Xbox has just released a new experimental update to its “Alpha” ring of Xbox Insider users, which gives select players early access to an impending feature before it’s rolled out in a wider update.
This time around, the update is adding the ability to players to map keyboard keys or even whole shortcuts (with some exceptions) to their Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller or Xbox Adaptive Controller, which should open up some interesting possibilities in-game for people using things like the Elite Series 2’s back paddles as well as furthering the potential when it comes to the Adaptive Controller helping all players enjoy games to the fullest.
Here’s what the Xbox Wire blog has to say about the new update:
Keyboard Button Mapping for Xbox Controllers
For the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and the Xbox Adaptive Controller, the Xbox Accessories app now supports mapping keyboard keys to your controller!
To get started, open the Xbox Accessories app > Configure > create a new profile or edit an existing one > select a button to map > choose Primary or Shift > then move over to the new Key tab.
You can also find this feature in the Xbox Accessories app on your Windows PC by joining the Windows Gaming preview from the Xbox Insider Hub. Learn more about joining the Windows Gaming preview in the Xbox Insider Program FAQ.
Note:
- You may only map a given controller button to a single key, along with any combination of modifier keys (Win, Shift, Ctrl, Alt). For example, you could map Ctrl+Alt+W, but not Ctrl+Alt+W+E.
- Keyboard input support is game dependent, so you may notice some games will offer full support, partial support, or no support.
- Using or mapping keyboard keys via Bluetooth on PC is not supported. Learn more about the Xbox Accessories app and Bluetooth connections here.
The update also introduces a number of fixes and improvements specific to Xbox Insider update releases.
