Questions

Does the GameSir Cyclone 2 work on a Mac?

GameSir does not say so: the Cyclone 2's manual lists Switch, Android, PC and Steam as its platforms, and no Mac. What decides it is the mode. Over Bluetooth the Cyclone 2 presents itself under a different name in each mode, and one of them is Pro Controller, the name of a controller macOS has read since macOS 13. On a cable or its dongle it starts in XInput, which a Mac does not read.

I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that maps a controller to keys and the mouse. I have not tested a Cyclone 2 myself, so this page stays with what GameSir's manual says and what macOS is known to read.

On this page: 9 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Pick the mode before you pair
  3. Pair it over Bluetooth
  4. Use the cable or the dongle
  5. Set it up on the controller itself
  6. Calibrate the sticks and triggers
  7. If the Mac does not see it
  8. The short version
  9. Questions

Steps

  1. With the controller off, hold Home and Y for two seconds, until the Home light flashes.
  2. Open System Settings, Bluetooth on the Mac, and click Connect next to Pro Controller.
  3. Open the gamepad tester in a browser and press a button to see what the Mac receives.
  4. If nothing arrives, turn it off, hold Home and B instead, and connect to Wireless Controller.
  5. Once it responds, press Scan on a row in InputConfig and press a button to map it.

Pick the mode before you pair

Each Bluetooth mode has its own button pair and its own name in the Bluetooth list. These come from GameSir's manual for the Cyclone 2:

Hold for two secondsWhat GameSir calls itName in the Bluetooth list
Home and YSwitch, or Other DevicesPro Controller
Home and BBluetooth for a Windows PCWireless Controller
Home and AAndroidGameSir-Cyclone 2
  • Home and Y first. The Switch Pro Controller is one macOS has read since macOS 13, so I would start with the mode that presents itself as one.
  • Home and B second. It is the mode GameSir gives for a computer.
  • Not a measurement. That order is my reasoning from the names. I have not tested which mode a Mac accepts.

The name in the Bluetooth list tells you which mode the controller is in.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.

Pair it over Bluetooth

  • You: With the controller off, hold the pair for the mode until the Home light flashes. Then open System Settings, Bluetooth on the Mac and click Connect beside the new name.
  • macOS: Pairs it, and lists it under System Settings, Game Controllers if it accepts it as a game controller.
  • Check: Open the gamepad tester in a browser and press a button. It draws what the Mac receives.

If it will not pair, the manual gives a forced pairing mode: hold Home and Share for two seconds. Each mode shows under its own name, so pair again after you change it. A controller that moves the gamepad tester is connected, and the rest is mapping.

Use the cable or the dongle

On the cable or the wireless dongle, GameSir's manual gives one control for changing mode: hold View and Menu to move between XInput, Switch and Android. Holding M shows the current mode as a color.

  • Green, XInput. Most third-party XInput pads speak the wired Xbox 360 protocol. macOS does not read it, and InputConfig cannot either. InputConfig, Devices lists such a pad grayed out, with the reason.
  • Red, Switch. A real Switch Pro Controller sends nothing a Mac reads over its cable, so this mode may not work on a cable even where it works over Bluetooth.
  • Yellow, HID or Android. If the Mac sees a plain USB controller in this mode, InputConfig reads it once you tick it under InputConfig, Devices.

GameSir's manual also says XInput over Bluetooth is not supported, because of restrictions set by Microsoft. On a cable or the dongle, leave green before you blame the Mac.

Set it up on the controller itself

The Cyclone 2's software is GameSir Connect, and GameSir's download page lists no Mac version of it, as of October 2026. The manual puts the main settings on the controller:

  • Back buttons. Hold M and L4 or R4 until the Home light flashes white, press the button or combination to copy, then press L4 or R4 again.
  • Turbo. Hold M and press a button to cycle Slow, Medium, Fast and Off, at 8, 12 and 20 presses a second. Double-click M to clear it.
  • Face button layout. The default is the Xbox layout, and the manual's FAQ gives M and A held for two seconds to change it.
  • Four configurations. The controller cycles through four saved setups.

A back button set this way copies another button, so the Mac sees that button and not L4 or R4. Whatever you set on the controller travels with it to the Mac.

Calibrate the sticks and triggers

The manual gives this procedure for a Cyclone 2 whose sticks or triggers read wrong:

  1. Set the triggers to long travel. Then hold View, Menu and Home for two seconds. The Home light flashes slowly in white.
  2. Hands off, press A once. Do not touch the sticks or the triggers while you press it.
  3. Move everything. Rotate both sticks in full circles two or three times, and press both triggers fully three times.
  4. Press A to finish. The Home light returns to its usual color.

Run the stick drift test before and after, to see what the calibration changed. A number from before and a number from after tell you whether calibration fixed anything.

If the Mac does not see it

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Read the name. The name in System Settings, Bluetooth shows the mode. If it is not the one you meant, turn the controller off and hold the right pair.
  2. Force pairing. Hold Home and Share for two seconds.
  3. Try the other mode. Home and Y, then Home and B, then Home and A.
  4. Reset it. The manual says holding Home and Menu resets the profile and all settings, and a pinhole on the back forces it off.
  5. Open the Devices menu. In InputConfig, Devices, a pad the Mac can read is listed to tick, and one it cannot is grayed out with the reason.

GameSir controllers on a Mac covers the other models. Start with the name in the Bluetooth list, because it tells you the mode.

The short version

  • Bluetooth. Home and Y first, then Home and B, and pair again after each change.
  • Cable or dongle. Leave XInput with View and Menu.
  • Settings. Back buttons, turbo and layout are set on the controller, since there is no Mac app.

I have not tested one myself, so tell me if yours behaves differently. The mode decides whether a Mac can read a Cyclone 2, so change the mode before you blame the Mac.

Questions

Does the GameSir Cyclone 2 work on a Mac?

GameSir's manual lists Switch, Android, PC and Steam, and no Mac. Over Bluetooth, try the mode that appears as Pro Controller, Home and Y, then the one that appears as Wireless Controller, Home and B. That order is my reasoning from what macOS reads, not a test.

Which mode should a Cyclone 2 be in for a Mac?

Over Bluetooth, I would try Home and Y first, where it appears as Pro Controller. On a cable or the dongle, leave XInput mode by holding View and Menu, because macOS does not read the XInput protocol.

How do I calibrate a GameSir Cyclone 2?

Set the triggers to long travel, hold View, Menu and Home for two seconds, press A with your hands off the sticks, rotate both sticks two or three times and press both triggers three times, then press A again. Those are the steps in GameSir's manual.

Is there GameSir Connect for Mac?

No. GameSir's download page lists GameSir Connect for Windows and no Mac version, as of October 2026. Back buttons, turbo and the face button layout can be set on the controller itself.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreFree. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.