Use a DualSense or Xbox controller for Remote Play on PC

For PS Remote Play on PC, PlayRoam supports DualSense and DualSense Edge over USB or Bluetooth, plus Xbox/XInput controllers. Controller support is free, as is home-network Remote Play for PS5 and PS4 with a PlayRoam account. DualSense haptics do not pass through; PlayRoam emulates rumble instead.

Pick the controller you already own

A DualSense or DualSense Edge gives PlayRoam access to touchpad input and gyro, as well as the normal buttons, sticks and triggers. The Windows app also supports adaptive-trigger effects, lightbar output and rumble over either supported connection.

An Xbox/XInput pad gives you controller input and rumble for free. Use it if you prefer its shape or already have one on your desk. Choose DualSense for touchpad and gyro input.

Connect the pad and start playing

If you have not linked your console yet, follow the Windows Remote Play setup steps first. You link the console to PlayRoam separately from connecting the controller to Windows.

1. Connect your supported controller to the PC. For DualSense, use USB or follow Sony's Bluetooth pairing instructions: with the controller off and unplugged, hold the create button and PS button until the lightbar blinks, then select it in your PC's Bluetooth device list.
2. In PlayRoam, choose Source → Local network for home play and select your linked console. Start the stream.
3. Open Controls and enable Show on screen for the input widget if you want to check what PlayRoam receives. Press a face button and move each stick.
4. Test in the game. If several pads are connected, give deliberate input on the one you want to use. PlayRoam switches its active pad to the controller you use.

Fix a controller that is not working on PC

Start with the connection, not a graphics setting. A sharper picture cannot make an unrecognised controller send input.

Nothing appears in the input widget

Check your controller model against the supported list above. Then test one pad at a time so another controller cannot take over the active input. For a DualSense connected wirelessly, try USB as a diagnostic check and reconnect it before testing again.

If Windows itself cannot connect to the Bluetooth controller, use Microsoft's Bluetooth troubleshooting. Microsoft recommends the Bluetooth troubleshooter in Get Help on Windows 11. Its next checks include charge and range, turning Bluetooth off and on, and removing the device before pairing it again. Driver updates are a later step if those checks do not resolve it.

The widget reacts but the console does not

Confirm that a console stream is running. Input visible in the widget and a missing console connection are different problems. Use the PC Remote Play troubleshooting guide when the stream will not connect or start.

A capture-card picture has a separate controller route. In that setup, Controller → Play on must select a linked console rather than Off. It sends controls through Remote Play while the picture and sound stay on the card. Capture-card use needs Pro on Windows.

Buttons work, but play feels delayed

If controls respond but the picture follows late, check the stream readouts and use the Remote Play lag guide. Smoothing can hold the picture back up to 0.2 seconds to even out network stalls. Frame generation adds delay while your inputs stay at the console's frame rate.

If your problem is in Sony's app

Sony's PC and Mac support page lists DualSense, DualSense Edge and DUALSHOCK 4 for the official PS Remote Play app. Its PC setup instructions tell you to connect the controller with a USB cable. Follow that documented setup when troubleshooting that app; PlayRoam's controller support describes a different application.

For more control choices, PlayRoam Pro's Windows keyboard and mouse mapping puts movement and stick aiming on your desk controls. Its bindings editor lets you assign the inputs you prefer.