After a few seconds, red lights should flash, and you can let go of the button and unplug the USB cable from both controller and computer. Once connected, turn Bluetooth back on and press and hold the ‘PS’ button on your controller. Plug your controller into the Mac via the USB cable. You’ll especially want to do this if you’ve used it with your actual PS3 as the controller can only be connected to one device at a time and if it’s not ‘disconnected’ from the PS3 before you try to connect it to the Mac, you might run into problems. You should also reset your PS3 controller by putting the end of a paperclip into the small hole near the L2 button. Turn off Bluetooth by going into the Apple menu, select ‘System Preferences’, then ‘Bluetooth’, and finally ‘Disable Bluetooth’. Otherwise, they’ll all try to connect to the controller at once. The first thing you need to do is make sure Bluetooth is disabled on any Macs or other devices nearby, as well as the one you’re connecting to.

Once you’ve connected your controller you’ll be able to play any games that support the use of a Bluetooth gamepad. If your machine runs OS X Snow Leopard or newer, the drivers that support the PS3 controller are already included. From Mavericks and onwards the process is different and significantly easier, with fewer steps.

Please note that the connection method described in this article is for OS X Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion. But you’re in luck, because your tried-and-true Playstation 3 controller can be connected to your Mac via Bluetooth. However, if you want to use a controller to game your options might be limited, as the market isn’t exactly flooding with decent, Mac-compatible controllers. Contrary to what some people might tell you, you can definitely have a good gaming experience on your Mac.

Ps3 controller on mac usb