I’ve seen a lot of people having trouble using third-party controllers with this game. A possible cause for this is that the controller isn’t compatible with XInput. XInput is a DirectX library designed specifically for Xbox 360 and other compatible controllers. It was introduced in DirectX 9, replacing DirectInput (now deprecated). It has since become the new input standard for Windows-based games. Thus, all DirectInput controllers are considered legacy and may not be compatible with certain XInput games that don’t support it.

To remedy this, you might want to give Xbox 360 Controller Emulator a shot. In short, it’s a mapper library that translates XInput calls to DirectInput calls, allowing your controller to function like an Xbox 360 controller. What’s more, it’s open source, has a relatively small footprint, and is easy to set up.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Download x360ce.App-2.1.2.191.zip and extract it to the location of MKAK’s executable (e.g., C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\mortal kombat arcade kollection\BINARIES\WIN32).

If the link is broken, it may have been updated. In which case, go here.

Step 2: Make sure your controller is plugged in before launching x360ce.exe. You should get two popup messages regarding some missing files — x360ce.ini and xinput1_3.dll, respectively. Click Yes on both popups to create them.

Step 3: A New Device Detected window will follow. Leave everything as is and click Next. It will then search an internet database for a preset configuration. If it doesn’t find anything, don’t panic. It just means you’re going to have to do a little more work. Select a preset, if any, and click Finish. Otherwise, skip this by hitting Cancel.

Step 4: Now you’re ready to configure/tweak the controller itself. This is pretty straight forward. Once everything is configured to your liking, click Save and close the program before running MKAK. The changes are written to x360ce.ini, so you don’t need to run x360ce.exe again unless you need to make additional changes. It is not necessary to keep x360ce.exe in the directory for the mapper library to work, as it only configures the INI file.

If you’re having trouble identifying the buttons on your controller, open the Windows Run command (Windows Key+R) and type joy.cpl to launch the Game Controllers applet (XP/Vista/Seven/8), then click Properties to view your controller’s buttons/IDs.

It’s also worth noting that X360CE works well with my Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro.

If this solution isn’t your cup of tea, PC controllers that support both DirectInput and XInput do exist, such as Logitech’s F310 and F710.