x360ce

x360ce (Xbox 360 Controller Emulator) is a lightweight emulator that can mask the presence of various third-party controllers and make them visible to the OS like they are in fact a standard Xbox 360 gamepad that is fully compatible with the latest xInput standard for communicating with video game applications.

The importance of apps like these has risen over the years, especially after the 2010s when almost every video game developer and publisher embraced the use of the modern xInput standard, which has left an incredible variety of older Direct Input-based gamepads without the ability to interact with modern games.

This includes even popular models of gamepads produced by Logitech, Thrustmaster, and many other manufacturers. As of 2022, the complete database of gamepads that this app maintains includes over two and a half million individual devices.

To get x360ce up and running on any modern Windows PC, users simply have to download and unpack this app anywhere on their local storage. Even better, since the app lacks an official installer, it can even be used as a portable app on a USB stick. Once started, users will be welcomed with an interface that is both crowded and still easy to learn. The app will automatically detect connected gamepads and offer users to create presets and bind their functions to the “virtual” Xbox 360 gamepad that is shown in the “General” tab.

The app is incredibly versatile and offers support for both quick binding and moving on to playing video games, and the ability to completely customize every aspect of the gamepad emulation. This even includes an option to tweak the functioning of all buttons, sticks, triggers, force feedback emulation, and much more. Of course, if the user wishes he can even personalize the gamepad for each individual game, with remapped buttons and tweaked sensitivity of the analog sticks. Details like that can often mean a difference between winning and losing in a crowded online match.

While x360ce (Xbox 360 Controller Emulator) can be considered a lightweight on any modern PC, gamers with aged PC configurations can extract a bit more performance from this app by minimizing it before starting a game session. While in minimized mode, OS will reduce prioritization of rendering its demanding user interface and focus performance only on correctly emulating the virtual gamepad.

x360ce is 100% FREE and can be used even with legacy versions of Windows OS.