Disco Elysium on a Mac with a controller
The Disco Elysium 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 and GOG, and Steam lists full controller support for The Final Cut, DualSense included. This layout is the mouse game from a pad, for pads the game does not see and for the sofa.
Yes, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut runs natively on the Mac with full controller support, and if you like it, use it. It is a novel you walk around in, and the best place to read a novel is not a desk.
This layout is the mouse version from a controller. It keeps the free pointer, which some players prefer for clicking exactly the object they mean, and puts the four screens you live in, highlights, inventory, journal and character, on the face buttons.
On this page: 7 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pointer. The left stick, at 16.
- Walk and examine. The right trigger walks and interacts (left click). The left trigger examines (right click).
- Face buttons. Highlight everything you can interact with (Space) on the bottom, inventory (I) on the right, journal (J) on the left, character sheet (C) on the top.
- Menu. Start opens the menu.
The right stick, the bumpers and the D-pad are free on purpose. This is a game with no hurry in it, and the free buttons are for whatever you find yourself reaching for.
Tune it to how you read
- Dialogue. The number keys pick a line. Put 1 to 4 on the D-pad and you can answer without the pointer.
- Read it larger. Use the game's UI scale, and put macOS Zoom on a spare button for the smallest text.
- Hear the journal. The Final Cut is voiced, but the journal is not. Speak Selection on a button reads selected text aloud. It needs Speak selection switched on in System Settings, Accessibility, Spoken Content. Dictation, Zoom and Speak covers both.
- A gentler pointer. Turn on Ramp-up on the pointer rows: a nudge creeps onto a door handle, a held push crosses the room.
If the game sees your pad and you would rather use its scheme, turn the preset off, so a press does not arrive twice. Dialogue on the D-pad lets you read a whole conversation without touching the pointer.
If your controller is not working in Disco Elysium
When Disco Elysium does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Check the Steam Input setting for Disco Elysium. In Steam, open Disco Elysium, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If Disco Elysium still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Disco Elysium already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Disco Elysium ever sees the controller.
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 Disco Elysium 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.
Disco Elysium controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Disco Elysium'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 | 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 trigger | Left click | Move / interact (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Examine (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | Highlight items (Space / Tab) |
| B / Circle | I | Inventory (I) |
| X / Square | J | Journal (J) |
| Y / Triangle | C | Character (C) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (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
Is Disco Elysium better with a controller or a mouse?
Both work on a Mac. The game's own controller support is the easy way to play from a sofa. The mouse gives a free pointer, so you click exactly what you mean. This layout gives you the mouse version from a pad, so you can have both.
Does Disco Elysium on Mac support controllers?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, which has a Mac version. This layout is the mouse game from a pad, for pads it does not see and for the free pointer.
Why is my controller not working in Disco Elysium on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Disco Elysium still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Disco Elysium layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Disco Elysium on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Disco Elysium 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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