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Use an adaptive controller on a PC with no Bluetooth — wirelessly

Updated July 2026· 4 min read

If you play with an Xbox Adaptive Controller, a switch rig or a custom button setup, "just use a touchscreen app" is a non-answer — you need your real controller. Here's how to get it onto a PC with no Bluetooth.

The problem with most "phone controller" apps

Nearly every app that promises to "use your phone as a controller" replaces your controller with on-screen buttons. For an adaptive or switch-based setup, that's useless — the whole point is the physical hardware a player has already tuned to their needs. What's actually needed is a way to get that real controller onto a device that can't accept it directly — like a desktop PC with no Bluetooth, where the controller has no way to connect wirelessly.

The fix: relay your actual controller

Controller Gateway forwards a real, physical controller paired to your phone — over Wi-Fi — to your PC as a standard Xbox controller. Your existing adaptive setup stays exactly as it is; it simply reaches a device it couldn't before.

Get Controller Gateway

How to set it up

  1. Pair your controller to your phone over Bluetooth, the way you normally would.
  2. On a PC: install the free receiver, then in Controller Gateway tap Find PC → Start.
  3. Play. The PC sees a standard Xbox controller — your real inputs, wirelessly, with 1–5 ms of added latency on 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
Why it fits

Because it's a passthrough of your hardware — not a substitute for it — the buttons, switches and layouts you rely on all keep working. Nothing about your setup has to change.

Your controller, on more of your screens.

Bring the setup you already use to a PC it couldn't reach before — wirelessly, with your real inputs intact.

Frequently asked

Can I use an adaptive controller wirelessly on a PC with no Bluetooth?
Yes. Pair it to your phone and relay it over Wi-Fi — the PC sees a standard Xbox controller, and your physical setup keeps working as-is.
Is this a touchscreen controller app?
No — and that's the point. It forwards your actual physical controller, which is exactly what adaptive and switch-based setups need.