How To Play Xbox 360 Games On Mac

Whether you’re trying to no-scope that enemy on COD or score a last-minute slam-dunk on NBA, the touchpad just doesn’t do it.

It’s awesome to game on the gorgeous display of a Mac computer. Whether you use Steam, OneCast, Apple Arcade, or emulators, it’s really fun and beautiful. The only thing that might improve the experience is connecting a controller to your Mac—particularly when you play Xbox or other console games. The Mac gaming scene is really hotting-up with NVIDIA GeForce Now already allowing Mac users to play Windows only Steam games on Mac. Previously the only way to run Xbox games on Mac was to install Windows on Mac for free using Boot Camp but both Parallels and OneCast are definitely easier and more efficient. An official Xbox 360 hard drive is required in order to store the emulation software and saved game data for the Xbox games. Non-Microsoft hard drives will not include the emulation software. If you are buying a hard drive for your Xbox 360, make sure that it is an official hard drive. Play games installed on your Xbox console, including Xbox Game Pass titles, to any compatible Android or iOS device. Currently excludes backward compatible titles from Xbox 360 or Original Xbox. Xbox Wireless Controllers accompanying the Xbox Series X and Xbox One X, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. XBOX emulator for Mac. For playing XBOX, the most widely used emulator is the XeMu360 emulator. This is new software, and it supports all XBOX games. This is a powerful emulator which can give you the joy of enjoying your game flawlessly. Playstation Emulators. PCSX-Reloaded is the best emulator for PlayStation games.

So, we thought we’d share the best tips on how to connect an Xbox 360 controller to your Mac, to make them tense gaming moments a little easier.

Before you do: Clean up your Mac

BUT, before we get into all the juicy techy stuff, let’s remind you of how beneficial cleaning up your Mac can be.

Before installing any new hardware, it’s important to have an un-cluttered file space so the new software can run efficiently, and you can keep an eye on what’s where.

With CleanMyMac X, it’s easy. It’s one-click cleaning approach and powerful scanning means you can swiftly dispose of useless documents and apps which may be slowing your Mac down.

So, to get optimal controller connectivity, you should download CleanMyMac and tidy up your digital space – prior to any installations. Now, onto how to use an Xbox 360 controller on a Mac.

How to use the Xbox 360 controller on Mac

Not many of us know it, but there could be a handy use for all those old Xbox 360 or Xbox One controllers lying around. But, before you get set up, you need to have the correct hardware installed on your Mac to enable connectivity.

Here’s how.

First of all, you will need either a wired or wireless Xbox controller. Both work fine, but for all those passionate gamers with a tendency to erupt, a wireless device would be best to save any damages to wires (or opponents). These wireless receivers can be bought for around $20 on Amazon, and can handle up to 4 Xbox 360 controllers.

Free Drivers

Obviously, Macs don’t have an in-built driver for Xbox controllers as Apple are in no way affiliated with Microsoft. Similarly, Microsoft doesn’t supply drivers for Mac users for their hardware, which leaves us wanting users having to find our own way.

So back in 2006, it was music to gamer’s ears to hear that Tattie Bogle had developed their own driver free of charge to users across the gaming globe. However, this driver hasn’t been updated since 2012, and is therefore sticky when it comes to compatibility with MacOS X.

For a more streamlined approach to this conundrum, download GitHub’s free driver – it’s maintained and updated frequently and is free to all Mac users.

1. Install the driver

After opening the GitHub link, double click on the DMG file visible under ‘Assets’. This will start the installing process, where you will have to follow the appropriate instructions.

Remember though, as with any new program installation, it will reboot your Mac, so don’t panic. After the restart, you should be able to find ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ in the system preferences.

2. Connect the Xbox 360 Controller to your Mac

Now you’ve installed the driver, the next step is to connect the controller, which is simple and only needs to be done once.

  • Firstly, you need to plug the USB receiver into a free USB port on your Mac. Once plugged in, the USB receiver’s light should start blinking

  • Press the big Xbox logo button on the controller so it lights up green

  • Press the button on the USB receiver

  • Press the connect button on the controller, which can be found at the top - in-between the left and right toggles

  • The top left quarter of the circle around the Xbox button should now light up, indicating you are the first controller connected

Now the controller and Mac are linked - so in the future if you want to connect again, all you need do is press the big Xbox logo button to get going. Told you it was simple!

