Dave the Diver on a Mac with a controller
The Dave the Diver 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: Native on macOS through Steam, which lists full controller support, DualSense and DualShock included. Use that first. This layout is for pads the game does not see, and for mouse-aim harpooning from a stick.
Yes, Dave the Diver plays on a Mac with a controller, and the game supports pads on its own. Dave dives by day and runs a sushi bar by night, and both halves work on the native support. This layout is the keyboard and mouse Dave from a controller, where the harpoon is aimed with a real cursor on the right stick, which some people find more precise than the pad's aim. It also covers the pad the game never lists.
On this page: 7 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Swim. The left stick swims and walks (W, A, S and D).
- Harpoon. The right stick moves the aim cursor. Hold the left trigger to aim (right click) and pull the right trigger to fire.
- Act. Dash (Space) is the bottom face button, gather and interact (E) the left, and disassemble (Q) the right.
- Slots. The bumpers are quick slots 1 and 2, and the D-pad weapon and gadget slots 1 to 4.
- Menus. Back skips a cutscene (C), and Options opens the smartphone (Esc).
The harpoon follows a real cursor, so you aim at the fish rather than near it.
Tune it
- Aim speed. Try about 18 with the Aggressive curve, for a fish that will not sit still.
- The sushi bar. The night half is mostly the same buttons. Nothing to add.
- Oxygen. No button for it. Surface.
The Aggressive curve is the one change worth making for the harpoon.
If the game sees your pad
When the game reads the pad on its own, use its scheme or this layout, not both, or every press lands twice. If the Mac sees the pad and the game does not, Steam Input is a common cause: controller works in Steam but not in the game sorts that out. Use the native scheme for comfort and this layout for mouse aim, and pick one per session.
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 Dave the Diver 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.
To check the controller itself first, the gamepad tester shows every button and stick live in your browser.
Dave the Diver controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Dave the Diver's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | A | Swim / walk left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Swim / walk right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Swim up (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Swim down (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Aim harpoon right (mouse) |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Aim harpoon left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Aim harpoon down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Aim harpoon up |
| Left trigger | Right click | Left trigger: aim harpoon (hold right click) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Right trigger: fire harpoon / attack (left click) |
| A / Cross | Space | A/Cross: Dash / action (Space) |
| X / Square | E | X/Square: Interact / gather (E) |
| B / Circle | Q | B/Circle: Disassemble / interact (Q) |
| LB / L1 | 1 | LB/L1: Quick slot 1 |
| RB / R1 | 2 | RB/R1: Quick slot 2 |
| D-pad up | 1 | D-pad Up: Weapon / gadget slot 1 |
| D-pad right | 2 | D-pad Right: Weapon / gadget slot 2 |
| D-pad down | 3 | D-pad Down: Weapon / gadget slot 3 |
| D-pad left | 4 | D-pad Left: Weapon / gadget slot 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | C | Back/Share: Skip cutscene (C) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start/Options: Smartphone / status (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 Dave the Diver on Mac support controllers?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for the Mac version. This layout is the mouse-aim game from a pad, and it works with pads the game does not see.
Is Dave the Diver better with a controller or keyboard and mouse?
Both are supported, so it comes down to the harpoon. A pad is comfortable for swimming and the sushi bar. A mouse aims the harpoon with a free cursor, which some players find more precise. This layout gives you both: the controller in your hands, with the harpoon aimed by a mouse cursor on the right stick.
Why is my controller not working in Dave the Diver on Mac?
First check that the Mac sees it: open System Settings, click Game Controllers in the sidebar, and look for your controller. If the Mac sees it and the game does not, Steam Input is a common cause. Here is how to sort that out. If the game still ignores the pad, activate this layout and the game gets a keyboard and mouse instead.
Can I play Dave the Diver on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Dave the Diver has a native Mac version, and its minimum requirements are listed on its Steam store page, so check your Mac against that list. I have not tested it on each Mac. The controller layout itself works the same on any Mac that runs InputConfig.
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.
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