JoyShockMapper vs PadForge

JoyShockMapper maps game controller input to keyboard, mouse, or virtual controller events for PC games. It supports gyro controls and flick stick for aiming and turning. Buttons can map to keyboard or mouse inputs with tap-and-hold, chorded, and simultaneous-press options; stick modes can control the mouse or trigger keys, including scroll-wheel and flick-stick modes. The project describes support for DualSense, DualShock 4, paired JoyCons, and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It loads commands from text configuration files, and its download includes example gyro configurations. JoyShockMapper is free, with a Windows release and Linux builds available from source. Development primarily targets Windows, and Linux builds may not always work. Linux use requires read and write access to /dev/uinput and the relevant /dev/hidraw device; focused-window detection works only on X11. Virtual Xbox or DS4 output requires separate ViGEm bus software. The releases page lists v3.6.1 as the latest release.

PadForge is a free Windows application that maps physical input devices to the virtual controller format a game expects. It remaps gamepads, wheels, flight sticks, keyboards, mice, touchpads, MIDI devices, HOTAS, arcade sticks, and VR controllers, producing keyboard-and-mouse or virtual-controller output. Up to 16 virtual controllers can run at once, including Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, VR, MIDI, and keyboard-and-mouse shapes. Per-app profiles can switch automatically when a game takes focus, and 13 starter profiles are included. Gyro tools provide calibration, smoothing, and gyro-to-stick or gyro-to-mouse mapping. Supported Steam community layouts can be imported. Razer Chroma and Logitech LIGHTSYNC lighting are supported through their local software engines. A browser on the same Wi-Fi network can serve as a controller for up to 16 phones without installing an app. Remote Link shares controllers between PadForge PCs over a network or the internet. The maker says there is no telemetry.