I’m personally not a fan of the Xbox One controller. It’s small and the thumbsticks are loose. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to use the original Xbox controller (Controller S or Duke) with the Xbox One. Perfect for a true feel on Halo MCC.

There are two ways to get the original Xbox controller working on the Xbox One. Option 1 will require three adapters. In my experience, its success depends controller to controller. Option 2 is slightly more reliable, but it requires you to route through a computer. It uses two adapters.

Option 1: Three Adapters

Unfortunately, there is no direct way to get the original Xbox controller to talk to the Xbox One. Using a few adapters available online, we can get that to happen.

Adapter 1: Xbox to PS2

The first adapter you need is Xbox to PS2. We need to work our way up a few generations of consoles. These are pretty difficult to find, but I used the Joybox XP from ebay found here. It’s about $8 with shipping. I believe there is also a Mayflash version, but I have not tested it. If you have trouble finding this adapter, I recommend Option 2.

Adapter 2: PS2 to Xbox 360

The second adapter you need is PS2 to Xbox 360 (or PS3). These are pretty easy to find. The adapter I used can be found here, but you may be able to find a better deal. Another $8 for this one.

Adapter 3: Xbox 360 to Xbox One (Titan One)

The final adapter will be your most expensive purchase. To use your controller with the current generation of consoles, the only option available is the cross-platform Titan One. The Titan One adapter is essentially a mini computer in a USB stick that can translate to and from current and last generation consoles. This adapter is about $60 and can be found here.

After you have all three adapters, simply link them together with your Xbox controller. That is, Xbox controller to Adapter 1 (Xbox-to-PS2), Adapter 1 to Adapter 2 (PS2-to-Xbox 360), Adapter 2 to Adapter 3 (Titan One), and Adapter 3 to Xbox One. Also take note, in order to get your Xbox One to recognize your controller, first plug your Xbox One controller into the Titan One, wait for a ‘0’ message, then swap to your Xbox controller/adapter setup. Read the Titan One instructions for more information.

There are also many extra options you can look into with the Titan One. Macros can be programmed in the adapter (say for button combinations), you can add some logic to increase/decrease the deadzone, or whatever else you may think of. For example, I added a button combination (black and white buttons) to trigger the “Xbox button” that doesn’t exist on the original Xbox controller.

Option 2: Two Adapters (and your computer)

If you have trouble finding all three adapters required for Option 1, have any problems, or just want to save a few bucks, try Option 2. Here we first require two adapters.

Adapter 1: Xbox to USB

The first adapter we need is to connect the Xbox controller to your computer. This one from Amazon worked fine for me. It’s about $10 with shipping.

Adapter 2: Titan One

Like Option 1, here we also need the Titan One (found here for about $60). The Titan One translates across current and last generation consoles, but it also can translate from computer to console. This option is mainly used for mouse and keyboard, but can be adapted for joystick use as well.

Xbox to PC Driver

After you acquire both adapters, you need to set your computer up to recognize the original Xbox controller as a joystick. This is the tricky part and depends on your OS. If you have Windows XP, I think you can simply download and install the driver (see next paragraph). Otherwise, we will need to disable signature enforcement to allow the driver to install correctly.

If you’re on Windows 7 or 8, press windows key, type “Advanced Startup”, go to “Advanced Startup Options” and select “Restart now” under the “Advanced Startup” section. Next select “Troubleshoot”->”Advanced Options”->”Startup Settings”->”Restart”. Finally press “7” to “Disable driver signature enforcement”. This will allow us to install the driver.

Next download the Xbox controller driver (XBCD). Go ahead and install it with the default settings. Now plug in your Xbox controller using the USB adapter. Go to Device Manager (windows key->”device manager”) and find the controller. It’s probably under “Other devices”->”Unknown device”, or under “Human Interface Devices”. Unplug and replug the controller to find where it pops up. Now, double click the device and go to “Update driver”->”Browse my computer for driver software”->”Browse”->”C:\Program Files (x86)\XBCD\Driver” (or wherever your install location was).

Click next and it should find the driver and give you a warning about being unable to verify the publisher. Click “Install this driver software anyway”. We’re getting closer!

Next, we need to download the software for the Titan One adapter. This is called Gtuner Pro, found here. Install this and open the application. Go to “Tools”->”Plugin Manager”, and install “MaxAim DI”.

Now make sure both the Titan One and Xbox controller are connected to your computer (the Titan One needs to be connected with the “PCPROG” port). Open MaxAim DI by going to the “Plugins” toolbar. Select “Direct Input”->”DI Settings” and choose the XBCD Xbox controller under the pull down menu. Capture the layout by creating a new empty layout “File”->”New Empty Layout” and changing the controller to Xbox One with “Layout Options”->”Controller”->”Xbox One”. Finally, right click on each button on the layout, select “Direct Input Catch”, and press the corresponding button on the Xbox controller. Save the layout.

Plug the Titan One adapter into the Xbox, while leaving the “PCPROG” connected to your computer and the Xbox controller also connected to the computer. Plug an Xbox One controller into the Titan One to authenticate, wait for ‘0’, and unplug. Leave the back port of the Titan One empty. Now your original Xbox controller can now be used to control the Xbox One!

Because the driver is not digitally signed, it will stop working when you restart the computer. If this happens, follow the previous directions (“Advanced Startup Options” and select “Restart now” under the “Advanced Startup” section. Next select “Troubleshoot”->”Advanced Options”->”Startup Settings”->”Restart”. Press “7” to “Disable driver signature enforcement”) and the driver will work again. Alternatively, follow this guide to digitally sign the driver.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Update 10/30/2015

A few months ago Microsoft sent an update to the Xbox One that made the connection of the Titan One a little tricky. Essentially, when the Xbox One controller is validated and disconnected from the console, it tries to reconnect. This negates the original validation. Adding this macro to your Titan One will force the Xbox One controller to turn off when you press the “A” button. If you do it before it’s unplugged from the adapter (and swap with original Xbox controller), it won’t try to reconnect and screw up the validation.

main {

if(event_press(XB1_A)) {

turn_off();

}

}

You can check out the Titan One forums for more information. If you made it this far, it’s a pretty simple fix.