Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories . Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories . The driver for XUSB on Windows implements the kernel-mode interface for the XINPUT DLL. To provide a good experience for legacy titles that use the DirectInput API with the common controller device, the driver also exports a Human Interface Device (HID) class interface, which is picked up by DirectInput. We chose the mapping of XUSB to HID based on typical behavior in a set of gaming applications for the original XINPUT version, and we updated the mapping for newer subtypes. This topic describes the mapping. Human Interface Device (HID) HID standard is a standard from the Universal Serial Bus (USB) committee originally proposed by Microsoft to generalize protocols for input devices. It consists of a byte-code description language and can express gamepads, mice, joysticks, throttle and rudder controls, and multi-axis controllers. Because this standard is so generalized, you might have difficulty writing software that consumes input from arbitrary devices. Therefore, for the game-centric DirectInput API, we developed a specific sub-mapping of types to encourage hardware manufactures to support through their drivers. USB Device Class Definition for HID v1.11 You can also access HID input devices via RawInput API and process input reports via low level HID API but vibration feedback will not work as with DirectInput . The XUSB driver implements both an XUSB class interface and a HID class interface for devices in order to support both XINPUT and DirectInput usage. This mapping is based on the XUSB subtype information. The driver implements four distinct groups of mappings. The following HID mappings are static. This means that even if the device capabilities report indicates that a particular button or axis is not supported, the mapping will still include it but will always report an off state or center value. This is the default mapping and is designed around a standard gamepad, and is exposed as a Gamepad HID usage type. (*): This is combined so that Z exhibits the centering behavior expected by most titles for rotation; this does mean it is not possible to see all possible trigger combination values through DirectInput and HID. Arcade Stick/Arcade Pad

This is the mapping designed around the Arcade Stick controller, and is exposed as a Gamepad HID usage type. The Arcade Pad is very much like an Arcade Stick, but in a smaller form-factor. These designs replace the analog Left Trigger and Right Trigger with digital buttons that report the minimum and maximum axis value. These devices may or may not support additional controls, but these are not exposed by the HID mapping: Left Stick, Right Stick, LSB (left stick button), and RSB (right stick button). This mapping is designed around a racing wheel, and is exposed as a Gamepad HID usage type. (*): This is combined so that Z exhibits the centering behavior expected by most titles for the brake and accelerator controls; this does mean it is not possible to see all possible pedal combination values through DirectInput . This mapping is designed around a flight stick, and is exposed as a Joystick HID usage type. This is based on the final Flight Stick design. Because this differs from early Flight Stick definitions, many devices have a mode switch that supports the old versus new model. This mapping assumes the new model. Was this page helpful? Need help with this topic? Want to try using Ask Learn to clarify or guide you through this topic? Additional resources Last updated on 2025-07-14