InputActions

While many modern Windows games support Microsoft’s Xbox game pads natively, older titles may lack this kind of compatibility, which would otherwise make for a pleasant and more comfortable local multiplayer session on the couch with friends on weekends, especially when it comes to platformer-type of games.

One way of solving this issue is by developing dedicated remapping clients utilizing custom libraries such as InputActions, that let you read and reassign controller bindings to keyboard and mouse buttons, thus enhancing the input flexibility of the game at hand.

For instance, the right analog joystick can be set as mouse movement, with the right trigger activating the left click for shooting in top-down arcade space shooters. Moreover, given the included support for resetting all bindings at once, developers can include the option of saving and loading multiple profiles configured for a wide array of applications.

The library can be implemented in a modernized port of an older game to avoid relying on a third-party client for it. Programmers working on game launchers can also implement controller support in a way that lets users switch between their keyboard and game pad seamlessly, instead of having two different inputs alternating at the same time.

Finally, given its open-source license, other passionate programmers can freely contribute for enhancing the functionality, solving any potential errors or bugs, while also having the opportunity of forking the code and creating their own spin-offs with changes that match their particular use-case.

Whether you are looking for a way to bind your Xbox controller’s buttons to certain keys, or you want to let players seamlessly switch between keyboard and game pad input with ease, InputActions may be a good place to start, thanks to the lightweight form factor and comprehensive input detection options.