PS2 Controller to USB Adapter – Use a PlayStation 2 Pad on PS3, PC or Mac
This adapter lets you keep using the PlayStation 2 controller you already own. One end is the familiar PS2 controller socket; the other is a standard USB-A plug. Plug a wired PS2 (DualShock 2) or original PS1 / PSX pad into the socket, plug the USB end into a PS3 console, a PC or a Mac, and the pad is recognised as a gamepad.
Check compatibility
Standard controllers only – not for dance mats, guitars, drum kits or other specialist peripherals.
Key product details
- Connects a PlayStation 2 or PS1 wired controller to a PS3, PC or Mac
- Plug and play – no driver disc and no download
- Standard USB-A plug fits any USB port
- Compact: 10 cm lead, 13 cm end to end
- Ideal for emulators and retro gaming on a computer
- Draws its power from the USB port – nothing else to plug in
About this item
How to connect it
1. Controller into the adapter. Push your PS2 controller’s plug into the adapter’s socket until it seats fully. It only goes in one way – do not force it.
2. USB into the console or computer. Plug the USB end into any USB port on a PS3, PC or Mac.
3. That’s it. No software to install. Windows and macOS load their own gamepad driver automatically, and a PS3 picks it up as a wired controller. In a PC game or emulator you may want to map the buttons once in the controls menu – normal for any generic gamepad.
Tip: if an older PC game reads the sticks oddly, press the ANALOG button on the PS2 controller to toggle analog mode.
Please read before buying
This is a passive adapter, and there are real limits worth knowing up front:
- No vibration / rumble – plug-and-play adapters use the operating system’s built-in gamepad support, which does not carry force feedback.
- No motion control (SIXAXIS) on PS3, and a few PS3 games expect it.
- No PS button – a PS2 pad cannot switch a PS3 on or open the XMB menu. This applies to every adapter of this type.
Within those limits it does one job well: it puts a PS2 pad in your hands on a PS3, a PC or a Mac.
