The DualShock 4 controller is one of the PS4’s undeniable highlights. It’s an incredibly ergonomic and easy-to-use peripheral that always feels right in your hands, no matter what the shape or size of those hands might be. While we love the PS5’s DualSense controller and the additional features it has, we’ll always have a soft spot in our hearts for the DualShock 4.
With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense that you might want to use your DualShock 4 controller with your Chromebook. After all, Chromebooks are powerful little machines that can do all sorts of things; you can use them to work, yes, but they’re also relatively capable gaming machines depending on what kind of games you want to play. Some Chromebooks can even play modern games, assuming they aren’t too demanding!
Using your DualShock 4 with your Chromebook is extremely simple. We’ve come a long way since the days of needing an additional program for controller support on Chromebook, which is good news if you’ve got a spare controller lying around and you want to use it with your laptop. Without further ado, let’s take a look at how to connect PS4 controllers to Chromebook devices.
Use a USB cable
The easiest and quickest way to connect your DualShock 4 to your Chromebook is simply to use a USB cable. You can do this by just grabbing the Micro USB cable that you use to charge your DualShock 4 on your PS4 and plugging it into a USB port on your Chromebook. It really is that simple; you won’t need any additional drivers or anything, as your Chromebook will do all the hard work for you on the software side!
If your USB cable doesn’t work when connecting PS4 controller to Chromebook, then you can try a few troubleshooting steps to see where the problem lies.
- Try disconnecting your cable and reconnecting it. You’d be amazed at how many times this simple step works for diagnosing problems with wired controller connections. Simply disconnect the USB cable and reconnect it. Try both ends of the cable to see where the problem might lie.
- Try a different device with your USB cable. In order to determine whether the USB cable is at fault or not, try connecting a different Micro USB device. If your Chromebook recognises the device immediately, then the cable is not likely to be the part of the setup that’s at fault.
- Try a different cable. Obviously, you should also try a different cable if neither of the above steps works. Trying a different cable should help you figure out whether the cable is faulty.
- Restart your Chromebook. If all else fails, just give your Chromebook a quick restart. There could be a problem on the software side of things that could be resolved by simply restarting the machine.
Connect via Bluetooth
If you don’t want to be tethered to your Chromebook by a cable, or you’d simply rather connect your controller via Bluetooth for some other reason, then you’ll be pleased to know this is also a straightforward process on Chromebook. Here’s how to hook up your DualShock 4 to your Chromebook via Bluetooth.
- Check whether your Chromebook has Bluetooth or not. Believe it or not, every Chromebook doesn’t come with Bluetooth; though 99% of devices do, you should still check whether yours does or not. Make sure to buy a Bluetooth dongle if you don’t find built-in Bluetooth connectivity on your device. They’re dirt cheap, and it’s always worth having one.
- Head into your Chromebook’s Settings menu, then find the Bluetooth setting. You’ll need to be able to view a list of devices in order to connect your DualShock 4 to your Chromebook via Bluetooth. You can find this list of devices in your Chromebook’s Bluetooth settings menu.
- Press the PlayStation and Share buttons together on your DualShock 4. In order to pair your DualShock 4 with a new device, you’ll need to press and hold the PlayStation and Share buttons. This will start the process of looking for something to connect to. You should see a flashing light, which will indicate that your controller is searching for a connection point.
- Check the controller has appeared in the Bluetooth menu. If you see your DualShock 4 controller appearing in the Bluetooth menu of your Chromebook, then congratulations – the connection has been successful! If you don’t see it, try repeating the above steps.
Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try if your DualShock 4 doesn’t connect to your Chromebook for whatever reason.
- Try connecting the DualShock 4 to your PS4. First, you should check that the controller works under normal conditions. Try pairing the DualShock 4 to the PS4. If you’re able to do this successfully, then it implies that the Chromebook’s side of things is what’s at fault.
- Try a different Bluetooth device with your Chromebook. Naturally, the next step is to try another Bluetooth device with your Chromebook. If that Bluetooth device connects without incident, then the DualShock 4 could be at fault, or the connection between the two specific devices could be the problem.
Restart your Chromebook. As with everything else, you should always try a restart of your Chromebook in order to see if a driver has misfired somewhere along the line. It’s entirely possible this is the source of the problem!