Map it. Test it. Play.

Connect without competing readers

Plug in one controller and open PadProbe Studio. If the device appears and disappears repeatedly, quit Steam and any other controller mapper, reconnect the controller, and try again. Vendor-specific controllers can allow only one application to own their USB interface at a time.

PadProbe identifies the exact connected device rather than assuming every controller with the same product number is interchangeable. It will not guess between otherwise identical, unnumbered controllers after a disconnect.

Map buttons honestly

Choose Listen for a button, press one physical control, and assign the standard gamepad control you want it to represent. Repeat for every independent button.

If two physical buttons produce the same signal, PadProbe marks them as a firmware alias. Software cannot reliably separate controls the hardware reports identically; the profile records that fact instead of inventing a distinction.

Calibrate sticks and triggers

Run calibration, move each stick through its full range, let it return to centre, and fully press each trigger. Use the live test to confirm smooth travel and a quiet centre. If moving a stick upward moves the preview downward, enable inversion for that Y axis—this is a normal device-layout difference, not a failed calibration.

Add only enough deadzone to stop drift. A very large deadzone hides movement and makes fine control harder.

Choose the right game path

• Minecraft Java with Controlify: save the profile, make sure Minecraft is closed, then use the Minecraft recipe. PadProbe launches a fresh official Launcher session with only the required SDL compatibility hints.
• Steam: let Steam Input own the per-game layout. PadProbe can prepare the controller profile, then opens Steam normally.
• Another SDL app: select its local .app for a one-session launch. PadProbe does not add that private path to its built-in catalog.
• Everything else: use System gamepad when the target software expects a standard macOS controller and has no suitable mapper of its own.

Gameplay actions still belong in the game or controller mod. PadProbe's assignments describe the controller, not what “jump” means in every title.

About System gamepad

The private alpha includes the system-gamepad workflow, but macOS requires an Apple-approved Virtual HID capability before a signed public build can create the device. Until that approval is attached to a release, PadProbe reports the authorization boundary and leaves macOS security settings alone.

If physical input stops, the controller disconnects, or the output worker fails, PadProbe clears its state rather than leaving a direction or button held.

Save, move, or back up a profile

Saved profiles remain on the Mac under ~/Library/Application Support/Gamertan/PadProbe/Profiles. Back up that folder to retain mappings, calibration, assignments, and macros. Profiles contain controller configuration, not game accounts, worlds, servers, or gameplay history.

Still stuck?

• No controller: quit competing controller tools, reconnect the cable, and verify the device has power.
• Wrong directions: recalibrate and invert only the affected axis.
• One press triggers two physical controls: check for a firmware-alias warning.
• Minecraft sees nothing: close every Minecraft and Launcher process, then launch through the PadProbe recipe again.
• Steam behaves differently: inspect that game's Steam Input layout; Steam remains the owner of gameplay mapping on that path.