Workflow

Control any media player from a game controller

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreThe Media Player Control 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: Works with players that use Space, F, M and the arrow keys, from YouTube to QuickTime. Switch play to the media output for a button that works from any app.

Yes, a game controller makes a plain media remote for any Mac player that uses Space, F, M and the arrow keys, from YouTube to QuickTime. It is the smaller cousin of the Media Playback layout: no pointer stick, just the playback keys. Seek is on the left stick and the D-pad, so a slow push scrubs and a tap skips.

The layout, control by control

Click a control. Labels:

How the layout thinks

  • Play. Play and pause (Space) on the bottom face button, full screen (F) on the right, mute (M) on the left.
  • Seek. Left stick left and right, and D-pad left and right.
  • Volume. D-pad up and down.
  • Click. The right trigger clicks, for the rare dialog.

Pick this one or Media Playback

  • No stray pointer. With no pointer rows, a resting thumb never moves the mouse over the video and wakes the player controls.
  • From any app. Switch play to the System Function Play / Pause output, and it controls whatever is playing.
  • Longer jumps. Some players skip further with Command or Shift and an arrow. Put those behind a chord.

Pick this one when all you want is a remote, and nothing on screen should move.

Get it in two clicks

  1. Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
  2. Search for Media Player Control and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
  3. 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

The Media Player Control preset in InputConfig, drawn on a DualSense Edge with each control labeled with the key or action it sends.
Figure 1. The Media Player Control preset drawn on a DualSense Edge in InputConfig's Live Visualizer. For example, A / Cross is labeled Play / Pause (Space), and B / Circle is labeled Fullscreen (F). Any other controller shows the same layout on its own drawing.
ControllerSendsWhat it does
A / CrossSpacePlay / Pause (Space)
B / CircleFFullscreen (F)
X / SquareMMute (M)
Left stick leftLeftSeek back (Left)
Left stick rightRightSeek forward (Right)
D-pad leftLeftSeek back
D-pad rightRightSeek forward
D-pad upUpVolume up (Up)
D-pad downDownVolume down (Down)
Right triggerLeft clickClick

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

What is the difference from Media Playback?

Media Playback adds a pointer stick and a second seek on the bumpers. This one is playback keys only.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely 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