Xbox controller: Apple is adding support for cable connections

If you want to avoid even minimal delays when gaming, you have to connect your hardware such as a keyboard, mouse or game controller to the computing technology using a cable – because this is the only way there is (almost) no lag. Bluetooth gaming products such as the Xbox are used on Apple devices controller or the one that PlayStation has supported wirelessly for years. Xbox controllers now have another connection option: via USB-C cable – and, if necessary, Lightning. This is what Macrumors reports with further details.

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To implement this, Apple has included new drivers in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS 15 that understand the USB protocol developed specifically by Microsoft for the Xbox controllers. The easiest way to do this is on a Mac with Sequoia: you just need a USB-C to USB-C cable and the gaming device should be available on the Mac.

There is no Bluetooth pairing, but you have to approve the connection the first time for security reasons. The hardware is then listed in the game controller area in the system settings. However, subsequent identification via vibration is not (yet) planned, so you should remember which connected device it is. In the system settings you can also change assignments and switch on the haptic functions or configure their level.

On iPhone and iPad it may be more complex: For devices that do not yet come with a USB-C port (such as the iPhone 14), you have to use a USB-C to Lightning adapter, such as Apple’s USB Camera Adapter. The controller is then set via a separate entry in the system settings (not under Bluetooth).

This is reminiscent of the connection of a wired PlayStation controller, which Apple has supported for a long time. On iPhones and iPads with USB-C – i.e. newer devices – you only have to use a USB-C to USB-C cable and the controller will work. Microsoft uses this for its hardware GIP protocolwhich works faster than the usual standard USB-HID. By the way, Switch Pro controllers are also supported via wired connection.


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