3. Test the Controller

As with all things techy, there’s always loopholes. So, it’s important to test the connections to ensure the controller works before we embark upon a mobile-gaming-gallivant.

Go to ‘System Preferences’, ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ and you’ll see a screen like below.

This is a control pad, which indicates whether all the buttons on the controller are working properly. That’s about all you can do on this, as well as shutting the controller down by clicking ‘power off’.

4. Configuring for multiple games on your Mac

We all have different tastes in games - some of us like sports and some of us like military, there’s no right or wrong (asides from Half-Life, that’s just awesome and it’s not up for debate).

With these different games come different control configurations, which can get tedious when you only have one type of controller.

For full flexibility of use, there are many tools and apps available which allow you to play any game with any Mac compatible joystick or controller – even the ones that are not compatible with joysticks.

5. Use Joystick Mapper

Out of the many apps to choose from, Joystick Mapper is our pick. And at only $4.99 from the App Store, it’s real value for money – especially when considering the amount of effort it takes to develop such a complex tool.

Here’s how it works –

Once you download the Joystick Mapper app, you need to create a pre-set for your game preferences. To do this, open the app and click ‘Add new pre-set’.

Enter a name for future reference such as ‘My Game’, and for each joystick, click ‘Add a new joystick’.

Now that you’ve identified the joystick, you need to ‘bind’ joystick inputs to keyboard or mouse movements - which is easier than it sounds.

Click on ‘Add new bind’, and then ‘Scan’, and press the button of your game controller that you’d like to use. Next select a mouse or keyboard action, and that will ‘bind’ the chosen inputs.

Simply repeat this process until you’ve bound all the buttons you’d like to use.

If by chance you’re using a controller other than an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, you can replicate these actions and apply them to different controllers. To do this, simply click the ‘Clone’ icon in the top right corner. To put the pre-set into action, set a checkmark before the preferred pre-set/profile you’ve created for the game you’re about to play. Now, you’re good to go!

BUT – don’t close the Joystick Mapper app before starting the game, it needs to keep running to work. Simply select ‘cmd + H’ to hide the window.

Declutter your Mac to make more room for games

Remember, all of these processes won’t work as effectively if you have a messy Mac.

On average, there is a whopping 62GB of junk found on Macs, with jam-packed caches and folders full of useless documents cluttering the hard drive.

This considerably slows down the performance of your Mac, preventing quick and easy installations, and can even hinder the controller connectivity.

CleanMyMac X is an app dedicated to cleaning your Mac head-to-toe. It scans everything on the computer - even old folders that have been evading your wrath for years - identifying what needs to be removed.

The Mac is inspected rigorously, and with its smart one-click clean-up, CleanMyMac sweeps away the unwanted rubbish to organize folders and speed up performance.

Furthermore, CleanMyMac X is free to download. So, what are you waiting for? Download it for free here.

I have an XBox 360 and would like to record videos from various games I play to post on the web. Let me start by asking, what is the easiest way to do this (under $300)?

How To Play Xbox 360 Games On Mac Os

This is a question from Yahoo answer. Before answering this question, we need to make it clear what Xbox 360 is, and why and how people record Xbox 360 gameplay.

Part 1: What Is Xbox 360?

Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the second console in the Xbox series, Xbox 360 features an online service, Xbox Live. That means, apart from the trial games on Xbox, you are allowed to play or download (through Xbox Live Arcade) games online with Xbox Live. Playing Zumba fitness, Zomnie games, X-Men, Zoon Tycoon, Watch Dogs, Diablo 3, etc. on Xbox 360 is easy for you. Moreover, you are allowed to purchase stream music to Xbox 360, and pay money to watch movies (WMV, H.264 and MPEG-4) and television programs (720p HD) on Xbox 360. Additionally, you are able to stream media from PC for more pleasure. For meeting your demands, wireless controllers, hard drive storage expansion, Xbox with Kinect bundles, etc. have been released. TechRadar deemed Xbox 360 as the most influential through its emphasis on digital media distribution and multiplayer gaming on Xbox Live. Also, Microsoft has stated they plan to support the Xbox 360 until 2016. The Xbox One, the successor to Xbox 360, is also backwards compatible with the Xbox 360. But You can not put Xbox One games on Xbox 360 for playing. At this point, it is a pity for a number of Xbox 360 enthusiasts.

