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Skullgirls Encore Adds PS3 Joystick Support on PS4

Skullgirls Encore Adds PS3 Joystick Support on PS4

A while ago, Lab Zero, creator of indie fighting game Skullgirls , asked for a favor from the coding masses of the world. They asked for help in developing a driver that would allow you to use PS3 arcade sticks on your PS4. Doing so isn’t officially supported by Sony, so there is no official driver to use, but it’s also not prohibited, so if anyone wanted to code their own driver they could.

This wasn’t just for Lab Zero’s benefit either. Yes, when the driver was made they would use it to give Skullgirls PS3 joystick support, but at the same time they said they would share the driver with the world 100% for free. They don’t even mind if people make the driver better and code on top of it. All they want is for people’s work to be shared with them.

Well someone answered the call, specifically Naughty Dog programmer John “Cowboy” Bellomy. So, yes, Skullgirls now has PS3 stick support, though it isn’t perfect. Essentially, this allows any stick or controller converter that is recognized as a generic USB input device to work on the PS4. This includes al Madcatz TE sticks, the most popular sticks out there, many Hori sticks, and many custom PCBs that are available for people who made their own stick. Unfortunately, controllers that are recognized as a Dualshock 3 specifically still don’t work, but luckily these are few and far between.

The driver has some limitations. For example, there is no way to emulate PS4 specific features like the home button, share button, or touch pad. So those functions will have to be controlled by a normal PS4 controller. But otherwise, the drivers are plug and play, allowing you to step up, put your controller in, and unplug it when you like.

“Lab Zero feels very strongly about this: we think it’s better for the consumer and the industry that you be able to spend your hard-earned money buying games instead of buying a new fight stick,” Peter Bartholow, CEO of Lab Zero Games said in a statement.

Skullgirls Encore Adds PS3 Joystick Support on PS4

And remember, these drivers are now available to quite literally every single developer in the world for free. So if a new fighting game comes out on the PS4 and does not support PS3 Joysticks, there really isn’t any excuse. Be sure to keep that in mind when Guilty Gear Xrd comes out soon.

Once again, Lab Zero is asking it’s fans to help them out in testing this driver. Public testing is starting this weekend and will continue at events like Sony’s PlayStation Experience in Las Vegas later this year. Lab Zero is compiling a compatibility list and plans to make that list available online. This will allow people to know what sticks will and won’t work with the included driver. Of course, if anyone wants to then tinker with the driver to get their stick to work, Lab Zero has no problem with that.

Thank you Lab Zero, and thank you John Bellomy, for not only finding a way to integrate PS3 joystick support in Skullgirls , but for finding a way to integrate PS3 joystick support in every PS4 game ever from now on.

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