How to open Game Controllers Settings in Windows 10?

In Windows 10 if you want to install a game controller or calibrate your joystick, you need to access from the Game Controllers Settings. Here find different ways to open Game Controllers Settings in Windows 10.

You can open Game Controllers settings via Run Command

To do this simply press the Windows key and R to bring up the Run command, type joy.cpl and press Enter. This will launch the Game Controllers window immediately.

You can open Game Controllers Settings via Windows 10 Search

All you need is to click the Cortana Search box in the taskbar, enter “game controller” and you can then click the “Set up USB game controller” option from the search result.

You can open Game Controllers Settings via Control Panel

Open the Control Panel in Large icons, click on Devices and Printers.

You can locate your joystick. Right-click on it and select “Game controller settings” from the popup menu. It will display the Game Controllers Settings dialog.

You can create a Desktop Shortcut to Open Game Controllers Settings

If you need to access the Game Controllers Settings regularly, follow the step-by-step instructions to create a desktop shortcut on Windows 10:

• Right click any blank area on the desktop, then select New -> Shortcut from the context menu.
• Copy and paste the following path into the location box, and click Next.
• %SystemRoot%\System32\joy.cpl
• Give a name for your Game Controllers shortcut.
• Click Finish and you’re done!

What is Game Controller?

A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game, typically to control an object or character in the game. Before the seventh generation of video game consoles, plugging in a controller into one of a console’s controller ports were the primary means of using a game controller, although since then they have been replaced by wireless controllers, which do not require controller ports on the console but are battery-powered. USB game controllers could also be connected to a computer with a USB port. 

Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mouses, gamepads, joysticks, etc. Special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games are also game controllers.

Game controllers have been designed and improved over the years to be as user friendly as possible. The Microsoft Xbox controller, with its shoulder triggers that mimic actual triggers such as those found on guns, has become popular for shooting games.  Some controllers are designed to be best for one type of game, such as steering wheels for driving games, or dance pads for dancing games.

Controllers have evolved with time to include directional pads, multiple buttons, analog sticks, joysticks, motion detection, touch screens and a plethora of other features.

Note that gamepads typically require device drivers if used on contemporary personal computers. The device may be treated as its own class of human interface device, or by use of a program known as a gamepad translator (or gamepad mapper) translated to key strokes or mouse actions. An example gamepad translator for Microsoft Windows is Xpadder,  or antimicro which is free and open-source and cross-platform.

Sometimes support for mapping to different devices is built into the controller itself, as with the Nostromo SpeedPad n52 which can act as either a keyboard, mouse, joystick or as a hybrid between the three.