Part 2: Why Do You Want Xbox to Play Games?

Launched in 2005–2006, Xbox 360 has sold 84 million as June of 2014. Initial 14 games in North America and 13 in Europe, Xbox has sold over a million copies of Call of Duty 2 for 2005. In 2006, Blue Dragon sold out quickly with over 10,000 pre-orders. The 2007 Game Critics Awards honored the Xbox 360 platform with 38 Nominations and 11 Wins. Xbox 360 games gains a worldwide popularity.

Play Xbox Games On Mac

Xbox 360 uses the triple-core IBM designed Xenon as its CPU, with each core capable of simultaneously processing two threads, and can therefore operate on up to six threads at once. Graphics processing is handled by the ATI Xenos, which has 10 MB of eDRAM. Its main memory pool is 512 MB in size. All such technical specifications of Xbox 360 fascinate game players. And some games have been classic for players.

Part 3: How to Record Xbox 360 Gameplay?

For keeping the classic gameplay images for future use or just a simple memory recall, or just uploading the gameplay to YouTube for sharing or making money, many users want to record Xbox 360 gameplay. However, Xbox 360 only allows you to play it on PC or TV, but it does not show you any direct way to record it. How to record your Xbox 360 gameplay? Keep reading to get the solutions.

Method one: Recording Xbox 360 gameplay with phone or camera

If you are a school student without making money, the quick and cheap way is to use your brother's phone or VHS camera. You have to hold out the camera or phone in front of television to record the gameplay on Xbox 360. If your Xbox 360 freezes during gameplay, then you have to turn to others for help. The quality is 720p HD video on your TV, but when you play the recorded Xbox 360 gameplay on your PC, do not cry for the blurry screen. You have to admit this way is the bottom-line way.

Method two: Record Xbox 360 gameplay with Game Capture

If your pocket is full, and you are willing to spend money on your favorite Xbox gameplay, then you can consider purchasing a professional Xbox 360 video capture. Those Xbox 360 gameplay recorders are easy to use with its guides. But there are many such captures, so you need to sort them out. The following table of Xbox 360 gameplay captures is for your reference. Before you decide to get one, you need to know what your needs are. The portability? In-game chat? HD quality? Recording on a Windows or Mac system? Compare the features and find the best one Xbox 360 gameplay capture for yourself.

Comparison of Xbox 360 gameplay recorders
RecodersPriceAdvantagesDisadvantages
Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition
$152.981. Three different versions are available for you.
2. HD PVR 2 is compatible with Mac.
3. Windows users can stream and edit the recording.
4. Record in-game chat and 5.1 channel audio.
5. Record through HDMI or composite cables.
1. The non-Plus version requires a $30 software download.
2. HD PVR 2 for Mac is only for capturing.
3. Require a power cord instead of drawing power via USB.
Roxio Game Capture HD Pro
$94.95 1. Record Xbox 360 gameplay with 720p or 1080i HD quality.
2. Stream live Xbox 360 gameplay to Twitch simply and directly.
3. Output a multiple of formats like MP4, AVI and WMV.
4. Power the game capture right through a USB cable.
1. Do not include all the bells and whistles.
2. Only have the Windows version.
Elgato Game Capture HD
$149.95 1. Simple but powerful to record Xbox 360 gameplay.
2. Output MP4 with full 1080p HD video.
3. Compatible with Windows and Mac version.
4. Portable with small size is easy to record Xbox 360 gameplay anywhere.
5. Flashback recording allows you to rewind your gameplay back an hour.
There's no SD option for older console capture.
AverMedia Live Gamer Portable
$143.99 1. Record the gameplay on the road, on PC or Mac.
2. Capable of recording 1080p encoded H.264 video.
Recording on the road needs to insert an SD card.
Blackmagic Intensity
$189.051. High-end input and editing hardware.
2. Input HD/SD with numerous formats and resolutions.
3. Up-convert real time SD to 1080p or 720p HD.
4. Work with either Windows or Mac optionally.
1. Need to pay a premium price for some functions.
2. The Shuffle has only Windows version by now.
3. Requires USB 3.0.

