Brave from a game controller
The Brave layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: Brave is built on Chromium and keeps Chrome's Mac shortcuts, so this layout's keys are the same as the Chrome one. Nothing to enable in Brave.
Yes, Brave works from a game controller on a Mac, with the same rows as the Chrome layout, because Brave keeps Chrome's Mac shortcuts. There is nothing to enable in Brave. What Brave adds is fewer moving parts on the page, which matters more when you aim with a stick than with a mouse.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Point and click. The left stick moves the pointer, the right trigger clicks and the left trigger right-clicks. The right stick scrolls.
- Move through pages. Back, Forward, Reload and New Tab on the face buttons.
- Tabs. Close tab on the left bumper, the address bar on the right, previous and next tab on the D-pad, Escape on Start.
Every row matches the Chrome layout.
Use what Brave does differently
- Fewer moving targets. Brave's Shields block many ads and trackers by default, so pages shift less while you aim. If a site breaks, the Shields button in the address bar turns them down for that site, one click away.
- Reader mode. Brave's Speedreader turns an article into plain text where it can. Its button sits in the address bar.
- Typing an address. The address bar row, then a Start Dictation row, then Return.
Less on the page means fewer near misses with the pointer.
Tune it
- A slower pointer for links. The Pointer speed slider on the preset's page scales all four pointer rows together.
- Browser games. A game that reads the controller itself through the Gamepad API still gets it in Brave. Deactivate this preset while you play, so the game does not also get clicks.
Turn the layout off for browser games, and back on to browse.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Brave and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick down | Scroll down | Scroll down |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Left click |
| Left trigger | Right click | Right click |
| A / Cross | Command (Left), Left | Back |
| B / Circle | Command (Left), Right | Forward |
| X / Square | Command (Left), R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | Command (Left), T | New tab |
| LB / L1 | Command (Left), W | Close tab |
| RB / R1 | Command (Left), L | Address bar |
| D-pad left | Command (Left), Alt / Option (Left), Left | Previous tab |
| D-pad right | Command (Left), Alt / Option (Left), Right | Next tab |
| Start / Options | Escape | Stop / Esc |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does this match Chrome's layout?
Yes. Brave uses Chrome's shortcuts, so every row is the same.
Do browser games still get my controller in Brave?
Yes, through the Gamepad API. Turn this layout off while you play so the game does not also get clicks. See the browser games page.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
Updated