If you have a PlayStation or Xbox controller that you’d like to use as a remote for your Mac, that’s a thing you can do now. That’s thanks to a brand new app available today in the Mac App Store.
The new app is called “Controlly“, and it’s a free download to try out for a week. You’ll need to fork over $3.99 for a one-time charge after that free trial ends to unlock, and keep, full functionality. But if you do opt to go that route, you’ll get quite a bit out of the purchase.
Controlly is developed by Hugo Lispector. The app makes it possible to use a PlayStation or Xbox controller as a full-featured remote control for a Mac. Every button on the controller can be mapped for a specific task, as you can see from the image just below. Want to use the left or right trigger on either controller to adjust brightness? You can do that! Want the X or A button to play or pause media playback? That’s in your control.
Controlly makes it possible to use the controller’s joystick as a way to control the mouse on your Mac as well.
You’ll need to enable the ability for apps to control your Mac to get this to work correctly. If you don’t, Controlly won’t work as intended. And you’ll need a Bluetooth-enabled controller to connect it to your Mac as well.
Here’s the app (with a controller) in action:
I wanted to use a game controller as a remote for Mac, but I couldn’t find an app for that. So I’ve built one myself and it’s now available on the App Store 🎮🥳: https://t.co/HEkFXUtMeL
Special thanks to @siracusa for finding an interesting bug just before launch! pic.twitter.com/2QVwvZjjvI
— Hugo Lispector (@hugolispector) February 8, 2021
You can download Controlly now.