Such professional Xbox 360 gameplay recorders are good to record gameplay if you are willing the bear the price.

Method three: Record Xbox 360 gameplay with video grabber

If you only want to spend under $50, the the third way will be your favorite.

Firstly, you need to prepare the following details before you record Xbox 360 gameplay:

  • 1. Xbox 360 and the game you want to record
  • 2. An HDMI splitter (under $20 at Amazon)
  • 3. Three HDMI cables
  • 4. HDMI video grabber (under $20 at Amazon). In the following steps, we take AV.io HD as an example.
  • 5. A computer with with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) (free)
  • 6. An USB 3.0 cable

Step 1 Connect Xbox One to your TV through the splitter

Connect your Xbox 360 to the input port on your HDMI splitter, then use a second cable to connect from one of the splitter's output ports to the TV's HDMI input port.

Step 2 Connect the video grabber

Connect the third HDMI cable to the other port of HDMI splitter. Use the other end of this cable to DVI adapter that came with your AV.io HD. Plug the other end of the cable with adapter to DVI-I port on the top of AV.io HD. Then use the USB 3.0 cable to connect computer (USB 3.0 port) and AV.io HD.

Step 3 Launch the capture software

Choose any software from OBS that supports UVC inputs. Launch it on your computer.

Step 4 Configure the capture software

Click the 'Settings' button on the bottom right side of the main interface of OBS to set base resolution, encoding, audio, recording format, etc. Then click 'OK' to save your configuration changes.

Step 5 Add AV.io HD as a Global Resource in OBS

Click 'Global Source' > 'Add' > 'Video Capture Device' > Specify a name like 'V.io HD from Epiphan Video' > Click 'OK' > Find 'V.io HD Video' from the 'Device' drop-down > 'OK'.

Step 6 Add video grabber to your computer screen

Right click on the 'Sources' > 'Add' > 'Global Source' > 'AV.io HD from Epiphan Video' > Click 'OK'.

How To Play Xbox On Mac

Step 7 Record Xbox 360 gameplay

If you are ready to start recording, then you could click 'Start Recording' on the bottom sight side of the interface. Also, you are allowed to preview the captured gameplay by clicking 'Preview Stream' to make sure everything is working exactly as you wish. Click 'Stop Recording' to finish your Xbox 360 gameplay recording. You will find your recorded video by clicking 'Settings' > 'Broadcasting Settings'.

With limited video output formats here, if you want to convert it to other video formats, then you could download a free video converter to realize it.

Best Online Gameplay Recorder

If you want to record online games with high resolution for playback, we recommend you Aiseesoft Screen Recorder - the best Game Recorder. With its simple interface and easy-to-use functions, it helps many people capture gameplays while playing on computer. It also enables you to record online videos, podcast, webnairs, lectures, Skype calls, online conference, etc.

Aiseesoft Screen Recorder
  • Capture online games, videos, conference, Skype calls, online music and more.
  • Record online videos from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, DailyMotion, TED, etc.
  • Record streaming audio, online audio, microphone voice with high sound quality.
  • Provide 'Blu-light' real-time HD video encoding tech to ensure excellent image & sound quality.
How To Play Xbox 360 Games On Mac

By now, you have finished the whole recording of Xbox 360 gameplay. If you like, you are able to upload videos to YouTube for simple sharing. Also, if you get a YouTube channel, you could stream your Xbox 360 gameplay live to your audience. Certainly, if you find other live gameplaying videos, you could also save them on your computer.

Part 4: FAQs of Recording Xbox 360 Gameplay

How do I record my Xbox 360 screen with a USB?

Connect the HDMI cable to the “In” port of the capture card, and link the “Out” port to your computer. Plug the USB cable to connect it to capture card and computer. Then you can set a proper recording resolution, and start recording your Xbox 360 video.

How to record Xbox 360 gameplay with iPhone?

You can use ReplayKit gameplay recording app to record Xbox 360 gameplay. Just select “Record Screen & Microphone” or “Record Screen Only”.

How do I record long videos on Xbox?

You can change the length of the recorded video clips. Just go to Settings > Preferences > Game DVR & Streaming, and choose a longer time for recording.

A little complicated, right? If you want to record Diablo3 gameplay, you can get an easier way.

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April 13, 2020 08:25 / Updated by Jenny Ryan to Media Recorder