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PS3 Controller Plugged Into My PC, All Four Lights Just Keep Flashing

Asked by Ella W.0 views

Dug out my old DualShock 3 to play some PS2 games in an emulator. When I plug it into my Windows 11 PC with the mini USB cable, all four lights on the front just flash forever and nothing shows on your tester. Is it broken? It worked on my PS3 last year. Also are all PS3 controllers wireless? A friend said mine might be a wired only one.

Brand
Sony
Model
DualShock 3 CECHZC2
Connection
Mini USB
System
Windows 11
Browser
Chrome 144
Firmware Drivers And UpdatesPS3 DualShock 3
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Short Answer

Flashing lights mean the controller has power but no host has claimed it. Windows has no proper built-in driver for the DualShock 3, so use Steam, which supports it natively, or the DsHidMini driver for emulators and browser testing.

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Graham Norton-Smith
Graham Norton-SmithVerified Gamepad Tester team memberGamepad Tester Team
Retro And Adapter Hardware Specialist · 17+ years experience · Answered Jan 18, 2026

Your controller is very likely fine. On a DualShock 3, all four lights flashing means it is powered and waiting for a host to assign it a player number. A PS3 does that instantly. Windows does not, because it has no proper driver for this controller, so the lights flash forever and nothing reaches the browser.

You have two routes. If you only play through Steam, Steam Input supports the DualShock 3 directly. For emulators such as PCSX2 and RPCS3, and to see it in the browser, the current answer is DsHidMini, a free driver for Windows 10 and 11 from the developer behind the old ScpToolkit. It presents the controller as a standard device and supports the DualShock 3's pressure-sensitive face buttons, which matter in plenty of PS2 games. Its newest major version is in beta with a new installer and configuration app, and Bluetooth works through a companion driver called BthPS3.

Two warnings from experience. Download DsHidMini only from its GitHub page or the developer's own documentation. And if you ever used ScpToolkit or the old PlayStation Now app, remove their leftovers first, or they fight the new driver.

On your friend's point: official Sony DualShock 3 and Sixaxis controllers are all wireless; the cable is for charging and the first pairing. Wired-only pads in PS3 style are usually third party.

Step By Step Fix
  1. If you have used ScpToolkit or PlayStation Now on this PC, follow DsHidMini's guide for removing old drivers first.
  2. Keep the controller unplugged. If you want Bluetooth, install BthPS3 from its official release page first.
  3. Download DsHidMini from its official GitHub releases, follow its installation steps, then plug the controller in by mini USB.
  4. In the DsHidMini configuration app, choose SXS mode for Steam and RPCS3, or SDF mode for pressure-sensitive buttons in PCSX2.
  5. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. One light should stay solid on the controller and the tester should show it.
  6. Test every button and both sticks, then set up the pressure-sensitive buttons in your emulator as the DsHidMini guide describes.

Tested on: Applies to DualShock 3 (CECHZC2) on Windows 11 with Chrome. Driver steps checked against DsHidMini's GitHub documentation and PC Gamer's 2026 setup guide.

Sources
  1. DsHidMini driver for DualShock 3
  2. How to use a PS3 controller on PC

Checked by Alistair Thorne on . How we verify answers

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Community Replies 4

  • Accepted Solution
    George HartleyCommunity Member

    Same flashing lights. DsHidMini fixed it in ten minutes. SDF mode for PCSX2 is the bit people miss.

  • Ella WhitmoreCommunity Member

    Installed it and now one light stays on and your tester sees it. It's a genuine Sony one so it's wireless too. Thank you!

  • Imran ShaikhCommunity Member

    Had ScpToolkit leftovers from years ago. Removing them was the key step for me.

  • Lina MansourCommunity Member

    Steam alone worked for me for normal games, I only needed the driver for emulators.

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Graham Norton-Smith
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Graham Norton-SmithVerified Gamepad Tester team member

Retro And Adapter Hardware Specialist at Gamepad Tester

Graham works on legacy input hardware. Older controllers reach a browser through a USB adapter, and the adapter decides what the browser sees: button order changes, axes arrive as buttons, D-pads report as hats, and two adapters for the same console can behave nothing alike. He maps how the common adapters present themselves so that a player with a SNES or Sega pad can read a test result correctly instead of concluding their controller is broken. On Gamepad Tester he answers the adapter and legacy hardware questions.

USB controller adapterslegacy console padsHID button and axis mappingD-pad and hat switches
  • 3 answers on Gamepad Tester
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