchers, or specifically wanting deeper adaptive trigger control across your whole library rather than just Steam titles? DSX is worth the extra setup. Plenty of people reasonably use both, Steam Input for Steam games, DSX for everything else, just not simultaneously on the same controller, since running two translation layers at once causes the same double-input conflicts covered above.
What You’re Not Giving Up by Choosing PS5 Over Xbox
A common hesitation for PC gamers considering a DualSense is wondering whether they’re sacrificing compatibility by not going with an Xbox controller, which has zero-setup native support. In practice, once DSX or Steam Input is configured, that gap closes almost entirely, and you gain features an Xbox controller doesn’t have at all: adaptive triggers, more advanced haptic feedback, and a built-in touchpad. The setup step is real, but it’s a one-time cost rather than an ongoing limitation once it’s done.