Sifu on a Mac with a controller
The Sifu 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: No Mac version: Steam lists Windows only. Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW (the Epic Games Store copy) stream it to a Mac and normally pass a controller to the game, and in CrossOver the pad is often not seen.
Yes, Sifu plays on a Mac with a controller, through Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW or a wrapper. The game's own pad support is good when the route passes it. This layout is for when it does not. Sifu's defense is one button: hold to guard, tap as the hit lands to parry. That button is the right trigger here, and the dodge is the left trigger with a stick direction, so both hands defend while the thumbs strike.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves and the right stick turns the camera.
- Strike. Strike (left click) is the left face button and the heavy attack (right click) the top.
- Defend. The right trigger guards and parries (Space, held). The left trigger dodges with a stick direction (Shift). The left stick click avoids a high attack and the right stick click a low one.
- Finish. Focus (F) is the right bumper and the takedown (X) the left.
- Weapons. The bottom face button picks up a weapon and vaults (E), and the right face button interacts (Q). D-pad up throws the weapon (R), and right is the directional throw (Ctrl).
- Menu. Escape is on Options.
Guard is a held trigger and a parry is a tap of it, so defense never leaves your fingers.
Tune it
- Parry timing. It is a tap, so leave the trigger row plain.
- Avoids. They are the stick clicks. If they come out by accident, move them to back paddles with Scan.
Leave the guard row as it is, because the parry lives on its timing.
If the stream or wrapper passes your controller
When the game reads your pad, play on its own scheme and keep this preset off, or every press lands twice. Using a controller with CrossOver games covers the wrapper side. Guard once with the preset off first, and only activate the layout if nothing blocks.
If your controller is not working in Sifu
When Sifu 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.
- Press a button after the stream has started. A stream only picks up a controller that is paired with the Mac, and a browser shows a controller to a page only after a button press. Start Sifu, then press any button.
- Expect less inside a wrapper. In CrossOver or the Game Porting Toolkit, Wine passes a controller to Sifu only some of the time, and the keyboard and mouse get through every time. Using a controller with CrossOver games has the checks.
- Play it from keys. If Sifu still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Sifu 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 Sifu 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 Sifu 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.
Sifu controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Sifu'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 | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Camera right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Camera left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Camera down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Camera up |
| X / Square | Left click | Strike / light attack (LMB) |
| Y / Triangle | Right click | Heavy / strong attack (RMB) |
| Right trigger | Space | Guard / parry (Space) |
| Left trigger | Shift (Left) | Dodge (Shift + direction) |
| RB / R1 | F | Focus (F) |
| LB / L1 | X | Takedown (X) |
| A / Cross | E | Pick up weapon / vault (E) |
| B / Circle | Q | Interact (Q) |
| D-pad up | R | Throw weapon (R) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left), S | Avoid high attack (hold guard + S) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Shift (Left), W | Avoid low attack (hold guard + W) |
| D-pad right | Ctrl (Left) | Directional throw (Ctrl) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause 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
Does Sifu run on a Mac?
Sifu does not run natively on a Mac. Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW stream it, and CrossOver and the Game Porting Toolkit run it. This layout is for a route that does not pass the controller.
Is Sifu better on controller or keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support, and keyboard and mouse is fully supported too. This layout puts guard and dodge on the triggers, which suits a fight that is mostly defense, so on a Mac you keep the pad in your hands while Sifu receives its keyboard binds, for a stream or wrapper that does not see the controller.
Why is my controller not working in Sifu on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Sifu still ignores it, activate the Sifu layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Sifu on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Sifu runs on the other end, on a cloud service or your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
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