Steam Controller Remapper

Steam Controller Remapper is a Windows tray app for using a Steam Controller without Steam Input taking over. It disables lizard mode, uses SDL for standard controller input, exposes the controller through VIIPER/libVIIPER virtual output, and layers game-aware paddle profiles on top.

It now has two editing surfaces:

• a full desktop remapper for profile setup, sources, macros, and controller-first editing
• an Xbox Game Bar widget for in-session profile switching and quick paddle remaps

At a glance

Desktop remapper

The desktop editor is the full configuration surface. Use it to:

• build and edit per-game profiles
• add multiple game library folders or direct game .exe sources
• refresh and cache the installed-game list
• create gamepad, shortcut, macro, or unbound paddle actions
• enable rapid fire where it applies
• use controller navigation instead of relying on mouse-only interaction

Xbox Game Bar widget

The widget is the quick-access surface for Xbox Mode and in-game use. Use it to:

• see the active profile and detected game
• toggle auto-switch
• switch to another installed-game profile
• make fast gamepad-button remaps for L4, L5, R4, R5, and QAM

Current widget limitation:

• Game Bar quick remaps currently edit only gamepad-button mappings. Choosing a value there will overwrite any key chord or macro on that paddle.

Tray icon and quick controls

The tray icon is the quickest way to manage the remapper without opening the full editor. From the menu you can:

• toggle Steamless Mode and auto-enable behavior
• switch controller emulation mode
• open Remap Buttons...
• toggle trackpad mouse behavior
• toggle Start with Windows
• exit the app cleanly

Feature set

• Uses SDL for standard Steam Controller input handling
• Uses VIIPER/libVIIPER for virtual Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 output
• Automatically backs off when Steam is running so Steam Input can take over
• Auto-switches profiles when a matching game launches, then returns to Default when that game closes
• Supports Steam libraries, Xbox/Game Pass installs, broad game folders, and direct .exe sources
• Persists profiles, library sources, and widget state between launches
• Includes an Xbox Game Bar widget for live profile switching and quick remaps
• Includes controller-friendly navigation in the desktop remapper and input capture dialogs
• Starts from the tray and is safe to leave running

Install

Recommended release install

1. Download the latest release.
2. Extract SteamControllerRemapper-Installer.zip.
3. Run Install-SteamControllerRemapper.cmd.
4. Launch Steam Controller Remapper.
5. Open Xbox Game Bar with Win + G and add the Steam Controller Remapper widget from the widgets menu.

What that installer does:

• downloads and installs the latest upstream usbip-win2 package when the USBIP driver is not already present
• installs the desktop app into Program Files
• enables Start with Windows for the current user
• imports the widget certificate
• ships the staged desktop executable signed with the same local release certificate used for the widget bundle
• installs the Game Bar widget and dependencies
• creates a Start Menu shortcut
• bypasses PowerShell execution policy for the installer launch

Windows trust notes for this release:

• UAC prompts during install are expected
• the widget install path uses a bundled local certificate, so Windows will ask you to trust that certificate for sideloading
• this project does not use a paid public code-signing certificate

Upgrade note for existing users:

• if you are upgrading from the old ViGEmBus-based release, uninstall the old version first, then install this release fresh
• the tray app's Check for Updates... action now downloads the latest SteamControllerRemapper-Installer.zip from GitHub Releases and launches the bundled installer automatically

Desktop-only install

If you do not want the widget, you can run Steam Controller Remapper.exe by itself after extraction.

Xbox Mode startup

For reliable Xbox Mode startup, Windows Startup Apps should be set to System startup for Steam Controller Remapper, not Desktop startup.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Startup.
2. Find Steam Controller Remapper.
3. Change its startup mode to System startup.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or later, 64-bit
• Steam Controller
• Xbox Game Bar, if you want the widget
• Administrator rights during install, because usbip-win2 and the desktop app install into system locations

Supported controller path

• Wired Steam Controller
• Steam Controller through the wireless dongle
• VIIPER virtual output through libVIIPER.dll
• USBIP support provided by the latest upstream usbip-win2 installer at install time

Trackpad behavior

• Cursor movement uses the app's host-side trackpad path, with SDL used for standard gamepad state and raw controller reports used for trackpad motion where SDL exposes no touchpad data
• Clicks use the opposite trackpad:
  • short press = left click
  • hold = right click
• Clicks send a short haptic pulse at click commit time

Known limitations

• Trackpad feel is tuned toward Steam desktop behavior, but exact one-to-one parity with Steam Input is not guaranteed
• Xbox Game Bar quick remaps only edit gamepad-button mappings
• The widget install path still requires Windows sideloading trust for the bundled certificate
• Windows may show SmartScreen or other trust friction because the release is not signed with a paid public code-signing certificate

Build

git clone https://github.com/CommonMugger/Steam-Controller-Remapper.git
cd Steam-Controller-Remapper
cmake --preset release
cmake --build --preset release

Release output:

• build\release\Release\Steam Controller Remapper.exe

To rebuild the Game Bar sideload bundle after the widget package exists:

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\gamebar\SteamControllerRemapperWidget\BundleArtifacts\Build-SideloadBundle.ps1

SDL dependency automation

• SDL is pinned from cmake/SDLVersion.cmake and fetched through CMake FetchContent.
• GitHub Actions checks for new SDL releases on a schedule.
• Patch and minor SDL updates are opened as [SDL] PRs and set to auto-merge after CI passes.
• Major SDL updates are opened for manual review.

VIIPER and USBIP automation

• Vendored libVIIPER.dll and libVIIPER.h are tracked in third_party/libVIIPER.
• GitHub Actions checks upstream VIIPER and usbip-win2 releases on a schedule.
• The workflow refreshes third_party/libVIIPER from the latest Windows libVIIPER release and updates cmake/VirtualBusVersions.cmake.
• The installer still downloads the latest upstream usbip-win2 release at install time, so end-user installs do not wait on a repo refresh to pick up USBIP fixes.

License

This project is now distributed under GPL-3.0-or-later because it links against libVIIPER.

Original SteamlessController attribution and the original MIT notice are preserved in LICENSES/original-steamlesscontroller-mit.txt.

Credits

• Original project: ddeverill/SteamlessController
• Original author: ddeverill