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Using the controller's gyroscope

Sony controllers with motion sensors, the DualSense, DualSense Edge, and DualShock 4, expose gyroscope rotation, accelerometer, and absolute attitude on macOS. InputConfig binds any of those channels to mouse motion, keys, or anything else an axis can send. That gives you motion aim in games that never had it, or a pointer you move by tilting the controller.

Adding a motion row

Edit a preset and add a row.
Set the input type to Motion.
Pick the channel. Gyro Y is yaw rate, for looking left and right. Gyro X is pitch rate, for up and down. Gyro Z is roll. Accelerometer X, Y, Z and the absolute Roll, Pitch, and Yaw angles are there too.
Pick the half axis: plus for one direction, minus for the other. You need a row for each.
Pick the output, usually Mouse Motion in the matching direction.

The InputConfig binding editor showing the Gyro Aim preset: Gyro Y plus and minus bound to mouse motion right and left, Gyro X plus and minus bound to mouse motion down and up, each with a 5 percent deadzone and variable sensitivity, and the triggers bound to mouse clicks — The built-in Gyro Aim preset. Four motion rows cover yaw and pitch, and the triggers click.

Motion aim in one click

The built-in Gyro Aim preset wires Gyro Y to mouse X and Gyro X to mouse Y with sensible defaults and puts fire and aim-down-sights on the triggers. Activate it and tilt the controller to move the cursor; it is the same feel as motion aim in Splatoon or Breath of the Wild, in any game on the Mac that takes a mouse.

Ratcheting: pause motion with a button

Motion aim runs out of wrist travel. Ratcheting pauses the gyro so you can swing the controller back to a comfortable angle and carry on, the way you lift a mouse off the desk.

Add a row on the button you want to hold, for example L1 or a back paddle.
Set its output type to App Action and choose Pause Motion While Held.
While that button is held, every Motion row on the same controller stops moving the cursor. Let go and motion resumes instantly.

Sticks, buttons, and the touchpad keep working while motion is paused, so you can still click and move.

Drift and deadzones

A stationary controller reports tiny non-zero gyro values because the sensors are never perfectly calibrated. The app applies a small deadzone by default, 0.05 rad/s, to filter it. If the cursor drifts when the controller is set down, raise the deadzone on the motion rows, or press Calibrate Motion at the bottom of the editor to record the resting zero. Quick Zero does the same in one press.

A pointer you wave around

The built-in Motion Cursor preset uses the accelerometer and gyro to move the pointer by moving the whole controller, with the face buttons clicking. For someone who can hold a controller but cannot work a stick, it is a real alternative to a mouse. Pair it with a large deadzone and the Smooth curve if the hand shakes.

Compatibility

macOS only exposes motion if the controller publishes it and the pairing brought the motion service up. Some Bluetooth pairings drop motion; a wired connection always has it. The Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Cons report buttons and sticks on macOS but not their sensors, so they cannot drive motion rows. Settings, Controllers shows whether motion is available for each connected device.

Questions

Which axis is which?

Hold the controller flat. Turning it like a steering wheel is roll (Gyro Z). Tipping the front up and down is pitch (Gyro X). Swinging it left and right like a torch is yaw (Gyro Y), which is what most people want for horizontal aim.

Can I use gyro and the right stick together?

Yes. Both can be bound to mouse motion in the same preset; the two add together, which is how most console games do it.

Does the Xbox controller have a gyro?

No. Xbox controllers have no motion sensors at all.