I'm trying to play Hollow Knight on pc with my wired PowerA GameCube controller I bought from Amazon, and nothing I do gets the controller to work. Tried everything, from linking my game to steam, to using controller emulators, to simply using my Xbox 360 controller. All to no success. Will not use software that costs money like RWASD. The controller I'm trying to use definitely works on both Switch and PC without an adapter [tested on Paper Mario on emulator] and it works perfectly those ways. But for whatever reason doesn't wanna work with either Hollow Knight [using GOG version with offline installer, by the way] or steam when trying to link my game through steam. So, my only option [other than buy a new controller altogether] is ask here. Any help'd be greatly appreciated and I'm open to any and all constructive feedback. Anyone got something for me?



Oh, and I do have a PS4 controller, but I prefer not to use anything other than a Nintendo controller for Hollow Knight due to personal subjective tastes.

What OS are you using?

If you're on Windows, does the controller in the controller list?
start menu > search for "controller" > "Set up USB game controllers"
or try:
start menu > Run > joy.cpl
It should appear in the list as "NSW Wired controller"

If it's in the list, then use the configure wizard to make sure the controller is set up properly. Then try running the game and see if it shows up in the settings there.

From personal experience, sometimes games will automatically set to controller if one is plugged in and you press a button while in game. Other games, you need to go into the settings via KB+M and change it to the controller first.

Let me know if that works. There are some other fixes to try, too, but it would be good to first know what your controller is showing up as in the USB controllers list.

hey, thanks for replying. Sadly tried both methods you suggested and the controller option wouldn't even show up either way. If you know any other way, I'd appreciate it.

Okay, so the issue is your controller isn't being recognized by the OS at all?

My suggestions:

--
A. try a USB cable that allows data transfer AND power. Like official controller and phone cables. Most 3rd party cables are power only, no data.

--
B. Try this:

plug in controller
go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers
the controller should appear under "Unspecified" as "Controller" (if it doesn't show up at all, stop here and try section C below)
right-click on "Controller" > Properties
click on "Hardware", then click on the "Properties" button
under "General" tab, click "Update Driver..."
click "Browse my computer for driver software"
click "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"
select "Show All Devices" at the top of the list, click "Next"
under the Manufacturer list, look for "Microsoft" (below "Micron Electronics" and above "Microsoft Corporation") and click on it
under the "Model" list, find "Microsoft Xbox One Controller" (NOT the one with "(DFU)" at the end)
click "Next", click "Yes" when the warning comes up
the controller should vibrate, and/or the 'device plugged in' noise should play
restart PC

(These instructions are pretty much identical to PowerA's official instructions, but I added some extra details like the DFU thing)/

--
C. if the above didn't work, try downloading the official Microsoft Xbox One controller drivers (unfortunately the official uploads were taken down, but the SHA-256 hash on these is same as the official ones I downloaded long ago. ie: they are identical)
64 bit:
https://web.archive.org/web/20141018081729/http://ec.libsyn.com/p/a/b/a/aba377fcc5ffe48f/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x64.msi?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06c98431d3c85afad6&c_id=7248977
32 bit:
https://web.archive.org/web/20141018081732/http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/3/0/b/30bf104621791bdb/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x86.msi?c_id=7248975&expiration=1413622029&hwt=62d1050acf3637be5d50eb68af8792f7

then follow these instructions:

unplug the controller and do not plug in until told to do so
run the msi
restart PC
after logging in, plug in controller
follow the instructions in section B above, from the start

--
Hopefully something here fixes your issue. But if none of that works, then I have no idea what else to try, sorry. :c

Hey, bad news mate. Tried the first two with no success, the drivers needed don't show up and the only usb chords I have are either third party or they don't fit my controller. And the third option, the links gave 404 errors. Thinking of emulating an xbox one controller or buying a compatible adapter instead. Thank you for at least trying. Now, what's the best controller emulator for Hollow Knight in your opinion? Or what adaptor should I use?


Oh, tried wayback machine with option C, but the urls weren't detected at all.

Oops, GOG forums apparently don't like the way I did those Wayback links!

Try this instead:

1. Go to the Wayback Machine

2. Enter this for 64 bit drivers:
http://ec.libsyn.com/p/a/b/a/aba377fcc5ffe48f/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x64.msi

Or this for 32 bit drivers:
http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/3/0/b/30bf104621791bdb/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x86.msi

3. It will say "Wayback Machine has not archived that URL", but that's fine. Just click the link after "Click here to search for all archived pages under >>url<<"

4. Click any link that has the MIME Type "application/octet-stream" (NOT "unk")
It should load and then ask if you want to download the .msi file

You only need to try the links until you find one that works. :)

If that still doesn't work, I can try uploading my driver (I only have the 64 bit version). But I'm hoping you can get the Wayback version working to save myself the trouble. ^^; Heh, I'm probably the worst person to ask as I'm a controller slut, lol. I have so many to suit what kind of game I'm playing. :')

I find the Xbox One is the controller I keep going back to, because it's ergonomically best for my hands. It's also one of the most compatible and easiest to set up... but only once you get the drivers installed.
Which is why you'll need to get the drivers from those links I gave you, otherwise it won't work at all! >.<
On the bright side, once you have the drivers, you should be able to play with pretty much any modern controller. It seems most modern controllers for PC are all built off the Xbox drivers.

If you're still unable to get the drivers working, look into an Xbox 360 controller. iirc it never gave me any trouble, and I didn't need to install drivers for it.

Anyway, other than the Xbox One, I also like my 8bitDo for retro/platformer games that use a lot of D-pad instead of control stick. Haven't tried it with Hollow Knight, but this post inspires me to try next time I do a playthrough!
I'm not sure if this needs the Xbox One controller drivers, since I got mine long after I installed the drivers.

The PowerA Nintendo Switch controllers also work on PC, but they require the Xbox One drivers. Guess that doesn't help you. xD;
Also, they're cute but not ergonomic for my hands sadly. :c

I'm also a big fan of the PS3 controller (haven't tried PS4) but it was a pain to set up on Windows. You again have to install the Xbox controller drivers from those links, but also use a 3rd party program that phones home (ScpToolkit), and... bleh. Maybe some people don't care but it felt weird installing something that violates my privacy, just so I could use a controller. :/

I've also tried many converter adapters for retro controllers, the ones from Mayflash and Raphnet. Raphnet quality is great but were insanely expensive at the time... and I ended up realizing ergonomics matter more to me than the nostalgia of playing with OG controllers. So I just don't bother with the retro stuff anymore.
However, if you're still keen on them, both of those companies were good when I tried them ~7 years ago. I was never able to get the PS2 adapter working though, even with their supplied drivers.

Hey, tried your link. This's what it says when I try to input the url on wayback

Hrm.
Wayback Machine has not archived that URL.

Click here to search for all archived pages under http://ec.libsyn.com/p/a/b/a/aba377fcc5ffe48f/xb1usb.11059.0.140526x64.msi


Any idea why that happens?

May invest in an adaptor after all. Though I should note I got over my aversion to playing Hollow Knight with a PS4 controller. Actually beat False Knight and got Vengeful Spirit yesterday in fact. I appreciate the effort, though.

The game lacks proper support for the latest controllers.

It would be nice if the developers could fix their previous game before releasing another one. That way, a few unhappy customers would perhaps be willing to shell out a second time.